Saving Marvel by Manda Mellett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Saving Marvel is Book Four of the Satan’s Devils MC Second Generation. Marvel has found his place amongst the Satan’s Devils MC and cannot imagine his life without his close-knit biker family. Running from his past, Marvel has kept a closely guarded secret from those around him for nearly thirty years. He has no interest in settling down or raising a family and is the first to berate any of the club members who dare to do so. Marvel is quick to insult, belittle and humiliate any member of his club that chooses to tie himself down to a woman. He has nothing nice to say about women or about how untrustworthy they are and how the relationship will never work. After being jaded from a past relationship Marvel is bitter and trusts no woman. Not even a wife or girlfriend of one of his club members can get close to him and they find him rude and hostile towards them. Marvel is content to remain single and does not want or need love complicating his life.

Virginia was married for nearly twenty years to a man who she thought was the man of her dreams. He was, for all outward appearances, hard working, loving, honest and kind. Then suddenly, Virginia’s world was shattered when she discovers the horrific truth about the true monster that her husband was and what he did. She is traumatized by the actions of her husband and unable to receive closure or move forward in her life. Haunted by his actions she chooses to become a recluse because she is unable to face the world. After such a traumatic chain of events Virginia has no desire to be in a relationship and does not trust men.

Neither Virginia nor Marvel expects their two worlds to collide when each chooses to make a routine trip to the bank. Fate has other plans for them as they find themselves in the middle of an armed bank robbery. Virginia and Marvel find themselves trapped under a desk together in a small room of the bank where they are each hiding out from the bank robbers. To pass the time they make small talk and before long find themselves sharing their deepest, darkest secrets with one another. Virginia and Marvel find it easy to bare their souls to each other which they brush off as being due to the circumstances. Either they will not make it out of the bank alive or they will walk away and never see each other again. However, fate intervenes and has other plans for them.

I cannot begin to say how much I loved this book and this author! The strong character development of both Marvel and Virginia left me in awe as they each had so many complex layers to their personalities. Marvel comes across as being gruff, hostile and a total woman hater but once you learn about his past you cannot help but feel empathetic towards him. Learning about what happened with his ex-girlfriend enables the reader to see how deeply hurt Marvel was and why he put up walls around his heart. Virginia was traumatized so deeply by the actions of her ex-husband that she is unable to face the world outside of her home. She blames herself for not being able to see him for the monster he is and becomes sick to her stomach at the thought of what he did. The pain and scars of her past leaves her scared to be touched by a man, something that no amount of therapy seems to be able to help her overcome. Both Virginia and Marvel are two deeply hurt souls who feel hurt and rejected by their exes and unable to let go of the pain of their past. Yet they somehow find their way to each other and find that the demons of their past are what draws them together forming an unbreakable bond between them. I highly recommend this book!

View all my reviews@Tara Johnson Barnes