Christine Feehan takes romance full throttle in the second gripping novel in her #1 New York Times bestselling Torpedo Ink series.Breezy Simmons was born into a ruthless motorcycle club—and now that she’s out, she’s never going to be that girl again. But when her past catches up with her, Breezy must go to Sea Haven to seek out the man who almost destroyed her. The man who chose his club over her … who chose his club over her and left her feeling used and alone.
As vice president of Torpedo Ink, Steele is ride or die for the brothers he lived through hell with. He never thought he’d find something as pure as his feelings for Breezy, or that keeping her safe would mean driving her away with cruel words that turned her love for him to ash.
Now, Steele won’t let her walk away twice. He’ll do whatever it takes to make Breezy his woman again—especially when he learns the real reason she came to him for help, and that the stakes are higher than he ever could have imagined…
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The stakes are higher than Steele could have ever imagined in this outstanding romance where danger, emotions and sexy collide in a fiery and awe inspiring tale. The hero and heroine are two strong, vivid characters that take readers by storm as their story enthralls readers with intense emotional turmoil, blistering chemistry and thrilling excitement. The relationship between Steele and Breezy’s relationship is rocky and could shatter at any moment because of their past relationship and Steele’s determination to keep Breezy safe, this keeps readers as well as the characters on pins and needles regarding the relationship and passionate, expressive dialogue keeps the sparks flying in every direction as Breezy tries her best to keep Steele at arm’s length.
The plot of this story keeps readers on the edge with a fast pace, thrilling suspense, adrenaline pumping events and the very intense and passionate relationship. Unexpected twists and secrets being revealed spice the story up even more and the complex politics of the lifestyle of the motorcycle club and most especially of the emotional issues of the Torpedo Ink group adds to the turbulence and intensity of this story. Readers can‘t help but become caught up in their world since the author brings it to brilliant life which enables readers to imagine each and every part. The overall dark justice, loyalty and vulnerabilities of the characters guarantee readers can’t put the book down once they start reading it.
4.5 stars–VENGEANCE ROAD is the second instalment in Christine Feehan’s contemporary, adult TORPEDO INK slighty-paranormal, erotic romance series focusing on the men and women of the Torpedo Ink MC. This is Breezy Simmons, and Torpedo Ink MC vice president Lyov ‘Steele’ Russak’s story line. VENGEANCE ROAD can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous instalment is revealed where necessary. The TORPEDO INK series is a spin-off from the author’s SEA HAVEN SERIES but you do not have to have read the original series to follow Torpedo Ink.
NOTE: Most of the characters including Torpedo Ink club president Victor ‘Czar’ Prakenski, and his wife Blythe Daniels were introduced in the final instalment of the author’s Sea Haven Series BOUND TOGETHER.
WARNING: VENGEANCE ROAD contains scenes, and makes reference to graphic violence, rape, murder, torture, child prostitution, and abuse against children, women and men, and therefore, may not be suitable for all readers.
SOME BACKGROUND: At the tender age of ten years old, Victor ‘Czar’ Prakenski set about to save and rescue over three hundred children from one of four Russian child sex-slave operations but in the end only eighteen survived. The Torpedo Ink series focuses on the survivors: their stories, their history, and their happily ever afters.
Told from dual third person perspectives (Steele and Breezy) VENGEANCE ROAD follows the second chance romance between Breezy Simmons, and Torpedo Ink MC vice president Lyov ‘Steele’ Russak. Four years earlier Lyov ‘Steele’ Russak went undercover with the Swords MC where he met and fell for Breezy Simmons, the daughter of the Swords MC President. Things went from bad to worse when secrets were revealed, and Steele maliciously pushed Breezy out of his life. Fast forward to present day wherein Breezy is desperate for Steele and Torpedo Ink MC help, help she knows will permanently bring Steele back into her life. What ensues is the rebuilding relationship and romance between Steele and Breezy, and the potential fall-out as Breezy is unable to come to terms between the man that she loves, and the man who pushed her out of his life.
Steele is a natural healer but like all of the Russian sex-slave survivors, Steele is a trained assassin; a stone-cold killer who isn’t afraid of protecting the people he loves. When Breezy’s past begins to spiral out of control threatening everything and everyone she loves, Steele and his Torpedo Ink family make it their priority to save one of their own.
The relationship between Breezy and Steele is one of second chances; a rekindling romance that struggles with sins of the past, and Steele’s treatment of our heroine three years earlier. Steele struggles with the memories of his time spent as a child sex-slave for the Russian mob, memories that continue to haunt our story line (anti) hero. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic, aggressive and intense.
There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and charismatic secondary and supporting characters-Steele’s Torpedo Ink family- a family of survivors who have endured years of torture, rape, abuse and an education in the world of the deviant and sick.
The world building continues to focus on the years of abuse suffered at the hands of the Russian mob: the recovery and revenge; the betrayal and ramifications; the heart break, and damage caused to a group of children (now adults) and their struggle to accept, grieve and move forward with lives. As I have stated before in many of my reviews, I have remarked on the author’s increasing violent story lines and abuse against women and children but in the case of the Torpedo Ink series, the violence is part of their history and lives-ingrained and imbedded –into their very existence. The story line heroes are not the perpetrators of the violence and abuse against the women they love but are the saviors and salvation of those who suffered years before.
VENGEANCE ROAD is a heart breaking, painful and graphic story line of abuse and betrayal; vengeance and retribution. The characters are animated, broken but recovering; the romance is hard and impassioned. Christine Feehan pulls the reader into the dark and gritty world of Torpedo Ink.
“She didn’t want him or anything to do with him, but her body didn’t seem to know that.”
Vengeance Road is my 2nd venture into the word wizardry of Christine Feehan and it’s official. I’m a #FanGirl. She’s blown my mind both times and I might as well just put her on auto-click status. It was my MC Romance addiction that made me notice the motorcycle on the cover of her book. I’ve not read any of her Paranormal Romance, but I might reconsider now that I’ve seen her work in the biker world.
I met Breezy first. She was a bundle of nerves, forcing herself to seek out the man who broke her heart 3 years ago. The man who’s hurtful words still play on repeat in her mind, along with the memories of the good times. Her mind wars with her body as she tries to forget both, but she can’t keep him out of her dreams. But that’s not something she plans to tell him. No, she only came for one reason and then she plans to walk away from him again.
Steele never expected to see Breezy walking through the doors of the Torpedo Ink clubhouse unless he was the one that brought her there. And he didn’t. Nope, if he had, he probably would have been wearing some clothes. He’d already left her with a bad impression of him, but why not go ahead and totally ruin his chances of convincing her to give him another chance, right? He was shocked to discover what brought her there looking for him and he had no intention of letting her leave again. Letting her go the first time was a mistake, one he won’t be repeating.
#MindFuckAlert! This story only gets better from that point on. Breezy has grown a pair since leaving the biker world she grew up in. Now that she’s no longer afraid to speak up, she does. Steele will soon learn that she has some steel of her own and she won’t submit quietly as she did before. But that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t like to…at least in the bedroom. The fire between them is still as hot as it ever was and neither stand a chance at smothering the flames.
And then, there’s the reason for her visit. The danger and suspense only add fuel to the fire and I could not stop reading this amazing story. It is full of passion and pain and high octane is an understatement. Steele & Breezy aren’t the only broken characters. The Torpedo Ink MC members might seem dysfunctional to some, but they are there for each other and I can’t wait to meet the lucky men and women who will eventually join their unique family. The line forms here…
Y’all..I can not tell y’all how much I’m in love with these MC bikers and the women who love them lol andddd this author!! Gahhh LOVE her writing!!
I am addicted to this series for sure!!!
If you haven’t read them…don’t be like me and leave on your TBR…You will thank me later lol
4.5 Intense and Thrilling Stars!!
Talk about a story that just consumes you. Breezy and Steele’s story is utterly captivating. It hooks you from the very beginning and is just impossible to put down.
Breezy and Steele’s love affair is a complicated one. You see, the life that Breezy grew up in was terrible. Absolutely horrible. She was treated like the lowest of the low and the only saving grace in her life was Steele. The moment Steele came into the picture and claimed Breezy for his own, Breezy finally got a taste of good. All was going well with these two until the day came that Steele had to break her heart. And he didn’t just break it, he crushed it. But, I promise you, he had his reasons for hurting Breezy. Did they suck? Absolutely. But when you love someone as much as Steele loved Breezy, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to save the woman he loved. 3 years will pass before these former lovers will be reunited and so much has changed. An old threat has Breezy seeking out the man who destroyed her heart and the life she once put behind her. And once Steele lays his eyes on his woman after all that time….All bets are off. He’s playing for keeps this time and won’t stop until Breezy is right back where she belongs….
Vengeance Road is a complicated, dark and intense read. Some passages were really hard to get through and just left your mind spinning. Many times I found myself wondering how Steele and Breezy were able to rise about their pasts and become better people. It just totally blew my mind. Their lives should have been an overwhelming mess, but somehow they were able to make some positive out of all the pain.
Now, I will be the first to tell you, these characters are frustrating. Like rip your hair out, scream at your kindle frustrating. After the home Breezy grew up in, she wanted absolutely nothing to do with the MC life. She had a lot of judgement when it came to the Torpedo Ink, and rightfully so. But, her time away from Steele forced her to grow up and depend on herself, not a man. She had a lot of reservations about Steele and definitely put him through the paces before even considering letting him back into her heart. And Steele….man oh man is he complicated. He’s gruff. He’s possessive. He’s controlling and one determined man. His relationship with Breezy was definitely a complicated one and could be seen as toxic by some. Due to the things he endured in his past, I could understand his insane need to protect and watch over Breezy. Did it make crazy? Sure did. But, when you learn about all the demons he’s battling it just somehow makes sense. Somehow this crazy relationship just works. It’s not for me, but who am I to judge? At the end of the day, Breezy and Steele just mesh well together. They get one another in a way that no one else can and I honestly think that they are the only ones who could handle the complicated mess of their lives. I loved that Breezy wasn’t easy on Steele. She made him work and show her that he’s a changed man and that she is the woman that he wants.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. Vengeance Road is filled with lots of passion, angst, drama and danger. This story will put you heart through the ringer and will have your eyes glued to the pages. I loved the characters, even if they did frustrate me at times. I loved the grittiness of the story-line and being kept on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Steele and Breezy. Vengeance Road is a terrific addition to the Torpedo Ink Series. It gave me everything I was looking for in an MC Romance. It was dark. It was complicated. There was a ton of shock and danger. There was of course, romance. And some seriously sexy good times. This book definitely hit all the marks for me and I’m excited to see where this series is going to go next!
Gah!! There is something about the Torpedo Ink crew that has me so addicted. I loved Breezy and Steele. Their love and devotion was truly beautiful! Their past was painful but seeing them reconnect was perfect. I loved them together and learning more and more about the club members and their life back in Russia was so riveting. I seriously can’t wait for more!
After reading book one I needed to learn more about the lethal doctor, Steele and was obsessed with his love story with Breezy, his one true love he had to let go three year earlier. Their reconnection was absolutely amazing. Breezy was strong and fierce and the way Steele loved her was incredible. I love that they had hurdles they had to overcome but their love and Steele’s brotherhood saw them through it. GAH I seriously can’t wait for more! I hope we get Savage’s book soon! 4.5 stars! ~Ratula
(4.5)Gut wrenching, dark emotional ride with a ray of hope. The Torpedo Ink **SERIES** are the individual stories of adults who as children were abused,raped, tortured physically, mentally and emotionally all the while being used as pawns for the old Russian regime. These individuals formed a motorcycle club (Torpedo Ink) and are learning to live, learning to love, learning what kindness is as they try an exist on the fringes of society in Casper. This story is Steeles and Brees, it is darker than book one (Torpedo Ink) its heavier, but when despair seems to overtake you there comes hope, possibilities, laughter and love. We learn a little more about other characters we will see down the road and I am totally on board with the individual businesses they are setting up and pursuing. Steele is very heavy handed (not physically) in this relationship, almost stifling, but Bree (Breezy) is hope, and he is hers. There is the expected detailed hot steamy sex , the reflection of past abuse and what is done to an abuser is graphic at times. As hard as it is to read – I think it should be read, because this happens in the world today all over and we should be aware and we should care. For all this info to be shared with the reader yet end with happiness as Steele and Bree work through their past and plan for their future tells you Christine Feehan is an astounding author.
Thank you Christine Feehan, Berkley for the arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own and unsolicited.
Is it possible to love a couple but despise the hero a little? Ok, a lot. Steele is really not my cup of tea. He is a an uber anti-hero that I had difficulty getting behind. I understand his background and history and it is the foundation for his current behavior, but it is so over the top, that I have no room for sympathy. As a couple, Breezy and Steele are the most dysfunctionally perfect couple there is, so I can celebrate their relationship. The story that brings them back together is suspenseful and there is nothing like a really good comeuppance. That’s what makes this story so satisfying for me.
Really enjoyed this story! Breezy has to get to Steele even if it kills her, but if she can’t get him to listen to her someone will die. Steele can’t believe when Breezy walks into the clubhouse and sees him in a compromising position but with a grace she has always had she gives one of them a note for him. Steele let Breezy go three years ago but he had a job to do and he had to save her life but he was never happy after that. When he reads her note he refuses to let her leave and he and all of his brothers will be together to get this done and maybe help heal the pain he left behind so maybe the can be a couple again.
Strong characters and a sense of family.
Reviewed on behalf of Once upon an Alpha
Vengeance Road is a minefield of trigger warners so reader beware! Like Judgment Day, its a dark romance with some very damaged characters.
Breezy is the daughter of a MC club member. Her father’s club, the Swords, is NOT a good club. They are in to trafficking, child abuse, and pretty much all things evil and bad. As a result, Breezy is abused and has a very bad feeling about clubs. When she falls for Steele and he cruelly kicks her out, she goes on the run.
Steele was, in essence, undercover when he was riding with the Swords. He didn’t want to be there with those horrid men, but Torpedo Ink needed to shut down the illegal activities. Sending Breezy away was the hardest thing he had to do. He said some terribly cruel things to get her to leave. Once he and his brothers are back on their own turf, he never gives up looking for Breezy.
Steele wanted Breezy back the moment she walked into his life again. However, Breezy is still wounded. She gave him everything and he threw her out like literal trash. She never would have sought him out if it wasn’t an absolute necessity. All of Torpedo Ink keeps telling Breezy to be with Steele. I wanted just one of them to say “Hey, give him a chance. But, if you don’t want to stay, I’ll help you leave.”. She had noone in her corner. Her dad was abusive, the Swords were rapists, and Steele threw her away. I wanted someone to be there for her! I wanted someone to do what Breezy wanted, not what Steele wanted. Her fear of MC clubs is very justified after what she saw. Her reasons for not wanting to be a part of Torpedo Ink’s club life makes perfect sense.
Steele endured the horrific childhood abuse all the members of Torpedo Ink did and he still suffers. He has a lot of guilt about what he did to Breezy, but he honestly felt it was the only choice. He didn’t want her to be around when they took the Swords down. Steele, like all the guys, is overbearing and demanding to the point it is bordering on too much. What keeps it from being too much is knowing his past. You understand why he needs to know where Breezy is all the time. You understand why he can’t sleep. You understand why he does all the weird shit (and he does some weird shit).
Breezy might be one of my favorite heroines. She is a survivor but not cold or heartless. She never let what happened to her or what kind of life she grew up in change her caring and supportive personality. Vengeance Road is dark and full of tragedy, but Breezy is a ray of hope that made you realize that you can rise above your circumstances, or you can become a victim of them.
I was so excited to receive this book! It’s been exactly one year since I discovered the awesomeness that is Feehan. I have to admit I’m still kicking myself for not (discovering) her sooner. Each book makes me crave more of her writing. She has a way of developing characters that confuse the heart. You think you have a favorite character, but with each book, each traumatic story, your heart melts and you’re overcome with emotion and love for the current character and their heartbreaking tale. How’s a girl supposed to stay faithful to our favorite characters when she writes such amazing heroic men and such fierce women … how I ask you?!! Well, the heart wants what the heart wants. (AKA. The men of Torpedo Ink belong to me okay. MINE… THEY ARE ALL MINE!!)
K …?
K!
Vengeance Road is the second book in the Torpedo Ink series and I’ll let you in on a little secret… if you thought book one was good, buckle up and hold on tight because book 2 is nothing less than a thrilling, action-packed, sizzling inferno of a read that will have you so engulfed in this MC world you won’t be able to put it down! If you craving more of an inside look into the men of Torpedo Ink THIS BOOK is everything you wanted and more. I will warn you, this book will hit deep into the heart of readers. You glimpse many of the atrocities Steele, Torpedo Ink’s VP, lived through and many will find it hard to read…(This is your trigger warning ladies and gents! Steel is a fierce MC warrior but his story is not for the light of heart!) The savage side of steel and just a tiny bit of the damage they can inflict on the underworld of those in human trafficking comes to the forefront… a warning to some that might find some of their tactics a dark and disturbing… I for one found dark and heartwrenching but justified, to say the least …
“one of their own, One of their family was an exact position they had all been in as children”
Made to feel unwanted and abandoned Breeze sets all hurt to the back burner to hunt down the men and women of Torpedo Ink. She needs them …. there is no room for failure. Face to face with Steele, the VP and the man that obliterated her heart she has one thing in mind. A rescue mission or a suicide mission. One she can’t not complete… To Steele’s eyes, Breezy is a welcomed blast from the past. But when she drops news of epic proportions on not just Steele but all the men and women of the MC club they’ll stop at nothing to see that justice is done.
Vengeance Road is Steele and Breezy’s story. While their relationship started under false pretenses, the fire and passion they have for one another is anything but! Steele is determined to give her complete honesty to let her into his world and to bear his soul. While he pulls back the scabs of old wounds and reveals hidden secrets, not even his brothers and sisters know about, you can’t help but fall apart with him. Coming from similar traumatic backgrounds. They fight to discover what love and total acceptance means to them.
Prepare for A gripping emotional rollercoaster ride of epic proportions from the first page to the last. I think Feehan fans new and old will agree with me when I say this series transcends MC romance into a league of its own.
Thanks to Berkley Publishing for my paperback ARC and Christine Feehan for the opportunity to review an early copy.
The Torpedo Ink stories are hard to read sometimes because of the horror of the club members upbringing in a Russian school for assassins. Steele, with healing abilities and trained as a doctor, was trained to take life. Three years earlier when the club was undercover to destroy a trafficking operation, he had fallen in love with Breezy Simmons. When he found out that she was only 17, he felt he had betrayed the club by having sex with an underage woman. He sent her away and had her banned from the clubs. Now she is back seeking help from the club in recovering her son – Steele’s son. The boy was kidnapped by Breezy’s violent and unpredictable father and brother who want her to kill Steele and other club members in return for her son.
Wow once again Christine Feehan doesn’t disappoint. The second book in the Torpedo Ink series, was action packed, so intense and well written. I had a hard time putting the book down. I would certainly recommend the book to those that enjoy the authors brand of writing
Interesting insight to biker clubs, and their rules. Scary insight to the sick twisted minds of some humans. Happy ending for many characters.
Heart-wrenching and sexy
The story of Steele and Breezy isn’t easy to read. It is psychologically fascinating though as the tale unfolds to reveal the horror of their lives and their struggles to find a way to live with what their environment has formed them into. Add a child into the mix and there is an even deeper complexity revealed. The story is not for everyone. Some rough sex, domination and struggles with the effects of past exposure to torture and pedophelia. I read a library ebook version and this is the review.
An amazing book. I can’t wait for the next one in the series.
I’ve taken my time reading Vengeance Road. I didn’t want it to end. The characters are wonderful. They are all survivors of something horrific. They are perfectly flawed human beings. They are a brotherhood. They did what they had to do to survive as children/teens and as adults, need each other to cope. Their women compliment them. They understand and support them. They fill that protective need. But that is not to say the women are weak. Far from it! These women are also survivors. They are their match; their other half. These women make the men as whole as they can be. Together they champion other children who have endured trauma. Together, Torpedo Ink and their old ladies, heal each other and the children they fight to save.
Steele is a great name for him. He’s unbending. He commands respect. He is loyal to a fault and he loves with his whole being. Breezy is his. Even when they were apart, she was his. She has fought for her independence and her strength was hard earned. She is as much a protector as Steele. But she’s all goodness and soft to his rough edges and fears.
This is the second in the series and I am addicted to Torpedo Ink! I cannot wait for each man and woman’s story! Christine Feehan truly cannot write fast enough for me and she is a definite one-click author.
I really did like it looking forward to the next one
Vengeance Road is book two in Christine Feehan’s new series Torpedo Ink. This series is not for everyone it is dark, emotional, and extremely sexual. Based on a group of 18 troubled souls whose childhood was forged in hell! They are now a MC and not just any MC they have a mission. They are out to stop human trafficking, especially in regards to children.
This book is Steele’s story, he is the President of Torpedo Ink, while he was in deep cover within the SWORDS he met Breezy. They were together for a year, but he had to do the unthinkable and make it convincing, he betrayed her and had her banned from any club, forced himself to say things to her that would convince her that he thought of her as nothing but a club whore. He needed her gone to save her life and to get her as far from there as possible.
Three years later Breezy is back and needs Steele’s help. She doesn’t want to go to him but the SWORDS have kidnapped her child, Zane, and they want her to kill Steele and Czar or they will kill her son. Steele didn’t know she had his son and he knows he will do everything in his power to keep Bree, she is not getting away again. He also knows it’s not going to be easy. They will get their son back.
This group is not like any other they are family, not by blood but by life. They will band together and they will find Steele and Bree’s son and bring him home. They will do whatever they can to help Steele keep Bree in his life.
This story is very sexual, graphic, this deals with abuse and PTSD. The storeyline finds me wanting to reach out and just hug these characters. Christine just has a way of bringing you into her world. I am never disappointed and always ready for the next chapter!