Beautiful Outlaw by Emily Minton

Beautiful Outlaw by Emily Minton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I cannot believe that I haven’t read any of Ms. Minton’s books before now. Beautiful Outlaw was a great read that combined the grittiness of a hardcore one-percenter MC club with the suspense of Sleeping with the Enemy. I found the Prologue to be devastatingly effective at sucking me into Laura/Shay’s story. When I got to chapter one and found that we had jumped ahead by 10 years I was at first jarred by the time shift because even though I didn’t want to know what Laura endured at her husband’s hands, I had to know – kind of like a car accident, you don’t want to see it, but you can’t look away. Yet Ms. Minton’s writing style is such that she disseminates information on a need to know basis in an extremely effective way that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. While I seriously doubt that I could personally put up with the way Bowie would talk to Shay, especially at the clubhouse, it worked for them. Their relationship was quite entertaining to watch develop because as Shay was learning how to be herself, Bowie had to learn how to love. As the inevitable sparks flew, Bowie and Shay proved to be quite explosive in bed. Yowser! But in the end, despite all his alpha male bluster, Bowie protected Shay because he loved her and not because she was his “property.”

My biggest issue and main complaint about Beautiful Outlaw is the ending of the Bonus Epilogue. When the Epilogue ended I had a “NOOOOOOO” reaction because I felt myself grasping for the cliff. If for some inexplicable reason I wasn’t already looking forward to book two in hopes that it’s going to be Tin Man’s story, the ending of the Epilogue sealed the deal. Then I flipped the page and saw the Bonus Epilogue and got all giddy because I love getting a look at how the main characters are faring as time has passed. While there was some disturbing yet not surprising foreshadowing for future books regarding Jeremy and Tag, I powered through as I read what was going on in everyone’s lives. And then I got to the end. I am sure that there will be readers who love that twist, but for me it was unnecessary and served to shove me far away from the cliff. It was as if the author forgot that she had already set up a cliffhanger ending with the Epilogue – or wasn’t happy with it – and felt she had to do something unexpected to draw readers back to the series. It felt overly contrived and completely out of place, especially as it was five years later. I fully enjoyed Ms. Minton’s writing and the tale she weaved in Beautiful Outlaw, which is probably why I was so disappointed with the unnecessary way she chose to end the book. Fortunately my interest in Tin Man’s story far overpowers the ending and I will definitely be back for more of the Savage Outlaws MC series.

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 Beautiful Outlaw Tour Stop! blog post on Crystal's Many Reviewers.


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