‘One Step Too Close’ is a standalone novel.
— One love. One motorcycle club. Two stepbrothers. —
Ryder. Controlling. Ambitious. Protective.
Jed. Self-destructive. Trapped. Lonely.
Their love? Forbidden. Taboo. All-consuming.
For Jed, the Coffin Nails Motorcycle Club is family. With them, he learned how to think, what to enjoy, and how to fight, but there is one thing he knows his … he learned how to think, what to enjoy, and how to fight, but there is one thing he knows his friends can’t find about. They would never accept him as gay, and so his life is a constant struggle with desires that fill him with despair. Only there is a much darker secret lurking in Jed’s heart. His feelings for his stepbrother, Ryder, go far beyond brotherly. Trapped with a yearning that can never be fulfilled, Jed spirals out of control and unwillingly puts the love of his life in danger.
Ryder is climbing up the ranks. Recently promoted to sergeant-at-arms, he has it all: drive, respect, and the love of his biker family. When his stepbrother gets into trouble with the law, Ryder decides to take the blame and save him from a long sentence. Deep inside, he knows there is nothing he wouldn’t do for Jed, but through a desperate attempt to suppress his own hidden desires, he might irreversibly break the man he secretly loves.
But finding out what they feel for each other will test their loyalty to the Coffin Nails MC and change their lives forever.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS:
Themes: Outlaw motorcycle club, criminal activity, forbidden love, stepbrothers, blackmail, homophobia, alpha male
Genre: M/M dark romance, suspense, drama
Length: 135, 000 words (standalone novel)
WARNING: Adult content that might be considered taboo. Explicit content, strong language, violence. Reader discretion advised.
more
M/M
Motorcycle Club
Tabboo(ish) they are step brothers
Warning: homophobia, drug use and other illegal activities (car theft, weapons, arson) and a suicide attempt.
I was given a free audio copy from the author and the GRR arc team for review.
The narrator did a good job. He had a pleasant reading voice and kept a good pace (though mine is set at 1.40x). He was age appropriate considering it said Jedd was 25. He expressed the emotions well. He altered his voice a little every chapter to show the changing POVs and for the other characters but I have heard better from other narrators so I’d rate this narration 4 stars.
This is book 6 in the series but can be read as a standalone. I have not read the previous books and didn’t feel like I missed any vital information. This was also my first time reading this author.
This one is 13.5 hours divided into 2 parts. Despite it being on the longish side there were no draggy parts and the story kept my interest the entire time. I couldn’t stop listening. This was labeled dark romance and I didn’t really get that vibe other then them belonging to a MC that occasionally did some illegal and morally shady things.
The 2 step brothers both harbor secret feelings for each other but both are outwardly straight with girlfriends. There’s no cheating though. Once they finally confess their feelings they must hide their secret love from their biker family.
I really enjoyed this story. The characters were great and had great chemistry. It was pretty low angst and lots of steamy scenes. As well as some plot drama to keep things interesting. I would definitely recommend this book.
KA Merikan’s One Step Too Close – Coffin Nails Mc Louisiana is the 6th book in the Sex&Mayhem series. Taboo, forbidden, dark, violent, suspenseful, heated… and with a lot of drama. Trying intriguing storytelling and interesting characters.
Wyatt Baker narrates the story wonderfully and adds even greater entertainment value to the already great story. Fantastic!
One Step Too Close is the sixth book in the Sex and Mayhem series, but it can easily be read as a standalone. The entire Sex and Mayhem series is wonderful, and I highly suggest reading all of them just because they are so darn good. However, this book is not for everyone – it’s dark and gritty with morally grey characters who don’t hold back on violence.
I LOVED this book. Usually I’m not a huge fan of forbidden love, but Jed and Ryder are such fascinating characters that I was utterly sucked into their relationship and immediately invested in their happiness. The plot was fresh and through me for a few loops – I was not expecting some of the outcomes and loved that K.A. Merikan can still surprise me. The audiobook was also well done—Wyatt Baker does a fantastic job narrating the book and really brings out the intensity of their personalities and relationship. The audiobook production was also well done and paired with the fantastic story it made for a wonderful experience.
I’m reviewing the audio edition. This story takes the series in a complete different direction. Jed is plagued by a few secrets. His relationship with Dana isn’t what it appears to be. His life is mostly a secret and his attraction to his step-brother is something he tries to hide.
Ryder is the most responsible of the two. He looks out for Jed his whole life. When Ryder is in jail and when his girlfriend leaves him, he faces issues he before hasn’t wanted to. This story kept me wondering how these authors could make this realistic and still a good outcome for these two. Somehow they can take a story to its deepest despair and still make a ending I’m happy with. I received a copy from GRR and appreciate being able to listen to the narration by Wyatt Baker. He brought all the characters to life and made the story that much more realistic.
Stepbrothers who protect each other
This book revolves around two stepbrothers Ryder and Jed, their Dad, who gets promoted to President of the MC Club and obviously all their (brothers) in the club.
This book isn’t as dark as most of the other books in this series, but it does feature homophobia and parents who aren’t accepting.
Good story, great series. I have been listening to them out of order, and it doesn’t actually spoil the series.
Narration from Wyatt baker was smooth and easy to listen to, although like usual, I did speed it up slightly to 1.40
One Step Too Close – Coffin Nails Mc Louisiana
Sex & Mayhem, Book 6
By: K.A. Merikan
Narrated by: Wyatt Baker
Series: Sex & Mayhem Series, Book 6
Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins
Overall
Narration
Story
Read at 1.40 speed on Audible
Audio review
Jed and Ryder are step brothers and brothers in arms at the Coffin Nails Motorcycle Club.
Jed finds himself in trouble, blackmailed and vastly unhappy with the situation he’s found himself in.
This is an intense, dramatic, semi taboo story that was sweet at times but also tough and harsh at other times. A story about family, strength and trust.
The narrator did a great job. The inflections in his voice allowed me to get a really good feel for the characters.
This book is definitely my favorite In the series.!