SMOOTH SAILING - Kristen Ashley

4 stars

It's always like a warm hug, returning to Chaos. Strap in for the story of Harlan ("Hugger") and Diana!

Smooth Sailing is the third book in the Wild West MC series, which is in itself a spin-off series from KA's older Chaos MC series. Why am I giving you this much context? Because let's be honest, with these longer romance series + romance series spin-offs in the indie romance scene is honestly hard to keep it all straight—especially if you're a new reader!

So, first things first: if you're brand new to KA's motorcycle club romances, I recommend you pause here and investigate the Chaos MC series, which starts with Own the Wind. I promise you won't regret it!

But, if you're a wild card who likes to play it fast and loose with series order (it's me, I'm that person too) then feel free to keep on reading here and see if you'd like to try out the Wild West MC series by itself.

From the blurb...

When the Chaos Motorcycle Club came to call, Harlan “Hugger” McCain wasn’t ready to be welcomed into the fold. They said he was a legacy. He felt like an outcast.

But he patched in anyway. And he was all in to be a part of their not-quite-outlaw missions.

This takes him down to Phoenix, right into the orbit of Diana Armitage, a beautiful, green-eyed woman with a heart of gold and a scarily honed tendency to sacrifice for pretty much everyone she cares about, and some people she barely knows.

Hugger has been existing. Life has never given him much, now, he expects even less. Diana lives life to its fullest. And she doesn’t keep it a secret she wants to drag Hugger right along with her.

But Hugger is certain he’s got bad blood. He’s got one foot in Chaos, one foot out. One foot in Diana’s life, one foot out. Diana and his brothers in Chaos have their work cut out to show Hugger who he is. That he belongs. And he’s worthy to be loved.

My thoughts:
First off, it's honestly a huge surprise that I'm standing here at all, reading this story and telling you about it. (And it's to my utter shock that I liked it—a LOT!) Because, in total honesty, I hated the first book in the Wild West MC spin-off series. It actually turned me away from the entire concept, and led to me not reading the second book. (I don't feel this book deserves to be overshadowed by that story, so let's leave it at the fact that the MMC of that first book crossed some lines that all other KA love interests never cross.) But I'm on KA's arc team and it'd been a while... and I love Chaos... and I love KA. So I knew it was time for me to give this series another try.

Hugger and Diana's story hits the spot. It's emotionally resonant, it has a core plot that carries through the entire story in a satisfying way, and it's filled with all of those KA-isms that hit me right in the feels. In short, I loved it.

If you're a KA stan, obviously you're going to read and love this one. If you're new to her work, like I said at the top—start with Chaos if you're into all things MC romance, or start with this one knowing that you're entering a boisterous family of bikers, their women, and their good times. Y'all are welcome here.

Thanks so much to the author for my copy in exchange for an honest review.