It Ain't Me Babe by Tillie Cole Pages: 466
Series: Hades Hangmen #1
Genres: Dark Romance
Setting: Austin, TX
Source: Amazon
Also by this author: Ravage, A Veil of Vines
Goodreads
Sinning never felt so good…
A fortuitous encounter.
A meeting that should never have happened.
Many years ago, two children from completely different worlds forged a connection, a fateful connection, an unbreakable bond that would change their lives forever…
Salome knows only one way to live—under Prophet David’s rule. In the commune she calls home, Salome knows nothing of life beyond her strict faith, nor of life beyond the Fence—the fence that cages her, keeps her trapped in an endless cycle of misery. A life she believes she is destined to always lead, until a horrific event sets her free.
Fleeing the absolute safety of all she has ever known, Salome is thrust into the world outside, a frightening world full of uncertainty and sin; into the protective arms of a person she believed she would never see again.
River ‘Styx’ Nash knows one thing for certain in life—he was born and bred to wear a cut. Raised in a turbulent world of sex, Harleys, and drugs, Styx, unexpectedly has the heavy burden of the Hades Hangmen gavel thrust upon him, and all at the ripe old age of twenty-six—much to his rivals’ delight.
Haunted by a crushing speech impediment, Styx quickly learns to deal with his haters. Powerful fists, an iron jaw and the skillful use of his treasured German blade has earned him a fearsome reputation as a man not to be messed with in the shadowy world of outlaw MC’s. A reputation that successfully keeps most people far, far away.
Styx has one rule in life—never let anyone get too close. It’s a plan that he has stuck to for years, that is, until a young woman is found injured on his lot… a woman who looks uncannily familiar, a woman who clearly does not belong in his world, yet a woman he feels reluctant to let go…
Dark Contemporary Romance/New Adult Novel.
Contains sexual situations, violence, sensitive and taboo subjects, offensive language and mature topics. Recommended for age 18 years and up*
It Ain’t Me Babe has been sitting on my kindle for over a year. Many bookish friends RAVE about Tillie Cole and love this series. So, why did I wait so long? I think I was on the fence about it. Its VERY high heat, and when I first started reading romance, I shied away from anything erotic. Its probably a good think I waited until now to read this!
Styx is the Prez of the Hades Hangmen and he is one seriously effed up dude. He is also known as the infamous “Hangman Mute”. His stutter has led to him never speaking in front of people, instead relying on sign language. A chance meeting with a young girl behind a fence as a kid changes him forever. Jump forward many years and Mae has escaped her crazy AF cult and is knocking on death’s door. Where does she end up? Behind a dumpster at the Hangmen’s clubhouse.
So, the trigger warnings in this book are legit. The amount of child abuse committed by the members of the cult is obscene and will be difficult for some to read. The book also has lots of violence (the Hangmen are a 1% -er club so killing people is nothing to them). Through all that though is a story about a woman trying to figure out what she believes anymore. She begins to discover life outside the commune she was raised in, but manages to not conform to her new surrounds and lose herself in the process. She manages to blend the good she learned in childhood with the new freedom of the club. Mae is really quite a fascinating character. While Styx certainly does screw up frequently, he does get his shit together and fight for Mae. His VP Ky was an ass in the beginning and really pushed Styx to stay away from “the pilgrim bitch” but even he has a change of heart.
While Mae is learning to live outside the commune and Styx is trying to figure out how to be in love and the Hangman Prez, there is LOTS of danger from the outside. Mae knows the cult leaders will stop at nothing to get her back. The Hangmen are fighting with the local chapter of the KKK and to top it all off, there is a rat in the ranks of the Hangmen. Overall, this blends together to create a VERY compelling story that moves with a quickness that will keep you reading until the end just to figure out what kind of effed up shit will happen next!
- POV: Dual 1st
- Tears: none
- Trope: MC Club
- Triggers: View Spoiler »
- Series/Standalone: stand alone within an interconnected series
- Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
- HEA: View Spoiler »
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Undeniable by Madeline Sheehan, Lawless by TM Frazier, Reaper’s Property by Joanna Wylde, Judgment Road by Christine Feehan…then you will probably like It Ain’t Me Babe!
It Ain’t Me Babe
over the past couple of years I have been on the lookout for a good dark romance. and I adore MC romance and I am really intrigued by this series so I am grabbing the first book. Lovely review darling and happy weekend.
This might be too dark for me. I can read these; I just don’t always enjoy them. I like the motorcycles though. But the cult thing just makes me furious, as well as some of the misogyny that happens in MC clubs. I’m glad you liked it and thanks for a review with the trigger warnings. Anne – Books of My Heart
I’ve had this one on my Kindle for so long and have been so intrigued by it. I often enjoy a good, dark romance. The only thing stopping me is that I’ve read one other by Tillie Cole and truly disliked it. It was schmaltzy and saccharine and I rolled my eyes through three-quarters of the book. It’s made me hesitant to try anything else by her but Reading your review makes me want to take a chance on it.
You definitely intrigued me with your review, Anne! I have only read A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole, and while I really enjoyed it, there were some things I didn’t like at all, too…
I do enjoy reading dark romance every now and then, though, and it sounds like this one has quite a bit of darkness seeping in 🙂 Great review!
Oooh, nice review! I bought this entire series when she put them all on 99p sale at the release of the most recent. I haven’t read any of them though. I think I’ll have to change that! I’ve really enjoyed a few of her other series.
[…] It Ain’t Me, Babe by Tillie Cole, The Darkest Warrior by Gena Showalter, …then you will probably like Vendetta Road! […]