The night Xander Lee found himself half-drowned, flat on his back and looking up into the blue eyes of his savior, everything changed. Going from lost boy to hardcore biker overnight definitely had its advantages. But could a guy with no social skills and the burden of a guilt he couldn’t shed, ever really fit in? Called Coyote by his brothers and friends, he struggled to do his best, but falling … falling in love with his president’s old lady might just be his fatal mistake. That mistake would see him banished to another coast, alone, afraid and expected to fail.
With the weight of a soul that ached constantly and an almost nonexistent sense of self, Coyote found enough of a spark inside him to get things started…and from there he would blaze a path that no one saw coming. Not just any man could take one brick and build an empire…but despite his own misgivings, Coyote Lee was no ordinary man. Even life at the top didn’t come without a heavy price however. The love/hate relationship he had with the man who gave him a second chance at life, lay at the core of almost everything he did. The secrets he kept to himself for so many years gnawed at his soul. The whiskey he tried to drown the pain with was never enough, and the women and children who loved him would only get a glimpse of who the man inside really was.
Could Coyote ever measure up to the late, great Doc Marshall? Or would he die trying? Take a ride with us through the Central Valley of California and across the all the hearts that Coyote touched in this life and decide for yourself, but hang on tight and be careful what you say and do…because someone is always watching!
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Book 2 in the SKULLS – The Early Years MC Series.
This is a Standalone Romance Novel but characters from this story, will appear in future books in the series and many have appeared in the previous series of Southside Skulls and Westside Skulls.
No cliffhanger.
Intended for Mature Readers.
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Skulls – The Early Years MC Series is about members of the MC club, their friends and associates.
more
“Could have, would have, should have…he was who he was no matter how he got there and there was no going back.”
I’ve been wanting to read Skulls MC for years, but I felt like I waited too long and was intimidated by how far behind I was. When the author decided to publish SKULLS – The Early Years) I couldn’t wait to jump in at the beginning. Well, damn. Now I’m back where I started but with a big motivation to tackle the entire collection, the Southside, and the Westside. Honestly, the author’s warnings kinda scared me, I usually like a nice HEA all tied up with a pretty bow. But, I read it anyway, and I loved the characters, flaws and all. And trust me, there were many of those, characters and flaws.
I had already met Coyote while reading Doc Marshall’s story. I really liked him and was excited to get to know him better. Once I started reading, I was pissed at him a time or twenty and wanted to throw my Kindle upside his head. I struggled with some of his decisions, but I still wanted the best for him. Many people only saw his rigid club president side where he barked orders and made decisions others didn’t agree with, but a few saw deeper, behind the bad glare. I agree with the statement that, “Coyote is a good man who has done some bad things. Some of those things were his fault, and some weren’t. But he takes everything to heart and every bad thing eats away at him, constantly.”
That’s something that I like about the author’s writing. She doesn’t sugarcoat. She lays it out there and lets her readers make their own decisions about the characters, without apology. The extended Skull family might be dysfunctional at times, but they have each other’s backs. That’s kind of how I feel while reading some of their secrets and stupid decisions. I know they are going to live to regret what I’m watching them do, but I’m mentally making excuses for them at the same time. Yes, I guess I’m an enabler, huh? But, at the same time how comforting to have those same people supporting you.
It’s official, I’m addicted. I might have just subscribed to Kindle Unlimited so I can dig deeper into these badass bikers who I can’t stop thinking out. “You know, sometimes I think God hates me…but then I think about all the kindhearted people he’s sent me, all the people I never deserved, and I’m confused all over again.” The line forms here…
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
This is definitely an interesting story I must say. We learned a little about Coyote in the last book but now we get his full story from start to finish from his point of view. He led a life of ups and downs that one would not expect. Yet he was able to keep going even if he didn’t always make the right decision. If you want the full background of clubs we have grown to love dive right in I bet you won’t regret it. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.
This is the second book in “the early years” series, and is about Xander Lee who has a tough upbringing, and is alone until Doc comes to his rescue. As with Doc’s story, this is an emotional roller coaster journey from beginning to end. When Coyote falls in love with his Presidents ol’lady, he is send away to start another chapter. Coyote eventually finds Colleen and has a son with her, but a series of bad decisions and guilt along the way as well as withholding secrets, slowly eat away at him, and he drowns himself in alcohol. No spoilers; this is a definite must read, you will not be disappointed! This is a beautifully written story, which is heartbreaking and emotional, all which had me totally captivated throughout this addictive page turner. I cannot wait to read more from this talented author, whose work I highly recommend for all MC lovers.
Always makes me think about senseless loss and what might have beens.
I gave this Book a rating of 5 ’s
Title: Coyote Lee : Skulls The Early Years
Series: Skulls MC Romance Book 2
Genre: MC Romance
Author: Jessie Cooke
Format: Kindle Edition
Published on: Dec 5, 2018
>-< >–< >–< >–< >–<>–< >–< >–< >–< >–< >–< >–< >–< I voluntarily received a Courtesy Copy of this book from Enticing Journey and am choosing to leave a review. >–< >–< >–< >–< >–<>–< >–< >–< >–< >–< >–< >–< >–< What I liked/Didn’t Like: This was a wonderful addition to the Skulls MC romance series. Both the leads were strong characters. This was a very fun storyline to follow with twists and turns you don’t see coming. Very well written
3.5 stars
This isn’t a typical MC book as it goes back in time to show you the beginnings of the club. If you’ve ever wondered of the circumstances that created the men that you come to love from the series, this is the place to start. While I didn’t have deep affection for Coyote, Wolf wouldn’t be the man I adore from his book, if it weren’t for his father whom we meet here. We also get to know the man behind the MC, Dax Marshall and how he’s affected Coyote’s life.
Coyote is a tough man to know, to get close to and even tougher for some to love. He’s a product of rough circumstances from childhood and a man that gave him a brotherhood then turned him out to fend for himself. Tasked with building a new chapter of the MC in a place where they have no presence, no support and little opportunity, Coyote is determined to prove all the naysayers wrong.
While I didn’t have the same connection to the subject of this story, Ienjoyed the book and learning the backstory with my favorite characters. Great read.
AnnMarie – Alphas Do It Better Book Blog
I recommend you read the first book in this series Doc Marshall: Skulls The Early Years in order to really appreciate this book. These books are gritty and based on real life. If cheating is a trigger then you may want to pass these by. Coyote tore my heart out and I cried at the end of this book. He was a bad man with a good heart. From a horrible childhood to being exiled from the place he called home, he proved he was a leader but made some bad choices along the way. The reason I love this book is because it made me feel so many emotions and especially sadness for Coyote. Not condoning any of his actions but this author made me feel his pain.
When I read the previous book I wanted to know more about Coyote and his story. I loved how gentle he was with Dallas but then I read more and I found I didn’t like him much but that was just his overall journey and by the end of this story I found I loved him. His story was not an easy one to read but one that needed to be read. His story broke my heart at times. This was one hell of a journey and I loved the ride. I recommend this author and this series.
I have to say that I was actually looking forward to reading Coyote’s story. Coyote had a hard life growing up and was lucky Doc found him and took him in. This story is heartbreaking. Coyote doesn’t deal well with Doc passing and everything spirals out of control for him and his wife. This book is an emotional rollercoaster so make sure you have your tissues with you.
Absolutely brilliant / Addictive Page Turner / LOVED IT!
Xander “Coyote” Lee was a very unique person. Based on what you read about him before, this story is going to blow you away as it is not even remotely close to what you would have imagined, he is so much more then what the author led us to believe. His story was so creative and realistic that you feel as if Coyote was someone that you know, someone close to you, a part of your life. That’s how Ms. Cooke writes her characters, that’s how well she writes the emotion into her stories that it will keep you captivated throughout.
In general I make a point not to read anything that’s not an HEA, life is depressing enough. But I knew what I was getting into and I wanted to know his story enough to put myself on the emotional rollercoaster I knew it would be. Doc & Coyote, these two characters we’re so strong, so similar and different all at the same time. Their personalities, the love and respect (sometimes not) they had for the women in their lives, their children, each other, the other member’s in each of the MC’s, they did consider all of them their family. Loyalty mattered and was valued in their world. How they could be as generous as a priest and as bad as the devil himself in the next moment. There were so many layers to Coyote. He was such a diverse character, open-minded, open-hearted, tough, fierce. I cried I’m not even going to try and pretend, just bring a box of tissues because you’re going to cry, somewhere in there, you’re going to do the big ugly cry. Colleen was fabulous, absolutely the best. I loved that he made so much effort for her, that he tried his best.
We also learn so much about Wolf and how he was raised. It wasn’t necessarily normal by what we consider normal standards but I wouldn’t call it bad either. So many things made sense, I guess clarification would be a good word for it. We are introduced to Rebecca and wasn’t it brilliantly creative the way she was introduced into this story.
Many times I asked myself, I wonder if the reading order should change with these two books being written? And honestly I don’t think so. I think that you should read them in the order that they were written. I think they will make more sense and give you a better understanding of how the various relationships developed and why they didn’t. For example I enjoyed reading the scene with “Detective Ginger” towards the end, that was very funny. And to have a bit of the history between Wolf and Trisha. It’s definitely going to be very interesting to see what happens in the author’s next book with that bit of history that took place between Bruf and Beck, so yeah, definitely read things in order. Happy Reading!
Coyote had a bad childhood, but Doc Marshall changed that, but when he fell in love with his wife, he sent him to California. He now called it home, he met Colleen and had a son, secrets he kept from his wife ate away at him.
Now the time was he didn’t know what he was going to do without Doc Marshall. Coyote can’t help the memories that flood after the funeral, the good, the bad and the ugly, but all those memories made him who he was today. Coyote’s wife describes him – ‘a good man who has done some bad things. Some of those things were his fault, and some weren’t.’
You learn about how some of the other characters that are in the series and how they are connected, can’t wait to read the rest of the series.