Summary
Calista is a fresh widow trying to navigate the world as a young single mother when life throws her and Bear, President of the Hell Hounds MC Dublin Charter, together.
Bikers had never really been her thing, but Bear was proving to be different. If only it was that simple, but she didn’t just have herself to consider.
Calista
The sympathy ringers rang, only I was so damn tired of being looked at with pity – looked at as if I had lost something vital. The truth was that, as terrible as it sounded, I had found my freedom. But that freedom came with the two loves of my life. Being a mother to them was probably the only thing that kept me grounded.
So when he came into the picture, I chalked it up to a passing interest – a fling. Only, I’m starting to learn that once you’re in the Club, there is no such things as a fling.
Bear
She was everything I wasn‘t looking for in a woman, and yet I refused to let her go – refused to let her find any option that didn’t include us.
Review
“I’ve got you-for tonight, and however long we’re doing this thing for”
When one’s identity is dependent on others, it’s difficult to know who they are as an individual. All Cali has ever known is how to be a mother and a wife. She would put everyone before herself. Her children are her world. Somewhere along the way, she lost herself.
When her husband died, her life came apart. How well do you know someone? Her husband was not who everyone thought he was. She’s willing to do anything to make life as normal as possible for her children. Her mother-in-law tries to help out. But Cali
realised that while Susan had been a great help, she also hindered me, ensuring I remained stuck and vulnerable in the way that Tommy had always preferred.
Cali isn’t willing to ask for help; she would rather take care of everything herself.
Even though her brother was part of a Club, she didn’t know anything about Club life. So she judged him by thinking that he did bad things but was not a bad person. Cali goes to Dublin and meets Bear. To protect her, Bear claims her. In her eyes, they’re fake dating. She believes that they’re from two different worlds. It was two different parts of her life that she didn’t want to collide. Bear wants to take care of Cali. He was willing to endure anything for her.
Some people don’t like reading about children in books. I’m not one of those people. I feel like they can enhance the book if written correctly. They can be comic relief, not in a bad way. But sometimes you have to laugh, you know? And children say/do the funniest things.
People want more Bear and Cali. However, I wanted more Bear, Nate, and Hannah. Their relationship was sweet. Considering he didn’t know anything about children, it seems as if it came instinctively to him.
When the ARC came out, I was waiting impatiently all day for it to show up. Whenever I know one of Erin Mc Luckie Moya’s books is out, I want to read it immediately. Everything else is put on the back burner, which is why I always try to finish everything beforehand so that I can focus on her words.
April has been a rough month. And we’re only halfway through. The first time I finished Cautious and Conditional, I was distracted. I didn’t want that to influence my experience, so I put off reviewing it. Instead, I decided to reread it in a few days to give it a fair chance and my undivided attention.
The second time, it was a better experience. Again, it was not good timing, but at least it was better. I over-highlighted and made it almost look like a coloring book. I thought I wouldn’t forget it if I highlighted whatever I liked.
Authors tend to write what they know, so I wonder how much of Erin is in Cautious and Conditional?
I love how Erin spotlights other authors. Seeing glimpses of other books gives readers a taste and gets them interested in reading them.
The epilogue gives you a glimpse of what’s to come. I can’t wait for more from Erin Mc Luckie Moya and the next in the Hell Hounds MC series, Guns and Gags. Even though Cautious and Conditional is part of a series, you can read it as a standalone.
Other quotes I loved:
It felt as if for the first time in a long time that my world wasn’t crumbling-that I wasn’t simply paddling to stay afloat.
I wasn’t certain when I had shed my inhibitions, but in this moment, I was willing to embrace this new version of myself
