I have read and adored ALL of Feehan's books and Judgement Road does not disappoint. I put off reading this cause I knew it'll be a bit till another one is due out! She sets up in this book for the rest of the Torpedo Ink - meeting the shadowy bad guy(s) and giving a bit more background on the rest of the group - but the hot romance, trials and tribulations of the main characters was the best! Can't wait for more form Christine!

Judgment Road by Christine Feehan is the 1st book in her new Torpedo Ink series, which is a spin off from her Sisters of the Heart/Sea Haven series. When the last book in the Sisters of the Heart series left off, our heroes, (Viktor/Czar) and his wife, Blythe and all the members of Torpedo Ink Club were together as a team, and will continue to be major or supporting characters in this new series. Czar is the President of Torpedo Ink, and the man who is the glue that keeps them (his 17 members of Torpedo Ink) together as a team. All of them suffered horrible abuse in their childhood, making them all lethal assassins; living still in the darkness of the past. In Bound Together, Blythe was the lone light that they all grabbed hold of, and being Czar’s wife, she is always protected by them.

In Judgment Road, Reaper is our damaged hero; Torpedo Ink’s enforcer, and the man who is always first to protect Czar. Reaper is feared by the enemy, but loved by his brothers and sisters of Torpedo Ink; but mentally he also lives in a cold and dark inner world.

Anya, our heroine, is one of the new bartenders in the club, and she is very beautiful. Reaper starts feeling things he has never felt, and this brings his shield up; which makes him try to fire Anya. She cannot understand why he is mean to her, as she has done nothing wrong; she is a loner, who also does her job well. When Czar refuses to fire her, Reaper will have to fight off his attraction to Anya. When he follows her after work, he sees she lives in her car; and forces her to come back to the compound. In a short time, Reaper and Anya will act on their lustful feelings for each other, though he was very macho and demanding. Reaper begins to realize that he needs Anya (his only light to his soul), but he has a long way to learn how to treat her, something she tries to work with him on. Their chemistry was off the wall sizzling.

When a rival gang, comes to check out Torpedo Ink, Czar and the team notice that they keep watching Anya, and soon they fear she might be a spy. They will all take her to the back and question her, using mental force to find out the truth. But Anya is not a spy, she is running for her life, as she accidently discovered something about the rival gang, and ran for her life, when her friend was murdered. Now after she recovers from the damaging force, she wants to leave Reaper, since he did not trust and protect her. She loves him, but she needs to know she has to be his first priority. Reaper, Czar and the entire team try to apologize for their mistake. Can Reaper win Anya back, and be able to protect her first?

What follows is an exciting adventure with Czar, Reaper and the team trying to help another rival club fight off the bad guys, who were kidnapping club leaders wives. I loved so many of the Torpedo Ink members, and loved how the two girls ( Lana and Alena) were just as lethal as the guys, especially using their looks to trick the bad guys. They were all so good together. You have to sympathize, and Feehan gives us flashes to the past, and shows us how much they suffered; especially Reaper. It is these dark memories, that will hurt his relationship with Anya, who loves him; but Reaper fears he will hurt her when in the midst of his bad dreams. Very emotional.

As usual for Feehan, the story does have a lot of sex scenes, and though they were very steamy and great together, there were times early on when Reaper was too rough and always demanding control. I also thought the mental torture scene was something that was easily brushed off, which was surprising.

Judgment Road is a very dark story and romance, especially when we learned the things they had to endure in Russia; abuse, rape, torture, and murder. But they are survivors, and slowly we will get to meet the other members of the team, as they find their way out of the darkness to the light of love. Despite the dark violent story, Judgment Road was a great read, exciting, sexy, and a fabulous group of secondary characters.

I have read all of Christine Feehan's books and have loved all of them except for this one, I did not like it at all. There was way too much violence and descriptive sex in this book. Many of my customers would be very upset with the subject matter in this book

Judgment Road is the first book in Christine Feehan's Torpedo Ink series. I have loved all of the books in the previous two series (Sisters of the Heart series, which is a spinoff of the Drake sisters series) so I went into this one with high expectations. Ms. Feehan delivers on many levels, although something held me back from giving this one a five star rating.

The men and women who make up the Torpedo Ink MC are the last men standing, so to speak. Survivors of a brutal upbringing in a Russian training school for elite soldiers, they have bonded together to become the family that all of them had lost as children. Forced to rely on each other in a harsh environment, the members of Torpedo Ink know nothing of relationships outside of taking care of and trusting each other. When their leader, Czar, settles down with his wife in Sea Haven, the club Torpedo Ink is born.

Reaper is a club enforcer, which means he does whatever it takes to keep the club and its members safe. He's cold and emotionless and extremely dangerous - a killer with no limits. Until Anya Rafferty begins working as a bartender for the club. One look at her and she's under Reaper's skin.... and he can't have that. Reaper doesn't do love, he doesn't act on attraction.... he doesn't even FEEL attraction, so when his attention returns to Anya again and again, he demands that she be removed.

Anya has no clue why Reaper has it out for her. On the run from a dangerous situation, living in her car at a campground and trying to build a new life, she needs her job with Torpedo Ink desperately. She has no idea about the workings of a motorcycle club, and she's pretty sure she doesn't want to. All Anya wants is to support herself and stay safe.

Anya isn't fired. Reaper gets pissed. But he's secretly glad. He's drawn to her in a way he can't understand, but he knows himself well enough to know that he'd follow her if she left. The sexual chemistry between these two is off the charts. Reaper is bossy and dominant and demanding and Anya thrives under his attention. All her life she's wanted to belong, and she thinks maybe she found a home with Reaper and Torpedo Ink.

Of course this is a Christine Feehan book, so there is drama and violence and emotion and suspense. Nothing goes smoothly for anyone, especially Reaper and Anya. In addition to the dangers both Anya and the club faced, there was the "big misunderstanding" which led Anya to conclude that she would always come second to the club with Reaper. She can't live with that.

How these two found their way to having a future together was tragic and beautiful. There were things in the book that I didn't like, and parts of it were just a little "off" for me. I'm not sure if that's because the author is new to writing MC romance, or if I expected these characters to be like some of her others and they were not. At all. I did enjoy the book immensely, and I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.

I've been reading Feehan for probably 15(?) years. I know it was in the 'new' library building, so spring 2002 or later. I got tired of the Carpathians pretty quickly. I liked the first few Game books, but then though the editing was sloppy and stopped reading them. The only series I've stuck with is the Sea Haven series, the Drake sisters, the Sisters of the Heart, and now this set whatever it's called.

This is the first book in a new series that's connected to her other two Sea Haven series. I'm not sold on romanticizing outlaw motorcycle clubs, but that's a thing that's been happening for a while. I have no problem with her MC guys killing the bad guys, they deserve it. It's the other illegal stuff that they're doing or allowing to happen that I have a problem with. And that's more hinted at than clearly shown.

Setting aside that stuff, this is a solid entry in the Sea Haven universe.

Verdict - Recommended for readers of her previous Sea Haven books, but it' probably not the best entry point for the universe.

"He needed the wind in his face and the devil at his back."

Judgment Road was my introduction to author Chrisine Feehan. All I can say is... mind blown. I'm guessing she hasn't been on my radar because I don't read paranormal. But I am addicted to MC Romance so when I saw her latest cover with a biker on it she got my attention. So, I gave her a chance and it was the best decision ever. I can't even put into words how much I enjoyed this book, it was that good.

Anya is a recent hire in the biker bar owned by Torpedo Ink MC. She's a good bartender and handles herself well. The only problem is that Reaper can't take his eyes off of her. This is bad. Very bad. He wants her gone, now! That's the lie he told himself and his club president, Czar. Neither believed him...

Anya is on the run. She's living in her car at a local campground and insisted on being paid in cash. She doesn't want to draw attention to herself. But she can't deny that having Reaper's attention wouldn't be so bad, until she overhears him trying to get her fired. She needs her job and since she didn't do anything wrong, she's taking it very personal. When the club president allows her to keep her job she's relieved but still pissed at Reaper. Her mom always told her, "When you don't know what to do, stand still."

Reaper is a coldhearted killer. He doesn't show emotion and he doesn't chit-chat. Only his club family know about his past, and they are used to his ways. He's never shown any interest in a woman before, and when it becomes obvious that Anya has his attention, it gets their attention. He fights it soooo hard, but he can't push her out of his mind, or his fantasies. He becomes obsessed with her safety and when it becomes dangerous for her, he takes matters into his own hands.

The chemistry between Reaper and Anya is intense from the get-go. With Reaper fighting it so hard, this enthusiastic reader was mentally urging and chanting in the background, encouraging them to let it loose, promising to keep a fire extinguisher nearby just-in-case. I knew it was going to be a hot and explosive inferno when it finally happened. How exciting it was for me to anticipate, the waiting was thrilling, and every page turn was a new adventure.

Let's just say that Code has nothing on this reader when it comes to author stalking. Now that I've discovered Christine Feehan, she will stay on my radar, I can't wait for more Torpedo Ink MC. They are very special, "These broken, damaged individuals weren't quite so broken or damaged when they were together." There are so many other very interesting characters with very special skills that I can't wait to get to know better. The line forms here...

Feehan writes heroines that say the right thing but never act on it. After being literally tortured by her lovers friends while he watched, she forgave them within a chapter? For a man she has slept with twice and had virtually no interaction with? Come. On.

She moves in with a man calling himself Reaper before she knows his real name?

This book is ridiculous

I really enjoy a good MC (Motorcycle Club) romance. All the members of Torpedo Ink MC have been through hell and as a result they have unique talents. Reaper is the enforcer making him one of the most brutal members. He prides himself on feeling nothing but rage when needed but when he meets Anya he feeling something different. It's a red hot love story, with graphic but necessary to the plot violence, and a hard won HEA. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series!

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! Christine Feehan is one of my favorite authors! I love everything she writes. When I finished reading the Sea Heaven series I was hoping for another spin off and I was so excited to see Judgement Road on Netgalley. I devoured this book. Reaper was the perfect hero/antihero. And I loved Anya- she was strong and courages. I can't wait for more of this series. I loved the plot, the characters, and especially the bond between all the Torpedo Ink members. This was another great hit for Feehan! I'm in a bit of book withdrawal after reading this one...

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thoughts and Plot

I'm settling for 3 stars on this book because while I enjoyed this book, there were a few places that I wasn't okay with what was going on and how it was resolved. I also wasn't rushing to finish this one. Sometimes I also felt like it was a never ending romance and it totally leaves itself wide open for continuations with other club members. In fact, I think there is a blatant set up going on in this book for another book down the road. Not everything was resolved, like it should be a hook. Only I don't think I'm hooked. I got a little annoyed.

That said I should actually get to telling you the 'why' details.

Torpedo Ink is a small motorcycle club that is situated in the middle of Diamondback territory (big motorcycle club/gang). Reaper is an MC Enforcer. His job, protect his brother and leader, Czar, and to take out the trash. He's good at it. He's been doing it for a very long time. About 1/3 of the way in you start to get a picture of exactly how long he's been doing it, and why. That past has left him a wreck, with PTSD attacks that often happen at night when he's sleeping. He holds it all close to himself, and hasn't been with a woman in years.

Enter Anya. Anya is on the run from something. You get that much almost immediately. She took the job at the biker bar because she needed the money and some place to hide. Her attraction to Reaper is subtle, but you learn that she was attracted to him immediately. And for both of them, it was purely physical, chemical attraction. As a result Reaper wants her gone because she does things to his self control that he cannot allow (or so he thinks).

When Czar refuses to fire her (making Reaper make the call) is when things really get going. In the same night she is harassed, then stalked by three wanna-be bikers. Reaper steps in and shit happens.

My serious issue with this book is a major spoiler, so don't I'm not going to get too into it because I don't want to ruin this book for others (you might be okay with it). But for me, what the club does to Anya, without even thinking of alternative ways to get the info they want, when they realize she's the missing bartender from one of the Ghost's clubs would have ended any chance of her hanging around further. Nevermind getting into a relationship with the super controlling Reaper. Why are all biker romances about super controlling men? I understand that Reaper needs to be in control in order to keep Anya safe, but what's with the rest of them?

Anyhow, this is what Anya has to say about what the result of my major issue with this book

"-I can't. I need a man whose first loyalty is to me. I want him fierce with his protection of me and our children. With you, the club will always come first, and I understand. I do. I just can't live with that.'"

Seriously girl? I would have had a lot more to say, starting with "WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE???" Just saying...

Another thing I didn't like was this weird thing were Christine Feehan writes the same thing in 3 sentences. It's weird. It stuttered my reading every single time I came across it.

I didn't like to obvious set up for another book with Pierce...

The last thing I didn't like that ended up annoying me for the rest of the book (thank goodness it came later in the game), is when Anya goes from a smart young lady to a TSTL girl in .3 seconds. No one is that dumb. When you are in a room full of enemies (and you know they are enemies), you don't go walking by any of them within arms reach when you have a perfectly clear exit off to your right. Doesn't happen. I repeat, no real person is that dumb. Anya shouldn't have been that dumb either. This was an obvious plot device to find the rat and I din't like it one bit. Don't go having a semi-smart woman (she lost smart points the the major plot spoiler reason) that you are continually telling me is 'so smart' and 'observant' and 'quick on the uptake' do something that incredibly stupid. 3 year olds are way smarter; it's basic survival instincts at work...rating loss there.

That said, there are a lot of good qualities about this book. I liked that everyone from the original club members have these subtle abilities. I wasn't expecting a hint of paranormal abilities to show up like that. I didn't mind the sex scenes, although they didn't really do anything for me because Reaper had to be such a control freak, and he's weird about his spunk... anyway, (got distracted wondering why) I liked how all these characters had these tragic back stories (sucker for heroes with terrible pasts) that they had over come...for the most part. I liked how the author wrote out these parts. I liked quite a few little things about this book. Just not everything and some of those things I didn't like were big issues to me as a reader.

In Conclusion

Decent book. I don't really know anyone who I would think to recommend this to just because I know they would have the same issues with it as I would. Maybe if I find someone who likes overly controlling males... I might try the second book when it comes out. I might not.

Christine Feehan does it again with the beginning of this new spin-off series! Usually a spin-off of a spin-off does not work well, but I think the progression of these books is logical and fun to read. The original series was the Drake Sisters, which lead to the Sisters of the Heart. Both ended because there were only 7 sisters in the Drake family and 6 women on the farm in Sisters of the Heart. Plus, the Sisters of the Heart series involved all of the Prakenskii brothers that were introduced in the Drake Sisters series. Then, the last book of the Sisters of the Heart series introduced the Torpedo Ink motorcycle club. Viktor Prakenskii is the president of the club and the members are all children that he grew up with in a Russian training camp, hell-hole. So, Judgement Road is the first novel from the surviving seventeen (I think) children.

Reaper is the enforcer of Torpedo Ink. He has spent most of his life taking on the worst tasks available to protect his brothers and sisters from having to do them. He's emotionally shattered and on the verge of taking his own life to protect the world from himself. Anya is trying to get her life back on track and works as a bartender in the Torpedo Ink bar. Since she started working there Reaper has been a shadow lurking in the far corner, never speaking to her or approaching. When she overhears him trying to get her fired she confronts her secret crush, not knowing that she could be endangering her life. Reaper and Anya must now navigate a new danger to the club, Anya's past, Reaper's secrets and the highs and lows of building a relationship in the underground motorcycle world.

***I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review***

3.5 stars - maybe 4?

I had an interesting time with this book. For starters - I was in a mood. I started 7 books in a day (made it to 22% on one) and gave up on all of them until I started this one. Also, contemporaries, with their jangly writing, all tell and no show, and one-dimensional characters, make me itchy. However, I found something that I didn't know I was looking for when I started this book.

<b>"His soul had been gone so long ago that he couldn't remember having one. Now, his heart was slowly disappearing."</b>

Reaper is an MC Enforcer. And he's a big old mess. Not some surface bullshit. Dude is a legit wreck. He starts digging on Anya (but totally resents it). Anya kinda likes Reaper too, but has nooooooo idea about the responsibilities and rules of being with an MC man. The book was Reaper-heavy. Anya was a cool heroine - but the story mostly reflected her as she related to Reaper.

<b>"'I can't. I need a man whose first loyalty is to me. I want him fierce with his protection of me and our children. With you, the club will always come first, and I understand. I do. I just can't live with that.'"</b>

I seriously liked parts of this book. Didn't want to put it down (it's been a few books since that's happened). Some of Reaper's words and actions gave me the fun flutters. He is a hell of a damaged hero.

There was a lot of steam and the sex scenes didn't squick me out. There's also a teeny tiny PNR element. I look forward to seeing where Ms Feehan goes with that in the subsequent books. (Also - Ms Feehan writes repetitively - she'll say the same thing in 3 adjacent sentences. Kinda weird til you get used to it).

Big fat HOWEVER...There was a thing that happened in this book that I'm not sure they could have (should have?!?!?) come back from. I didn't appreciate the way either of them handled it. With a different approach there this may have been a 5 star read for me.

<b>"He needed her brightness. He needed to see himself the way she did. He could be that man because she believed he was that man.</b>

(I believe this book is a spin-off from one of her Sisters series - there were references that I didn't fully catch)

<a href="http://www.alleskelle.com/"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1471716947r/20097901.jpg?v=1471716951482"width="400"></a>

I finished the book two days ago and am already considering another read! Reaper is an incredible character and Anya an amazing heroine. I liked how in some ways they clicked, but in other places had to work at it.
It was great to see more of the Brothers and the two Sisters (fully patched members, loved that!!), and learn more about who they are.
I struggled a little with the violence against women. I understand Torpedo Ink hunts down those predators and the violence is necessary to fit with the Brothers' back stories and horrific experiences. At times it was a little much, especially with the torture Reaper had to endure. Also, this felt very much like a contemporary. Unlike Czar in Bound Together, Reaper didn't seem to have an obvious gift. I hope we'll see more of the paranormal aspects in future books.
Overall an amazing read that left me a little desperate to discover who the next book will be about.

"You choose to stay when you had your way out. That means you live by our rules."

"He was beautiful. A beautiful troubled man, forged by the fires of hell, ravaged by monsters."

"It's just us right now, Anya. The world can keep moving all around us, but for just now, in here, in the dark, it's just the two of us."

It's been quite a while since I've been in the MC world and boy was this one heck of a book to dive me back into that genre...

Judgement Road hits the ground running and pulls you in instantly. This story is raw and gritty, showing the darker side of the MC world. The characters are family, yet tough and beyond complicated. They are real and don't take shit from anyone. Their story is brutal and yet intoxicating at the same time. You won't be able to put it down.

Reaper and Anya's story took me by surprise. Both damaged and doing the best with the cards they had been dealt. Their connection was instant, intense and explosive. It wasn't all hearts and flowers between these two, but they did have their moments and they certainly steamed up the pages.

Judgement Road is an intense read that took me for one crazy ride. There was action. There was danger. There was darkness and complexities. There were twists and turns that kept you on your toes. There were intense moments that pushed your limits. And there was an intense love that can only be found and understood in the biker world. This book is a bit darker than the MC novels I typically read, but I am so glad that I took a chance on it. This is my first book by this author and I look forward to checking out more from her in the future.

This was an enjoyable read. Reaper felt a bit more developed as a character versus Anya but the connection they shared was incredibly hot. I hope there are more titles in this world planned, there’s a lot of room for the characters to grow and for the relationship between Reaper and Anya along with other members of the ‘family’ to find someone.