Author: Tillie Cole
Genre: New Adult, Romance
Synopsis
A fortuitous encounter.
A meeting that should never have happened.
Many years ago, two children from completely different worlds forged a connection, a fateful connection, an unbreakable bond that would change their lives forever…
Salome knows only one way to live—under Prophet David’s rule. In the commune she calls home, Salome knows nothing of life beyond her strict faith, nor of life beyond the Fence—the fence that cages her, keeps her trapped in an endless cycle of misery. A life she believes she is destined to always lead, until a horrific event sets her free.
Fleeing the absolute safety of all she has ever known, Salome is thrust into the world outside, a frightening world full of uncertainty and sin; into the protective arms of a person she believed she would never see again.
River ‘Styx’ Nash knows one thing for certain in life—he was born and bred to wear a cut. Raised in a turbulent world of sex, Harleys, and drugs, Styx, unexpectedly has the heavy burden of the Hades Hangmen gavel thrust upon him, and all at the ripe old age of twenty-six—much to his rivals’ delight.
Haunted by a crushing speech impediment, Styx quickly learns to deal with his haters. Powerful fists, an iron jaw and the skillful use of his treasured German blade has earned him a fearsome reputation as a man not to be messed with in the shadowy world of outlaw MC’s. A reputation that successfully keeps most people far, far away.
Styx has one rule in life—never let anyone get too close. It’s a plan that he has stuck to for years, that is, until a young woman is found injured on his lot… a woman who looks uncannily familiar, a woman who clearly does not belong in his world, yet a woman he feels reluctant to let go…
Dark Contemporary Romance/New Adult Novel. Contains sexual situations, violence, sensitive and taboo subjects, offensive language and mature topics. Recommended for age 18 years and up*
My Review
It Ain't Me, Babe... was beautiful, amazing, inspiring and heart breaking, what Mae, Lilah, Maddie and Bella went through was horrific. Tears come to my eyes when I think of how strong and resilient they are and how absolutely innocently trusting these girls were.
"It Ain’t Me, Babe’ was inspired by the testimonies of ex-members from several NRM’s and the leaders that abused the power they had over their members—especially the women.
The female protagonist in this novel, ‘Salome’, endures situations inspired by real events told to me personally by survivors of such groups. Addressing this topic was very important to me, as it is an area of life, of humanity, in which most people are unaware.
Victims of these ‘opportunist’ groups are often not given a voice, and I wanted to give the many women I was so fortunate to meet, a chance to be heard." - Tillie Cole
I really hope we get to read more books about these brave and inspiring women.
Story... It Ain't Me, Babe starts with River a young boy aged 11 off in a remote part of a forest, his father is the President of the Hangmen MC and is hiding a dead body as River waits by the car. River gets bored and starts looking around, he spots a huge fence and goes to check it out and stumbles upon a girl on the other side of the fence crying. River is enamored by her, to him she is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. River struggles with his speech, he stutters, he has only ever talked to two people his whole life his father and best friend Ky... until now. This girl has eyes that have mesmerized River and he is desperate to know who she is.
"Wh-what i-is this p-p-p-place? D-d-do you... l-l-live h-here?" I stuttered, occasionally pausing and thinking through my words as I struggled to push them out." - River
River is forced to leave the fence and leave the girl with the blue piercing wolf eyes. The emotions in this scene blew me away. I truly felt like I was both River and the girl staring at the other trying to figure out the other person.
Fifteen years later....
That little girl is now a young woman... Salome (Mae). She is now escaping from the commune and the disciples. You are in Salome's head while she is running and you are on the edge of your seat, you are yelling, run! dig! you know she is running because something has happened, but you don't know what yet or care, all you care about, is, in your mind helping her escape, giving her courage to keep going.
"I ran along each post - no gaps, no holes... no hope. In a panic, I fell to the ground, clawing in the dry earth, tunneling, digging for freedom. My fingers raked at the hard mud - fingernails snapping, skin ripping, blood flowing - but I did not stop. I had no choice but to find a way out." - Salome (Mae)
Salome gets badly hurt while escaping and after a long day of running ends up at the back of the Hangmen MC compound, unconscious. She is found by Styx (River), Salome (Mae) is covered in mud and dirt and Styx assumes she is a dead girl dumped there by someone trying to frame the MC for her murder. But Mae wakes for a moment and then Styx see's her eyes, those wolf eyes. Not believing it could be the same girl, Styx still gets a doctor in to help Mae.
"Fuck me. Those eyes. Even through all the blood, mud, and shit on her face, those eyes fuckin' shone - ice-blue, like a goddamn wolfs. Only seen one pair of eyes like that before..." - Styx
When Mae wakes she is disoriented and starts to try to leave but runs into Styx and his brothers of the MC. Styx asked her straight out if she remembers him, Mae is confused and scared, her whole life she has been taught that the outside world is a evil, sinful place. But as Styx and the brothers talk about the girl at the fence Mae realizes this is her River, the boy who saved her that day. She confirms she is who Styx thinks she is and everyone is shocked. No body actually believed Styx about the girl at the fence, he would look for the fence again, again and again but because it is in such a big forest he never found the fence again.
"I ain't ever seen you like this, brother. You going soft on me? Bikes and pussy, Styx, that's how we live. Ride hard; die harder. Club first, no distractions." - Ky
"Fuck me. Those eyes. Even through all the blood, mud, and shit on her face, those eyes fuckin' shone - ice-blue, like a goddamn wolfs. Only seen one pair of eyes like that before..." - Styx
When Mae wakes she is disoriented and starts to try to leave but runs into Styx and his brothers of the MC. Styx asked her straight out if she remembers him, Mae is confused and scared, her whole life she has been taught that the outside world is a evil, sinful place. But as Styx and the brothers talk about the girl at the fence Mae realizes this is her River, the boy who saved her that day. She confirms she is who Styx thinks she is and everyone is shocked. No body actually believed Styx about the girl at the fence, he would look for the fence again, again and again but because it is in such a big forest he never found the fence again.
"I ain't ever seen you like this, brother. You going soft on me? Bikes and pussy, Styx, that's how we live. Ride hard; die harder. Club first, no distractions." - Ky
As the president of the Hangmen MC, Styx knows his lifestyle is hard and brutal and he has a lot of responsibilities. It's no place for a beautiful innocent woman like Mae who has already overcome so much in her life. So Styx pushes Mae away.
"I-I'll lay it on the l-line for you, b-babe, I t-trade illegal weapons for c-cash and d-drink far too m-much. I f-fuck sluts regularly and d-don't commit to no one f-for long, maybe n-n-never will." I made sure I had her full attention for the last part. "I-I've killed p-p-people. I-I've even l-liked it, and" I knew I was bringing the final death blow - "I'll d-do it again." - Styx
Mae becomes very close to another brother of the MC, Rider. Styx leaves Rider in charge of looking after Mae and keeping her safe against the other brothers, Rider is the only brother Styx will trust with Mae.
Styx can only ever dream of being good enough for Mae and he wants her badly, he's finding himself possessive, protective and obsessed with her.
And so the story continues with gun fights, brutality, death, abuse, rape... SHOCKING SECRETS COME OUT... survival, love, strength, HOT STEAMING SEX! and most importantly in this story, courage.
Does this story have a HEA? Yes it does...
BUT... The ending had me just looking around the room and thinking FUCCCCCCK!!!!!
I want to stop here, even if I went on for ages I still couldn't tell you everything about this beautiful story. Every page, every scene, every moment meant something... broke my heart, shattered my expectations and went above and beyond what I expected from this story.
This is one of the best biker books I have EVER read and with that a unique story entangled with it.
Styx can only ever dream of being good enough for Mae and he wants her badly, he's finding himself possessive, protective and obsessed with her.
And so the story continues with gun fights, brutality, death, abuse, rape... SHOCKING SECRETS COME OUT... survival, love, strength, HOT STEAMING SEX! and most importantly in this story, courage.
Does this story have a HEA? Yes it does...
BUT... The ending had me just looking around the room and thinking FUCCCCCCK!!!!!
I want to stop here, even if I went on for ages I still couldn't tell you everything about this beautiful story. Every page, every scene, every moment meant something... broke my heart, shattered my expectations and went above and beyond what I expected from this story.
This is one of the best biker books I have EVER read and with that a unique story entangled with it.
Please Tillie! please write about Maddie and Lilah.
Tillie Cole is a Northern girl through and through. She originates from a place called Teesside on that little but awesomely sunny (okay I exaggerate) Isle called Great Britain. She was brought up surrounded by her English rose mother -- a farmer's daughter, her crazy Scottish father, a savagely sarcastic sister and a multitude of rescue animals and horses.
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★★☆ 5 Brave Stars ☆★★
Reviewed by Jess Mann
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About the Author
Tillie Cole is a Northern girl through and through. She originates from a place called Teesside on that little but awesomely sunny (okay I exaggerate) Isle called Great Britain. She was brought up surrounded by her English rose mother -- a farmer's daughter, her crazy Scottish father, a savagely sarcastic sister and a multitude of rescue animals and horses.
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Thank you very much for this amazing giveaway :)
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