Thorn

Salvation's Bane, MC, Book 3

By: Marteeka Karland

Narrated by: Umi Markkanen

Length: 4 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Mariana -- If it weren’t for bad luck…
Yeah. That’s me. I found myself stranded on the side of the road after my boyfriend threw me out. My mother, bless her heart, thinks I’m dragging her to the pits of hell because I got myself knocked up. All of which I could deal with. What nearly put me in a panic was the big, muscle-bound, tattooed biker who pulled up behind me, ordering me to “pop the hood.” I was scared, but, God, the man was smoking hot! Had I not been hot, tired, and pregnant, I might have gotten on my knees and begged him to take me. Instead, I kept that part of myself tightly under control. Sort of.

Thorn -- Ana isn’t like anyone I’ve ever come across.
If there’s a woman in this world who needs pampering, it’s her. She’s half starved, on the verge of heat stroke, and I steamrolled my way into her life. But I wasn’t prepared for the call I got from the hospital or the sight of her broken body. I’m all about vengeance, and someone is going to pay for this. Dearly. And my little Ana is going to have to learn to take on a man like me. Because somewhere around the very first time I saw her, I might have gone and fallen in love with her.

WARNING (Spoiler Alert): Traumatic pregnancy loss and explicit violence which could be triggers for some listeners. As always, you can expect a HEA with no cheating.

©2020 Marteeka Karland (P)2024 Marteeka Karland

Loved this one!

I read book 1 in this series, and missed book 2, but jumping to book 3 didn't make me feel lost. Instantly I was hooked due to a lovable female lead in a precarious situation and the biker who seemed to be falling for her off the bat. Throw in an ex I loved to hate, a toxic parent, the MC prez and … well you’ve got a whole lot of fun!

And this hits a ton of tropes, especially for such a quick read:

Fun meetcute.
Chivalrous biker.
MC club.
Toxic parents.
Toxic babydaddy.
Small town vibes.
“Touch her and d!3” /protective hero.
Vi0lence.
M!scarr!age.
Semi-inexperienced female lead with very experienced male lead.
Medium burn.
Band of brothers.
Hunt for vengeance.


A fun, quick read, that left me wanting more from this club.
4 stars.


🎧 Audio:
This narrator is fantastic! And excellent overall sound quality.

The whole MC is out to protect.

A heartwrenching MC Romance. Heed the triggers. Thorn is the MCs prez. He happens upon Mariana who is in distress. Twists. Turns. Tragedy. And whew...HEA.
I was gifted an Audible version of this book from the author through Story Origin. The narrator, Umi Markkanen is truly the best. She has such a sweet, kind voice for the female characters, and her male voices are very believable. 5 stars for her as well.

Enjoyable

Cat’s Stats
MMC/FMC- Thorn and Ana
Genre- MC Romance
Length- 4 hours and 15 minutes
Heat- They do all the things and name the parts, using explicit language.
Series? Y
Safety? Y
Triggers- Explicit Sex, Graphic Violence (involving bodily fluids and other squishy substances), Language, Traumatic Pregnancy Loss. This is not an easy book to read, but there’s no cheating or S.A.
Tropes- Damsel in Distress, Instalove, Found Family, Ebil Ex, Parental Estrangement, I Know an Ol’ Lady
Mewsings
What I liked- the romance was swoon worthy. And their sex life was adventurous. The main characters were likable and the bad guy and the awful mother were easy to hate.
What I didn’t- The bikers from the other club weren’t really part of the plot. I guess they showed up to be name checked or something. I don’t know.
What I thought about the narration- I’ve gone on about how much I enjoy this narrator before. All I will say here is that Umi was excellent.
I received an advance review copy for free and this is my voluntary review.

Fast-paced and entertaining

This is the third novella in the Salvation's Bane MC Series. Thorn and Mariana's story is fast-paced, entertaining, and passionate, filled with drama, and twists and turns. Mariana's story is heartbreaking. I liked Thorn determination. Umi Markkanen did a great job bringing this story to life. #StoryOrigin

Great continuation

I really enjoyed this installment. I loved getting to know Thorn more and his link to the Bones MC. It's a nice quick listen but a full and complete story with great narration.

Dirty, Fierce Protector

I have been loving this series and this is a terrific addition. The combination of dark and erotic is well blended and kept me wanting more. In fact, I really, really need more of these two.

Mariana "Ana" Everly has some horrible luck with both her parentage and choice in men. I just wanted to take her in my arms and show her a better option in the mom department. Colin "Thorn" McGregor beat me to it taking on the other area.

I do love them together. They are adventurous beyond measure, which I find hot and awesome. Their couplings are rough and hard, and yet there's so much heart and tenderness. Absolutely 💜!

As for one abuser in her life, Jason Harrison, he is despicable. Him getting his due is bittersweet. What he does to her may be triggering, so please pay attention to the author's notes.

The other, Adelaide Everly, also known as her mother, gets some comeuppance. Honestly, I love how those around Ana rally during it all.

There is a secret that starts to unravel. Aunt Josephine has a secret identity. It's nice to see a little behind that curtain. I won't give any more on that. 🤫🤐

I received an author's copy of the audio book. The narrator is Umi Markkanen. She's a one-woman show who does a really good job.

Story: 5 stars
Narration: 4 stars
Listening Speed: 1.7x