Review: Running Hot

Running Hot by J.L. Sheppard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Whilst Running Hot is the second book in the Hell Ryders MC series, it can easily be enjoyed as a standalone novel. It gives you information that will spoil some of the details of the first book, yet such a thing did not diminish my desire to now go and grab book one. After all, I loved this one so much, and I really need to find out how the story of other characters played out.

Like many romance fans, I enjoyed a good motorcycle club read. The bikes, the leather, and the tattoos – there’s something about it that appeals to us all, that bad boy vibe that leaves us with a sense of danger throughout the story. Oddly enough, this book didn’t quite have the bad boy vibe I’ve come to associate with such reads. It felt more like standard contemporary romance books I have read – and I positively loved this.

Whilst the male lead is a member of a motorcycle club, the characters did not originally meet through the dangers involved in club life. No, these characters knew each other before he joined the club. They had a history, a past that they could build upon, and I positively loved this. We still get to see the usual elements involved in motorcycle club reads, but it’s secondary to the wonderful relationship we get to see between the two. The motorcycle club takes a backseat, so much so that at times you forget this isn’t just your everyday contemporary romance story. It really was a refreshing experience, and because of that I loved this one.

It also helps that I positively adored the main characters. They were a wonderful couple, and watching their relationship blossom will leave you with all the feels. They’re both wonderfully complex when it comes to their emotions, the way they feel is beautiful, and the events that play out will leave you pulled in. I can assure you, the story of their love will pull you in deep – so deep that I managed to complete this one in a single sitting, unwilling to put the book down for a single moment.

It really was a refreshing motorcycle club read, one I’d certainly recommend to any fan of the genre. Without a doubt, I’ll be looking into reading more of the author’s work.

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