Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: How to Catch a Biker
SERIES: Chester Falls Book 5
AUTHOR: Ana Ashley
PUBLISHER: self-published
RELEASE DATE: March 12, 2021
LENGTH: 288 pages
BLURB:
What do you do when you meet the tall, gruff silver fox of your dreams?
You flirt, pretend it didn’t happen, and secretly admire his assets.
For research purposes, of course.
I came to Chester Falls to find my voice and save my publishing career.
Instead, I find him.
Slade’s story is kept under a lock so strong I don’t know if there is a man out there that can break it.
But I’ll be damned if I won’t give it a try.
A biker with a past
A down-in-the-dumps author
A kitten with a tiger attitude
Two guys that discover there isn’t that much mileage between reality and fiction.
How to Catch a Biker is the fifth book in the Chester Falls series and features a May/December story between two guys who have more in common than they think, a group of friends who think everyone needs to be in love, and a small town like no other.
REVIEW:
How to Catch a Biker is the fifth entry in Ana Ashley’s Chester Falls series. All of the couples and romances take place in the titular small town of Chester Falls and the stories are interconnected. Notwithstanding, you can read them as standalones because Ms. Ashley does a nice job of telling you what you need to know within the confines of the book. However, there’s obviously history that is worth going back to the earlier books to explore.
I’m a sucker for a small town romance. I love the all-up-in-your-business attitude of the residents, and Chester Falls doesn’t disappoint in that department. While the characters in the books find it annoying at times, that level of busibodiness is also heartwarming, communicating an overwhelming sense of belonging. These people are intrusive but well-meaning – they care about each other. That dynamic creates depth and texture to the setting and the storylines.
The Chester Falls series up to this point has been, for the most part, pretty lighthearted, with colorful characters, humor, minimal angst, sweet romances and some steamy scenes too. (OK, yeah, there were some harrowing moments in Book 3, How to Catch a Bodyguard, but that’s the exception.) How to Catch a Biker, though, strikes a different tone from the earlier books. It’s more pervasively serious, even though the romance between our couple Slade and Aiden is fun and flirty, at least early on. Then it settles into a more poignant, deep abiding love and dedication to each other.
Maybe it’s the age gap that lends the somberness to the tone. Slade is almost two decades older than Aiden. He’s a 48-year-old ex-MC biker with a violent past and a whole lot of secrets. He’s steady, somber, lonely and resigned. Ms. Ashley creates a multi-faceted character in Slade, who is complex and intriguing. Slade is good-hearted and well-meaning. You can tell he has integrity and is deserving of love. But he’s also keeping secrets and alludes to a past that he regrets. That past taints his view of his own self-worth and entitlement to be happy and loved. When we meet Slade, he’s content, but not happy, and he carries an aura of sadness and regret.
Aiden, although only 30, has his own secrets. He’s a successful romance novelist whose fame was elevated further for all the wrong reasons. His hostile ex-boyfriend unleashed the social media hounds on Aiden when Aiden broke up with him. Aiden withdrew into the shadows to avoid the aftermath … to hide until it hopefully passed. He flees his San Diego apartment and shows up unannounced in Chester Falls where his best friend Wren (from Book 2, How to Catch a Rival) lives, hoping to escape the media scrutiny and unwelcome notoriety. Aiden also carries latent pain and emptiness. Like Slade, he’s harboring secrets and taking the blame for things that aren’t his fault. Aiden is burdened by hurt, longing and loneliness. Yet we know that he’s deserving of being loved by someone kind, who will see his worth and treat him right.
The underlying threads of suspense and seriousness that runs through this emotionally charged story cause Slade and Aiden’s improbable opposites attract, May/December age gap romance to standout. When Slade and Aiden are together, you can feel the palpable chemistry between them, the magnetic pull. They are vibrant, joyously sparking off each other. It’s like they bring each other to life, showcasing their attraction and love as if they are in Technicolor against a black and white background. We see them laugh, flirt, kiss, make love. They create a bubble where they can just enjoy themselves and each other. We see them make each other whole.
In How to Catch a Biker, Ms. Ashley has told an outstanding, different romance in this emotional story, and it’s impactful because it changes Slade and Aiden, but not just them. It changes people around them, past and present alike. We see how taking a risk for the right reasons, acting on integrity and principle, taking responsibility, all have a positive impact well beyond what you’d ever predict or expect. Like a pebble dropped in a pond causing a ripple effect … one small act can mean all the difference to someone like a teenaged Slade, who was barely hanging on when someone took a chance on him and threw him a lifeline.
I encourage you to read the whole Chester Falls series. Each book has a different feel, but they are all well-written and wonderful. How to Catch a Biker is the diamond in the rough of the series, and, so far, may just be my favorite of them all.
RATING: 
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