Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love shade!!! OMG!! this book is amazing I don't have words to described.. lily and Shade's love is epic, unique, intense, passionate, hot, extremely sweet and possessively romantic :) ( )

So the other day I spotlighted Shade (make sure to check out the post - there is a giveaway going on!), and mentioned that I got a late start with purchasing it and was only 1/3 of the way through it. I've been reading it since. I've got to admit; this morning I finally looked at The Man and said, "That's it! I need to look on Amazon & see how many pages this book actually is, because I've been reading for DAYS!" Normally I can whip through a book (or two) a day if needed, but crapola if this one just didn't seem to be moving no matter how much I read! I'd look at the percentage on my Amazon and it'd still be at like, 37%, and I'd think, "Are ya KIDDING me??!!!??" As I expressed this to The Man, he said, "Oh, you must really hate it then for it to be taking you so long." (This is what happens behind-the-scenes, folks -- The Man knows that when I start bitching about not being able to finish something, it's because I just don't WANT to finish it because it's about to CHOKE me with its UN-awesomeness.) I just looked at him and said, "Oh, not at all. I LOVE this book. It's just long as hell and I feel crappy that it's taking me so long to get it read for my review!"

Thus began the "Mom Is On Strike And Reading So Make Yourself A Damn Bologna Sandwich For Lunch Because I'm Not Cooking You A Four Course Meal" afternoon in our household.

I'm done with Shade now. :)

And by the way -- Amazon says it has 778 pages. So if you are wavering about the $5.99 price tag, just consider this -- you're basically getting THREE TO FOUR BOOKS for that same money. As a matter of fact, you're getting more... but I'll get to that in a bit. I know I'm a big proponent of keeping digital book prices below the $4 range, but if you are a Jamie Begley fan, especially of the Last Riders / VIP Room / Biker Bitches books, just click. Once you've finished the book and dried the tears from your face, you'll find that's the best day/s and $6 you've spent in a LONG time!

While SHADE is the sixth "Last Riders" book, it's actually the eleventh book in this series. I'm normally a big proponent of reading stuff in order - it's that pesky BOOCD (book order obsessive compulsive disorder of mine) - but the write-up mentions that the book is a standalone story. Weeelllllllll...... I'm not sure how much I'd agree with that, simply because the first 60-70% of the book is like fast-forwarding through the first ten books of the series, hopping, skipping & jumping through the "highlights" of the triumphs and tribulations that formed the Last Riders into their family. If you haven't already read them, it might create some spoiler situations for you... and quite frankly, I'm not sure if you'd get as much pleasure out the book because it might make it seem a bit scattered.

What I CAN say is that this is a NOT MISS series, especially if you enjoy MC romances. The characters will stay with you for a long time and since SHADE ends after the 50th wedding anniversary of Lily & Shade, it looks like Jamie Begley might be closing the book on the Last Riders. (I'll just have to make some assumptions about Train, Rider & Lucky based on little hints that may or may not have been dropped in SHADE!) The alternate view of the Last Riders' history, from Shade's perspective, is absolutely fascinating and gives a great perspective on things that happened. The karmic tying up of many loose ends is satisfying for the long-time series reader, and the fact that Jamie Begley made an effort to give due justice to Shade, and ALL of the Last Riders and their friends, is just the bourbon spiked cherry on top of the Shade Sundae.

Yay or Nay? ABSOLUTELY YAY!!

[Originally posted on SnarkyMomReads.com and refers to a copy I purchased from another retailer.] ( )