J'adore les romans de Chantal Fernando et le dernier ne fait pas exception ! D'autant plus qu'en l'attaquant, je n'avais pas réalisé que c'était le tome 1 du spin-off de sa série précédente :les Knights of Fury. Dans "Fast & Fury", l'auteure explore le côté officiel du club des bikers puisque dans le roman précédent "Temper", ce dernier expliquait à la mère de sa petite amie qu'il possédait un magasin de motos, un garage de moto où ils customisaient les motos et les revendaient ensuite : c'est ce magasin qui donne son nom donc à la nouvelle série et le tome 1 met en scène "Crow", l'un des bikers qui était "prospect" dans le tome précédent (ou novice en français) et qui est devenu un membre à part entière du club depuis. Il dirige d'ailleurs la partie atelier de cet endroit et c'est là qu'il va croiser la route de Bronte, une jeune femme qui est la cousine de Abbie, l'héroine donc du tome précédent. En effet, cette dernière avait rencontré son père, Neville, un trafiquant de drogue plus ou moins réformé mais qui s'était révélé pas si pourri que cela (attention, ne me faites pas dire ce que je n'ai pas dit, hein? je condamne évidemment mais là, on ne voit que le bon côté du personnage) Depuis, quelques mois se sont passés et ces deux-là ont visiblement noué des liens...
Quand le roman débute, Bronte apprend mauvaise nouvelle sur mauvaise nouvelle : tout d'abord que les cellules de son cancer de l'utérus sont revenues et qu'elle doit envisager une hystérectomie et pour couronner le tout, sa patronne et amie est obligée de la licencier car elle ne gagne pas assez d'argent dans son agence de détective. La jeune femme, démoralisée, va rendre visite à son père, qui est en compagnie de son frère, donc Néville : ces derniers lui apprennent l'apparition d'Abbie dans la vie de Neville et celui-ci se propose de l'appeler car il sait que les Knights of Fury (ou plutôt leur garage) ont besoin d'une secrétaire et d'une standardiste : c'est donc ainsi que Bronte va faire connaissance à la fois de cette cousine qu'elle ne connaît pas, apprendre que celle qu'elle considérait comme telle "Skylar" est aussi en couple avec l'un des bikers et mettre évidemment le pied dans cet univers un peu dangereux. Mais la jeune femme va affronter ses propres démons et la mort inattendu de son père va entraîner toute une série de révélations en cascades mais surtout attirer le danger sur elle... Mais Crow qui s'est mal comporté au départ (et l'on ne comprend pas pourquoi, tant il était gentil dans le tome précédent) va alors laisser parler son attirance pour la jeune femme et lui venir en aide : mais alors que tout semble s'effondrer autour d'elle, laissera-t-elle un chance au jeune homme? Comment accepter les révélations sur son père et oncle? Quid de sa santé? et bien les réponses à toutes ces questions en lisant cet excellent roman...

Mon avis : Je vous l'ai dit, j'ai adoré : j'adore les bikers de cette auteure. Alors, certes, les puristes de romances de bikers les trouvent sans doute trop gentils et softs mais moi, ça me va parfaitement. Crow était un novice dans le tome précédent, il avait montré sa gentillesse avec Abbie à plusieurs reprises, c'est pourquoi, on ne peut être qu'étonnés quand, au début, il se conduit comme un con avec Bronte (mais il y a une explication ^^ ) Mais quand les malheurs s'abattent sur la jeune femme, il va se montrer tel qu'il est et d'un soutien sans faille. C'est aussi un biker, hein? les armes à feu et les ennuis ne lui sont pas inconnus mais avec sa soeur Heidi ou ses amis, c'est un nounours adorable, un vrai ami sur qui on peut compter et là, Bronte va vraiment pouvoir compter sur lui.

Cette jeune femme est adorable et dès les premières pages, on ne peut qu'avoir de l'empathie pour elle et de l'admiration pour son courage : les malheurs s'acharnent sur elle (même un peu trop à mon goût) et il faut un courage exceptionnel pour tenir le choc. Bien sûr, elle a son oncle, sa nouvelle cousine, Crow et les Knights of Fury mais malgré tout, quel courage! C'est d'ailleurs, à mon sens, plus une héroïne de drama que de romance. C'est une jeune femme qui adore son père, est chaleureuse, généreuse et elle a du répondant quand Crow la traite mal de manière injuste. J'ai adoré son interaction avec les autres et j'ai vraiment été triste que son père disparaisse aussi vite : il y aurait eu des scènes vraiment chouettes (le peu qu'on voit est vraiment sympa) J'aime aussi comment elle fait face aux révélations sur ce père adoré et sur son oncle.
Son histoire avec Crow ne sera pas facile mais elle est belle (n'oubliez pas la menace qui pèse sur elle avec sa santé) C'est vraiment un chouette coupe.


J'ai adoré retrouver les personnages des tomes précédents (j'adore Temper et Chains qui m'intrigue), voir leur évolution et comme à chaque fois, elle alterne entre actions et romance et l'on ne s'ennuie pas un seul instant. Je n'ai qu'un regret que les romans ne durent pas plus.
Bref, si vous lisez en VO, à découvrir absolument : pas besoin de l'avoir lu les précédents pour cela même si vous apprécierez davantage.

Je vous le dis, vivement vivement le prochain!

Bronte Pierce after losing her job takes on a new challenge working for Fast and Fury, a custom motorcycle shop on the advice of her father and uncle. She is a little worried because she knows nothing about the industry and what makes it even more worrisome is the stubborn, unfriendly boss she must deal with. The man is making her uncomfortable and even his name, Crow has her wondering what she has gotten herself into.

Crow is a member of a motorcycle club and runs their custom motorcycle shop. When he must deal with the beautiful sassy new employee Bronte, he cannot help but have his back up when she is around. He is usually Mr. Nice Guy but that just does not seem to be in the cards with Bronte.

As Bronte is trying to learn a new job, getting to know her long lost relative, things turn dicey. Soon she is in the middle of a murder, a conspiracy, family secrets are revealed and now her life is threatened. Can she rely on the MC and more importantly Crow to protect her?

This was a fast-paced romance suspense story that keeps you guessing. I love Chantal Fernando’s writing style and how she develops the characters throughout the story. The supporting characters are ones that were from the Knights of Fury series, and it was fun to see them in the story as well. This can be read as a stand alone novel as Ms. Fernando does an excellent job of filling in the back story. Thank you so much to the author, Chantal Fernando, Carina Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book to review. All opinions expressed for this review are unbiased and entirely my own.

I have read a few books by Chantal Fernando and I loved them all but this one is my least favourite book. I did like the storyline but I did find that parts of the story were rushed so because of that this book is 3 out of 5 stars.

Custom Built is the first title in the Fast and Fury series, a spin-off from the Knights of Fury series. Bronte and Crow’s story features many familiar characters from the Knights of Fury series.
Bronte is a survivor. She’s struggling after losing her job, but then she just seems to keep taking hits personally, physically and mentally.
Crow has a tendency to come across as a bit of an ass and would have loved part of this title to be told from his point of view. Once you get past his original behavior you see more of the Crow from previous titles that I loved.
Despite their antagonistic behavior, the chemistry between this pair is undeniable.
A story of family, friendship and loyalty with action, drama and a touch of suspense.
I look forward to future additions to the series.

Down on her luck Bronte’s Uncle Neville hooks her up with a job working at a motorcycle shop. She knows nothing about motorcycles but is willing to learn. Her first day doesn’t go as smooth as she hoped, especially when her gorgeous but infuriating boss Crow leaves her on her own. Despite the feeling of Crow’s dislike for her, she becomes fast friends with her just-found-out-about cousin and her girlfriends. When an unexpected tragedy happens Crow is the one to lend his shoulder to cry on. Bronte is quickly pulled into the crew’s circle as another tragedy occurs. As her suspicions grow so does her need to find out the truth, putting herself in danger.

Having read this author’s previous books, I’m excited for the start of this new series! I loved how Crow, a big, bad biker, was sweet and protective of Bronte. Bronte learns quickly the meaning of family in the motorcycle club world, especially when Crow finally claims her as his own. Looking forward to the next book!

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin - Carina Press for the opportunity to read a copy.

When this book first starts you are immediately sucked into the difficulties Bronte is experiencing, and man does she go through a lot in a short period of time. This definitely serves to establish her character and perseverance. The story is very fast paced and there are many things that happen very quickly.

The mystery and suspense element to the story was enjoyable and this is one of those stories that can easily be consumed in one sitting. I really enjoyed Chantal Fernando's writing style and will definitely be picking up more of her works in the future.

Bronte is in need of a break after an awful year. She gets a job in the local motorcycle shop that Crow owns. Crow is the owner of the motor cycle shop and a member of an MC. He is abrupt with Bronte and just rude in general to her. Bronte still thinks he's hot but a jerk. A murder leads her to need Crow to protect her. Bronte ends up part of a new family. A good read with plenty of steam.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley and am leaving a review.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book (given by author)...

Spin-off from the Knights of Fury MC series; we get to see a lot of of favorite characters


I really wanted to love this book, but I just couldn’t connect with what was happening. First, I must say I loved the characters in this book especially Bronte and Crow; everyone was just so accepting and kind with Bronte. Bronte’s uncle is Neville, father to Abbie, who we learn all about in the book, Temper.

This is the first book of the Fast & Fury series and it kind of follows Saint example in that there is a tragic event which will break your heart. Now with that being said there was just something about the book that it felt like everything moved so abruptly. It went from I hate him to grinding on him to why won’t he kiss me to you complete me; I think I experienced emotional whiplash.

Then there were some events that took place that I felt like they could have all been avoided if they took the situation more seriously. I’m trying not to reveal too much since there are a few reveals.

In the end, it felt abrupt and then it felt like the story was being dragged out and overdone. The whole Jean and Anne incident just seem over the top and created additional unnecessary drama. I just kept wondering when the book would end because it seemed like another attack or tragedy kept popping up.

That being said I would like to know more about Cam, Chains and the rest of the new crew.

3.5 stars

Thanks to the Harlequin Books for the complimentary copy of this title! Big thanks to Harper Audio as well for the complimentary audiocopy of the book as well.

Custom Built by Chantal Fernando overall I think this is a solid start to a series. We are introduced to the Fast & Fury Motorcycle shop. The book introduces a lot of great characters I can't wait to get to know better. I really liked the two lead characters of this book. The heroine, Bronte, is put through the absolute wringer in this one and yet manages to stay strong regardless of the obstacles. And the hero Crow is the perfect me of hot, gruff MC member while still being caring and protective.

If I had to pinpoint things that didn't quite work I'd have to say I wanted to know more about the MC. They aren't the main focus of the series, but there are so many members mentioned, I really wanted to know more. I suspect this is because I came into this blind and have not read the previous Knights of Fury series. The relationship also went pretty quickly from two people hot for each other to head over heels in love.

Overall though if you are a fan of MC books or books set in custom body shops, I found this an entertaining read. The steam level is medium high.

NARRATION: I thought the narration on this one was good. The narrator is able to give each character their due in such a way that seems appropriate to their personality.

Bronte's having a rough go at it right now when she's given the opportunity to work at a garage, all helped along by her newly discovered cousin. Though she knows nothing about bikes or mechanics, she's excited to have a job and to get to know her cousin better. Her cousin's man, Temper, is the prez of the MC that owns the garage, and she figures her cousin will be around there a lot to help her settle in. She doesn't figure on her new boss being so um hostile to her. Oh well, she can get along without being in his good graces. Right?

Crow's unsettled by his new gorgeous employee, and acts like a jerk for awhile til he gets his head on straight, and from there on he actually shows that he's a good guy. Color me shocked! But there are going to be many, many things that will come out of nowhere, and Crow and Bronte will have to stick together if she wants to make it through with her sanity and her life intact.

I guess I'm used to MC romances that are a little...um, how shall I say this? Harder? Darker? Grittier? Don't get me wrong, I ended up liking Custom Built, it was just a little sweeter than I am used to in an MC read. Crow is definitely much sweeter than the average alphahole MC dude, actually, he wasn't really alpha at all, just a good guy who happens to be in an MC. Bronte, though, is the real standout for me. I loved her character - her emotional and mental strength, and her survivor attitude and big heart. Though this is much sweeter than I'm used to dealing with, I still liked Custom Built, I liked Bronte and Crow, and look forward to much more Fast & Fury stories.

This first book in the Fast & Fury series is a great introduction and will have me coming back for more. Crow and Bronte’s story is a little sweeter than what I am used to from this author but makes the story no less captivating. Plenty of drama, chaos, heat and sadness as we intertwine with the Knights of Fury MC. Bronte is a strong independent woman who gets her fair share of knocks and has to learn that letting other people have your back doesn’t make you weak. Crow will make you swoon and tremble as not only does he show us his alpha stubborn side but his loving protective side. A story with plenty of ups and downs to have you enamoured right to the very last page.

Bronte has had a tough year with her health and now she's been fired from her job. Luckily for her she finds a job at a custom motorcycle garage, hot boss alert.
Crow is the boss at Fast and Fury, he's trying to keep his distance from Bronte because it's the right thing to do... how long will that last?

Overall I enjoyed this book though I wish her health issue had been explored a bit more because it felt almost like it was there just to add a secret for her to keep from her dad.
Also I personally felt like the last 10 percent of the book wasn't needed.
The relationship was nicely developed and the support they gave each other was great. I need the stories of the side characters ASAP!

I received a free copy of this book via netgalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

The beginning of the book starts of well and soon falls apart into a mess. The story is completely a disconnected with the loss of individual characters are we suppose to care about but are never given a chance to. Towards the end of the book it skips time by months and years which gives a lack of cohesion to to complete the story. Bronte is an odd duck that readers could enjoy if the author had a better editor. The characters are flat and boning at best. Yet the characters are a in a biker gang which you would think would have a element of action or even suspense.

This story made absolutely no since with its lack of direct, flat characters, zero drive as to why or the reason why the characters are on the pages. The writing could use another once over with an editor to fix mistakes that cause the story to slow down or well at times make zero since.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher of the advance copy of Chantal Fernando Custom Built.

I was very excited to receive an ARC from NetGalley and Give Me Books Promotions in exchange for an honest review. I love Chantal Fernando. In fact, she’s the author that introduced me to the hot MC world with her Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club books. Let’s just say, since then, I’ve become a bit obsessed with the MC world.

In Fernando’s newest release, Custom Built, a spin off from her Knights of Fury MC series, we meet Bronte. Note, Custom Built can be read as a standalone. I haven’t yet read the Knights books and I didn’t feel lost. The book is from Bronte’s perspective, so when we are missing info, chances are, she is too. But, because there are so many characters from the Knights, I fully intend to go back and read those books next, just to expand my knowledge, and of course, to read about those hot MC boys she writes so well.

Bronte is having probably the worst year of her life. She’s having health problems, she just lost her job, and nothing seems to be going her way. She is lucky enough to get an admin job at a custom motorcycle shop. Sure, she knows nothing about motorcycles, but how hard can it be? The job itself is easy enough, but soon she finds herself at odds with Crow, her boss, and a member of the Knights of Fury MC. Crow, who is of course drop dead gorgeous, is also broody and standoffish - but only to Bronte it seems. She’s not sure what she did to get on his bad side, but it definitely rubs her the wrong way. Soon though, when Bronte finds herself in the centre of a murder conspiracy, much to her surprise, Crow is there for her, along with the rest of the Knights MC and the women who love them.

I really felt for Bronte and everything she goes through. She’s a strong and determined character. The romance between her and Crow was sweet and sexy. He’s such a great character - swoon-worthy for sure. If I was missing anything, I would say it was not seeing a bit from Crow’s perspective. I always like to get in the guy’s head. Unfortunately we only ever see things from Bronte’s point of view. In fact, she should have probably been on the book cover instead of Crow…but looking at it again, maybe I should stop complaining.

This book kept me interested and pulled me in quickly and I look forward to more in the Fury world. Fans of Veronica Mars will like it too since there is the mystery / PI aspect to it. Custom Built releases today - download it now!

Received a advanced copy via Netgalley for a honest review.
Chantal never fails to bring you a story full of outstanding characters - a story full of twist and turns - a story full of drama and suspense - a story full of love. I have loved every book I have read by Chantal and this one is no different. Custom Built is book 1 in the Fast & Fury series BUT we get some of our old Faves from the Knights of Fury!!

Bronte has a lot going on in her life. She has some serious medical issues but she is not going to let that stop her.. She is strong, sassy, independent, and all around amazing..
Crow is strong, broody, handsome, alpha... (i mean what's not to love).. he is also her new boss.. and he is a grade A A$$!

This book was fast paced, easy to read.. I just LOVED this book.. I devoured it in one sitting.. I cant wait to see what else Chantal gives us.!!

Once again, this author has started a brand new series, and blown it out of the park! If this book is any indication of how this series is going to be, I can't wait to get my hands on the next book! It's everything an MC romance should be, gritty and dangerous, but also sweet and emotional. This book is connected to the previous series, Knights of Fury, since Crow is a member, and there are plenty of interactions from characters of the books in that series (which I love!), but the series revolves around a custom bike shop, Fast & Fury.

Bronte is happy with her life, but things are changing! She loses her job, finds out she has family she didn't know about, then she finds a new job, with a hot new boss! Tragically, life keeps knocking her down, and then things get crazy! But in he midst of all of this, she finds someone to help her through it all, someone that will stand with her even when things get really bad.

Crow is a man's man. Alpha. Dangerous. Hot! Family means everything to him, both blood and club. And he will do anything to protect those he calls his own. Bronte becomes one of his, with just one look, and nothing will stop him from making her his!

This book is full of tragedy, but it also has its share of laughs. It's emotional, so be prepared, but there was also plenty of danger and surprises on every page! I adored these characters, and couldn't have wished for a more perfect story for them! This book is a must read, and the hints we got in this book of what is to come promises that the rest of the series will be just as exciting!

3.75
I was really enjoying Bronte and Crow’s unconventional romance, but I felt there was something missing with it. The book seemed to focus more on Bronte’s drama filled life than the budding love between them, so I felt a little disconnected. It almost seemed more of a mystery or sleuth than a romance.
I did enjoy the plot, but toward the end, I felt there was a lot of unnecessary things added into the mix to make the book longer, these additions were what made my rating go down.
I would love to give this author another shot though, because I did delight in all the characters!

Motorcycles, MC, mechanic, private investigator, murder mystery

This one was a bit different than some of Chantal Fernando’s other books. This was much much more focused on Crow and Bronte’s relationship than the club which I loved. This is the first book of the new Fast & Fury series but it is a spin off. You can read it just fine on it’s own but I highly suggest that you back and read the Knights of Fury series.

Bronte has a lot going on in her life. She’s having some medical issues, she lost her job, and the job her uncle got her a motorcycle shop includes a jerk of a boss. Crow, who is the jerk of a boss, really did come off at first as a completely jerk. However, it wasn’t long before he was the Crow that I know and love from the Knights of Fury. He is much deeper than he appears at times.

This was a pretty quick read for me but I loved every moment of it. I did think that poor Bronte went through a lot. At one point, I thought, could anything more happen to this poor girl? I mean geesh! It made it all the more enjoyable though.

I was super excited to see an extension of the Knights of Fury MC with this series and Fernando did not disappoint. Things were delved into more from this MC and I loved the concept behind this one. This one features Crow, who runs the motorcycle shop and Bronte, who has ties to Abbie. The connection these two have is such a deep sizzle undercurrent that will keep you on your toes. The twists and turns that are added to this story make it that much more in depth. My heart ached for all the trauma that Bronte endured though. But she was such a fighter. Crow is just sinful and I kinda wanna keep him to myself! If you have been a fan of Fernando and her MC books, this one is an amazing addition.

I've read a couple of Chantal's books from each of her MC series and really enjoyed them. Custom Built was a new series but didn't feel like that at all and truthfully I was going "who ARE all of these people?" so just putting that out there for others who haven't read her Knights of Fury books.

I felt this was more general contemporary romance and less gritty biker. Didn't expect crazy 1%er shenanigans but the MC stuff was sparse. The amount of horrible things that the h goes through was OTT. There wasn't enough time to process one bad situation before the next wave was rolling over her. They H had hints of alpha but he was really just sweet and protective. Nothing wrong with that, I just like my MC men to be OTT crazy jealous and protective.

Would I read a second book in this series - Yes. Once I know what the tone of future books will be I can appreciate them for what they are - a MC "lite" read.