Bump Start (Northern Roots: Atlantic)

Holy goodness I was not mentally ready for Alder and our grumpy monkey Cade. But man do I LOVE them! This is book 3 out of the Northern Roots series and they keep getting better each time! I’ve enjoyed the first two a lot but this one! Grumpy ☠️ x grumpy 🐻 is perfection. Two lost souls who find strength in each other. Cade is struggling with depression and wants to find a way to feel alive. He discovers that Danger is was helps him mind quiet down and his body feel alive again. Alder is Danger. As VP of his local motorcycle club he often finds himself with dirty hands. He sees Cade at a local bar and knows he’s someone who will flip his world upside down. But as a rival MC group threatens to take everything Alder loves away from him, he has to figure out how to help his brothers and remind Cade that his life is worth more than an empty bottle of rum. This is definitely a darker romance as the spicy is kinky and explores pain and breath play. There is always an element of danger when in the world of motorcycle clubs and that is a major component of this book. There’s an on page death of a side character (quick-ish and deserved) Please check the trigger warnings on this because Cades symptoms of depression can definitely be something that could be hard for people to read. And remember that depression isn’t a thing that looks the same for everyone. Spice was spicing and plentiful for sure. It starts early and goes strong throughout the book. 4/5 🌶️ there’s definitely a…

Cade's depression was all-consuming and it spoke to me on a personal level. I didn't exactly connect with him - I've never quite spiraled like that or self-medicated in the same way - but the feeling of disconnect and trying to feel something did resonate. I think for that reason, the story really worked for me. Alder's semi-chaotic personality was fabulously enjoyable too. I wish, though, they had connected on a deeper level sooner. It felt like things stayed superficial for a long time, focused mostly on the physical and the interest they did have on each other, without delving into the more, until the last quarter. I love Eve Holmes' writing style though, and this was no exception. And I've really enjoyed this entire series so far.

⭐️ ARC REVIEW ⭐️ Words can not even describe how excited I was to receive this arc in my inbox today 😍 Eve Holmes is one of my favorite authors so I have been counting down the days until this book was released. Right off the bat I could tell Bump Start was going to have a different vibe than Tide Over and Dip Out. One of our main characters, Cade, is a college professor who’s true passion is studying Quantum Mechanics. From chapter one he has this aura about him that is more than just darkness. It’s grey exactly as he describes. He is so clearly struggling to not just function, but remain invested in his life 😭 Then enter Alder. A badass, fully tatted, biker. I knew I was going to love him as soon as we got a glimpse of him in Dip Out and I was correct 😍 he meets Cade in a bar and is instantly drawn to him. The feeling is very mutual ❤️‍🔥 from their first hookup he is immediately obsessed with him. While not conventional in the slightest, he develops slight stalker tendencies 🤣 I was eating up every time he would just randomly show up at Cade’s work and home. He could read Cade like a book and saw things about him that no one else could. He was also able to draw Cade out of that feeling of complete nothingness. Neither of them ever really talked about what they were or the relationship they were forming, but go with the flow worked perfectly for them 🖤🖤 “I love it when we burn. And this time, you’ve lit the match” ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 I loved every single moment of Alder…

I love this book series, but unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy Bump Start as much as the first two. I didn’t feel the emotional connection between Cade and Alder. It felt like I was reading two completely different stories that meet only for some ‘good time’ together. It was incredibly frustrating how everyone was so cautious around Cade. I just wanted more communication. I wanted to feel that Alder is helping Cade bring his spark back to life. I The MVP once again was another unexpected character. I was obsessed with Wingnut 🤭🦆 I am excited that the series continues and can’t wait to find out the name of the Goldie in the next book 🐕🐶

Don't you just love when a series is so good it grabs you and never lets go? Yeah, me too. Bump Start is the third book in the Northern Roots: Atlantic series by @eve.holmes.author, but it can be read as a stand-alone. Alder (the VP of an Outlaw Motorcycle Club) and Cade (a college professor) are total opposites in a lot of ways, but the pull between them is too strong to ignore. It's a high-heat, slow-burn romance with two possessive, obsessive, grumpy characters, and found-family perfection. While this book is emotionally dark and gritty with excellent depression rep (check trigger warnings before reading!), it shows how characters can grow and heal and just meet someone where they're at, rather than trying to "fix" them. It's a heavy topic throughout the book, but it was handled with so much care. Plus, Eve always writes the best little animal friends, and Wingnut might just be my new favorite 🦆🤗