Review: Last Mile by Katie Ashley

Last Mile (Vicious Cycle #3)
   by: Katie Ashley

Publication Date: May 3, 2016
Publisher: Signet
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: Adult
Source: Physical copy received via the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 336 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Katie Ashley, the New York Times bestselling author of Redemption Road and Vicious Cycle, returns to the dangerous and seductive world of the Hells Raiders motorcycle club…

After her father was murdered in the line of duty, ATF agent Samantha Vargas is determined to take down the scumbags of the drug trade. When her partner takes on a case to infiltrate the Hells Raiders MC, Samantha agrees to go undercover as his old lady but is surprised to find herself drawn to the very man she is investigating.

Benjamin “Bishop” Malloy has worked hard to carve a place for himself both in and out of the MC world. Working days as a mechanic, he spends his nights rebuilding motorcycles with the hope of one day owning his own shop. After taking one of the club’s new hang-arounds under his wing, Bishop is conflicted over his growing attraction for the man’s girlfriend.

Even though she’s determined to bring down the Raiders, Samantha discovers their world isn’t as black-and-white as she thought. And as the stakes grow higher, she’s in danger of losing more than her heart.

 

 

I have really enjoyed this MC series by Katie Ashley! I am sad to see it end, as I have grown really attached to the Malloy brothers, their family, and Raiders brothers. I was looking forward to Bishop's book and while I enjoyed it, I can't say it was my favorite of the three. I can't quite pinpoint why either. I liked that it was low on emotional drama (because we got quite enough of that in the previous book), but I don't know... it just felt a little lacking to me.

 

I really enjoyed Sam and Bishop's characters. Sam was quite the independent, strong-willed heroine and I had to give her props for her gumption. She doesn't back down and is determined to see her case through even after certain things transpire that make it off limits for her to do so. She ends up falling for Bishop, despite everything, and I liked seeing her come to that point. However, with the undercover premise and loyalty being a huge value for Bishop, you knew things weren't going to end well. It was a bit predictable in the end, but that didn't detract from my overall enjoyment.

 

I love Bishop's loyalty. He not only is loyal to his MC brothers, but also to his friends. He knew feeling the way he did for his friend's girl was wrong and he had immense guilt over it. He's just a good guy to the core and while I hated how he acted after things went south, I get how hurt he was too.

 

While they had some sexy, steamy scenes together, I felt like I needed to see more of a connection between the two. I don't doubt that they loved one another in the end, but I don't know... I just felt something lacking there.

 

While this wasn't my favorite of the Vicious Cycle books, I did still enjoy being back in the world. I loved seeing how happy Alex, Deacon, Willow, and little Wyatt are, as well as Rev and Annabel. These characters have been through so much... they deserve their happiness! I felt it was a satisfying end to the series and I'm glad I gave Katie Ashley a try!