Adler (The Henchmen MC Book 14) by Jessica Gadziala

Being that this is book 14 of the Henchmen series by Jessica Gadziala, and I have read each and every one of them, I kind of hesitated to read this one because I was not a fan of Adler when he had parts in previous books (both in this series and in JG's Grudge Match). I thought he was annoying with this flirting and nondescript accent. 

Foolish, foolish me. 

I am woman enough to admit I was wrong. Yes indeed, and Adler & Lou's story is my favorite of the bunch. MY FAVORITE! (Wolf and Duke will always reign supreme in my heart, but Adler surprised me here)

What a good story. Here's the blurb from Amazon: 

He decided it was time to retire, settle down, become something nice and tame. Like an arms-dealing biker in some town called Navesink Bank. He could get behind that lifestyle. 

He'd anticipated a lot of things. Drinking. Brotherhood. A little action peppered in here and there to keep things from getting too dull.

But there was one thing he hadn't planned on.

A woman moving in across the hall from him. The way something within him recognized something inside her. A past. Secrets. Darkness. Hidden behind thick walls, impenetrable shields, and a biting sort of confidence. 

He damn sure couldn’t have prepared himself for the sudden and uncharacteristic urge to force his way into her life, get her to open up to him, feel comfortable enough to give her all the dark and ugly parts of his past. And - dare he even think it - plan a future with her. 

You know… if she would stop disappearing for weeks at a time without a clue as to where she was going…

First of all, can I just say THANK YOU to Jessica for another kickass, smart, strong, awesome female lead? I am so, so tired of reading romances-- particularly of the MC variety-- in which the heroine is a dumbarse/weak/can't speak her mind/can't tie her shoelaces without the hero. 

None of that nonsense in the JC universe. 

Lou is tough. She is strong. Those tattoos and their meaning? YESSSS, I about fist pumped when I read that part. 

And Adler. Oh, Adler, you won me over. He really took his time getting to know Lou, and showed her patience that melted me. 

"Not asking for more than ya can give me, Lou. I get that is gonna be like pullin' teeth at first. But I got a good grip."

I loved them together. 

I loved what they were able to give each other, and make with each other. This book had my heart from the beginning to the end. I loved their brand of flirting and how they finally crossed that line together as a couple. 

Another thing I loved... this book was funny! The banter between characters in JG's books is usually peppered with humor, but this one cracked me straight UP. Some of the situations too. 

If you haven't read Jessica Gadziala's books yet, I highly recommend you start, like, right now. She has a reading order on her website, since her books often cross universes with each other. 

5/5 stars. LOVED it.