He was my boss, my brother’s friend, a Widow, an ex-felon, and a man I’d seen casually with a handful of women. But he was everything that gripped me, both the good and the bad. Worst case scenario if things turned awkward between us, I could go somewhere else. I’d gotten over epic heartbreak before, one more wouldn’t kill me.
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After moving to Austin following six months of unemployment back … of unemployment back home, Iris Taylor knows she should be glad to have landed a job so quickly… even if the business is owned by a member of the same motorcycle club her estranged father used to belong to. Except Dex Locke might just be the biggest jerk she’s ever met. He’s rude, impatient and doesn’t know how to tell time.
And the last thing they ever expected was each other.
But it was either the strip club or the tattoo shop.
… she should have chosen the strip club.
—
“Babe, I’ve handpicked everythin’ and everyone in here. I know what I want and I get what I want,” he breathed. “And I keep what’s mine.”
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I just need Dex to sweet-talk me and call me Babe. You need it, too. You need Dex.
A big, tough, rough-around-the-edges guy who’s a sweetheart inside. Huge protective vibe, sexy as can be. Works for me.
I loved this book. Bad boy biker Tatoo artist. Shy new girl in town. Loved the dialog between Iris and Dex. I wish it had been longer. i took my time reading because I didn’t want it to end. So glad I have two more of her books on my Kindle.
“Dex, my boss, was a prick. And I wasn’t going to pretend like his douche-baggery didn’t bother me. I hadn’t seen him crack a single smile or say something nice to anyone but his clients. It was like Blake and I didn’t exist, but me especially.
Dex The Dick”
OHHHMYYYGAHHHH I read this book after I seen one of my fav authors raving over this book. I had never read anything by Mariana Zapata. Why…Tricia Bartley…WHY?? How did this book and this author get under my radar????? WHYYYY??? LOL
Geeze, I am a huge MC lover and as you can tell, I absolutely loved this book UNDER LOCKE!! Definitely a fav read this year for sure!!!
5 AMAZING STARS from me…I hope you write more of this story….I NEED MORE!!!! PLEASE MARIANA!!! LOL Yesss I am not too proud to get on my hands and knees to beg for more of their story!! haha
Can’t wait to read more of your books for sure!!! You definitely have a new stalker!!! xoxo
OK, I am in the vast minority here (but I looove Alpha male heroes so that may explain it), but I didn’t have any issues with Dex, at all.
Dex an extremely rough around the edges Alpha male who is not eloquent or even very verbally inclined except when frustrated and/or angry. I get that someone shouldn’t take their frustration/anger out on you BUT when they apologize I accept it. Dex apologized & explained how he goes off & that it is a knee jerk reaction, so accept his apology & move on.
But no, Iris (heroine) is thinking those are only ‘words’. OK, she said his insulting words hurt, so why don’t his apologetic words heal? What’s he supposed to do? Crawl on his belly & lick her shoes? So, despite Dex sincerely apologizing MULTIPLE times over & over, Iris continues to throw it in his face & brood on it until she ‘graciously’ decides to ‘forgive but not forget’.
Gee whiz, THANK YOU so much for your heartfelt understanding & tolerance Iris.
I hope he never makes a mistake again.
Shades of the Inquistion . . . .
I don’t know, Iris REALLY, REALLY struck >ME< as a hypocritical 'holier-than-thou' person who has completely unrealistic expectations & demands of everyone else but views her actions, thoughts & intentions as 'pure, honest & fine'. I felt deeply sorry for Dex, I was seriously hoping he'd find someone other than the intensely & highly judgmental Iris, whose thoughts by the way, were MUCH, MUCH nastier IMO than anything Dex said or did. The writing itself was good, it was slow but if I hadn't so intensely DISLIKED Iris, I would have enjoyed this slow burn romance immensely. But I DNF this book solely & completely due to a totally loathsome (again, IMO) heroine. (FYI to Dex: Keep looking! There's got to be a LOVING woman out there for you somewhere!)
Omg. I absolutely enjoyed listening to this audiobook. It was so good from start to finish. I need my very own Dex and Sonny. I need more of Dex and Iris.
Under Locke is a lovely, slow-burn romantic story with enough humor to make me laugh out loud.
“I’m gonna take everything you want to give me and everything you don’t. I want it all baby.”
Iris said it well. Dex is one of the nicest assholes. He’s somehow endearing and attractive despite his blow-ups and occasional douche behavior. I love how he adored Iris. He wanted to protect her, support her, and show her that someone can stick around. I also loved how he was calling her ‘baby’, ‘babe’, ‘honey’ from the start in nearly every sentence. I have a total weakness for that!
“You gotta be the best thing I never knew I wanted.”
I think Iris’ portrayal of being a shy, awkward, but relatable character was really fitting. Not only was it easy for me to relate to, but it makes sense considering her lack of experience in a lot of areas and her feelings of not belonging.
“I love you, Ritz. Love your fuckin’ face, your ‘thats-what-she-said jokes’, your dorky ass high-fives, and your arm. But I really fuckin’ love how much of a little shit you are.”
Iris and Dex’s relationship was so sweet! I loved their interactions and the support they had for each other. They both admired and respected the other. The side characters were also amazing and really enriched the story. I loved the atmosphere and the friendship in the tattoo shop! I think it can be rare to feel the relationships between supporting characters and root for them in just one book, but Under Locke accomplished that for me!
The epilogue was perfect! I loved seeing the happy ending and the relationships between the characters.
Possible Spoilers in second paragraph:
Oh man this story started out great. I was enjoying the characters the dialogue the plot and the writing style but there came a point and it all crashed down for me. The story had me up until about page 330. I was willing to give and take with the characters and I was desperately hoping for growth and backbone but it never came thought for me. If I view this story from the overall perspective it is a great read. There is a nice plot, some action, it is clean (with one or two more detailed romance scenes), there is language, but also heart and humor as well. The charters seem well developed and I liked the inclusion of a different type of family. All that should worked for me but there are a few things that just ended up making this story less enjoyable. My rating for this story is 2.5 stars and I am willing to read more from this author in the future.
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Dex: Let me say this, he is not an alpha male he is an abusive man who might not use fists but he uses words. I could not get over this because he never even attempted to change. He even say she knows he is being unfair and mean and he says things that are hurtful but its only hen he is mad. He goes on to say he will try and do better but only if she doesn’t make him made again. NOPE! That is is for me. Oh, and for a MC member is really isn’t an MC member. He can’t even keep track of his cut. I could go on and on but this there is not need, LOL.
Iris: She has no backbone. She allows the abuse and feels like she is a burden but just takes everything for people (Dex) dulls out to her. I needed her to step up, take a breathe and be a woman. She just never did. I lost respect for her.
There are many more issues I had with this story and I am so bummed because I really wanted to like it. I might read it again at another time and hope that it is just my current mood that made me enjoy it less then expected.
An old favorite that I decided to revisit. Just as good as the first time I read it back in 2014.
A swoon worthy slow burn. Iris is a sweet, shy, and innocent girl. Dex is a rough, gruff, all alpha man. These two do not seem like they will work but like they say opposites attract. I enjoyed their banter, the friendship they develop and the way Dex turned to mush when it came to Iris. I enjoyed this book.
LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this story! And, it must be said that this is the hottest MZ novel I’ve read to date!! Dex is pure sex! *fans self*
“The man breathed in oxygen and breathed out sexual masculinity at its finest.”
Iris Taylor has moved in with her brother, Sonny, in Austin to start her life over again. Step one is get a job. A job in a tattoo parlour where her boss, Dex Locke, is the broodiest, grumpiest guy she’s ever met – not to mention the most gorgeous man she’s ever laid eyes. After a few false starts between them, Iris starts to get a better understanding of Dex and the man he is under his badass, tattooed facade. When Sonny has to leave town for a while, Iris finds herself with no option but to move in with Dex. Oh, boy!
“I’m not a good man, and I’m gonna take everythin’ you want to give me and everythin’ you don’t.”
OMGeeeeee! I loved this story so much! I enjoyed the push-and-pull between Dex and Iris. I thrilled at watching the progression in their friendship as it moved beyond that. Dex was such a tough guy, who was direct and didn’t put up with any nonsense. He was a pure alpha! Gruff, foul-mouthed and sometimes mean, he was also incredibly perceptive, protective and possessive. He pushed all my buttons.
“You’ve gotta be the best thing I never knew I wanted.”
Iris was a sweetheart. I adored her slightly dorky ways, her sense of humour, her tenacity and her courage. She was a survivor through and through. I was absolutely thrilled that she could bring a man like Dex to his knees, and I loved the honesty and trust that developed between them.
This book had humour, tension, danger, friendship and passion. Such a fabulous read!!
This slow burn MC by Mariana Zapata is just that…..A SLOW BURN! In both the delicious ways yet also incredibly frustrating too. I absolutely LOVED how Dex and Iris connected and the way their relationship formed but MAN did Mariana kill me with the lack of physical connection for sooooo long. Those lingering heated looks and the feisty words from the heroine to the Hero will just have to tide you over for a while.
This book is a perfect example to the whole “You can’t pick your blood but you can choose your family! LOVED the connections built during this book and I’m extremely curious if any of the other characters got their own book. Off to dive into Zapata’s backlog.
I’m not usually a big MC reader but this one came highly recommended and I’m glad I took the plunge. I’ve been wanting to read Mariana Zapata’s work for a while now.
The book was longer than it needed to be and dragged significantly in the middle.
I found Iris to be irritating and immature. She takes umbridge when Dex says something jerky and carries it throughout the book, like a ridiculous length of time for one comment. Because of this, her attraction to him feels wholly superficial. She talks about how hot he is constantly, but hates him because he said one mean thing. Yetz he is bending over backwards to apologise and show her he’s not a dick.
It’s an okay read.
1st read: 2014
If you’re looking for a dark MC novel to read then this book isn’t for you but if you’re looking for a big, grumpy, alpha man with a bad attitude who also has a soft side then this book is for you.
Iris Taylor has had a hard life. She lost her mother and grandmother in a short time and then became responsible for her younger brother. Now her younger brother is in the army and she has lost her job 6 months ago. Out of money and hope, she turns to the only one who has always been there for her. Her older half-brother Sonny has always helped her and this time is no difference.
So she packs everything in her car and leaves for Austin where her brother lives. Just like their father, her brother Sonny is a member of the MC Widower. After settling in with her brother, the first thing she needs is a job. But it isn’t easy to find one. Luckily her brother knows someone who can give her a job. So with little choice she starts working in a tattoo shop. Her boss Dex Locke (an ex-felon and also a member of the MC Widower) is a big, rude man and he has no patients at all but she needs the job. Although her boss isn’t helpful at all, the other guys who work there are very kind to her.
Her life is finally coming together when new trouble comes her way. Her father, who she hasn’t seen in many years, has made debts with some bad men. Now those bad men want their money back (with interest!) and they come knocking on her and Sonny’s door. And these people will stop at nothing to get their money back. So when her brother Sonny goes looking for their father, Iris has to move in with her boss Dex to hide and stay safe for the bad guys. This makes it harder for both of them to fight the attraction they’re both feeling for each other. Because the more they get to know each other, the more they like each other.
This is the first book that I read from this writer. The book has 497 pages and the writer really takes her time to tell the story, to build the romance. I really love this story. It made me think of Kristen Ashley. I really hope that there will be more books about this MC and the men who were part of this story.
This was my first time reading anything from Mariana Zapata and Under Locke really impressed me. It was like an MC lite book, it had lots of steamy romance with a sprinkle of gritty bikers!
Iris needed a job. She was trying to get back on her feet and her brother set her up at a buddy’s tattoo shop. She figured she could handle it until she could no longer ignore the pull she had to the owner. Dex was not the type she dated, he was a “bad boy” and she knew she should stay away, but of course that didn’t happen. Would he be able to save her when things got tough or would he leave her like the others?
Honestly, I truly enjoyed this book and would not have given it a chance without the push of the challenge. I loved how Dex was so protective of Iris even if she annoyed the crap out of him!! There wasn’t anything he would not have done for her. I strongly suggest checking this one out especially if you are like me and don’t really care for MC books!
A lovely read!
He was her boss, her brother’s friend, a Widow, an ex-felon, and a man she’d seen casually with a handful of women…
But he was everything that gripped her, both the good and the bad…
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book though it was torture because, hello, slow-burn romance! I’m so glad this book was nice and long because I did not want it to end too quickly.
The heroine is my favourite character – I love her jokes! Could not stop laughing.
Full of family, friends, attraction, laughter and romance.
Perfect for readers of contemporary romances.
When I read a Mariana Zapata book and I get to the very first kiss I want to cheer. Whoop whoop!
When I get to the fourth base I want to do a lap of honour, a victory dance, a standing ovation and sing God Save The Queen.
Love, love, love the slow burn. All the waiting is so worth it because I fall head over heels in love with the characters. I know they are similar to the characters in the other books. The silent, angry man whose slow blinks and huffs are the only communication he needs. That and the little finger touches. The thigh touching the thigh touches. Then there’s the sweet damaged girl who undervalues herself. She’s just doesn’t see what everyone else sees.
Gruff angry man meet sweet sad girl and make her smile.
Charles Dexter Locke, I think you’re my new favourite. The dark hair. The blue eyes. The tattoos. The nipple piercings. The dick piercing – oh heaven on a motorbike.
I want to love and protect Iris Taylor almost as much as Dex does. I love Ritz.
Mariana Zapata books are like dropping into someone else’s life. You see the little details of their life, not just the wham, bang, thank you ma’am. That’s what makes you fall in love with the characters. Pure unadulterated romance. Reader falling in love.
Locke Me Up!
Everyone needs a Charles Dexter Locke in their life. Not necessarily a six foot three, tattooed bad boy, that’s just a bonus. I’m talking about a man that loves you fully and will put his own life on the line to protect you. That’s what Dex does for Iris, protects her and loves her to the very core. Even if she is a bit dorky. He knew straight away that fate had stepped in and bought her to his shop to be her sole mate. It just takes Ritz a bit longer to understand it fully, probably due to the problems her Sperm Donor is creating for them and Sonny.
Are you a Mariana Zapata fan? Have you read any other of these amazing books? I am working my way through them and I can’t express in words how much I love them all. They are so beautifully written with rich and adorable characters that pull every heart strings and also make you giggle along the way. Dex will forever be placed up there with Mariana’s other heroes and a true treasure. Not to take anything away from Ris, as she was a character I would love to be besties with. Highly recommend this book and all of this author’s work.
4 stars!
I’d never been a big fan of that saying, “Everything happens for a reason,” but maybe, sometimes, every once in a while, things coalesced into a complex, intangible reason. With tattoos and piercings and bad words and unfailing loyalty topped with a temper. And in its own imperfect way, it couldn’t have been any better.
Iris Taylor is starting over in a new town. She left behind haunting memories and heartaches back in Florida. Her biker half-brother, Sonny, is helping her get back on her feet. She is crashing with him until she makes enough money to find her own place. He scored her a job at a local tattoo shop; the owner is Son’s friend and part of the same MC club. Iris is nervous about working in a tattoo shop as that isn’t really her scene. Now, however, she is determined to find employment elsewhere because the owner, Dex the Dick, is just that – a dick.
And Dex knows he is a hard-ass. He has his own issues and takes his anger out on the undeserving. He believes that Iris is just going to have to adjust to his crabby attitude. Because she isn’t going anywhere.
Babe, I’ve handpicked everythin’ and everyone in here. I know what I want and I get what I want,” he breathed. “And I keep what’s mine.”
MZ is amazingly talented. She can bring a story to life like no other. Under Locke was not my favorite of her books, but it was still really good. It was actually refreshing to see a biker romance not be so dark and edgy. Of course, leave MZ to be the one to pull that off. Did I mention how talented she is? I only have one more book by her to read, and it saddens me. However, I did some stalking researching and found that she is hoping to release another book in February 2018.
Although I am only giving this book 4 stars, I still highly recommend it. If you are a fan of slow-burn tales, alpha men, and personable characters – this one is for you. Honestly, just read all of her books. They are amazing!
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I have become an amazing fan of this author! I have binged listened and read all this authors works in the recent past.
I have always attempted to give ‘star’ ratings on my completed reads, just as a tracking method for my titles that I have completed. I have unlimited packages for audio, kindle, and utilize the local/state library.
However, I do not check the ‘I recommend this book’ unless I am willing to reread a book and or a series.
[I read about 5-15 books a month through kindle, and I listen to about 15-30 books monthly]
I have a full life as a nurse, professor, wife, daughter [daughter in law], sister, and mother. I love to read and love a thousand other lives by turning the pages in countless books.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide a review. Happy reading 🙂
I am a huge fan of this author and loved this book…Dex and Iris have a great relationship that slowly builds from dislike to love…my only complaint is how often we are told how hot Dex is….a bit repetitive…otherwise a wonderful book