She’s the town brainiac, fifth of nine children, the good girl who constantly hides her mental acumen. He’s a biker and a member of the Reign of Terror, the motorcycle club that everyone in town knows to avoid. When an accidental encounter at senior year orientation leads to an unexpected agreement, Breanna and Thomas—or Razor, as he’s known on the road—find themselves falling for one another. Both have depths of character that their outward personalities don’t always reflect, and both are haunted by past secrets that threaten to overwhelm them. Breanna’s family disapproves of the Terror, and the Terror in turn is skeptical of outsiders. When a fellow teen with an agenda of his own threatens to publicize an innocent but incriminating photo of them, the stakes become even higher. Can Breanna’s code-breaking skills help Razor resolve the mystery surrounding his mother’s death? Is Razor exactly what Breanna needs to break out of the box she’s intentionally built around her identity? Will their relationship blossom, or will conflicting loyalties tear them apart?
Told in alternating points of view, this second Thunder Road novel weaves timely issues like neurological differences, families of choice and social media bullying into the classic good-girl/bad-boy love story fabric. The rituals, rules and unflinching faithfulness of the Reign of Terror motorcycle club is portrayed with loving nuance, and Breanna and Razor’s interactions are sensuously, but not graphically, described. This is a great choice for a teen seeking a steamy but non-explicit contemporary romance.
Jill Ratzan matches readers with books in a small library in southeastern Pennsylvania.
