Book Review for Cynic's Stance by Karen Renee

Title: Cynic's Stance

Series: Riot MC Biloxi Series

Author: Karen Renee

Genre: MC Romance

Release Date: February 22, 2022

Cynic believes in a good time, not a long time; it’s understandable since his wife cheated after twelve years of marriage. Now that he’s single, variety is the spice of life, and he keeps his life spicy. He avoids women looking for commitment.

As the Sergeant-at-Arms for the Riot MC, when he’s ordered to protect Fiona Brinkley from her ex-fiancé, Cynic battles an almighty attraction. A battle he loses.

Fiona thinks Cynic is off-limits. The last time she saw him, he was married to his high school sweetheart. However, that was years ago, and things have changed. When Cynic suggests a good time with him, she jumps at the chance. It’s the best chance she’s ever taken. She falls for Cynic, but he’s the wrong man.

He doesn’t want the things she does: commitment and building a family.

Can Fiona shift Cynic’s stance, so he’ll take a chance on a long time that promises to be a good time?

This installment in the ongoing series was not a favorite of ours. While we liked the characters, particularly Fiona, Cynic rubbed us the wrong way, and we never warmed up to him. Fiona, on the other hand, was a sweetheart who had endured a run of bad luck, and our hearts went out to her. Unfortunately, we didn't feel any chemistry between the characters, but the side characters added depth to the story. Despite the lack of chemistry, the story was filled with drama from beginning to end. His push-and-pull behavior towards Fiona was frustrating, and we found ourselves wishing he would grow up and realize her worth. Despite our reservations, there were parts of the story that we enjoyed. We hoped that Cynic would change his ways before it was too late, as the one bright spot in his dark heart was fading away.

We’d barely taken one step when Cynic’s phone rang. He let go of me to grab the phone. “That’s Har’s ringtone. I gotta take this.”

He stepped further down the hallway, leaving me with his parents.

“I’ve got to use the restroom. I’ll be right back, dear,” Teresa said.

Irv stood when she did. I debated going with her, but I had no need.

Irv stepped a little closer. “I’m glad we have this moment. If you haven’t figured it out, I like you for him. The last eight years have been difficult, not just for him, but for his mother and me. We want him to be happy, and I know, for some people, marriage isn’t for them.”

I nodded, and faintly drawled, “Right.”

“My boy isn’t one of those people. He was happy as a clam with Jessica. She stomped his heart flat with what she did.”

I gave him a closed-lip smile. “I know, sir, and it took quite a bit to convince Cynic that I wouldn’t do anything like that to him.”

He stared into my eyes for a long, uncomfortable moment before he finally spoke. “See that you don’t. You’re beautiful and appear to make him happy, but if you betray him like that, it’ll break him.”

“I did not just hear you,” Cynic ground out in a sinister voice.

I turned around and put a hand to his chest. But he only had eyes for his pop. Still, I said, “Calm down. He didn’t do anything wrong, honey.”

That got me his angry eyes. “He didn’t? Warning you not to betray me isn’t wrong?” He looked past me to his dad, but said, “It isn’t his place to do that shit.”

I rubbed his name patch on his cut. “Isn’t it though? You’ll always be his son, no matter your age. Family looks out for family, ’Nic.”

His chin dipped down and he looked into my eyes. The anger had dissipated. “He doesn’t need to.”

My lips quirked to the side skeptically. “That doesn’t matter. He loves you. It’s what parents do.”

“What’s going on?” Teresa asked as she walked up to us.

“Dad’s overstepping… as usual.”

“He is not,” I whispered.

“I was. I am. And I’ll do it again,” Irv said, clapping Cynic on the bicep.

Karen Renee is the author of the Riot Motorcycle Club, Beta, and O-Town series of books. She once crunched Nielsen ratings data, but these days she brings her imagination to life by writing books. She has wanted to be a writer since she was very young, but it's taken the last twenty plus years for her to amass enough courage and overall life experience to bring that dream to life. Some of those life experiences came from the wonderful world of advertising, banking, and local television media research. She is a proud wife and mother, and a Jacksonville native. When she's not at the soccer field or cooking, you can find her at her local library, the grocery store, in her car jamming out to some tunes, or hibernating while she writes and/or reads books.