Ruled by Anne Marsh is a good fit for readers looking for a fast-paced, lighthearted romance between a tough biker and a girly princess, exploring themes of protection, attraction, and unlikely pairings.

This book was so steamy and I just loved MC books with bad boys who only have eyes for the female protag like it just does something for me lol
It was very similar to all the others I've read like this but I still quite enjoyed it

You can never go wrong with a DARE novel. It was fast moving, easy to read, and I couldn't put it down until I finished it!

I am new to Anne Marsh & she delivered! I enjoyed Jaxon & Evie’s story. A great MC romance that kept me hooked in!

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

A MC romance that is full of adventure, suspense, and a ton of heat

When Evie discovers her brothers not totally honest, her life will become a bargaining chip between two clubs.

Can she resist the man sent to kidnap her? Jack is anything but sweet and tame. He's edgy, rugged and will discover that she's the one woman who will bring him to his knees.

Can he keep her safe? Can she trust him?

A hot, hot, read.

I'm going to jump in with the others who so thoroughly enjoyed this book. You will be very pleasantly surprised on the deep and intriguing story you get out of it.

Marsh has brought us captivating characters. Completely different in multiple ways, but a great connection that shines through the words of the book. .

I just love a good MC romance and Rule fits the bill! Eve is a party planner who works hard getting her business up and running. She also took up the slack of raising her baby brother when their father went to prison and he was a biker. She meets Jaxon Brady aka Rev a Hard Riders MC biker. There attraction to each other is spot on and the sparks coming off of them could burn down the town. What Eve doesn’t know is that her is in a rival MC and has connections to the Columbian Cartel all of which Eve has no knowledge of. There is none stop drama and intrigue in this story. I voluntarily agreed to receive an ARC of this book for an honest review.

RULED is part of Harlequin's new Dare series, each book is written by a different author and all books are stand alone (which means they can be read without having read the others in the series).

I was very excited to read this new Harlequin line, but this is the second book that I have read from the Dare series, and each one has been a huge disappointment for me. RULED started out great, who doesn't love a book about Motorcycle clubs (they are some of my favorite to read), but then this book took a turn and changed how i felt about the whole book. Another reason I was disappointed in this book was the lack of sexual attraction between the main characters, there is no lead up to them jumping in the sack together, and then you have this good girl who runs her own Princess Party business and she has relations with a bad boy in a public place, I know that books are fantasy but this book was so far from what I would expect.

Unfortunately this one didn't really work for me. I never connected with the characters and kind of skimmed just to finish. Things felt rushed at times, lacking depth at others. Just didn't work for me.

I received an ARC for an honest review.

Ruled was okay. Very middle of the road mediocre story. Some parts felt too drawn out while other parts of the story felt rushed. This story put a lot of stuff into it and none of it felt very fleshed out.

Evie’s brother starts working for MC’s and doing some shady crap that lands Evie in all kinds of danger. The Hard Riders MC watch out for Vegas and the territories surrounding it and now Evie’s brother has become a problem. Sent to scope out Evie to see if her brother will reach out, Rev is instantly attracted to Evie.

Evie has been struggling to make her Princess Party business keep going. She loves what she does and has worked her butt off to take care of and support her brother and her. She doesn’t want anything to do with bikers, but when she meets Rev she’s instantly enamoured.

A lot of lies and violence and schemes go in the background of their romance. There’s honestly too much going on in this story. I wasn’t really feeling much of it, but I didn’t hate it.

If you have the book you could probably never read it and be okay. If you do read it you’ll probably feel the same as if you hadn’t, nothing. The sexy scenes are good, but overtake the actual story at some points.

Elvie Kent and Jaxson Brandy cause so much heat that I needed a fan to continue reading. Enjoy for yourself!

Ruled is the second book in the Hard Riders Series, it is no less intense s the first book. Anne Marsh created a brilliant series.

Rev is a retired seal and a member of the Hard Rider MC, his job whatever is needed to be done at the time. This man is built hard, sexy and under all that has a soft spot for princesses. Being the enforcer is never easy especially when the enforcing needed to be done on a cute package wrapped up in pink who is all glittery with sunshine and rainbows.

Evie’s life has never been easy, so why is now any different? Evie has raised Rocker to the best of her abilities after their parents were no longer around. The proud owner of her princess party mobile service has given her what she need to support her and Rocker. Rocker drew trouble, and this trouble came in a six-foot plus sexy package. She is one lady who knows what she wants, but is what or who she wants good for her in the long run?

Things heat up between Rev and Eve both in and out of the bedroom. Issues arise when they find themselves on different sides. Eve does not do MC life or members, she may not be able to control what Rocker does, but she knows how to say “NO”. Right? Rev and Evie are unlikely pair and I have to admit I was not sure about them as a couple at all, but opposites attract.

The supporting characters add fun and intense moments through out Ruled. I can’t wait to see what Anne Marsh has in store for Rocker, Vik and the other Hard Riders MC members. Ruled is the first book in the Hard Rider Series Hot, sweet and about as sexy as one can get. The plot is just about what you would think of a MC romance, but with a added edge. Anne Marsh delivers on a intriguing, fun read with stellar characters. The banter between both levels helps keep the edge from getting to overwhelming.

Rated 41/2 Stilettos by Deb!

Another book from the “Dare” series. Again this doesn’t have to be read in order, but I do think it’s part of a “new series” that the author has planned.

Evie is just trying to make a better life for herself and her baby brother. And by planning “pink parties” she gets to earn money and start a flourishing business.
She may have had a thing for bad boys but that’s in her past, what she wants is a “nice guy”, someone whose dependable, someone she can rely on.
But meeting Rev, that all goes out of the window 😉 but she won’t give up without a fight. She wants a quiet life, not one filled with bikers and trouble.

Jaxon “Rev” Brady was a Seal, but now is a member of the Hard Riders MC, doing his part to keep their territory free of gangs and drugs.
Jaxon has been sent to find out where Evie’s brother, (Rocker) is hanging out. Rocker is from a rival bike club and needs to answer some questions.
He’s got no time for parties and for “pink princesses” …..
But meeting Evie all that changes, she is feisty and won’t help Jaxon to find her brother. But she’s piqued his interest, and now he finds himself wanting her and wanting to protect her from the cartel.

Will getting involved with Eve prove to be a fatal distraction for Rev?
And can there ever be a future between a biker and a woman who is way out of his league? And will Evie learn that she can’t protect her brother forever ?

Julie 🦋

Biker romances are not really my kind of thing. Often I find them to be a little too macho and often problematic. I expected to have the same issues with Ruled and to some extent I was right it was too macho and it was problematic, however Ruled did manage to surprise me in parts.

The writing was good enough, I liked the way Anne Marsh managed to pull the story together especially in the early parts. I wasn't a fan of the dialect, the gang language, not speaking in whole sentences thing didn't make these bikers seem cool, it made them seem illiterate.

I loved the first half of this book and I really thought that Ruled was going to be the biker romance that took me completely by surprise. The first half was a rare four stars for me. Marsh managed to create so much sizzling chemistry between the two characters, and i thought, finally!!!

Then, it all started to go wrong.

As the main characters Evie and Jaxon got closer the problems began rolling in.

Evie, is just too passive. She lets Jaxon, her brother and anyone else walk all over her. She is a massive push over. Jaxon, is the exact opposite he is too bossy, too confident and dominant and this creates a massive imbalance between them. Jaxon's dedication to his gang is means that he never, not once, puts Evie first. It is even implied that he would hurt her if asked and that is not cool. They are seeing one another, sleeping with one another and he kidnaps her for his gang. He takes her clothes so she cannot leave and becomes controlling using sex as a way to get what he wants. If a man, any man, did that to me I would have him arrested and I would never forgive him.

There is no compromise, his is unprepared to change or sacrifice for her which means that Evie has to do it all which is not fair. The relationship had good chemistry but it was unbalanced and problematic.

I did enjoy Rules more than I expected but it was bogged does by too many issues in the relationship. It has not managed to change my opinion about the biker genre.

This was a really quick read that I enjoyed a lot and recommend if you want a fast fun read.

The premise was pretty great and it moved along quickly. I enjoyed having a less than stellar hero around the motorcycle clubs. Overall this one is pretty sexy and well written.

Ruled is the second novel I've read in the new Harlequin Dare imprint, and I've read and enjoyed several other novels by its author, Anne Marsh, but sadly, for several reasons which I'll explain, I can't give this novel more than a 3-star rating.

First, this is an MC romance, a trope which certainly works for me, yet aside from several mentions and a few secondary characters, we don't spend any time at or inside the club. It's mentioned often enough that, as a reader, I wanted to see it, and too also see some interaction among the club members, but it just wasn't there.

Next, the main characters. We first meet Eve (Evie) Kent, the heroine, whose business travels with her to various venues in and around Las Vegas. It's a big, pink RV, covered in sparkly rainbows and unicorns. Her business is called Perfectly Princess Parties. Evie and her employees/friends throw princess-themed parties for little girls, complete with angel wings, more sparkles, balloons, and even a large inflatable castle, complete with an inflatable dragon.

Evie has a younger brother, Rocker, for whom she feels responsible. Growing up, their home life wasn't great. Their father was a member of an MC, and is doing 25+ years in prison, and Evie knows that Rocker recently patched in as a member of the Black Dogs MC, but he swears to her that they aren't into anything illegal or dangerous--of course they aren't. To say that Evie isn't a fan of MC clubs is putting it mildly. What Evie doesn't know is that there's trouble on the horizon, in the person of the hero, Rev.

Rev is a big, hunky, dominant former Navy SEAL and a member of the Hard Riders MC--it's members are all ex-military, and supposedly they are not into anything illegal. They are trying to contain the flow of drugs into their territory, east Last Vegas. The mission he's been given is to keep an eye on Evie, and when he first sees her in her princess get-up, complete with tiara, wings and sparkles, it's lust at first sight. The reason he's been given this assignment is that his club president is aware that the Black Dogs MC is heavily involved with a Colombian drug cartel, and Evie's brother, Rocker, is in the thick of it, although she'd deny it with her last breath. The Hard Riders can't find him, and are hoping that Evie can get a message to him. She's not at all impressed by Rev's leathers, but the man wearing them is a totally hot alpha, and although she hates the idea of MC members in general, and has sworn never to involve herself with one, she's about to make an exception for Rev--and what an exception it is.

While I expected that the Harlequin Dare novels would follow in the footsteps of their former Blaze imprint, the heat and sheer number of sex scenes in this novel are off the charts, and go where no Blaze novel has gone before. The explicit sex scenes didn't bother me but there were a few things that did. First, Evie knows that Rev is an MC member, and at the outset, she seems to have a good, sensible head on her shoulders, but she throws all of her good sense out the window so quickly when she meets Rev that it just seemed like too much, too intense, and way too soon.

There are other inconsistencies as well. Rev claims that the Hard Riders saved him when he was 17, yet we also know that he was a Navy SEAL, yet we never learn exactly how the club saved him or why he needed saving at all. We also know that all the club members are ex-military, SEALs, Special Ops, and the like, but what led them to form an MC club? Do they all have PTSD? How exactly do the club members earn a living, since none of them seem to be gainfully employed outside of club business? Then we get a snippet of information about the club women, and we learn that Rev hasn't been with any of them in a very long time, because they want to talk or be paid in some way after sex--paid? MC club women may be hangers-on and groupies, and they may have no problem having sex with any or all of the club members, but if they want payment, they are hookers, and we've already been told that the Hard Riders aren't into anything illegal--except that they all carry guns too, and they aren't afraid of a little thing like kidnapping.

Rev, as alpha male as it gets, doesn't seem to have a problem talking to Evie, and he has even less trouble when the only thing they seem to do when they spend time together is have sex, and if they're not having sex, they're thinking about having sex. I just wish the author had spent a little less time on their sex lives and instead given us more of a backstory on Rev as well as allowing us to see some relationship-building between these two characters. What happened to him when he was 17? What happened during his stint as a SEAL that made him want to leave the military and join the Hard Riders? His background and motives are a mystery that really should have been and needed to be explored.

Yes, I did mention kidnapping, but I won't include a spoiler about it in this review. Yes, there is an HEA ending to this novel, but it isn't as HEA as one would expect from a romance novel because there are simply too many things we still don't know, too many uncertainties, and too little information about where Rev and Evie go from there.

This novel isn't badly written, Ms. Marsh has skills, and it was an enjoyable, if incomplete, read, but I think this would have been a much better novel had it not been forced into a short series romance page count, which certainly limited the author's options when it came to fully fleshing out these characters, their backstories and their future.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

I expected more of a storyline to go with this MC book. Maybe it was the length of the book but it needed something else besides steamy sex. I also struggled with my connection to the characters. The Insta love Didn't necessarily bother me but afterwards I need something more to build on.

I am willing to see if book 2 is an improvement.

Ruled was a bit of an uneven read. There were things I liked--Rev and Evie's internal dialogue was LOL at times, and I highlighted quite a few passages that tickled my funny bone. Evie's grand gesture at the end was all kinds of fun--plus, her whole princess party business (especially the sparkly pink RV) was just fantastic.

But...

Their relationship, while all kinds of steamy, was pretty much insta-everything. Evie's brother didn't deserve her loyalty...At. All. OMG, he was an ungrateful jerk, and one who makes bad business decisions to boot. I'm still not 100% convinced that Rev and Evie have thought their obstacles through...but still, they are good together so I'm going to keep my fingers crossed.

MC books tend to be hit or miss for me, and this one's kind of in the middle...so if you're a fan of the subgenre, give it a try--I'm more than willing to say this could be a case of it's not you, it's me.

Rating: 3 stars / C+

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

This was not bad for a series romance. I like the characters and the plots had some interesting twists.

Much better than many MC books I've read recently. Both characters were realistic. Evie's birthday party business sounded like fun and just the right foil for Jaxon in all his badness. Her brother annoyed the heck out of me. Evie and Jaxon were a great match up.