Review of It Ain't Me, Babe by Tillie Cole

It Ain't Me, Babe by Tillie Cole

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I cannot put into words how much I love this book. In no way should it work – an abused escapee from a religious cult and the president of a motorcycle club, a stuttering president at that. The motorcycle club itself is an oddity as part of its identity is based upon Greek mythology. Additionally, we have the Russian mob, the Mafia, and government agencies popping up and causing trouble. So much of this story should not work, yet it DOES.

Mae, or Salome, was born into The Order; just as Styx, or River, was born into the Hades Hangmen. They were both raised within their respective cultures, knowing no other way of life. They have a chance encounter as children and both spend the next 15 years dreaming of one another. The Order is an extremist cult that uses and abuses the female members of their population; it is the representation of all the bad things we hear and think about cults. In the same vein, the Hangmen are one-percenters and the epitome of the worst of the worst of MCs.

Despite everything pointing to these two never meeting again, incidents happen that cause Mae to flee The Order. Call it fate, chance or coincidence, she winds up at the Hangmen’s compound. For one raised by the Bible, you can only imagine the shock she endures when exposed to the MC lifestyle. As he did 15 years earlier, Styx’s presence calms Mae and makes her feel safe, despite the many, many things that happen in the novel that should make her feel otherwise; of course, I won’t tell you what they are because that would just spoil the book for you.

I loved that the author was able to write from Styx’s perspective and keeping it consistent with what you expect from a member of an MC, while at the same time, writing from Mae’s perspective and keeping her manner of speech and behaviors consistent with someone who was raised with a strict religious background even if she no longer believed in the teaching. Ms. Cole has produced a compelling story that is wonderfully written. I can only hope that she decides to turn this into a series as I would so love to read more about the Hades Hangmen MC. It Ain't Me, Babe is a definite re-read for me.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Angela at Crystal's Many Reviewers!

Check out the It Ain't Me, Babe Tour Stop! blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


View all my reviews