Warning: This book contains a scene of mild assault and battery.Most of his young life, Morgan Wentworth has dreamed of becoming a principal dancer in a prestigious corps de ballet. After years studying the art in Milan, Morgan comes home to New York City to apprentice with the Manhattan Ballet Company only to be hit by the unexpected death of his older brother, Jake. The grieving dancer learns … learns his life is threatened by a dangerous rival motorcycle gang and that pierced, tattooed, HOT biker Zeke Ivers has been assigned by Jake’s MC to guard him. Saddled with the constant presence of the infuriating man, Morgan juggles the demands of an exhausting dance schedule as well as his new responsibilities as CEO of his family’s multi-million-dollar company. He never expects to develop an attraction for the straight, obnoxious biker, but that’s exactly what happens.
Estranged from an abusive family, Zeke Ivers has lived at the Sentinel’s club house and worked on cars since he was a teen. When fellow club member Jake Wentworth and a rival club president’s girl are killed on Jake’s bike, the Sentinel’s president delegates the protection of Jake’s little brother, Morgan, to Zeke. Zeke would do anything for the club that pulled him off the streets, but Morgan’s a ballet dancer, for Christ’s sake, as well as annoying as hell. Still, Zeke finds himself inexplicably drawn to the young man. The more attracted Zeke becomes to Morgan, the more the biker is forced to examine his sexuality and decide whether two people from opposite sides of the tracks could possibly have a future together, or if Zeke should do what is fast becoming too painful to consider: let Morgan go.
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Terrific Story & Narration Captivating & Heartfelt!
The Ballerino and the Biker
The Hedonist Series, Book 1
By: Rebecca James
Narrated by: Christopher Rain
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it is a terrific MM romance with interesting and original storylines. This is my first book written by Rebecca James and it will not be my last, I enjoyed her writing style and how she swept me right into her story, grabbing my attention right from the start and holding it straight to the end. Her character are complex and nicely developed, they are realistic, easy to relate to and connect with. Morgan Wentworth comes from a family of wealth, not exactly a loving family, his parents did not have time for him and sent him off to school. His older brother, Jake, was estranged from the family after the father disowned him for joining a motorcycle club. But he reached out to Morgan after their parents death and they kept in touch, planning to get together whey Morgan finished his studies in Milan. Morgan is a ballet dancer and was accepted to apprentice with the Manhattan Ballet Company, taking him one step closer to his dream, being a principal dancer. Unfortunately Jake died in a bike accident before they could ever get together and his accident caused a riff with a rival MC. Zeke Ivers is a member of the Sentinel’s MC, Jake’s club, he and his fellow club members vowed to protect Jake’s little brother. Zeke is the one assigned to watch over him and he takes his job very seriously, even sleeping outside his door at night. I adored both of these characters, they came from two completely different worlds yet they got along perfectly. Zeke, a straight man was not easy on Morgan at first, his rude comments were either a defense mechanism or something learned. His father was not easy on him or his brother and when he lost his brother he fell out of touch with his father too. Morgan was a good sport when it came to Zeke, he knew he turned him on but did not throw it in his face. He waited for Zeke to be ready, to come to him, make the first move. I loved how their story plays out, the drama, angst, the denial, the coming to terms and then the love. In addition to the romance there are several other storylines, the problem with the rival gang, business drama with Malcolm’s family business, members of he board wanted him to give up his seat and interest in the company and then there is Thomas, whom Malcolm totally misread. These storylines bring in some mystery, thrilling and suspenseful moments. A lot goes on in this book, it is very well plotted and there is never a dull moment. Rebecca James, thank you for this terrific story and the emotional rollercoaster ride. I am looking forward to checking out more of your work, I loved he secondary characters in this book and hope their stories come to Audible too.
I listened to the Audible edition, Christopher Rain is a terrific narrator and voice artist. He did a great job portraying the characters, bringing them to life, giving each their own voice and personality as well as humanizing them. His Morgan was perfection, he grasped his persona to the tee, his Zeke was great too, he showed us his alpha-tude. You could hear how much heart he puts into his work as he captures the characters emotions and projects them into his performance. He is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for this great listen