Carson is a mother who has never carried a child. She’s raised Axe as her own son. He is her responsibility, but she wouldn’t want her life any other way, even if it’s not exactly what she had planned.A waitress in a small town diner. A single mother. She hides in plain sight. Keys is a mystery to his Canadian brothers. A recent transfer from the Notorious Devils in North Dakota, and the new tech … Dakota, and the new tech expert for the club.
His life has been one big party. No responsibilities. No relationships. No commitments.
That is, until he walks into a small diner in Texas. He recognizes her. She’s the girl from his past, and yet, she’s not–she’s all grown up.
She hides a secret that once he discovers causes rage to flow through his veins. He cannot simply let her go. He did that once–never again. Especially now that he knows the truth. He plans on keeping her as his own.
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This is the 3rd instalment in the Cash Bar spin off from the Notorious Devils MC series and its gripping and will have you hooked with everything that goes on.
Carson has been raising her sister’s son Axe as her own. Whilst her sister had no maternal instincts, Cason has it all and her protectiveness comes out when his father Ace (AKA Keys) arrives in town and finds out about his son. She has a fear that he will take Axe away from her so she will do whatever she has to, to stay by his side.
Ace is on a job in Texas for his MC when he comes across his ex’s sister and finds out he has a son he knew nothing about it. To say he isn’t happy is an understatement. He demands Carson packs up everything and follows him back to his clubhouse in Canada where he is now living.
Obviously the journey back has a few bumps and the sparks start flying between Carson and Ace. he decides along the way that she will be his, regardless of if she wants this or not. I have to admit I wasn’t a fan of Ace. Everything was his way or the highway, non-negotiable. He wanted her as his but wasn’t going to give her the commitment that he was hers. I did want to junk punch him quite a few times throughout the book. I did love Carson and I understood her reasons for not fighting back with Ace, she was worried about him taking Axe away, but I did want more feistiness from her.
That said I did really like this book. Hayley did a brilliant job of writing all the emotion involved. I felt Carson’s pain with her writing and I was completely hooked. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.
I am hoping Houston’s book is the next one as I really want to read his and Roxie’s story.
3.5 stars
Blended with Pain is the latest installment in Hailey Faiman’s Notorious Devils Cash Bar series.
With a mother who had the maternal instincts of an alley cat, always preferring the next high or the next guy over her daughters and a meth head sister with more issues than a magazine rack, Carson’s never really had any good in her life. When her sister dumps the only guy that was ever good to them and then turns up pregnant, Carson knows Sadie’s in no position to raise a child. Carson embraces little Axe and is raising her beloved nephew, as her own. She tried to tell Ace about his son once but chickened out at the last minute but when the hot biker turns up in her diner, she knows she’s screwed. Ace takes one look at the little boy she’s raised and knows he’s his son.
After a string of crazy exes, Ace “Keys” has decided that all he needs is his MC brothers, the women that serve the MC and the free wheeling lifestyle. However, a trip to take out a rival club leads him to a discovery of something, or rather someone, that turns his life upside down. Running into his ex’s little sister is crazy enough, I mean the girl has grown into quite the looker but finding out she’s been caring for his son for four years isn’t something he’s prepared for.
After reading all of Faiman’s Cash Bar series, I was prepared to settle in and love Blended with Pain. No doubt the men of the Notorious Devils are rough around the edges but, I loved witnessing the fall of Snake, Crooner and Free, so I was excited for a new addition to the series. While this book started with such promise for me, considering the back story of these two characters, I’m sad to say this is my least favorite of the set. I read a lot of MC books and truth be told, I love the OTT alpha male schtick but there are no ifs, ands or buts about it, Ace is simply an asshole and I don’t mean in the “loveable jerk makes good” or even “he’s a jerk with a heart of gold” way. I downright hated him. Sure, I understood him being a jerk after finding out he lost four years with his son but after everything, the way he treats Carson just made him totally unlikeable for me. Yeah he puts up her, buys her things, etc but that couldn’t make up for him treating her like utter crap long after he’s supposedly started feeling for her. I felt for Carson so much; she’s a sweet girl just trying to raise her nephew but she gets whiplash with Ace. It’s night and day with this guy, one minute he’s a sweetheart and the next he’s a complete jackass. Sadly he just never redeemed himself for me.
Despite genuinely enjoying watching Axe grow, catching up with the rest of the Devils, and an intriguing storyline, this relationship just wasn’t for me but the writing is great as usual and there are plenty of hot times for the romance reader.
AnnMarie – Alphas Do It Better Book Blog
“I’ll protect you until my last dying breath, no matter what haooens, you will always have me, my love, and my protection around you.”
At age 17, Carson never lived in a real home and her older sister Sadie, who is a drug user, is the only family she knows and possesses. So when Sadie talks about packing and moving to Texas, Carson just goes.
Ace is tired of his girlfriend’s games. When she leaves North Carolina for Texas, he follows her just to say he’s done but at the time he does not know he’s giving up more than he’d like.
Five years later, Carson is raising the fruit of an extinct affair, for the sake of the death of Sadie, one month after the birth of her son. She works as a waitress and all she hoped for was to find that beautiful pair of blue eyes again.
Ace, whose road name is Keys, is part of the Canadian chapter of Notorius Devils MC. He is in Texas when he meets someone from his past and discovers something that will change his life forever.
We see Carson unfold gradually, while Keys also takes time to accept and understand his own feelings. Carson is always comparing herself to her dead sister. Thinking that she is not pretty enough or uninhibited and funny enough. But she also wonders if, despite falling in love with Keys, motorcycle life is really for her.
Axe is cute and completes this wonderful trio of protagonists. Funny, smart, and sweet as every four-year-old should be. But even when the couple joins, enemies can threaten their happiness and endanger their family.
Cliché indicated for lovers of books with some sassy and many bikers tattooed. And do not mind a little slang. With that unique tenderness, capable of making the reader sigh.
Oh Man!!! This book, I don’t even know how Hayley does it. The series keeps getting better and better. The story of Keys and Carson is enticing. I couldn’t stop reading it. It proves that second chances are available even if it’s not someone you are not “supposed” to fall in love with. Carson’s dedication and undying loyalty even when Keys is undeserving she stays and fights. This alpha is like many that Hayley writes, we love to hate him. He comes swooping in, “steals” Carson away and as they say the rest is history. Although Carson appears young and naive, she has a way of making Keys weak for her. Keys is something else, he doesn’t admit fault, he takes without abandon and loves just as fiercely. I can’t wait to see whats to come with the rest of the series!
When Ace/”Keys” goes on a run to Texas he finds more than his mark. He finds someone from his past, someone that has kept something huge from him… his son. Carson has made sacrifice after sacrifice all for the love of a little boy that isn’t even hers. Axe is Carson’s nephew that she has raised since she was just 19 years old after her sister’s actions left him motherless. She always knew she should tell Ace about his son, but the one time she tried left her unwilling to try again. Now he’s here, he knows about his child and he wastes no time packing her and Axle up and setting off back home with them both. The journey is not a smooth one though; the literal journey back up to the Canada clubhouse and the emotional journey as they both deal with the secret that has been discovered.
This was a really good story. The emotional aspect of Carson worrying Ace will take Axe away from her and his anger/happiness at finding out he has a son mixed in with the attraction between the two and this was quite the drama filled story. Not to mention the club drama, the friend that decides to come along with Carson and all that entails and this was packed to the brim with all the stuff that makes books enjoyable for me. I’m looking forward to the next one and give Blended with Pain 5 stars.
Keys and Carson have a past thanks to Carson’s sister. When they break up Carson doesn’t see Keys again. She thinks about him all the time and wanted to tell him about the secret that she has. She tries to once but that definitely didn’t turn out well. She’s given up on him and living her life the best way she knows how.
Imagine her surprise when he walks into the diner where she’s a waitress. When the past comes back to bite him in the butt he doesn’t like it. He starts to take it on her but ends up taking her with him when he leaves.
There’s some scary people that they meet up with and she’s shaken by what she learns but she can’t leave him. When the drama unfolds will they be able to walk away unscathed?
The flow of the book had me not wanting to put it down. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next! The heat between Carson and Keys is hot, he’s not such a bad guy after all and will do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe. I think it’s the best book to date from this author.
I LOVED IT! BUT?
I love this series. This is Ace/Key’s and Carson’s story oh and little Axe. Can’t forget the star of the story. Little 4 year old Axe is total cuteness overload, some the things that come out of his mouth had me cracking up. Keys character is the kind you hate to love and love to hate. He’s arrogant, gorgeous and knows it, a crass hard@ss who says whatever he thinks and most of the time it had me smh thinking NO F**KING WAY!!!! A complete Bast*rd! He’s a total hot possessive alpha off the charts savage. He does have some redeeming qualities though, like the love and utter adoration he has for his son Axe. Carson is so sweet I loved her character right off the bat. She lived a horrible childhood and adolescence with a drug addict mother and her batsh*t crazy older sister who because of her, is thrown into motherhood at young age. In some ways Carson is strong and she’s also quite vulnerable but she works her @ss off to protect and raise little Axe like her own. Every time he calls her aunt CarCar it was so heartwarming I just wanted to hug him. As the story goes Ace/Keys and Carson are so drawn to each other but Carson is scared and Ace fights his feelings tooth and nail. He’s very guarded and angry and he and Carson are complete opposites. I absolutely hated the way he treated Carson even when he was being nice, or what he considered nice, she’s got him all twisted up. But I have to admit the sex is SO HOT the building could be on fire and you wouldn’t even notice. When the guys break into the compound what they find was heartbreaking and when they had to leave them especially the little girl I was crying. Their first stop at the brother MC clubhouse was scary and it sent chills up my back. The excitement and anticipation was amazing. I loved every minute of it. Then their next stop with Chuck had me on the edge of seat wondering what they would find there. As the series continues loyalties continue to be tested, boundaries are crossed, hearts are shattered, lies are told and secrets are revealed and it’s sexy as sin. This series hits everything for me. It’s a plethora of emotions from beginning to end. I EXTREMELY recommend this series to everyone.