We used to be kings on top of the world, but it all went to hell…My money and power are worthless. All I want is blood bathing my knuckles, their soulless bodies dead at my feet.I’ve never felt the need to take someone’s life until now. They will pay.I will sacrifice everything to protect my family.To save the beauty that’s been haunting my dreams. I don’t even know her, but the fear dancing in … dreams.
I don’t even know her, but the fear dancing in her eyes will be my worst nightmare.
It’s a game of death, and I’m all in.
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I really wish I had realized this was a book 2 in the Whiskey series. I’ve read Whiskey & You but it’s been a while and I would have liked to refresh my mind a bit. However, that is all on my lap and has nothing to do with the author or even my rating because, again, my fault. So anyway, it took me a bit to get in the mindset of this story and refresh Kemp in my head. He’s a lot more lethal than I recall him being. I might have struggled a bit liking him. I understood his reasoning but, I don’t know, he was dark and hard… like really hard. I do like my alphas with a bit more of a softer side to them, but again, that’s my preference.
However, let me tell you, HJ Bellus pulls out all the emotional stops and likes to play with your heart. I was a bit surprised with how dark Bellus went. This might just be her darkest story. She did take a real-world problem and bring it into fiction with fantasies we’d all like to have really happen. You know, the stories where the good guys always win and the bad guy always rot in hell. Even with all the dark, all the deep; Bellus was able to make this a well-rounded storyline. It was an emotional story.
I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… my opinions.
This!! This took me to the edge and threw me off, kicking and screaming! Honest to God, my heart was obliterated and then slowly put back together.
Kemp is in a dark place, if you have read Book one in this series, you will know why. He is dealing with things the only way he knows how, he is going to war for those he loves.
The connection is instant between him and Charlie but there is so much going on, Lord above, that stole me breath!
In all the seriousness there are glimmers of hope, of love and laughter. I FLOVE his Mum, Faye! And the relationship he has with Belle is just beautiful.
I highly recommend that you one click this!
5 TOUGH SEXY KEMP STARS!! Another jammed packed action story with hot sexy characters. Kemp and Charlie have a fantastic story you will want to hear. Us readers knows H.J. Bellus is one heck of a storyteller that keeps us glued to the book. You definitely need this Book in your lives.
HJ Bellus pulled true love from the pits of hell and human despair.
Ms Bellus, with this book, you slayed me. I wonder how you have the gift of putting together a book that is so dark, and so desperate that I questioned how love could even occur under the circumstances, but you made love happen, and it was the guiding light upon which all else was hinged.
Never have I read a duo of books where the hero really does dive into the pits of a hell so deep that when he returns, it’s as changed and as damaged as Kemp did.
This is exactly what Kemp did for his family. A man who would put them even before himself. And I found this book to be even darker and more despairing than JJ and Navy’s story in Whiskey and You.
I loved that he is big and tattooed, yet still in awe of his true hero – his mum. She inspired him to be the man that he is, a protector of women, and one who treats them with respect.
Charlie also dove into the pits of hell to retrieve someone she loved, her sister. Trouble is, sometimes they are so broken, there is never any way back for them, and that hurts.
I had to finish it in one session, straight after I’d just hit Book 1 and I could wax lyrical long and hard about the awesomeness of this book. Instead, I will loudly admire your talent, and vociferously recommend it to all and sundry that this is their next 5 Star must read. This is now my book of the year!
5 Kemp Filled Stars!!!
Man oh man. The Kings Of Texas are back. This time we’re following Kemp into the dirty depths of Mexico and dealing with human trafficking.
We pick up where Whiskey & You left off. Kemp just saved Navy from being kidnapped. Navy’s his best friend JJ’s girlfriend but she’s become like a sister to him. Kemp tried saving another girl he finds out her name was Rose and she’s been friends with Navy since childhood.
Kemp can’t get Rose out of his head. Kemp plans on taking down the guy responsible for hurting Navy and for his abuse on the women. Kemp heads to Mexico with some help of a local MC.
Kemp isn’t the same funny, easy going guy he was in book one. He’s hit a deep, dark place. Kemp spends his time gathering info and screwing every women he can. Kemp knows they’re nasty dirty but he does it anyway.
Until he met Charlie and everything changed. Charlie’s in Mexico for the same reason. She was dating the guy Kemp is looking for. When she found out what he was into Charlie left and he got revenge by kidnapping her sister. She’s the only family Charlie has left and she won’t go down without getting her sister back.
These two do not start off a good foot. Nope! It starts with her trying to put a bullet in between Kemp’s eyes. Yup. It’s like that!!!
But, the more time these two spend together they realize that they have in common. Kemp promises to take down the guy and save Rose and get Charlie her sister back. If only things were that easy.
Even though this is a darker book and might have triggers for some people. I really liked it. My heart broke for Charlie from beginning to the end of this book. I’m glad she got her HEA with Kemp, I just wish she didn’t have to go thru everything she did.
Kemp definitely has a place on my top book boyfriends list!! His relationship with Belle is no joke one of the best parts of both books!!! And, his momma is one of my favs too. Kemp is either super dark or super goofball. I’ll take him either way.
Whiskey Renegade is the second book in the Kings of Texas series and this book was explosive like that first shot of Jack as it hits your throat. Kemp is a man on a mission with a set of green eyes haunting him and pushing him forward, but it might just be a set of whiskey-honey eyes that will be his salvation. This story is gritty, emotional, heart wrenching and packed full of passion and determination. Their journey will bring you joy, laughter, tears and will warm your heart like no other. The chemistry between these two characters will be so strong you will feel it in your soul. A book that will keep you gripped, on the edge of your seat and falling head over heels for these two. Be warned, after this book you will want your own Kemp to sweep your floors. Move over JJ, I think Kemp just claimed my heart.
Whiskey Renegade picks up right where Whiskey & You left off, with Kemp and JJ running to find out where Navy was taken. It’s there where Kemp forges a bond with one of the women in the same van Navy was thrown into, and where Kemp’s mission begins – to rescue that woman, and all the other women kidnapped and trafficked by the same organization that terrorized them in Whiskey & You.
Kemp’s mission, though, takes him from beastly manwhore, fucking prostitutes in Mexico while waiting for the men he’s out to take down, back to the sweet-natured businessman he was in Whiskey & You and in the beginning of Whiskey Renegade. I admit to not liking him much in the beginning, wondering why the hell he had changed so much from the first book, but knowing his quest for vengeance had to have changed him, made him so unrecognizable. But, the biggest surprise was that Kemp didn’t ultimately end up with the woman that set him off on his mission. No, his soul mate ended up being Charlie, a woman looking for her sister, who had been taken by the traffickers that had taken Rose and Navy.
Although I didn’t end up liking Whiskey Renegade the way I loved Whiskey & You, I am still glad I got to read it, glad I got to read Kemp’s story. It’s raw and gritty, but beautiful in its own way. Charlie and Kemp make for a hot couple, and it was good to see the womanizing Kemp find his one and only. And of course JJ, Navy, Bella, Jack and Faye are all back with their own cameos, and it was great to see them happily living the good life together. I’m hoping there’s more to come in this Kings of Texas world, perhaps Dax’s story?
Whiskey Renegade was a raw and gritty read full of suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.
Kemp definitely took me by surprise in this book. Gone was the smooth-talking jokester I was intrigued with since the first book in this series and in his place was a beast who would do whatever was necessary for those he loved. I’ll be honest and say there was a time or two when I wanted to pop him with a wooden spoon myself but the transformation his character underwent held me captivated.
Charlie was exactly what Kemp needed from their rather explosive first meeting. I loved the witty exchanges between them and how they both kept the other on their toes. In the midst of everything they both were dealing with their unexpected relationship took them both by surprise and left me with a smile plastered on my face.
The journey these two shared wasn’t easy by any means and there were moments that I was left shocked, breathless or trying to read through my tears yet I was held riveted and unable to put down my Kindle. If you love romances that grip your heart and keep you holding on to the edge of your chair until the end then you’ll definitely want to check out Whiskey Renegade.
“We are two lost and broken souls, fighting to survive and save loved ones. If our touch can bring us moments of peace, then I’m all in.”
Raw and gritty from the first moments, it’s a race against time to fight an evil that comes back to haunt these characters, and the fight is on! Not for the faint of heart, it swirls with some pretty dark subjects, with some really flawed characters and pulls no punches at any point. Kemp is a beast, at first, he held really no redeeming qualities other than his devotion to saving those in the clutches of evil, but the Author painted him with a fabulous transformation after an unexpected relationship blossoms with Charlie. The gut wrenching pain of events brought me to tears, and it really got me right in my gut. The desperation, the looming danger, and the action packed story line felt like watching a movie, and held me transfixed until I got to the end. The sweetness of their relationship and eventual good news made me smile, and warmed my heart. Filled with a whole host of characters new and from previous books that made it a great read. It is a standalone, but I will be going back to read the first book as soon as I’m able!! I thank the Author for providing a copy to review!!
” ‘Fall with me.’ I obey those three words, falling with my eyes wide open and heart full.”
~~~Erika, Book Haven Book Blog
5 Stars
This story pulled me in and never let me go until the very last word. At times I swear I could actually feel the darkness and danger that surrounded our rough, sexy, Jack Daniels drinking hero. HJ Bellus has brought forth an intense and non traditional romantic suspense novel that will leave you on the edge of your seat. I had moments when I thought my heart would jump out of my chest and somehow just a few pages later she would bring out a smile or laugh I never saw coming. If you love your romantic suspense with a side of darkness to it then you NEED this book on your “read immediately” list!
Cara – Alphas Do It Better Book Blog
A 4 star story that was at times quite entertaining and enticing. A second book in the whiskey series. This one is about Kemp, which was introduced in Whiskey & You.
Kemp is trying to bring down the people who hurt the people he cares about. While on in journey for revenge he finds, Charlie. This is their story.
I enjoyed this story even if at times I didn’t really like Kemps actions. But in defence this is a darkish and more risqué type of story. It was highly entertaining and there was never a dull moment. Protective alpha and strong heroine.
This is the second story in the Kings of Texas. It can be read as a standalone but for better enjoyment and continuity, read Whiskey & You first.
Told in a dual POV with an HEA. I recommend this story.
Kemp is on a race against time and in a battle against true evil. This story is raw from the very first word. Kemp is on a mission to save Navy’s friend from a drug cartel in Mexico. He is a man on a mission and there is nothing and no one that will stop him.
Charlie is a woman on a mission. She wants to rescue her sister, who was kidnapped by the same cartel that Kemp is trying to destroy.
What neither of them expected was to find love and safety in the eyes of true evil. Despite the madness and the loss they have both experienced, their relationship was a beacon of light. It was sweet, it was beautiful. Through all the loss of their two stories, comes happiness and it is very much deserved.
Whiskey Renegade is full of action, it is raw and full of grit, but it is also a beautiful story.
This one will definitely take you on a ride . But I freaking loved Kemp. His character is amazingly written through everything he goes through. Love him with Charlie once they get pasted what she does. Their chemistry is off the charts. Just some great moments in this one but at the same time some moments where you want the tissues. But that is a book written by H.J Bellus. She will grip you in and have you holding on until the very end to see what happens. Loved it. Highly recommend it.