BOOK REVIEW ~ IN RIDES TROUBLE BY JULIE ANN WALKER

Rebel with a Cause...

Becky "Rebel" Reichert never actually goes looking for trouble. It just has a tendency to find her. Like the day Frank Knight showed up at her door, wanting to use her motorcycle shop as a cover for his elite special ops team. But Becky prides herself on being able to hang with the big boys-she can weld, drive, and shoot just as well as any of them.

Man with a Mission...

Munitions, missiles, and mayhem are Frank's way of life. The last thing the ex-SEAL wants is for one brash blonde to come within fifty feet of anything that goes boom. Yet it's just his rotten luck when she ends up in a hostage situation at sea. Come hell or high water, he will get her back-whether she says she needs him or not.

 

 

In Rides Trouble is Walker's second book in her Black Knight Series and it not only met my expectations, but surpassed them.

Imagine if you will, a tall, dark, mysterious Alpha male, straddling a motorcycle--decked out in leathers, tatted up like the bad boy he is, and a cocky grin to twist your insides up until you are a puddle of goo. That is the picture in my head with Walker's Black Knights. 

They are Special Operatives, deep undercover, taking the dirty jobs that no one else will do. Each have their own demons they're fighting, each are kick-ass strong, and have some hidden vulnerability that makes them more real.

Frank Knight is the experienced leader of this group and he is hell bent on not letting Becky "the Rebel" Reichert be involved in any mission--her sexy ass is to stay and build bikes--and it is pissing Becky off. She has trained for this and is ready to be taken seriously as a operative.

When Frank says no to the idea, AGAIN, Becky takes off and sets sail with girlfriend, Eve, on the Seychelles waters in a thirty eight foot catamaran. Just two bffs chilling for a few days, right?

What Becky doesn't expect is to be kidnapped by a bunch of pirates--deadly men intent on using them as hostages in a lethal game of cat and mouse.

To say that Frank loses it when he finds out that Becky is in danger, is an understatement. And he's determined to go and get her--along with a few men from his team.

What a roller coaster ride of action, shoot-'em up, and suspense as Walker takes the reader from one part of the globe to the city of Chicago, where danger continues to plague the Black Knights.

I love these characters and am starting to fall for them--hard. And this story is laced with a secondary romance --Jake and Eve--that will result in book three, Rev it Up. 

I loved the verbal sparring between Becky and Frank--two individuals with a great sexual chemistry that leaps off the page.

She went to her knees then. It's all she could suddenly think about. Tasting him, getting her mouth around--

"I'll never make it," he growled, grabbing her shoulder and hoisting her up against his chest, slamming his mouth over the top of hers until the only thing she knew was him, his hands, and skin, teeth, and tongue, the hot spicy smell of hungry man filling her flaring nostrils.

Fans of romantic suspense will enjoy the in-depth characters, action-packed plots, and enough spice to light up a small city!

**ARC provided by NetGalley



INTERVIEW AND GIVEAWAY ~ JULIE ANN WALKER -- IN RIDES TROUBLE

~ GIVEAWAY DETAILS AT END OF POST ~

Hello Lovelies! Today I am excited to have two very interesting people with me to talk about their story and have some fun. In Julie Anne Walker’s newest series, Black Knights, Inc., we get to meet some very interesting men and one woman who work at a motorcycle shop in Chicago. It’s a front for an elite special ops team that takes jobs the government doesn’t want. They are highly trained men with a military past and have mad skills—in as well as out of the bedroom.


Here is a little blurb from Goodreads about the newest release, In Rides Trouble.





Release Date: September 4, 2012
Book Two, Black Knights

 Rebel with a Cause...

Becky "Rebel" Reichert never actually goes looking for trouble. It just has a tendency to find her. Like the day Frank Knight showed up at her door, wanting to use her motorcycle shop as a cover for his elite special ops team. But Becky prides herself on being able to hang with the big boys-she can weld, drive, and shoot just as well as any of them.

Man with a Mission...

Munitions, missiles, and mayhem are Frank's way of life. The last thing the ex-SEAL wants is for one brash blonde to come within fifty feet of anything that goes boom. Yet it's just his rotten luck when she ends up in a hostage situation at sea. Come hell or high water, he will get her back-whether she says she needs him or not.



We meet Frank and Becky in the first book, Hell On Wheels, where they verbally spar with one another, and one can feel the sexual tension that’s thicker than the San Francisco fog. I must admit, these two had me very interested in seeing just how their future would work out.



CS: So **points to two chairs**, why don’t you both get comfortable, and have a seat. Would you care for anything to drink? OJ, coffee, milk? **looks slyly at Frank and Becky while digging for bowl under desk** Or would you rather have a Dum Dum? I even have Root Beer flavor.

Becky: **slugs Frank in shoulder and snickers**

Frank: **rubs shoulder and frowns**

Becky: Don't let that glower fool you. He wants it.

Frank: **shrugs and reaches for Root Beer Dum Dum, stuffs it in shirt pocket**

Becky: See! I told ya! The man has absolutely no control when-

Frank: **interrupting** That's not what you said last night.

Becky: Shh! This is a professional interview, you big dillhole. Try to keep your head out of the gutter for five seconds, will you? **feigns a scowl, but corner of mouth twitches**



CS: Okay, Frank, this first question is for you. How did you get into motorcycles? I know that Becky here has always been a little grease monkey growing up. What is your story? And what is your dream bike? Have you asked Becky to design one for you?

Frank: **looks over at Becky and winks** I got into bikes when I was a teenager and yearned for the freedom of my own ride but couldn't afford a car. My junior year in high school, I bought an old 1982 Honda CBX for three-hundred bucks, wrestled it back into fairly good working order, and, from then on, I was hooked. The wind in my hair, the open road... There's just something about it.

Becky: **rolls in lips, eyes thinning slyly** Yeah, that. And he knows how could he looks in leather and biker boots.

Frank: Can't help what God gave me.

Becky: Pfft. Answer the rest of her question, Mr. Universe.

Frank: **hooks an arm around Becky's neck, pulling her over for a loud, smacking kiss**

Becky: ** laughs happily**

Frank: As for my dream bike. It's sitting right outside. If you stroll over to the window, you'll see Boss Hog parked by the curb. I came up with the general theme, pearlescent white paint, lots of chrome... but Becky's the one who put all the extras on that really make it stand out. That intricate dual exhaust was her, the chrome studs in the leather on the seat was her. Basically, she took my simple idea and ran wild with it. It's a gorgeous bike. All her bikes are gorgeous bikes.

Becky: Aw, thanks, babe.

Frank: **winks, looking well-satisfied and proud**



CS: Becky, have the dynamics in your relationship with the men of Black Knights changed since your involvement with Frank? Do the men constantly tease Frank about being “chained down” by a woman?

Frank: **growls**

Becky: **fights a grin** Oh, the Knights like to give both of us a hard time. If we kiss? Guaranteed someone's making a gagging noise. And, I swear, they absolutely delight in banging on our bedroom door in the morning, yelling, "If the bed's not rockin', you best bet we come knockin'!" It's like living in a fraternity house sometimes. But I wouldn't change it.



CS: Frank, tell us a little bit more about Zoelner. Do you think he’ll ever join you guys in the future as a member of Black Knights?

Frank: **face suddenly wiped clean like a chalkboard** I've asked him. Now, it's up to him.

Becky: He'll join us. I just have a feeling...



CS: Either one of you can answer this next one. In book one, Dan loses his wife and he is obviously having a hard time dealing with his grief. How far do you think you’ll let this go (his drinking) before you step in and help him. Or will you step in?

Becky: **glances at Frank, expression sad**

Frank: **shakes head** Dan's wrestling with a lot of demons right now. And I'm of the school of thought that a man has to work through his own shit... er... his own stuff in his own way and time. But that being said, if he doesn't pull himself up by the bootstraps soon, we're going to have to do something."

Becky: He just needs a little more time.

Frank: **nods** Maybe...



CS: Okay, let’s get a little less serious folks and have some fun. Becky, you go first. Describe your co-worker Ozzie in three words.

Becky: **chuckles** Brilliant, Irreverent, and Total-Pain-In-The-Ass. I know that was more than three words, but that last description should count as one. A big one. The most accurate one. Ha!

Frank: **nods** She's right.



CS: Frank, what would you do if Snake, aka Jake, were to get involved again with your sister? What would say to him?

Frank: Depending on what his intentions were... ** eyes narrowing** I'd either welcome him with open arms, or make sure he doesn't walk right for a month.

Becky: He's very protective of Shell.

Frank: The woman needs protecting. She's had a hell of a lot of knocks on the chin in her life.

Becky: Yeah, and I'll say it again, you're very protective of Shell.

Frank: **shrugs** Comes with the territory. Big brother and all...



CS: Who would you say is the most serious of the group. Besides you, Frank. **eyes the man with a big smile*

Frank: Mac.

Becky: He means Bryan "Mac" McMillan. He's our resident ex-FBI agent, and I don't think I've ever seen the man smile.

Frank: Still waters run deep.

Becky: **glances at Frank, frowning** You know something about the guy that I don't?

Frank: **shrugs**

Becky: Ugh. **rolls eyes** Always with the boys' club.



CS: And this is for the both of you. Describe Julie Ann in just 5 words.

Frank: **crosses arms** Slave-driver.

Becky: **socks him in shoulder again** She's just driven. She wants to get all of our stories told.

Frank: That's what I just said, the woman's a slave-driver. Constantly at the keyboard.

Becky: **sighs** Julie Ann Walker is driven, ambitious, and because of that, a probably bit over-caffeinated.

Frank: Now, that last one I'll agree with.



CS: Is she difficult to work with? And tell me one thing about Julie Ann that nobody knows about.

Frank: She asks too many damn questions. Always trying to pick apart our motivations for doing things.

Becky: **shakes head** In case it's not obvious, those two have a love/hate relationship. Julie Ann loves to put us in angst-y situations, and Frank hates that. But as for something you don't know about her? Well... **slides Frank a sly look** She once told me she wrote a sex scene that involved me and Frank and a lollipop, but her editor cut it out.

CS: Double Damn…that shit, er…that scene needs to be written on her web page. Or even better, mailed to me. She knows my email now, so I better **ahem** see something soon, Jules…and I know you are listening to every word outside the door there. We.Will. Talk. ***crosses arms over breasts and scowls at door***


Frank: **perks up** She did?

Becky: **wiggles eyebrows**

Frank: Well, maybe she's not so bad after all.



CS: Lastly, Frank—have you forgiven or had words with Angel about his behavior toward Becky in In Rides Trouble. He seemed to love pushing your buttons.

Frank: Nah. He was just trying to look out for my girl. So I've forgiven him.

Becky: Oh, how magnanimous of you, Frank. **laughs exasperatedly**


CS: Thank you so much for showing up today. I hope you had fun. Please come by soon and visit whenever you want. Just, next time, bring Rock with you. His little sexy Cajun self is so cute.

Becky: Ha! I'll tell him you said that.

Frank: Thanks for having us here, ma'am. **pushes significant bulk up from chair and extends hand to Becky** Come on, woman. I've got plans for you.

Becky: **wiggles eyebrows at CS and follows Frank from room**


CS:  Sigh, yet another scene that I must read. That Frank has moves like Jagger. **Glances up to see if Becky is indeed out of earshot. That woman would sooooo kick my ass if she heard that.

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