Readers’ Recommendation Review & Giveaway: IT AIN’T ME, BABE by Tillie Cole

I recently started trying out “dark” romances. After all, I’ve always liked horror novels and stuff that isn’t all sunshine and roses. Some work, some are really lame, but I loved Reap by Tillie Cole. So when Betul E. named Souls Unfractured by Tillie Cole as one of her best reads of 2015…well, I knew I had to try it for Readers’ Recommendation Week.

Souls Unfractured is Book 3 in the Hades Hangmen series, and I didn’t want to start in the middle, so this is actually a review of Book 1, It Ain’t Me, Babe. Read on to see what I thought, but first, a caution: Hades Hangmen is truly a dark series, filled with imperfect people who have difficult, horrifying pasts. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

Liz‘s Review

The heroine, Mae, was very unusual. She grew up in an isolated compound that had no contact with the outside world. She’d never seen or heard of a motorcycle!? Some of her experiences (or lack of) didn’t really match up, though. She didn’t know what a motorcycle was but didn’t have much of a reaction to seeing a cell phone? Still, it was SO COOL to experience the modern world through Mae’s eyes, and it had to take such incredible courage to do what she did. See, the compound Mae grew up in forced girls into brutal sexual experiences starting at the age of eight and continuing throughout their lives. Since Mae was particularly beautiful, she was treated much more harshly and kept in isolation for most of her life. Mae finally reaches a point where she can take no more and escapes. And that’s where the story REALLY begins! I found it easy to like Mae and to root for her. She was so sweet and good and kind. Although her story was unusual, I found her recovery process realistic and powerful.

The hero, Styx, was also unusual because he had a severe stutter. He didn’t even bother trying to talk – he used sign language! It didn’t make him any less of a badass, though. He was still hot, sexy, and dangerous as hell. Styx is the leader of a motorcycle gang and has a major reputation for being one scary mo-fo. And he’s earned it the hard way. Although the funny thing was, it felt like he’d had a decent, albeit totally unorthodox (you know, motorcycle gang), upbringing. I figured the leader of a motorcycle gang would HAVE to have had some kind of a terrible or tragic backstory, but I never got the feeling that he’d been abused or mistreated in any way. Sure, it had to be pretty rough and tumble growing up inside the gang, but it was a good life in its own way. One thing I didn’t like, though, was the way the author had him speak, and I’m not talking about the stutter. It wasn’t just him either; all the MC guys did it. They would say, “I weren’t gonna” or “She weren’t about to,” and it drove me nuts! It was prevalent, and after a while, it was ALL I could see! LOL!

With me being a fan of erotic romance, I found there wasn’t a lot of Sexy Time between Mae and Styx, but sex was a major component to the story. Thankfully, the descriptions of what Mae suffered at the compound weren’t too explicit, but it was clear that she was traumatized, so any kind of sex involving Mae was going to be complicated. But even with all of the baggage that Mae brings with her, she and Styx are hot together! I loved seeing them getting to know each other, even if it was not an easy path for either of them. It was actually a lot of fun to see Styx lower his guard and eventually be sweet and gentle with Mae. He was still occasionally harsh, but it wasn’t out of anger or meanness. That’s just who he was. I really liked getting to see both sides of Styx, and it was pretty cool to watch Mae find out who she could be when free from the constraints at the compound and her life there.

I thought this book was pretty intense, and it dealt with some very touchy topics. But I also felt that the writer did an amazing job of digging into the psyche of someone who had suffered so much for so long. Everyone in the story felt pretty real to me, and the realism was what sucked me in. I was also pleasantly surprised to find some laughs in It Ain’t Me, Babe. It would have been tough to have no comic relief at all.

I would definitely recommend this book to fans of motorcycle club romances. The Hades Hangmen aren’t good guys in any way, but I still dare you not to like them!

It Ain’t Me, Babe is a well-written motorcycle club romance, so fans of that subgenre may enjoy this book. But with a religious cult that is based around pedophilia as the driving force behind much of the action, it may be too dark for casual readers. Still, the idea that a person can go through incredible trauma and come out of it stronger was something I found very compelling.

Rating: A- (4½ stars)

Wine/Beverage Pairing: Siete Leguas Blanco Tequila. Readers may want a strong drink while reading this, and Siete Leguas Blanco is a sweeter, fruitier tequila than the normal stuff. Who doesn’t like sweet?

It Ain’t Me, Babe Giveaway

We are giving away a Kindle copy of It Ain’t Me, Babe (Book 1) to ONE lucky Kindles & Wine reader.

To enter for your chance to win, you must:

1. Be a follower of our blog (click HERE to subscribe), AND…
2. Hit the comments and tell me about a book you read where a character survived a terrible situation and came out of it stronger than ever. What made it so impactful?
   

Please note: All entrants must review and adhere to our official giveaway policy. This contest will close on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at 11:59 PM (CDT) and the winner will be notified via email on Thursday, March 31.