Book Review: No Matter What by K.A. Merikan

Title: No Matter What
Series: Sex & Mayhem, Book 4
Author: K.A. Merikan
Genre: Contemporary Romance, MC Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: review copy provided by author
Published: April 25, 2015 by Acerbi & Villani Ltd.

Ghost. Not a member of the Coffin Nails MC. Not a doctor anymore. Not gay.
Luca. Bent, not broken. Will not let go of Ghost. No matter what.

Ghost finds out the hard way that people you meet online aren’t always who they seem to be. When he met ‘Zara’ five years ago, they became inseparable. She’s been with him through the rough and the smooth. He’s been there for her when her abusive boyfriend had her in tears.

She is The One, and despite all his friends considering him crazy, Ghost is about to propose.

But ‘Zara’ turns out to be Luca, and Luca is most definitely a guy. Yet Luca is the same person with big dark eyes, so desperate to be saved that Ghost can’t help but fall head first.

Luca’s so-called boyfriend is not just abusive. He is a Sicilian drug lord, a man dangerous and ruthless. If Ghost is to ever save the person who wreaked havoc on his heart, he has to make a deal with the Coffin Nails MC. But being a member is a destiny he’s always tried to avoid. And when a life of violence becomes too much to bear, he might be the one needing Luca to catch him when he falls.

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Reviewed by: Crissy

Why I Read This Book: Give me a sexy bad boy any day. Add in chrome and leather and I’m toast. Okay, maybe not toast, but close.

In A Nutshell: I had high hopes for this book, but it ended up just being okay.

The Setup: After losing his medical license saving the life of the Coffin Nails MC’s VP, Ghost fell for a woman online—one who turned out to be a man. But instead of turning his back on Luca, Ghost saves him from his abusive mobster boyfriend. Except his rescue brings him into the folds of the Coffin Nails—the one place he never wanted to be. Then he realizes that Luca is still the same person inside.

What I Liked: Surprisingly enough, this story is rather sweet. GFY is always at the top of my list, so I was all over this one for the GFY and MC factors. The tension between Ghost and Luca is good as well. Especially once Ghost truly gives in. I found their characters likable and easy to relate to, but that’s about where

What I Also Liked: I do have a thing for this club’s business, but really, that speaks to the lover of bad boys in me. I like that there is not really redemption for the lifers and the life. In this book, they are who they are with no apologies. Except Ghost. Ghost’s story is what kept me interested in this book. His struggle between who he was and who the club wanted him to be was key. Luca’s support is what grounds him. I mentioned that there is not really redemption for the bad boys of the outlaw lifestyle, but Ghost could be the exception to the rule. Sometimes I like how the story ends and others I’m a little disappointed.

What I Didn’t Like: I do want to begin this by saying that I did like Luca okay, but I felt he needed more growth. He was used and abused and I liked that the authors made him stronger than the things that happened to him, but there still should have been something. His struggle was not with his past or the abuse he suffered hundreds and hundreds of times, but with his future with Ghost. Admittedly, there are instances where his past creeps in visually and physically, but he never seems to work through his problems. It’s like he ignores them and moves on.

Maybe my biggest issue here is the terminology. As an avid MC Romance lover, I’ve come to know certain things—like what hang-arounds are and how they don’t include women. Also there were several instances where British terminology was substituted for American. That wouldn’t be an issue for me if the story was set in England or Europe somewhere, but as it is set in Detroit, I would have preferred American terminology—i.e. backyard instead of garden.

In My Opinion: No Matter What was good—not great, but definitely good. I enjoyed reading it and revisiting some of my favorite characters—namely Lucky.

Crissy’s Rating:

Reviews for other books in this series:
Road of No Return, Book 1