BOOK REVIEW: Free

They say all good things must come to an end, and our last ride with the men and women of Chaos MC is not only bittersweet—it’s also Kristen Ashley’s love letter to a world that has singlehandedly reshaped a genre for so many. A thrill ride start to finish, the series draws to a close with the long-awaited story of Rush Allen and the woman who steals his heart, but it also gives all the other characters in the series their own curtain call, thus paying homage to the many turbulent times Chaos has had to weather through in order to finally ride free into the sunset. In a story of redemption, love, loyalty, change, legacy, and the ties that hold true families together, we are spared no punches as we watch Chaos stand united and rise victorious against enemies old and new. And it’s truly a sight to behold.

“I got a file,” Hawk told him. “I’m givin’ it to you. You read it. Then you get that redhead’s ass out of her porn set director’s chair and back in her bohemian wasteland pad in north Denver. Hank’s troubled. Eddie’s pissed she tied their hands. Jimmy’s considering retirement. They all want her out. She won’t budge. I figure Chaos will have the touch.”
Yeah.
Chaos was gonna have the touch.

Thirty-year-old Rebel Stapleton is no damsel in distress by any stretch of the imagination. She is the kind of woman who, when someone she loves is hurting, is the first one to step in and do whatever it takes to help out—even if that means going undercover and directing porn in order to find her friend’s killer. But when she unexpectedly finds herself in the crosshairs of an old feud between Chaos MC and its enemies, the men of Chaos move quickly to put her under their protection.

“You can try to distance yourself from me, sweetheart, by using that bullshit. But we both know what’s happening here. I’m Rush. You call me Mr. Allen again, I’m clearing the room and we’re gonna have a different kind of lesson.”

As son of the Club’s president, Cole “Rush” Allen has had a front row seat to the many battles fought to clean up Chaos and make it the club that it is today, learning early on in life the true meaning of loyalty, sacrifice, and brotherhood. So when his father’s legacy is suddenly thrust into danger, Rush takes charge not only to protect it, but also to finally tie up all the loose ends that have threatened the Club for too long.

“I’m the man you wanted to be. You’re the man, Dad, I worked hard to turn out to be.”

A beautiful redhead caught in the midst of it all is an unexpected complication, but one that Rush wastes no time in exploring, and the more he learns about the woman who went all in to avenge a dead friend, the more his gut tells him to pull out all the stops to make her his. And underneath her bluster and bravado, he ends up discovering a woman who loves deeply and selflessly, a woman who doesn’t hesitate with her heart, a woman aching to belong to somebody. As Rush and Rebel dive head on into a relationship that both of them are more than ready for, old enemies of Chaos begin to creep closer and closer, forcing the Club to face once and for all some of the darkest skeletons from its past.

“Are you for real?” she asked like she wasn’t talking to him.
He dug his fingers into her flesh gently. “Do I feel real?”
“Physically, yes. Other ways, it’s like I made you up.”

An intense and most satisfying finale to a series I’ve loved from the get-go, the love story between Rush and Rebel felt almost secondary at times to the closure we are given as a major story arc in the series is finally resolved. The romantic relationship build-up we’ve come to expect from Kristen Ashley is missing in favour of tying up the series and give all its characters the loving send-off they deserve, and I did not mind that one bit. I was still smiling long past the last page, remembering all that this series has made me feel over the years, and looking forward to all that it’ll make me feel again on every future re-read.

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Chaos - Recommended Reading Order

(standalone stories with interconnected characters)