Last Mile

A man struggles to balance loyalty and love in Ashley's lackadaisical third contemporary romance (after Redemption Road) featuring the Hell's Raiders Motorcycle Club's attempts to go legitimate follows. Bishop Malloy may be the baby of his family, but he is in no way the runt of the litter; the big man is a boxer, and the Raiders' sergeant-at-arms. Samantha Vargas always wanted to follow her deceased father's footsteps in upholding the law, which led her to join the ATF. Bishop shows up in her sights when she and her partner, Gavin, are assigned to infiltrate the Raiders. Sam's father's death was linked to a motorcycle club, and Sam's determined to put Bishop and every other outlaw biker behind bars. Somewhat predictably, her viewpoint changes drastically once she gets to know the Raider men and women. The romantic and erotic elements are strong, but they come at the expense of plot development; the adventure and danger of the previous two books are markedly absent. Characters introduced in earlier novels are briefly revisited and play fairly small supporting roles in Sam and Bishop's story. This quick read is mildly amusing, and goes a long way toward rebranding outlaw biker clubs as much more family-oriented and community focused rather than the stereotypical criminals of the past. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel & Goderich. (May)