Laura’s Review of Illusive (Storm MC, #5) by Nina Levine

Synopsis

He’s been burnt by love.

Griff Hawkins keeps his pain locked away and the ghosts of his past buried even deeper. Three years ago, he chose the Storm MC as his family and accepted the ways of their violent world. These days, he lives his life with one rule – don’t get attached to anyone but his club.

She longs to be loved.

Sophia Barnes aches to know real love, and lives her life with arms wide open, ready to embrace the possibilities that come her way.

When Griff’s past is exposed and his place in the club is jeopardised, he fights for his family the only way he knows how, regardless of the consequences. That is, until he meets the woman who brings him to his knees, giving him something to lose.

Can they teach each other to leave the sins of the past behind or will Griff's demons dictate their future? 

What I Loved

          I couldn’t wait to start reading this book! I wanted to get my hands on Griff so badly and find out what makes him tick and Illusive did not disappoint. Griff has had so much pain in his life which made it all the more special when he met Sophia and started finding happiness again. 

The attraction between Sophia and Griff sparked from the very second he laid on eyes on her and it only built from there.  Griff might have demons and is definitely rough around the edges but he’s charming, funny, and loving as well.  I love complex characters, they always leave you guessing and Griff definitely left me on the edge of my seat and wanting more. 

          I absolutely loved Sophia from the very beginning she’s attractive, smart and has tons of spunk! Also I loved her honesty because she gets right to the point when she needs to with no bullshit and doesn’t play games.  I loved the way she fought to break Griff’s walls down even when it seemed fruitless because she realized instantly that Griff was a man of value and was determined to make him see that as well. Sophia as well was a complex character that offered depth to the plot and made it easier to become engrossed in the story.

Not So Much

           I really enjoyed this story and I definitely felt like there was a lot more

detail in this book than in previous books in this series and it was great to see that progression.  There were some minute details that I felt were missing though, like there is great detail about Griff’s hair but not the color.  This was an ARC though so those kinds of small details might be in the final draft so I’m not too stressed about it. 

          I did feel that this book lacked depth in certain areas of the plot compared to the rest of the stories in this series.  It was odd to me that Griff and Sophia’s relationship was very separate from his relationship with the club.  I get that those are two different parts of his life, but in the past the women all kind of meet each other and become friends while the men get to meet this new woman.  None of that happens in this story and that aspect made the plot a little shallow.  There was a ton of great sex scenes between these two, and when they were together there was a ton of love as well but it was weird to me that Griff didn’t feel the need to tell his brothers about the new love in his life. 

To Sum It All Up!

          Overall this was a great story filled with lots of motorcyles, sex and suspense.  There were definitely some scenes that had my heart beating out of my chest, NEEDING to know how this was all going to end.  The sexual tension between Sophia and Griff was palpable which lead to very steamy scenes that involved rope and blindfolds.  There wasn’t a ton of BDSM so if you’re looking for a BDSM book in particular then I would say this isn’t for you.  I loved the continuing storylines throughout the series though and although some were summed up in this book, others developed and I love the suspense.  I love motorcycle club stories and I have been a big fan of this series for a while and Illusive made me even a bigger fan.