Post a Review of A DISTURBING PROSPECT (Pretty Please)

If you’ve read A Disturbing Prospect, please post a review! Reviews are for readers, not authors, but they do help me out quite a bit.

There are quite a few myths about reviews—sorry, 50 or more reviews don’t trigger Amazon marketing—so here’s how they actually help.

  • They help other readers decide if my book is The One for them
  • They show other readers that my book has actually been read by real people
  • They help me determine what is working and what I need to improve

If you could post a review for A Disturbing Prospect, whether you loved or hated it, I’d really appreciate it!

Not sure how to post a review? Here are some tips!

  • Say what you liked and didn’t like about the book
  • Tell people what your favorite and least favorite parts were
  • Let people know if it was too spicy, not spicy enough, or just right
  • Mention whether it met your expectations for a biker romance

Where to post your review:

Thank you so much!

My Favorite Revenge Quotes, Part I

Revenge is my favorite trope, no matter what the genre. It’s got to be justified, which is a whole other blog post, but as long as I can empathize with the antihero/heroine, I’m here for it.

Many of my favorite stories have revenge as a theme or element. My love for vigilante justice goes all the way back to watching The Crow while sleeping over my cousin’s. The aesthetic of the movie and graphic novel make my goth heart happy, but the concept of the crow choosing someone to bring back for revenge, for one night only, gives me warm tingles all the way down to my toes.

Here are some of my favorite revenge quotes. Follow me on Instagram for more!


“I’m a fighter. I believe in the eye-for-an-eye business. I’m no cheek turner. I got no respect for a man who won’t hit back. You kill my dog, you better hide your cat.”

-Muhammad Ali


“Revenge is a confession of pain.”

-Latin Proverb


“We should forgive our enemies, but not before they’re hanged.”

-Heinrich Heine


“When seeking revenge, dig two graves—one for yourself.”

-Douglas Horton


“An eye for an eye is never enough. Never, never, never.”

-Adrian Phoenix


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Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash

Trigger Warnings for A FATAL PROSPECT

Here are the potential triggers for A Fatal Prospect.

  • Drug and Alcohol Use: Some characters use drugs and drink alcohol.
  • Childhood Sexual Assault: Several characters have a history of being molested as children.
  • Guns and Violence: My vigilante bikers use guns to fight the bad guys, as well as other violent means of taking out the trash.
  • PTSD: Multiple characters experience flashbacks, anxiety, anger, and other symptoms of PTSD.
  • Sexual Assault of a Minor: A character under the age of 18 is sexually assaulted (off page).

This book will break you. Have tissues ready.
(I promise, Cliff and Olivia get their HEA in the fourth and final book!)

If you feel that you won’t be safe reading A Fatal Prospect, please don’t risk your health. As a rape survivor and someone with PTSD, I wish many books came with a list of trigger warnings. No book is worth your well-being.

Please also note that I don’t necessarily condone or endorse the themes contained in this book. I do, however, wish it was legal to kill rapists.

If you’ve read A Fatal Prospect and feel that I may have missed something, please email me at elizabethbaronebooks@gmail.com.


A Fatal Prospect
River Reapers MC, Book 3

Cover Reveal: April 14th
Release Day: April 28th
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Our enemies of past and present are uniting to put us in our graves. Not even death would destroy our love, but death isn’t the only thing that’s fatal…

Cliff

I’ve finally got Olivia, but she can’t give me the two things I want most: three words so I know I’m not in this alone, and a family so I can redeem all the horrible things I’ve done. My past is still chasing me, and the only way I can let it go is if I stop running and face it. I can’t allow the monster in my blood to take over, but it’s rising to the surface and I can’t fight it much longer.

Olivia

After all I’ve been through, I’m never giving away my heart, even if my heart has other plans. War strikes before Cliff and I get a chance to figure it out. When a teen football player is unspeakably violated, only my club can avenge him. A rival motorcycle club from the past is also looking for revenge, just as I realize my true feelings for Cliff.

When someone betrays us, we’ll pay the ultimate price, in both blood and love…

A FATAL PROSPECT is the third book in the River Reapers MC series, a dark romance with a body count. Some content may be disturbing to some readers.

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Meet the River Reapers: Olivia Reynolds

Olivia is bartending her way through college at the River Reapers’ hangout, living by two simple rules: love ’em and leave ’em, and live loud. She doesn’t have time for her mom’s disappearing acts, and she definitely doesn’t have time to fall in love with ex-con Cliff, who just walked out of prison and into her life.

Goal: Olivia is finishing up her degree to become a social worker so she can help kids who are growing up in the system like her.

First Appears In: A Disturbing Prospect

Age: 21

Drink of Choice: tequila shots with lime and salt

Anthem:

It’s like there are two versions of me. There’s rabbit Olivia, the girl who froze and stuffed it all down until she couldn’t remember anymore. Then there’s biker Olivia, the woman who isn’t afraid to take back what belongs to her.

Who I’d Cast If There was a Movie: Emmy Rossum


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Wanna Get Married? No, Seriously

It was our five-year dating anniversary, and I was a nervous wreck.

I tore through my bins of clothes, trying to settle on something to wear. I just had this feeling Mike was going to propose, and I was on the verge of freaking out. See, before him, I never wanted to get married, and the thought of being engaged was terrifying. Mostly because it was a huge step, a leap of faith. I knew I could trust him with my heart, my body, my soul, but forever?

I knew the proposal was coming, though.

We had this running bit, where one of us would say or do something the other loved, and we’d jokingly say, “I wanna marry you. Wanna get married?” and the other would reply, “Sure.” It was our way of having the “Wanna get married someday?” conversation without the pressure. We’d been doing it more and more, and when he asked me out to dinner for our anniversary, he seemed nervous.

Hence my whirlwind through my clothing.

We went to our favorite gourmet Chinese restaurant, this place about 40 minutes away that was a bit out of our budget. He was being so weird, just visibly nervous, ramping up my nerves. After we finished eating, I excused myself to the bathroom where I gave myself a pep talk.

“He’s gonna do it when you get back out there. Don’t freak out. You love him. You want to spend your life with him. Just say yes! You can do it.”

I dried my hands and walked calmly back to our table. I sat down and the waiter brought our bill. I braced myself. This was it.

Mike paid the bill, then asked if I was ready to go.

I gaped at him. I’d completely misread the situation. I wanted to laugh at myself. I’d worked myself up into such a state of anxiety, all over a story I’d made up in my head. Smoothing out my face, I walked out with him to the car.

My car was out of commission, so we’d borrowed my mom’s. We drove in comfortable silence, listening to the radio. For the first time all night, I was able to relax. It’d happen eventually. I was in no rush.

We got on the highway, still chit-chatting. I don’t even remember what we were talking about. Keeping his voice light, he glanced over at me. “Wanna get married?”

“Sure,” I replied, thinking nothing of it. It was our thing.

“No, seriously. Do you want to get married?”

“Yes,” I said, still not thinking anything of it.

“Then let’s go to my sister’s. She has the ring.”

If he hadn’t been driving, I would’ve jumped into his arms. Instead I forced myself to stay calm, and made some phone calls telling our family and friends. Noni was the first person I called.

We got married a few years later.

HER MERCY Glossary

While reading Her Mercy, there might be some terms you aren’t familiar with, or places you need a refresher for. I’ve put together a glossary of biker slang and club roles, as well as terms special to the River Reapers MC, plus locations.

Looking for the character guide? Click here!

Cara’s: A diner on 63 that many of the River Reapers frequent Cara’s.

Colors: A logo of sorts that adorns the back of MC members’ cuts. Usually embroidered onto the leather. The River Reapers colors is the Sludge Specter—a sludge-covered reaper that is a nod to the polluted Naugatuck River.

Cut: The leather jacket or vest that members of a club wear, usually with the club’s insignia embroidered onto the back, and various patches sewn on.

Enforcer: Sort of a bouncer for the club… or the guy who sorts things out when talking doesn’t work.

Hangaround: A non-member who hangs out with the MC, often at The Wet Mermaid. Usually other motorcycle enthusiasts and even non-rival bikers.

House Mouse: A woman who is unaffiliated with but hangs out with the club.

Holeshot: When someone in a motor vehicle rips up gravel. It’s also the fastest driver during a race. Not a biker term, but a reader asked about it, so I figured I’d include it. It also used to be my dad’s CB handle.

Ol’ Lady / Ol’ Man: Girlfriend/boyfriend, usually serious.

One-kicker: In A Disturbing Prospect, Cliff mentions that he isn’t a one-kick wonder yet; this means that he can’t start his bike with just one kick of the starter.

One-percenter: A club that is involved with illegal activity.

Lewisburg: The prison that both Cliff and Mercy served time in.

MC: Motorcycle club

Naugatuck, CT: The dying industrial town where the series takes place. Also a real town near where I grew up.

Naugatuck River: A river that cuts through Naugatuck and Waterbury. Known nationally in real life for its chemical pollution. More recently, there was an oil spill. Some say the river is cursed.

Patch: This can refer to the patch on a biker’s cut, or the verb—as in, getting patched in, meaning being accepted as a member.

President: The member who oversees club activities, duties, and operations.

Prospect: A potential member.

Pussy Pad: The seat on the back of the bike, usually where a biker’s ol’ lady rides.

River Reapers MC: A fictional motorcycle club named for the Naugatuck River.

Rocker: A curved patch that is usually placed on the side or back of a cut. Usually designates the club’s name.

Sergeant-at-Arms: The member who handles club rules, patches, etc. Also sometimes weapons. (In some MCs, the SAA and Enforcer are interchangeable terms for the same role.)

Sludge Specter: A patch awarded only to members willing to do anything for the MC, who have actually gone above and beyond member duties. Also refers to the MC’s colors.

“Take them to the river”: A River Reapers phrase referring to killing someone—usually determined by a club vote. Example: When the original members voted to kill Bastard for molesting Lucy, they voted whether to take him to the river. Bodies are often buried on the Naugatuck River front, making it a more literal phrase.

Treasurer: The member who takes care of funds. Also organizes activities, fundraisers, and other club events.

Vice President: Second-in-command, usually coordinates Church and other events, and also takes over President roles in case that member can’t perform his duties.

The Wet Mermaid: The strip club owned by the River Reapers. The business is under Treasurer Mark’s name.

Her Mercy is exclusively for River Reapers MC fan club members. Click here to download your copy!

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HER MERCY Character Guide

As the River Reapers MC series grows, you might have a hard time keeping track of all the characters. (I know I do, sometimes!) The following is an appendix of the characters and their relationships as of the novella Her Mercy. This novella can be read as a standalone, and takes place between Books 2 and 3 in the series.) Find those books here.

  • Abraham: Non-officer member of the River Reapers MC. He is a barber and is in a serious relationship with his boyfriend Rui.
  • Beer Can: The Sergeant-at-Arms for the River Reapers MC. He works at The Wet Mermaid (strip club) as a bouncer.
  • Mark Clayton: The Treasurer for the River Reapers MC. He works at The Wet Mermaid (strip club) as a general manager.
  • Sebastian “Bastard” Demmel: Cliff’s deceased father, and the previous President of the River Reapers MC. Lucy’s uncle.
  • Cliff Demmel: The hero of our story. Ex-con and new Prospect of the River Reapers MC. Lucy’s cousin. Olivia’s… something.
  • Lucy Demmel: Cliff’s cousin and Olivia’s adoptive sister. She teaches first grade.
  • Nora & Collin Demmel: Lucy’s parents, Olivia’s adoptive parents, and Cliff’s aunt and uncle.
  • Gavin: Enforcer in 1997.
  • Todd “Ravage” Harris: The current President of the River Reapers MC. Mercy’s best friend. Was the Sergeant-at-Arms in 1997.
  • Shannon Harris: Ravage’s ol’ lady. She runs a non-profit for sexual assault survivors.
  • Donny Jackson: A non-officer member in 1997. The current Enforcer for the River Reapers MC and Esther’s ol’ man.
  • Bree Reynolds: Olivia’s mother, whereabouts unknown.
  • Malcolm: Non-officer member of the River Reapers MC in 1997.
  • Mercer “Mercy” Reynolds: The previous Vice President of the River Reapers MC, and Bastard’s ex-best friend. Currently serving time in maximum security at Lewisburg. Considers Ravage his best friend.
  • Olivia Reynolds: The heroine of our story. Lucy’s adopted sister. Cliff’s… something. Bree’s daughter. She just graduated from the Social Work program with Esther (roommate) at Southern Connecticut State University.
  • Skid: A Prospect in 1997. The current Vice President of the River Reapers MC. Half of his body is covered in road rash due to a motorcycle accident, hence his nickname.
  • Ruth Wood: Cliff’s deceased mother, and Lucy’s aunt. No affiliation with the MC, other than Bastard’s ol’ lady.
  • Zed: Non-officer member of the River Reapers MC in 1997.

Please note that I excluded a few characters and details from this list in order to keep the book spoiler-free. Did I miss a character or a (spoiler-free) connection? Please email me and let me know!

Is there a glossary or guide you’d like to see for the River Reapers series? Leave a comment and let me know!

Read Her Mercy For FREE

Get the novella for free when you join the River Reapers MC fan club. Click here to download your copy!

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Photo by Dane Deaner on Unsplash

A Recap of A RISKY PROSPECT

There’s a lot happening in these River Reapers MC books, so you’re bound to forget something. Shoutout to Molli Moran for suggesting I write up recaps. I decided to do them as blog posts instead, as Amazon only allows for 10 percent of bonus content in an ebook.

Are you looking for the recap for Book 1, A Disturbing Prospect? Click here.

Before You Read

Take a look at potential triggers, and check out the glossary of biker terms. There’s also a handy character guide.

Spoiler alert! If you haven’t read A Risky Prospect, this recap will spoil the plot and ending. Consider picking up a copy instead!

Previously in the River Reapers MC series…

Olivia and her roommate Esther are about to graduate with Bachelor’s degrees in social work. Their plans are interrupted when Esther gets horrible news: her younger sisters are being given back to her parents, who sexually and physically abused all of them. Esther tells Olivia, Cliff, and MC Enforcer Donny about her father raping her, triggering Olivia’s memories of her own rape. Olivia, who just took a position as a DCF social worker, promises Esther to help get her sisters back.

Both Olivia and Esther miss the graduation ceremony, and Olivia and Cliff are running late to meet her parents for lunch. Before they head to the restaurant, Cliff asks Olivia to move in with him and she turns him down. Tensions between them worsen when Olivia’s parents give Cliff the cold shoulder.

On our way back to The Wet Mermaid, I let her take the lead. Something inside my chest swells, expanding until I can barely breathe. Pride and other emotions thicken in my throat. Despite everything, here she is, a real life hero ready to step out and save the world.

I just hope she hasn’t become tainted by me, the villain.

Away from my aunt and uncle, I feel less on edge. Everything is simpler. I don’t have to watch what I say or how I eat my food. By the time we reach the club house, I’m myself again. I let Olivia go inside first.

The guys whoop and whistle, holding up drinks to toast her and Esther.

“Congratulations, sweetheart,” Mark says, giving her a hug and kiss on the cheek.

“Let me hug my goddaughter,” Ravage interrupts. He engulfs Olivia in a bear hug. “I’m proud of you, baby.”

“Thanks, Pres.” She moves away from me through the crowd, toward the bar.

“You good?” Ravage asks me.

“He’s had a rough day,” Lucy says from beside me.

“Hey.” I wrap her in a hug, careful not to crush the flowers she brought for Olivia. “I didn’t know if you were coming.”

“I wouldn’t miss the real party.” She kisses my cheek. “That was fun, huh?”

“I need a drink.” I nod toward the bar, where Olivia is yelling at the poor young woman making drinks in her place.

The crowd parts for me and Lucy, and I lead her toward two empty bar stools.

“Are you two okay?” she shouts over the music. “I caught a vibe.”

I scoff at her over my shoulder. “Like the vibe between you and the waiter?”

“Waiter?” She tries to smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

“Is he the would-be fiancé, Luce?”

Her eyes tighten, lips flattening.

A dance brings Olivia and Cliff closer, until the night’s band takes the stage. The lead singer is all too familiar to Olivia, and she goes running from the club to avoid him. Cliff doesn’t put the two together and thinks that she’s still upset with him. Before they can talk, Ravage pulls Olivia aside to let her know that her father is getting out of prison and she is to go pick him up.

Hoping to smooth things over between them, Cliff offers to take her place so that she can also start her new job and, hopefully, help Esther and the girls.

On Monday, Olivia starts looking at Esther’s case, with her own trauma and convictions jeopardizing her other cases. She also starts investigating her ex, Greg, who raped her. Cliff picks up Mercy, who takes off as soon as they get home, hoping to find Bree, Olivia’s mother. Olivia is devastated when she finds out.

Flashbacks plague Olivia during all hours of the day. When she runs into Greg at the club again, she runs. Cliff follows, and she tells him.

“Greg got married.” Her voice is so low, I have to strain to hear her. “Her name is Cami, and right now, his hands might be around her neck. Or he’s having sex with her when she doesn’t want to.” She tenses in my arms. “I let him do this to another woman.”

The blood in my veins turns to ice, then boils. Every muscle in my body contracts, straining, fingers itching to wrap around his neck. My fists feel hot and heavy, battering rams attached to my arms. “He raped you.”

“That sums up all of the awful things he did to me, yes.”

I’m torn between staying here with her and flying back to the club. I want to yank him off that stage, bludgeon him with his own guitar. Then it hits me.

She told me.

She trusts me.

I can’t break that by racing off to kill him. Olivia let me in—something I never thought would happen. I’ll be damned if I leave her here now.

I pick her up, carrying her to our motorcycles out front. I sit her on mine and straddle it, her arms wrapping around me. She nestles into my back, and I take us back to her place with the heat of her body keeping me grounded. Keeping me with her.

In her bed, I tuck her into my side and hold her until she falls asleep. I don’t sleep at all.

All I can think about are the thousand ways I will kill him the next time I see him.

Olivia’s confession brings them closer, and she realizes that Cliff is in love with her. To distract herself, she buries herself in Esther’s case. Because Esther’s parents have done everything they were supposed to do, it seems that DCF’s—and Olivia’s—hands are tied. When Esther’s parents kidnap the girls, the MC intervenes. Olivia and Esther kill her parents, and the club makes it look like they skipped town. DCF gives Esther guardianship of the girls.

Olivia tells the MC about Greg, and they vote to kill him. Before they can make solid plans to take him out, Greg lures Olivia to his house and attempts to kill her. Realizing that she needs to do whatever it takes to survive, she plays into his desire for her and pretends that she is getting back together with him. She gets him into a vulnerable position by having sex with him, and when he is off guard, she kills him.

Cliff walks in at the last minute, stunned but dedicated to her as always. He and the rest of the club make it look like an accidental fire started, and everyone tries to move forward with their lives. Olivia seeks help for her PTSD, and Cliff starts a new job so that he has something else to focus on beside his feelings for her. Olivia realizes that she doesn’t feel the same about Cliff but does care about him, so she makes the commitment to be with him fully. No one has heard from Mercy or Bree, and Olivia begins to fear the worst: either she’s been abandoned again, or they are dead…

The story continues in Book 3 of the River Reapers MC series, coming soon.

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Who sat at the River Reapers MC table in 1997?

As you read Her Mercy, I thought I’d share with you the 10 original members and one Prospect who sat at the table in 1997. The novella takes place during A Risky Prospect, with flashbacks to 1997, right before Cliff went to prison (and right before Olivia was born).

President: Sebastian “Bastard” Demmel

Vice President: Mercer “Mercy” Reynolds

Enforcer: Gavin

Sergeant-at-Arms: Todd “Ravage” Harris

Treasurer: Mark Clayton

Member: Zed

Member: Abraham

Member: Donny Jackson

Member: Beer Can

Member: Malcolm

Prospect: Skid

Some of these faces will be familiar to you. The rest, you’ll get to know in the novella… and future books in the series!

Read Her Mercy Now

Keep Mercy & Bree for Your Shelf


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