grumbler-s-ride” style=”float: left; padding-right: 20px”>Grumbler’s Ride by Manda Mellett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Grumbler’s Ride is the second book in the Satan’s Devils MC series by Manda Mellett. Grumbler is a rough and tough biker who feels as though he has no time in his life for anything other than his bike, his work, and his MC life. He has never been married and never had kids, nor has he had any desire to have either. His family is the Satan’s Devils and that is how he intends to keep it. His girlfriend, as his biker buddies refer to it, is his beloved motorcycle. Besides, even if he wanted an old lady in his life, he is too darn old at this point as he is nearing sixty.

Mary, a single mom, has been raising Alicia alone since Alicia was about 10 years old. Now at 17, Alicia and her mom butt heads constantly because, as teenagers often do, she knows everything. Mary has no desire to date or bring a man into her life because raising her head strong daughter not only keeps her busy but tends to be a turn off to men. Mary and Alicia bicker constantly as Mary tries to teach her daughter the dangers of the world. Alicia, feeling that her mom is being too overbearing and too protective, chooses to often ignore her mom’s advice. When Alicia is approached by a photographer who asks her to do some modelling for him Mary is nervous and reluctant to let Alicia do the photo shoot. However, against her better judgement, Mary allows her daughter to do the photo shoot, but only on the condition that she goes along to supervise.

As luck would have it, Grumbler has been approached by the same photographer and has been asked if his beloved bike can be used in a photo shoot. At the photo shoot Grumbler briefly meets Mary and gets a glimpse into the dynamics of the mother-daughter relationship between Mary and her daughter Alicia. This chance encounter between Mary and Grumbler during the photo shoot changes all their lives forever in a way that non of them could have ever predicted.

This book was a great read and I fell in love with the characters of both Grumbler and Mary. I absolutely loved the fact that the main characters were both older and more mature. I also found it quite refreshing that Grumbler and Mary first became friends before deciding if it could be taken any farther. Grumbler is a man who oozes sex appeal and goes to show that even mature, older men that are considered rough around the edges can be sexy. Mary is someone who shows that older, more mature women, can also be attractive and desirable. This was a great read, but I must warn that there is some sensitive material in the book.

View all my reviews @Tara Johnson Barnes