ROUGH AND TUMBLE (ROUGH AND TUMBLE, BOOK #1) BY CRYSTAL GREEN: BOOK REVIEW

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3 Star rating
Rough and Tumble
Rough and Tumble, Book #1
By Crystal Green
ISBN# 9780698161955
Author’s Website:  www.crystal-green.com

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Marianthi

rough-and-tumble-crystal-greenMolly P. Preston is universally known as the “Ice Queen” in both her business and personal life. Molly, an accountant, is used to being the responsible one of her family. Orphaned and still taking care of her older sister (the artist), Molly is the good girl that takes care of everyone but herself.  However, after being sexually harassed by her boss, Molly decides to cash in her vacation until the jerk either fires her or stops pursuing her.  Enter the road trip with her two best friends, Arden (wild one) and Sofia (tech nerd). First stop on their way to Vegas is a noted biker bar called the Rough and Tumble.  Molly and Sofia get dragged into the bar by Arden, who proceeds to start the trip off with an illegal back room poker game with bikers.  Smart huh?

“Cash” finds his gaze locked into the icy blonde and her friends when he walks into the Rough and Tumble.  His interest is caught, but he assumes that her type will never go for a professional gambler like him.  Well, he was right. Molly, though attracted physically to Cash, is not his type.  Cash tries to think of ways to get to know Molly but ends up short.  All until Arden, her so-called friend, BETS her in a hand of poker. Guess who wins? Not Arden. Forced to spend time with Cash, Molly begins to loosen up and start to show her wild side.  One night turns into higher stakes, and Molly’s life is never the same again.

The plot does grab your attention, and the author steers a course that does give a good story.  The characters are damaged and that is what gives this story such color.  It is also what subtracts from the story.  If I had a friend like Arden, I would have killed her and the story would have taken place in prison. I had a difficult time getting past the things that doormat Molly lets people do to her in the name of friendship.  The best part of the story is seeing Molly evolve.  I can see the opportunities for further serials for the characters, and I would like to see where the author is taking this.

Is this a good read? Yes. Do I recommend it? Yes, it is not a dark 1% motorcycle club story.  It is a love story that starts in a biker bar but ends elsewhere. It has moments that are sexually and emotionally intense, but it is not erotica.  I would label this a new adult/college genre. I give this book a solid three stars out of five, simply because I had issues with some of the secondary characters. (Seriously, Arden as my friend would equal jail time for me.)

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*