Ride Steady (The Chaos Series Book 3)

Since my love affair with KA’s books and her epic cast of characters got its start almost 3 years ago, her male leads have been the gold standard in alpha males for me and are the measuring stick that every other alpha male lead must measure up to. People have asked me why and I had to give it some thought before answering so that I can try to do these guys some justice. So here goes! They are take charge men who take no BS and expect none in return, they have a commanding presence that can’t be missed, and they are hot and sexy with a protective streak a mile wide – but they never take it to an adverse extreme and give their women space to do their thing while still having their back whether it is on a shopping trip, a girls night out or they get a wild hair to interfere in whatever the guys are working on somehow. They value a woman who can stand on her own two feet, give them a little sass without needlessly busting their chops, can get down and dirty but still have class, and have their man’s back in any situation. Joker most definitely fits the criteria, and he found a spot on my list of overall favorite alphas and is near the top of my list of favorite KA men too!Carson “Joker” Steele had a crap home life as a kid- there’s no way to sugar coat it. His father was an abusive alcoholic who took out his anger at Carson’s mom for leaving them on the child she abandoned right along with him, but fortunately some of the neighbors took an interest in him and became ports in his storm when he needed them most. As he got older, he learned how to avoid the hits most of the time and used the experience to build walls so high and thick no one could penetrate his defenses. On nights he was able escape his home, he would often end up outside Ride and the Chaos compound watching not only the brothers but also Tack and Rush as they interacted and longing for a family like that. As a talented artist, the cars and bikes caught his attention too, sparking images of all sorts of designs he could create but had no outlet for.By high school, he was honing his fighting skills and learned to use sex as a way to escape to a happier place for a short time, but one girl always had his attention even if she was untouchable. Carissa Teodoro was a cheerleader dating the star of the football team and was way out of his league, but she never seemed to fit in with the popular crew of mean girls and even defended Carson to anyone tried to put him down. When he was finally ready to make his escape from town and a life that was too brutal to withstand any longer, she was the last person he spoke to before leaving and that memory stayed with him for a long time. After that day, Carson ceased to exist and eventually only Joker was left in his place as he found his new home and family in the brotherhood of the Chaos MC.Years later, Carissa is stuck on the side of the highway with a flat tire and her infant son Travis, and everyone is driving by ignoring her until a bearded biker pulls up behind her – enter Joker, but she doesn’t recognize or remember him other than a vague feeling she has met him somewhere before. Life has not been kind to her since high school; her dirtbag boyfriend became her even bigger dirtbag, cheating, now- ex-husband who is determined to use his family’s money and power to make her life miserable and take her child away from her. Although her initial instinct is to fear the biker on principle, she soon brushes it aside, particularly when her son takes to him almost immediately and Joker handles the little boy like he was born to do it.With limited resources to pay him back for his help, she decides to bake him a pie and shows up at the compound decked out in a cute little dress and heels adorned with butterflies, turning the head of every guy there except the one she wants to notice. As Tyra, Elvira, and the brothers get a look at her, you could practically see the pool starting on how long Joker would last before he goes down hard at Carissa’s feet, but he has no intention of doing any such thing. Joker has built up and fortified those walls even more over the years to the point where virtually no one can scale them, and Carissa doesn’t stand a chance against them after she failed to recognize him. After so many years of having it drilled into his head relentlessly that he was worthless, he has never been able to shake it off and still feels like she is too good for him. But when she gets a phone call from her ex-husband’s new fiancee that rocks her world, he goes into battle mode ready to take on the evils in her world before he even realizes what is happening- oh yeah, the fun is getting started now!!There is no instalove or instant relationship between them, but one of things that always makes me happy and makes KA a go-to author for me is the fact that she doesn’t make us wait until the very end of the book to see the couple together. Chaos has become the family Joker never had but always needed, and they encourage his creative side allowing him to create unique custom designs for their car and bike builds. When he is a little slow to come around and his brothers have to step in to help him see the light about Carissa, Shy lays it out for him.“Time for you to go all in, Joke. And time for you to stop accepting the dregs, reach for what you deserve, and take hold of butterflies.” – ShyJoker eventually steps up for Carissa (his Carrie, or Butterfly) and in turn lays it out for her. Once she recovers from the shock of who he truly is, she is more than on board. She slowly starts to bring him back from the dark abyss of anger that has been eating him alive for years, and he brings out a side of her that she never knew existed too. Add in that he comes to love Travis as if he were Joker’s own child and she is a goner! So many of the scenes between Carson and Travis had me absolutely melting into a puddle of goo and swooning hard for the big bad biker who allowed his softer side to come out to baby-talk to a toddler that I lost count.Of course it wouldn’t be a KA story without some danger and a few explosions courtesy of the turf war Chaos is involved in, high stress and anxiety for Carissa as her ex-husband continues to put himself in the running for Biggest Dirtbag of the Year award, a lot of laughs and good times as Tyra, Tabby, Elvira, and a few of our other favorite ladies take Carissa under their wing and into their circle, and definitely a lot of hot and sexy times courtesy of Joker, his dirty talking mouth and imaginative mind! The book features appearances by an all star cast of beloved KA characters from the Rock Chick, Dream Men and Unfinished Heroes series just to name a few, and the epilogue was a wonderful ending to their story. Suffice it to say if you haven’t already figured it out, Ride Steady was another phenomenal KA read in my opinion- and that is the warm and fuzzy feeling that is still with me over a week after finishing this book that is speaking, not the KA fangirl! It can be read as a standalone, and although other characters from previous stories appear in this book, there are no real spoilers to the journeys the other couples took to find their HEAs. So, what are you waiting for? Go 1-click this book now and clear your schedule as you will not want to put it down!

The story that evolves between Carissa Teodoro and Carson "Joker" Steele has just officially made Ride Steady one of my all-time favorite KA books. I loved everything about this story, from the prologue that introduced Carissa and Carson as high school students quietly crushing on each other without the other ever knowing, to the sad goodbye they exchanged that ultimately changed the trajectory of both their lives, again without the other ever knowing, to the completely unexpected way they came to reconnect years later, their lives unrecognizable from what they once were. The build between these characters, the course of events this story took, every single moment from the second they laid eyes on each other on the side of I-25 completely consumed me. Fiercely palpable emotion, sexual tension and sweet romance oozed from these pages. Ride Steady, from the very first page to the very last, is wholly addictive and completely unforgettable.Ride Steady had possibly the best prologue I've read in a Kristen Ashley book to date. Carson Steele's childhood was heartbreaking, but through it all, he displayed such resilience and strength and kindness. Even as an abused, neglected, abandoned young man, he was just magnetic, always doing right by people, showing gratitude and respect to the people that looked out for him. It only took those few pages of the prologue to give me such an extraordinary impression of this guy, this guy that I felt instantly drawn to. I knew this story would be something fantastic from those first few pages and I instantly wanted to devour this book. What I couldn't know from so early on was what would become of that bright, determined, damaged young man; how he went from that quiet loner to a member of the Chaos MC. And what became of the pretty blonde cheerleader he watched from afar in high school, never knowing that she did the same to him.I love that Kristen Ashley writes lengthy novels that take me several days to get through. I love getting lost in her books and savoring them. But I did not, could not, savor Ride Steady because I wanted to devour it without coming up for air. I could not put this book down. Carson Steele is one of the most magnetic leading men Kristen Ashley has ever penned... and that's a seriously heavy statement right there because I've loved all of her alpha males loads. His goodness, his light, his intelligence, his determination, his stepping in to care for a child that isn't his with a woman he never thought he'd have, his love for his club brothers, his respect for the people that looked after him when his own family didn't, EVERY SINGLE THING that makes Carson Steele who he is is absolute perfection. He's up there with Ty Walker and Luke Stark in my top KA guys as of NOW.I'm in awe of the way Kristen Ashley seamlessly introduces brand new characters, while weaving in old characters from previous books. The Dream Men, the Hot Bunch from the Rock Chick series, the ever growing and evolving Chaos crew, the Unfinished Heroes, a photographer from the Magdalene series, all play small but pivotal parts in this multifaceted plot. I've heard readers say they don't like the way KA introduces so many secondary characters, that it becomes too much, too crazy. WRONG. It's mastery what she does with her characters. It's flawless and fluid and freaking fantastic and she does it in a way that makes me remember every detail of every book she's ever written. She continually reminds me of why I loved these characters in the first place, what they brought to the table and how much I love to see their individual stories all continue to converge in new books. I can not possibly say enough about the genius that is Kristen Ashley. She's such a phenomenal story teller, but she's so smart about it. She creates these stories that are never just a linear A to B journey. There's no end in sight for these characters so you know you'll see them again in other books, because there's always a need for Lee Nightingale's intel, or Hawk Delgado's badass commando assistance or Elvira's shopping expertise or Tack Allen's biker connections or Knight Sebring's stable handling. There's always room for a bounty hunter or a cop or a pie baked by a women we met 15 books ago. Not many authors can do that, give life to every character they've ever dreamed up and do it in such a way that it always feels exciting and fresh and new and nostalgic to see them again and again. It's clear that Kristen Ashley loves these characters so deeply in the way she insists they keep returning and bringing all that is them to new stories, even if it's just for a moment. She doesn't just write books. She's created a world of characters that love and fight and hurt and hope and come together at pivotal moments, but do so fluidly, like it's the most natural, authentic, believable, real thing in the universe.Kristen Ashley upped her game with Ride Steady. I didn't think that was possible because she's on the top of her game every time. But something about this book just felt like... more. Her writing. The character development. The story itself, the way she broke her own rules, doing the exact opposite with these characters than I expected based on what she typically does. The dialogue. The romance. The seamless way she weaves in droves of other characters and their own stories and families and lives. Something intangible about this book set it apart in my eyes and that is a feat because this author is my all-time favorite and I hold so many of her books in the highest regard. Ride Steady is full of humor, witty one-liners, sarcasm, every single word placed perfectly. It's also fraught with raw emotion, both heartbreak and joy, loss and hope. The romance felt sweeter in this story, the Chaos brotherhood felt stronger and more profound, the drama driving the plot felt clean and tight. This book is just packaged perfection. I felt so much in these pages, I laughed, I cried, I loved. Kristen Ashley nailed it. This book is just phenomenal.

Only discovered Kristen about two weeks ago, have already got through the Rock Chick series the dream man series and have just finished Ride Steady in the Chaos series. Fab, fab, fab. I know the male leads are very similar i.e. badass, macho, a little sexist but always hot and always love their ladies. Keep thinking each book was my favourite but everyone is as good as the last. This one with Joker and Clarissa, heartwarming. Kirsten may have a type of man she writes about but each setting is so good and the scenarios are different in each one that you don't get bored. Loved how in this one Joker found love with someone after the life his father gave him. Also, really pleased Aaron seemed to see the error of his ways and was trying to redeem himself. One more thing, love how the club looks out for each other. Yeah, no body can be that cool to everybody. However, who needs reality when we can imagine, bikers, hot bikers even, doing everything for their women and their families. Can't wait for the next one. My husband thinks he's lost me to my Kindle. Maybe, he's still the man, specially since I talked him in to growing a beard, I wonder why?

I originally read these in June 2015 but lost my reviews after Amazon decided to behave in a churlish manner and the only way to separate my Amazon account from my Goodreads was to change my email addy by deleting and starting again.I have read various reviews on this series but I really like them. They are softer than the Dream man series and involve the next generation as well as referring back to the originals like Tack.Carissa knew Carson Steele from high school but when she finds herself stranded on the side of the highway with a flat tyre and a her baby son she doesn't recognise him. He decides to not tell her he recognises her because he didn't believe he was deserving enough to Ride Steady. Carissa to him is the good girl, but when he and the Chaos crew start to understand what her ex husband is doing to her and their son they all step up to help.

Loved this, really loved it. When I read a book that leaves me wanting to hug my Kindle I know I'm on to a winner. This one left me with such happy feels, without the high angst and drama. Ride Steady was very much a relationship driven LOVE story between Joker, Carrie and Travis, and that just melted my heart. I'm cringing with how many times I have said love already and will continue to do so in this review but ... it is what it is :DI love how Joker was with Travis. He took to that little boy so beautifully.I love how honest and open they were with each other, no lies, no underhandedness, no BS - just two straight talkers. For being one of KA's younger couples they acted with quiet strength and maturity - other authors take note .... THIS is how you write NA!!Carrie went through hell and yet never once did she bemoan her fate, she took it on the chin, picked herself up and carried on carrying on. I love that she knew what she wanted and went after it. Joker pushed her away in the beginning which could have become old, but thankfully he got over himself early on and this wasn't made into unnecessary drama.My heart broke for the childhood Joker had, no wonder he was gun-shy with the idea of a relationship with Carrie. His father was vile, a revolting specimen who I wish hadn't been given the page space in the epilogue. That's about the only thing I didn't like - minor really but I loathed him. I also wanted a bit more to the epilogue, this was not one of KA's finest, and hers always rock.I loved the cameos, and there were a lot - even Henry from The Will got a mention :D5 bright and shiny hug my Kindle stars

Carson 'Joker' Steele is one of my favourite KA male characters to date. This man is a hard, impenetrable shell with an equally toughened centre. He only cares about his brothers, this family he's found in Chaos. Joker isn't a funny man, he doesn't make polite conversation, he doesn't open up even to his brothers. Clarissa Teodore has had a bad year, following a tragic life. She's a young, single mom with an ex-husband determined to make her life miserable. She is devoted to her baby Travis. Joker changes her tyre on the highway and Carissa wants to say thank you. This thank you brings her into the Chaos compound. Joker and Clarissa have history, if only Clarissa can remember.This series is superseding Colorado Mountain and The Burg as my preferred KA series. Truly, after Shy Parker, I didn't think I could favour a male biker higher, but Joker has done it. The big reveal was frankly fun to read. Some of the side characters delighted me, including the wonderful Big Petey, Mr Robinson and Travis. Travis was such a enjoyable character but more than anything for what he brought out of Joker, his mum and their relationship."The biker came forward, gloved hands up, caught Travis at his sides and pulled him gently from my arms."I cannot wait for Walk Through Fire because quite frankly this series hits the best spots and leaves my voracious book soul satisfied.Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

I started reading Kristen’s books during lockdown; the books actually brought me together with four friends who are my real life Rock Chicks now.Every time I read a new book, in each series, I think it cannot possibly beat the last.I have probably fallen in love with every main character and wished I was their woman, but Ride Steady left me wanting to write a review and then go right back to the beginning and savour every chapter once more.I think this is a beautiful story of how love can heal the deepest wounds and I loved it.Chaos have definitely made the chaos of life in a winter lockdown bearable.If you like hearts, butterflies and bad ass bikers then you too will love the steady ride with Joker.