Since book one of the Black Knights Inc. series, I’ve been a little bit in love with Ozzie. Not because of phenomenal good looks (which have been described in detail several times) but because of his love of Star Trek and 80’s hair bands. So when I heard his heroine for Wild Ride would be Samantha Tate, I was conflicted. Throughout the series, she’s been an annoyance in good times and a nightmare in bad ones. In the end, though, Julie Ann Walker pulled out a winner in the form of Wild Ride. It’s just about impossible for me to love Ozzie, Samantha and the both of them together anymore that I did at the conclusion of this book.




Julie Ann Walker’s unique sense of wit and writing style is unparalleled. Not only do I find myself relating to each and every character she writes, the characters in her books are so refreshingly real. For example, they think/say words like “douchecanoe”. Even better, she blends real-world nerdy things with her unique brand of romantic suspense. Star Trek and A Princess Bride references in a book? Yes, please!




The thing that worried me to no end before picking this book up was Ozzie’s long, long list of sexual partners and affinity for women. Luckily, Walker perfectly dealt with Ozzie’s reputation in this book. So often the fact that a guy used to sleep around with gusto is swept under the rug in modern-day romances. In Wild Ride, though, Walker not only mentioned Ozzie’s past several times, but Samantha’s long-standing history with the group also clued us in from the beginning that Samantha knew of his promiscuous ways. Due to the events in previous books and Ozzie’s subsequent injury at the start of Wild Ride, the book opens with Ozzie taking a hiatus from sleeping around. The clean-slate for Ozzie from page one of this book made it easy for me, as a reader, to think of Samantha and Ozzie together in a long-term monogamous relationship. Let’s be perfectly clear, I don’t have a problem with heroes who have previously slept their way through a city finding love without some sort of forced sexual-hiatus. However, Ozzie’s lack of sexual contact in the form a sexual hiatus due to a major life-changing event made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when he eventually admitted his slow fall for Samantha. This set-up for Ozzie and Samantha worked for me in all the right ways.




Wild Ride wasn’t perfect, though. Emily and Christian’s relationship introduction fell a bit flat. I didn’t get enough of a sense for them together to build any anticipation for their eventual romance. Their scenes were more of a nuisance than anything. The other thing that I found problematic about this book was the lack of previous BKI heroes and heroines. Their absence was explained in detail, but just seeing Becky, Delilah and Michelle made me a little grumpy. A few scenes with Penni, or Eve, or the numerous heroes would have gone a long way in keeping the thread of the series going. I’m not sure the hero and heroine for the next book (Dagan and Chelsea in Fuel for Fire releasing July 1st) were even mentioned in this book.




Since we’ve seen Ozzie and Samantha both before countless times in this series, this book can not be read as a stand-alone. I highly recommend going back to the beginning and enjoy all the HEAs that have come previously before embarking on Wild Ride.




Wild Ride is a completely, all-around solid addition the Black Knights Inc. lineup. 4.5 stars for Wild Ride by Julie Ann Walker!

Ozzie is the one we have been waiting for! We learn about his quirks that have been endearing him to our hearts. We learn about his insecurities and hidden strengths. We are reminded how each member of BKI holds an important role in the organization.

Most of the Black Knights are out of country during this book. Ozzie is left behind, holding down the fort, due to an injury last year. Reporter Samantha Tate has become his problem to deal with and now she is inside the compound.

Beware of SPOILER! Ozzie is concerned about his injury preventing him from returning to the field, but every time he is put to the test in this book his body comes through for him. I have great hopes for #10. Emily and Christian deserve their own story after all the angst in this one. AND I am eager to see how Samantha and Ozzie fit with the team, as a duo, when the missing men return.

A motorcycle club that really isn’t a motorcycle club but is a cover for a covert ops group working for the president. Clever. This way the bikers can be good guys and the story is still set in the biker world at least partially. The real bikers are as nasty as one would expect.

Ozzie, and his club’s, secrets are not at all what Samantha thinks they are but he can’t tell her what they really do. Samantha develops a serious friendship/crush even thinking he’s part of a gun-running outlaw gang. All this was a bit hard for me to believe. Even harder to believe is that Ozzie is a gorgeous SEAL and consummate flirt emotionally crippled with deep seated self-doubt around women. His insecurities create a lot of tension though since it’s so hard for him to trust that Samantha really cares about him. And the president calls to fill Samantha in on Ozzie’s secret? Really?

Despite these parts of the plot that I never really accepted, the story was well enough written and the characters likable enough that I enjoyed the book. Ozzie is a really good guy. He’s a dear and loyal friend to Samantha. I wanted to see the two very likable people get the happily ever after they deserved. I enjoyed the cast of supporting characters as well. Walker does a good job of creating tense situations and fun interactions in the right places to advance the story well. She painted the loathsome outlaws so well that almost made my skin crawl.

Wild Ride is indeed a wild ride and the book is entertaining. I’m curious to see more of Emily and Christian.

reviewed by Jem Stone

Samantha Tate is a report and she knows something is going on with the motorcycle club, The Black Knights. She has been trying to get into their circle for years. Ozzie, a member of the Black Knights, has befriended Samantha, but he’s made sure that all the secrets of the Knights have stayed under wraps. You see, The Black Knights are actually a black ops group ran by the US government and their missions are so classified only the president of the US and a few high ranging military officers are aware of their status.

When Samantha (Sam) uncovers a lead about guns being sold by a MC club, with terrorist connection, it puts a bulls-eye on her head. Ozzie must decide how best to protect her while keeping The Black Knights’ secret.

The smoldering attraction between Ozzie and Sam don't help the up close and person situation they find themselves in.

White knuckle reading at its finest, Wild Ride is better than a roller coaster to get your heart pumping.

I love that family atmosphere that the Black Knights have created. Each member of this cast has each other’s backs and plays an important role, even if they are no longer the main characters to the storyline. I can't believe this is book 9, if you're a romantic suspense fan you really should check this out.

I received this ARC copy of Wild RideWild Ride is set for publication April 4, 2017.

My Rating: 4 stars
Written by: Julie Ann Walker
Series: Black Knights Inc. (Book 9)
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN-10: 1492608815
ISBN-13: 978-1492608813
Genre: Romantic Suspense

Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/wild...
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Ride-Blac...
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wild-...

Reviewed for:
http://tometender.blogspot.com

6 likes

Ethan "Ozzie" Sykes finally has his story written and it was well worth the wait. Ozzie has been injured and is sidelined at Black Knights, Inc recovering. He's given the dubious assignment of distracting reporter Samantha Tate who has been trying for years to dig up dirt on BKI. This fast paced story will have Sam and Ozzie dealing with numerous threats. Sam will learn that she has some wrong assumptions regarding BKI. Ozzie hates not being able to let Sam see who he really is so his friends help him out.

OMG! This book was EVERYTHING I could want in a book. It had romance, intrigue, a hot good man and a sassy, strong female character. There were a whole slew of strong female characters because you need to be when dealing with the Black Knights. I can't say much more without ruining it but this book won't let you down. Now to go read the rest of the series!

Finally, Ozzie has been in every book since the beginning. He finally gets his own book and I loved it. Wild Ride, is full of so much suspense and awesomely sweet romance. In past books we saw Ozzie's sweet side and it was not lacking this time either.
Samantha is the annoying newspaper journalist, that everyone cringes when they see her. Ozzie can appreciate her hotness and still keep her at arms length. Until her life is in danger, then bad guys watch out.
I only wish that more of the BKI men were around for Ozzie's book. They talk about them being one big family, but most of them were off saving the day.

Finally! Ozzie's story. After their last mission he comes home with a serious injury. Ozzie is worried about what it may mean for his future. If he isn't 100% physically, he's toast. Reporter Samantha has been trying for years to get a story on the BKI She is sure there is more to them than what you can see. When one of her sources is found dead she needs protection, and Ozzie is free to be her personal body guard. He has to keep his desire in check as she is the last person he should get close to because he cannot be completely honest. Samantha knows that Ozzie will never change from his fun, flirty, party boy ways, but why can't she stop from wanting more? It takes the women of BKI to push things in motion. Loved this romantic suspense series and this book may be one of the favorites.

Ozzie!!! Former Navy SEAL Ethan "Ozzie" Sykes is smart, gorgeous, flirty, fun and nerdy and my favorite of the BKI guys. Hooked on Star Trek and 80’s hair bands Ozzie hasn’t had any problems getting the ladies till it all goes bad and he is injured leaving the bed of a lover. Ozzie is healing slowly and knows he will never regain his former strength. Still he is alive and that has to count for something. In Wild Ride the BKI guys except for Ozzie and Christian are away on assignment. It is Ozzies job to distract nosy investigative reporter Samantha Tate. The more he gets to know her the more he likes her. Why has fate determined that the one woman he falls for is the one he can’t have?
I loved this book! Watching Ozzie find himself again and actually have to fight to get the girl was a hoot. Watching Samantha fight to protect her heart was sweet. Best of all was watching the BKI gals circle around Ozzie and reassure him that he is worth loving even broken.
Fast paced, laugh out loud action and adventure at its finest. Another great book in a great series!
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and chose to review it

a good read. loved ethan/oz

Black Knights Inc. is a custom motorcycle shop that's a front for a super-secret, covert government operation run by former military men.

Ozzie, a computer whiz, was injured by a bomb in a previous mission gone awry. He's afraid he'll never get back in the field again. He's at BKI's home base in Chicago. He's made friends with Samantha Tate, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune who has been trying to investigate BKI for years. They're good friends, but Ozzie would like more. But he has to keep the operations and what he really does secret from Samantha.

Samantha gets caught up with a motorcycle club that's allegedly running guns from Iraq. She's in danger. Can Ozzie keep her safe without blowing his cover?
***
This is an unusual book for the Black Knights series, in that only a few of the usual characters are in it--Ozzie, Christian, Becky, Michelle, and Emily, the new assistant. The others are on assignments.

I enjoyed WILD RIDE. I liked the fact that Ozzie and Samantha were friends before they became lovers. There was some nail-biting suspense to keep you turning the pages. And there was a hilarious reveal by a famous figure at the end.

I recommend this series. Start with HELL ON WHEELS.

Spoiler alert!

Another great book to a great series!

This one totally had me on edge. Dealing with a reporter in any of their lives was going to be a trickery slope. But Ms Walker got it right and allowed it all to flow smooth.

I loved the updates on a few of the characters, but missed the rest of the guys, though it's understandable why they aren't in this story. However, the jokes, the drama, the scorch, and the bad-assness were all there!

And just for the record, I'm totally a nerd. You'll get it when you read this.

Julie Ann Walker might be the only non-paranormal author on my auto-buy list. That's how much I love this series. (It's also one of my go to slump busters.) Wild Ride has some great action scenes and wraps up the HEA for two characters that have both been a big part of the series from the beginning.

I was crushed when Ozzie was injured in an explosion in an early book. Seeing him struggle with the pain of his injury still breaks my heart a little bit. But it's nice to see him getting into the action a little bit, even it's not on an official mission. I hope this means we'll see him back in the field, maybe in a slightly different role, in the next book.

One thing that's unique about this story is that most of the guys are completely absent. It's normal in the series to have some of the team off on a different mission, but we normally at least see them around the shop. Instead the women of BKI are running things while their husbands are in the field, which is kind of awesome.

I'm a big fan of a friends to lovers story and, like anyone else who's read the BKI series, a big fan of Ozzie. But his romance was painful to watch as they both constantly missed the signs. I also felt like most of the friend part of his relationship with Samantha happened during earlier books and I wish I had seen more of it on the page. It's possible that I have seen more than I remember though. I guess maybe what I needed was context for the references to earlier moments, what the team was doing while they happened, to help me place them in the series.

I also don't remember exactly when Christian joined the team and he's a big part of this story. Christian reminds me of Scotty in Kristen Callihan's VIP series, which is definitely a good thing. And I loved his relationship and his insult banter with Emily, another new addition. It looks like the two of them should be starring in the next book, which I'm really looking forward to.

I have been waiting for Ozzie's book for forever.... and it was SOOOO worth the wait!

Full review on blog

Our patrons adore the Black Knights, Inc. series. We always buy Julie Ann Walker for our library.

Most of her stories are stand alone books but honestly this one is the one I suggest you read after having read at least one other Black Knight Inc book. I think readers just starting off will get a little lost because Ozzie has been in every single book and his characters has developed over the years creating him to be the one characters readers fell in love with.

For Julie Ann Walker fans this is the book you have been waiting for and trust me you will not be disappointed. Everything about this book is what you expect from the author good laughs, hot sex and romance and believe able because the romance has been building since first book.

I can't think of one thing I would want different from this story. Julie Ann Walker follows her traditional story with the damsel in distress, this time she thinks its Ozzie who is trying to killer. She uses pop cultural references but they work because of Ozzie being a nerd.

I can't tell you how much I loved this story and by far my favorite in the series.

Thank you Netgalley, Publisher and author for the advance Copy

It is always a pleasure to re-visit the Black Knights Inc series, and this new installment is another great read. Ozzie is trying to find his way after a serious leg injury, and sparks fly between him and Samantha, a newspaper reporter who has been working to learn more about the organization for some time. The plot unfolds as they slowly reach a place of trust and love, and readers get to see what some characters from previous books are currently doing. This series continues to hold readers' interest and each new book is always eagerly awaited.

Wild Ride is a fitting title. I sped through each page, wanting and needing more. Though, I wanted to smack both Samantha and Ozzie at times...they were both just totally oblivious at times ha ha.

Ahhh....Ozzie....Loved getting his story. Looks like some new romance may be brewing as well. Can't wait for more BKI!

Finally... Ozzie's story. And what a story! I've been a fan of Ozzie's since he was first introduced in the BKI series. He is such a sweetheart of an alpha. When I first read his love interest would be nosy reporter Samantha, I was prepared to hate their story as I did not think Sam would love him the way he deserves. Ms. Walker sold me on Samantha before I finished reading chapter 2. Wow, they are both dynamic personalities whose passion explodes from the pages! Wild Ride is one of the best BKI stories yet.