Screw it. What was the worse that was going to happen? I'd grown up around a felon. A biker. I'd loved that felon biker for longer than he'd deserved. I'd never been a fan of guys that looked like they'd gone to jail, but you'd have to be blind to not appeciate how good-looking the man was, even if he wasn't my type."

Lockean Copyright versus Lockean Property | Journal of Legal Lockean Copyright versus Lockean Property | Journal of Legal

Two childhood friends. Two broken hearts. One impromptu road trip to get away from everything. That’s all this was supposed to be. Afterall, I’ve been living in the friend zone for years now. There was no real angst in their relationship once it had grown to a point of being more than friends....any conflict was from outside their relationship...mainly Iris's deadbeat dad and his issues causing them trouble. Over the next few weeks they slowly start to get to know each other, slowly becoming friends and then more. It was lovely to watch their relationship change and grow from where it first started. MZ’s men always appear to hate when people are mad at them. I can totally relate. I rarely hold grudges and apologize even if it’s not necessary because I’d prefer to keep the peace.This man never did anything without a reason. And this reason had him resembling a mama bear. A really aggressive, possessive mama bear. Which said something because Dex was normally that way. I couldn't even sit around Mayhem without him or Sonny within ten feet. Overall Hands Down by Mariana Zapata was an okay read. I had problems with it, but I didn’t hate it. It’s probably my least favourite of her books that I’ve read so far, but it won’t be stopping me from trying more. The romance was okay, I wasn’t able to fully connect with the characters and that made liking the romance a little harder. It’s a decent read and fans of Mariana Zapata will enjoy it.

WunderLocke, Sendling - Aparthotel in Munich | Locke WunderLocke, Sendling - Aparthotel in Munich | Locke

Iris, like many main female characters, have beer flavored nipples. She cannot leave her home without guys assaulting her left, right and center. And I hate how those moments (they're many btw) feel so incredibly choreographed, because it's only so Dex can show up and get in the guy's face and save the day. But you," his nostrils flared, "my sweet, sweet baby, have gotta be my favorite by far. I think you win first through one-hundredth place." This couple does have a somewhat slow buildup. They don't get intimate until the last half of the book. I didn't really mind that because the author didn't bore with unnecessary details. For an MC book, this book doesn't have much angst, and again I'm totally ok with that. But honestly, I totally loved Iris. She had loads of self respect. Was she insecure and naive at times? Sure. But at the core she was strong. Despite saying how hot Dex was about 10000x times she didn’t once act like she lost her brain cells because of it. I’d done boring and monotonous since the moment I turned sixteen by working at a real estate agency, then a discount bookstore, followed by sales for a weight loss pill, dog sitting, watching over kids at a daycare center, and filing at a medical practice. I did what I had to do to pay the bills. So as long as I wasn’t prostituting or having to make collection calls, I’d pretty much take whatever I could get.

Dex is great. It took me a long time to get to like him as a character. However as the novel went on and Iris got to know him better, I enjoyed him more. Dex is stubborn and impatient and at times that made me really dislike him. But like Iris, he grew throughout the novel and let go of his demons. Only I hadn't anticipated a job with the infamous Dex. A man that I'd heard enough of in ten minutes to know that I wasn't exactly going to be working for the Pope. All in all, it was a hugely enjoyable read, and the slow build up of the relationship between Dex and Iris was beautiful to experience.