I received an electronic ARC from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley.
The ninth book in this series focuses on Maestro and Azelie. Maestro has targeted her to get into a club suspected of being a sex trafficking hub. However, when he makes contact, he realizes she is his mate. Readers watch the relationship unfold as he continues his mission and balances what he shares with her. She has significant trauma in her past and knows she is in a dangerous situation as the bookkeeper for the club. Both come to realize how much they need each other and how much they have to learn to trust. Feehan spins this story away from the Club's home. Very little time is spent on the other members as the whole story wraps around Maestro and Azelie's relationship. He was more vulnerable than other characters we've seen in these stories and I appreciate the way he balanced his needs with wanting her.
Feehan again brings suspense and romance together in a realistic way for the type of characters she has developed. The peaceful setting for the ending does not minimize the trauma and damage done to get there.

Betrayal Road, the latest installment in Christine Feehan’s Torpedo Ink series, was a unique exploration of love and trauma. Both the main characters of the book, Maestro and Azelie, had been put in terrible positions by those they care about in the past, and are dealing with the consequences of that today. However, once they find each other and begin to fall in love they both begin a path to healing that will leave them better off in the future.

The characters were one of the most compelling parts of the book for me. Both Azelie and Maestro are traumatized by the events of their past, and hesitant to open up to anyone in the fear they will be hurt again. Maestro in particular is very dominant and hesitant to trust females, while in turn Azelie is trusting (at times too much) and innocent. When they meet, the chemistry is instantaneous and I really enjoyed their interactions. In particular, the moments that Maestro apologizes for his temper and tries to maintain open lines of communication to grow their relationship were very compelling for me. The other members of the club who show up in the book have important roles in the story, but it was surprising to see how much of a role Savage played in the book (given his normally reserved persona). There are some other minor side characters who play roles as well, but it was most amusing to see another group of seniors take such a large part in the story (similar to how they did in Savage and Seychelle’s book).

The plotline was a bit surprising in this book. Usually, I can predict how things might turn out but Ms. Feehan had a couple of twists I wasn’t expecting. As part of one of Ms. Feehan’s darker series, this book deals with a lot of heavy things (see the trigger warnings for more details) and doesn’t try to make it more ‘palatable’. Despite that, the author does a great job balancing all the violence and darkness with the romance and action.

Overall, this was a very deep and compelling read. I’m curious to see where Ms. Feehan takes the club (and all its members) in future installments. Mature adult readers who enjoy paranormal romance reads and don’t mind heavier topics (i.e., on page violence) should give this book a try.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Human Trafficking (victims, discussed), Rape (Victims, discussed), Explicit Sex, Torture (On Page, Discussed, Not in Detail), Child Abuse (Victims, Discussed), Violence, Guns

Betrayal Road is another great addition to the Torpedo Ink series! This book does have a slightly different feel to it than the others in the series. While those books completely immersed the reader in the club and the missions they carry out, Maestro's story takes place in a different location. This did make it feel almost like a separate book, but it was nice to see how one of the club members functioned outside of the club. There is drama and steam, and overall it was a great read! Feehan fans will love it, and I know I'm waiting impatiently for the next installment!

Christine Feehan always delivers! Once again a book that keeps action packed and full of twists and turns.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Maestro is working his next case which is taking him to a local Cafe. He hopes to get some information from one of the customers. This book captured my attention from the start.

Book 9 of the Torpedo Ink Series
Azelie Vargas is the victim of a violent past but she doesn’t let it stop her from helping others every chance she gets, including adopting an outrageous elderly group at the coffee shop that treat her like their own granddaughter. Her joy for life is inspiring to all those around her. Azelie is also a genius with numbers and has worked keeping the books for a very shady character since she was 16. She knows he is a crook but keeps to herself and doesn’t involve herself in his business any more than necessary. She doesn’t have a clue the actual depths of his criminal activity.
Andrii “Maestro” Federoff is on Torpedo Ink club business and they are after Azilie’s boss. They know he is training and selling women for the sex trade but they don’t know if Azelie is directly involved or she is an innocent bystander. Although research shows there are rooms under the clubs where Azelie works, the club has not been able to get into them to investigate. They know Azelie is their best shot to find that information.
When Andrii starts coming to the coffee shop Azelie is immediately drawn to Andrii but she doesn’t think she has a chance with such a strong impressive man, but Andrii is bound and determined to make her realize what a treasure she is and make her his, even when it means using her to get the info the club needs so desperately to rescue to women being traded.
I really enjoyed this book because Maestro is gentler with Azelie, and although fierce when needed he shows more of an emotional/artistic side to Azelie even when it’s hard for him to do. His support and belief in her is heartwarming and it shows so much growth on his part and hers. The sex is hot but that isn’t the main component of their story. Their growth as individuals and as a couple make this an amazing read and I definitely recommend it!

Another great story by a fantastic writer, couldn't put it down and stayed up late to finish it! Luckily it was a Friday!! I do recommend reading the other books in this series first though.

Christine Feehan fans will be thrilled with another story in the Torpedo Ink MC storyline. Maestro is everything an alpha bad-boy should be. He and Azelie have fireworks from the start as the MC works to take down Azelie's human trafficking boss, while trying to keep Azelie out of danger.

First, a thank you to the publisher for the advance reading option. I always enjoy Christine Feehan books and was really looking forward to this one since the last 2 in the series were 1 longer story. That written, I was a little disappointed by the one. Note to the production team, you're going to want a good proofreader as there are typos and name switching errors that are a little jarring. I will absolutely keep reading (and recommending) this series but I hope those errors are fixed.

Betrayal Road is book 9 in the Torpedo Ink series by Christine Feehan.

The female main character, Azelie, has a tendency to stick her head in the sand because she is overwhelmed and doesn’t know how to get out of a bad situation she stumbled into as a child. Lucky for her, Master has walked into her life!

Master knows Azelie is working for bad people. His club is after them to stop a human trafficking network, but no one can tell if Azelie is aware of the trafficking operation since she isn’t directly involved. The club sends Master undercover to try and determine her guilt or innocence, and locate the victims. They are determined to treat Azelie as gently as possible if she is an innocent … they definitely learned their lesson after mistrusting and mistreating Anya in book #2!

Master turned out to be very different from how he saw in himself in previous books once he was in an actual relationship. While still dominant in many ways, it was watered down from how he is portrayed in previous novels. This occurs organically, as the MMC and FMC navigate their relationship together so it reads very much as a process of self-discovery, but I like a little more spice in my romance, personally.

The plot-line and the “baddie” who the club is up against was not that predictable to me, so I won’t say much more, lest I give anything way. Betrayal Road is more plot-driven than some of the others in this series.

Betrayal Road is different from most of the others in the series because it is not set in the village of Sea Haven, and also has very little “page time” devoted to the other members of Torpedo Ink or the Drakes. Few familiar characters make an appearance in the novel which, for me, was disappointing. One of the main reasons I am such a fan of this series, and Ms. Feehan’s other Sea Haven series, is that I read for the world-building and the interaction between these characters, rather than reading for plot. That aspect was missing from this story so even though the book was fine, I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped. I'm sure it would be an amazing read for someone who reads more for plot or who had never read a Torpedo Ink novel before.

This is the next book in the Torpedo Ink series. Which is one of my favorite motorcycle club series. I have been an avid reader since the beginning of the series. Maestro's story has been one story that I have wondered about since the beginning. I loved watching Maestro and Azelie relationship grow. Their chemistry had me hooked. It’s a first-class Christine Feehan book that keeps you turning the pages till the end! A great read! I LOVED IT.....I can't wait to see where she takes us next and which member of Torpedo Ink is next.

This is one of my favorite motorcycle club series. However, Maestro's story was not my favorite. Azelie and Maestro have good chemistry though and it was fun to watch their relationship grow. The writing just seemed choppier than usual for me. It didn't quite have the same feel as the other books.

This is the next book in the Torpedo Ink series. If you’ve read this series this book is about Maestro and his woman- Azelie. Who’s a bookkeeper that works for some bad people. It’s a classic Christine Feehan! A great read!