Blade
Alaska is my kingdom, and as President of the Kings of Anarchy, I keep control of my men and secrets that could tear our lives apart
Life here is simple—no one asks questions, and I don’t offer answers.
But when I find Hannah stranded and out of her depth, everything shifts. She doesn’t belong in my world, yet I can’t stop thinking about her.
Hannah
I came here to escape my life in Los Angeles.
A fresh start away from friends, family, and him.
After my accident, he left me because I wasn’t “perfect” anymore. For over a year, I tried to make it work, but every time he looked at me, I saw the revulsion in his eyes.
So, I sold everything I owned, packed up my cat, Grace, and moved to one of the remotest places I could find—Alaska.
Can Hannah accept the beast inside Blade and the broken men he leads, or will the brutal truth of their worlds rip them apart?
Get ready for a raw, gritty ride through Alaska’s wild terrain, where danger lurks at every turn, and love is anything but easy in Property of Blade, Kings of Anarchy MC Alaska.
My Review
You’re the new girl in town. Once a big city girl, but now you’re tired. City life makes you feel judged and trapped. From all the staring to the crappy now ex-boyfriend that left you feeling no longer good enough. All now because of one thing: the scars, the ones he literally and figuratively left behind.
Not being able to take it anymore, you flee, hoping to start a better life in a simpler, quieter place. You find Alaska and make your nice little picket-fenced sanctuary with your adorable yet intuitive kitty, Grace. You start to breathe again.
But of course, you’re not fully set up for being out here in these rough terrains, and your little coupe gets stuck in the Alaskan snow. And that’s when you meet him. Blade.
The connection between you two is near instantaneous, and no matter how you keep meeting and how hard it is to trust again, he makes you feel beautiful and finally safe. Even amongst all the new situations, chaos, and danger closing in, he’ll be by your side forever.
This is the story of Hannah and Blade; a romance told in equal switching perspectives between the two.
Their dynamic is a very healthy and mature take on the supernatural fated mates trope. Blade is the president of an MC. They do secret deals behind the scenes and practically live in a world, always treading the line between potential danger. Each member of the MC has their own unique place, identity, and role defined by secrecy and one motto: Don’t Mess With The Kings. And yet, despite everything and the heavy hand Blade has to have to keep the place running, he’s still ultimately protective and understanding. He leads his chapter into the bonds of brotherhood with his willingness to put in effort and understand each individual member and help them understand themselves so they can have a place to belong.
That’s also how he leads his relationship with Hannah. Despite having this mystical pull towards her, he never steps on her boundaries. He gets to know her and why she’s insecure the way she is. He asks permission before advancing in any important step of intimacy with her. He always makes sure that this relationship is something she wants and is comfortable with, never pulling her too far down before she might be ready. But at the same time, she has the confidence to guide her back out of her shell and the physical and mental scars that city life has left her.
And Hannah isn’t a slouch either. While the accident has left its marks on her body and psyche, I found her to be much stronger than she gave herself credit for. While she has her safety nets against the world (her home and the insecurity she now hides behind), I never found myself viewing her as a damsel in distress. She goes out and faces the world. She does what needs to be done even if it’s challenging. She relies on herself and her practical mind until pushed to the limit that an average person can handle. Even when things start steering toward the unmanageable, foreign, and unknown, she still comes out with her compassionate and resilient heart intact. She is a complete person who just needs help remembering that.
Blade and Hannah mirror each other in a way that the apparent heavy differences become merely superficial in their wake. They are both strong with soft centers. People who are capable of forging lasting bonds between themselves and others. Blade pushes Hannah towards confidence. Hannah pushes Blade toward being open. Blade leads his brotherhood with a firm and guiding hand. Hannah shows them how to be open to change. He protects her from the unknown dangers of Alaska, and she helps protect his heart, showing him he’s worthy of love regardless of being called a monster. The relationship has a beautiful, symbiotic give and take to it that I admire.
The compatibility of the pair allows for the sparks of passion to fly. The tension slowly roasts just enough with stolen kisses and cute dates so that when it finally gets there, you’ll be saying, “Oh yes.” Believe me when I say the heat turns up when they consummate their relationship on more than one occasion. Blade is quite attentive to all of Hannah’s needs, and she tells him that with all her eager whimpers and screams. The consent-focused lovemaking and body worship to show Hannah is loved, scars and all, only makes it more satisfying. Like the rest of their relationship, Hannah also fulfills the needs of his instincts back. Her delicious submission to both the pull and the act of marking without needing force shows off how naturally they go together. This is showcased even further by the end, where Hannah accepts Blade for what he is feeling, like a slot has been filled in both their bodies and souls.
There is also a very special character I’d like to mention. They helped Hannah realize early on that she could trust Blade as well as the other MC members. Her name is Grace.
Yes, even the adorable fluffy cat gets her own special mention, but, dear readers, I’ll assure you there’s very much a good reason why. Instead of being reduced to a background accessory to show how much of a cute, quirky loner Hannah is, Grace serves as the readers’ and Hannah’s safety meter. She knows when someone has a kind heart and is safe. The fact that Grace ultimately shows favor to Blade and the members of MC shows how they truly are just misfits carving a place for themselves in the world. Being in her good graces will get you all the love and affection you never knew you needed. On the flip side, when she thinks someone isn’t worthy of that favor, it’s very obvious why. Act like an ass and be treated like it, as they say.
Grace owns her territory and safe spaces, whether it be the MC clubhouse or Hannah and Blade’s homes. She’s a little sweetheart with sass who will make your heart drop if you think she’s endangered. But she always comes out safe, happy, and on top. She serves as both the book’s adorable mascot and ever-important moral compass.
Now, while being an enjoyable read and having many positive factors, there’s something that itched at my mind a tad; I feel as if the complexities of the relationship could have been drawn out more in a potentially longer novel.
While I enjoy the ease and maturity that Blade and Hannah’s relationship has to offer, it serves as a bit of a detriment to securing that legendary lovers’ status at times. The emotional struggles outside of the immediate physical dangers don’t appear to hit with the same intensity.
We have Hannah’s scars as a stepping stone, getting in the way of her self-esteem, and Blades’ reluctance to be completely honest about his and the MC members’ true natures. These two issues are supposed to be the core of what prevents them from fully cementing their bond. But they don’t come off nearly as pressing as the stalking that leads to the endangerment of the MC and Hannah herself. Both the scars and the differences between worlds’ issues almost seemed dashed aside at times due to how well the chemistry and the pull played out. I’m told how Hannah feels about her scars, but I only get to feel it for very few moments at a time between her interactions with Blade. I don’t get as much of that deep inner struggle in the before or after scenes of her going home after an outside interaction before the POV switches, and more time passes between each event.
Blade says he struggles with trying to keep distance from Hannah and keeping her from that world, but I don’t get to see that when he ultimately ends up glued to her side after an encounter. The inner struggle and emphasis on differences seem minuscule at best when you combine how both their similarities are frequently highlighted and relationship progression occurs at a faster pace than expected.
Hannah tells us she can’t and shouldn’t be trusting a man she barely knows so easily, long after opening up her heart and body to this man. She’s already hooked. Blade mate marks her long before explaining any of the supernatural stuff, to the point it doesn’t feel like that world did much to keep him away from her at all. Instances of previous relationships that fell through were mentioned briefly about Blade, but I never get to see the impact of what makes Hannah so special and different in the first place, and how those past experiences get to affect him when this man is always strongly taking charge of his MC and having very passionate and open moments with Hannah.
I’m essentially told these are heavy factors, but I don’t get to see enough of why that is, or feel those quiet moments that show that they have an effect. Which is why, in the end, I’m left wishing to have had just a few more moments in their world to really hit it all home.
I will say, though, it’s also a testament to the author’s ability to make me care about these characters. I want to know more about their inner thoughts and past because of how well written they are. The world is a wonderfully established and magical place with many hints of future pairings and plotlines. Thank you, Kathleen Kelly, for a wonderful first book, and I can’t wait for more.
And as for you, my dear readers, I could ramble about this book all day, but if you want to know all the juicy details, I’d recommend checking it out for yourself.
Until Next Time,
Lynzee
If you would like to get a copy of Property of Blade by Kathleen Kelly, you can find this book on Amazon. As an Amazon Assocaite, I earn from qualifying purchases.
If you enjoy this book, you may also appreciate other titles with similar tags and categories, including Shifters, Human Mate Story, and Grumpy/Sunshine.
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