Sinning never felt so good… knows nothing of life beyond her strict faith, nor of life beyond the Fence—the fence that cages her, keeps her trapped in an endless cycle of misery. A life she believes she is destined to always lead, until a horrific event sets her free.
Fleeing the absolute safety of all she has ever known, Salome is thrust into the world outside, a frightening world full of uncertainty and sin; into the protective arms of a person she believed she would never see again.
River ‘Styx’ Nash knows one thing for certain in life—he was born and bred to wear a cut. Raised in a turbulent world of sex, Harleys, and drugs, Styx, unexpectedly has the heavy burden of the Hades Hangmen gavel thrust upon him, and all at the ripe old age of twenty-six—much to his rivals’ delight.
Haunted by a crushing speech impediment, Styx quickly learns to deal with his haters. Powerful fists, an iron jaw and the skillful use of his treasured German blade has earned him a fearsome reputation as a man not to be messed with in the shadowy world of outlaw MC’s. A reputation that successfully keeps most people far, far away.
Styx has one rule in life—never let anyone get too close. It’s a plan that he has stuck to for years, that is, until a young woman is found injured on his lot… a woman who looks uncannily familiar, a woman who clearly does not belong in his world, yet a woman he feels reluctant to let go…
Dark Contemporary Romance/New Adult Novel.
Contains sexual situations, violence, sensitive and taboo subjects, offensive language and mature topics. Recommended for age 18 years and up*
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Great first book in a series by Tillie Cole, who does dark romance so well! I’ve enjoyed other books by her, so I gave this one a shot … even though I don’t typically care for MC books. This one had the added twist of including a heroine who is fleeing a twisted religious cult, which is one of my favorite dark romance themes. I LOVED that the hero had a speech impairment, as it created such sweet vulnerability between him and the heroine. Styx was a sexy, fierce hero, and Mae was a sweet, strong woman who overcame so much to find herself and find love. Perfect for readers who like a dark, gritty read.
Bonus points for the audio narration by JF Harding and Annie Green!
Out of all the heart-wrenching, soul-searing, hot-as-hell Hades Hangmen books, this first is still my favorite (and probably always will be)!!! Styx is one of the best dark heroes, and Tillie Cole does those so well. My hats off to this lady for always bringing some major feels and heavy emotions with each Hangman. If there somehow ends up being 50 Hangmen books, I don’t think anyone will complain. *hint hint, Tillie* 😉
I love heros with disabilities; so when I heard about Styx, I knew that I had to read this book. I even took it a step further and bought the audiobook. Yeah, I know I’m an overachiever.
From the first page of that amazing prologue, I was hooked. I was so captivated by the little boy with the speech impediment and his wolf-eyed girl that I needed them to reunite and fast. Then, Tillie Cole took it a step further by showing us how kick-ass Mae is when she escaped from the commune. You go, girl! And when Styx found her injured and unresponsive, I was ready for the ultimate reunion. YESSS! But instead, they had an okay moment where they realized they knew each other, and then Styx left her with Rider. SAY WHAT?
See, that’s when the book started to go downhill for me. The crude language and the nightly parties were about drive me crazy. *cough* Ky! *cough* If it wasn’t for all the action from the MC gang and tidbits of information we got about Mae’s life, I would have thrown in the towel. Oh, and the wonderful job the voice actors did; they managed to keep my interest when I would have otherwise gave up.
Fortunately, the story started catching my interest again. A lot of stuff started going down. A rat among the brothers. A love triangle. Styx. THAT HUGE TWIST AT THE END!
I know it looks like the bad outweighs the good in my review, but I can’t bring myself to spoil you! Trust me when I say that the last half of the book was intense and awesome!
This book had a few hiccups here and there, but don’t let that turn you away. I am nearly halfway through Heart Recaptured, and I already know that this is going to be a good series.
4 stars!!
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Book Name : It Ain’t Me, Babe by Tillie Cole.
Series : Hades Hangmen #1.
Genre : Dark Romance, MC Trope.
Rating : 4 STARS –
Live free. Ride free. Die free.
Wow. Just Wow. Just when I thought that I had seen it all, read it all, I stumble upon Hades’s Hangmen and I am sold. Thanks to Tillie Cole for introducing me to the Dark Romance trope in my early reading days. I have no idea why I haven’t reviewed this sensational book yet! It Ain’t Me, Babe was a story, never heard before. Never imagined before. Leave it to Cole to leave you breathless, toxic and waiting for more. More Drama. More of Mae & Styx, the President! I have always found the President’s story in a MC trope a bit cliched but this story didn’t disappoint.
It begins with ANGST. Ends with ANGST. There were snippets of certain themes which confused me greatly. It was the overall complexion, may be? That didn’t get to me. But on the contrary, this story was fucking sexy, edgy, gripping and emotionally tormenting. TILLIE COLE is an emotional terrorist, much like a friend of mine regarded Mary Catherine with. The sex was completely off the charts, but that’s not the new thing. The incredible progress that Mae made after being abused and tortured, going through every possible nightmare and emerging even stronger, being a better half for Styx, that hell of a man was something worth an applaud.
There are so many characters that I look forward to read about in this series. Kudos to Cole for mastering a trope like this with such minute precision!
I’m scoring big time with my MC reads lately and I’m LOVIN’ it!
*****SPOILERS*****
It Ain’t Me, Babe is different than the typical MC book. It’s got violence- eating eyeballs, slicing people open, descriptive type violence involving Nazis and Russian gun runners. It’s also got violence in the form of physical and sexual abuse against women. It even has a crazy-*ss cult- well, the members of it call it “The Order”- which practices horrible acts and brainwashes the women there like nobody’s business. It’s got the hot sex, a couple of awesome old ladies and skanky club wh*res. It’s got the requisite foul language. Basically, it has a little bit of everything… making it pretty darn cool.
The Hero, Styx… Well, I LOVED the fact that he has a disability but that he’s able to stay so strong and be so brave. He fell so fast for Mae and remained enamored about her. Styx NEVER forgot her, NEVER gave up on her and fought for both her and the club until the end.
I liked the heroine, Mae, a good deal too. I felt incredibly bad for all that she (and her “Cursed” sisters) had been through. It was so sad and awful. Mae’s faith in Styx was beautiful and unwavering. She wasn’t critical of the biker lifestyle and was willing to stick with him, learning how to fit in and becoming accepted by Styx’s club family.
Fortunately for us, there were a lot of intense sex scenes between Styx and Mae. I was a little surprised about them not using protection since I don’t think they’d want a baby right now but oh, well… A mini Styx or Mae is bound to be beautiful.
The Lois situation was conveniently taken care of but I was very relieved when it was over. Sometimes battles with club wh*res can get exhausting, fast.
I really like how much more of this story there is to tell. There’s still Ky and Lilah, Flame and Maddie, the Rider and the Prophet situation, the rebuilding of The Order… It only makes me more excited to read the next book in the series, Heart Recaptured! Bring on Ky and Lilah!!
I have read this series several times and decided to listen to it this time. The books are amazing to read, but listening to them? Outstanding! J.F. Harding and Annie Green brought this story to life – so much emotion from both. No doubt Tillie Cole writes an amazing MC book and her choice for narrators was spot on! 5 SHINING STARS!!!
What an amazing book from start to finish. When River meet The girl with the wolf eyes it was like they were connected. River tried to find the girl again but couldn’t. Salome had to run from The Order and when she had she was taking by a stranger and stooped by the club. Never thinking he would see the girl with the wolf eyes again, until there she was almost dead by the club shed. Feeling protective of her, he wanted her but was told he couldn’t. With having to leave her, he had Rider watch over her but Rider grew to care for her. With a hit on the club and Mae being targeted sends a rage from Styx. With there being a rat and Mae taken Styx will do anything to get her back. I can’t believe I waited this long to read this series. Can’t wait to read the next book
Wow. Just wow. I am speechless. This is one of those books that stays with you long after you’re done reading. Tillie is a new author to me and she is incredibly talented. I am completely and utterly blown away. I feel in love with Styx and Soleme and was so happy with the ending. Shoot, I feel in love with all the characters. The ending had me cracking up (my co-workers thought I was crazy laughing to myself). Intrigue, intense, nail biting, steamy, and I did not see that happening with Rider. Can’t wait to read #2 of this amazing series.
Tillie Cole has been on my TBR for quite a while and why, oh WHY did I wait this long?! It Ain’t Me, Babe is a non-stop captivating read. Mae and Styx as the two main characters have my heart. I think it’s quite clear that the author respectfully wrote about Mae’s horrific experiences in The Order. Although it was hard to stomach at times, the story itself needed to be told. Mae’s strength and fight were incredible. And Cole sure didn’t pull any punches creating her wild, hedonistic MC club and I absolutely love that! Styx has so much depth as a character, doing the best he can with the only life he knows. Their chemistry and connection is gritty and inevitable. The story is action packed with suspense, gut-wrenching heartbreak, love, HOT sexy times, humor (those MC boys…LOL) and wonderful comradery. It has a lovely ending for Mae and Styx but I absolutely can’t wait to read more about some of my favorite brothers! YAY! 5 stars for It Ain’t Me, Babe!
This was suspenseful, thrilling and erotic like the other books in this series. And like those, it is dark and has sexual triggers.
But it’s well written for this genre, I enjoyed it.
This was an intensely emotional and horrifying tale of abuse, psychological and physical, that left an overwhelming feeling of repulsion and hate in my gut. There are no real good guys here, though some are better than others, they all live a hard , brutal life that leaves scars. But the over all sturdy of a boy, meeting a girl, locked behind a fence, with stunning eyes that left a mark that never went away was beautiful and sad. I did not go into it expecting The Notebook. This love story is harsh and terrifying. Ugly and brutal. But also beautiful and real. I could not possibly give it enough stars to do it justice. I am in awe and I am moving straight on to the next one! Happy reading!
AMAZING MC story about the Prez of the club Styx and the very sheltered (and brainwashed) Mae. This is a heart pounding ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time!
GOOD FIRST BOOK FOR AN MC SERIES…
Good beginning to a new (to me) MC series…so many moving parts…never a dull moment…Loved the personal touches, like an MC president who has to use sign language, because he stammers…(He’s even known as The Hangmen Mute)….And instead of MCs fighting each other, they band together to bring down a cult steeped in physical and emotional abuse, pedophilia and secrets……..
Styx and Mae are a hot couple, and Styx, like most MC members we read about, is so in love with Mae, his softer side and his weakness is revealed.. I know it’s hard for some to believe the “insta-love” thing, but it’s more than real to me…I married my husband 2&1/2 weeks after our 1st date…
Good first book….I’ll move on to book 2….
Here goes… I have been curious about this book/series for a while but when reading the reviews I was put off by the almost pure talk of cults, abuse, and darkness that is in this book. Its not my thing, and I don’t care for books that are focused on these things. I, however, LOVE MC romance and was recommend this book as one of the best.
It went on sale and I decided to take a chance… and I am so glad I did. This was such a wonderful book. Full of grit, and steam, happiness and love, redemption and an ode to the human spirit. The MC aspect was perfect and more of the book then the cult aspect. For that I am greatful. I thought the cult (the abuse and the violence) was horrific, but well done and there was just enough to satisfy the story without making the topic overly graphic and sensationalized.
I am so glad I took a chance and you better believe I will be reading the rest of this series in the near future. If you can handle dark, give it a try it really is worth the read.
**spoiler alert** While I found this book entertaining and I liked the story of Styx/Mae, there were some unrealistic aspects to me. So I decided to enjoy the book based on the romance escape from reality approach. Styx’s speech impediment to me was handled realistically because I know someone with a similar problem and there are only a few people the person feels secure enough to try and talk to them. One of the things that stood out to me and I had to push back was the fact that Mae had been horribly abused by men but for some reason thought Rider was just her “friend” and she had no clue that his feelings for her were anything other than a “friend.” In that relationship IMO she almost reached TSTL.
As far as Flame and his self mutilation and psychotic behavior, it was a little OTT. Now I can’t wait to see how the author writes his and Maddie’s story. She sets up the series for another book with Ky/Lilah and Flame/Maddie. How can you redeem Flame? He was bizarre to the extreme to me. So I am anxiously awaiting that one.
I liked the fact the story line was not the same old, same old. I also think the approach of Mae’s rescue from the cult and Styx’s speech impediment made me feel like I wasn’t reading the same story with just names changed.
Even with these minor negative points, I still liked this book and found it to be better than most of the recently released deluge of the biker club train. I think this author has much potential and I look forward to buying her next book
I read this book as a recommendation; the genre isn’t something I would ordinarily of chosen. WOW!! I’m glad I took the chance. The book starts off in the past when 2 small children of 8 and 11 have a chance encounter and forge a connection. 15 years later sees their paths cross again…
Mae (Salome) escapes from a cult on her wedding day to Prophet David a 70 year old leader of The Order. Her marriage is supposed to seal the fate of The Order and deliver them on to a better future. Whilst escaping she ends up injured and finds herself at the commune of an MC. Taken in to help her heal from her injuries and she comes face to face with Styx (River) the leader ‘Prez’ of the Hades Hangmen and the boy she met when she was 8 years old.
I was hooked from the very first page. I loved the way the book was written as the MCs would speak in gritty, slang and harsh tones. It kept the book very true to the genre and I felt myself wrapped up in the story from the beginning. Also Styx had a speech impediment and refused to speak, known as the famous Hangmen mute. He communicated to his fellow brothers through sign language and his VP Ky would translate his orders to the rest of the brothers, it gave the character a vulnerable side which was hot hot hot.
Also, parts of the story are based on true events as part of Tillie’s research which made the book even more absorbing and enthralling. I was completely taken in and couldn’t put the book down. This is a story that will stay with me forever. I am so glad I took a chance on this book, 5 stars just don’t seem enough!
This series is amazing! Dark and sexy!
I don’t think I can really add anything to the other 5* reviews.
But I’m going to try.
I loved the concept of this book, I was hooked from the very beginning, wondering what was going to happen and what was going on. Throughout, I really couldn’t believe this actually happened to some poor women and I felt myself wanting justice for them all.
Loved every single character, well, I don’t need to put a spoiler in to say who I’m not too impressed about 😉 But if you’ve read it, you’ll know.
I’m struggling to put into words how much I loved this book, I’ve only ever read 3 MC books including this one, and they’re becoming a firm favourite of mine. I’ve only read Tillie once before and I just love her writing style!
Styx’s speech impediment was such a good twist! I found myself frustrated right along with him when he couldn’t get his words out and I thought it made him more enticing.
MC books aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. The bikers are pure Alpha males that are involved in some shady stuff. They kill, they drink, they sleep around (most of the time) and their behaviour is questionable. But for the right woman, they’re butter in their hands and they’d do anything to protect them.
Styx was no different. President of The Hades Hangmen, he’s known for his violence and is feared my many. He only has one person who he’s ever softened up for, his number 3, Mae. Mae is naïve and scared when she firsts falls into the hands of The Hangmen, but she soon learns that underneath all the violence and bad language, they’re all good guys that would do anything to protect the club and it’s people.
In conclusion, I just loved it!! Could not put it down!! Onto the next! 😀
This was a pretty good read and I enjoyed it for the most part. I did not like how everyone kept constantly referring to the women as bitches. It became repetitive and annoying. Other than that I liked it.
I adore this series so much!!