Raiden Out the Storm

Raiden Out the Storm

by C.M. Moore

4 out of 5

Synopsis
In the kind of rough and tumble life they lead, Raiden knows there is no place for love…
Raiden refuses his connection to Ash Winsor. She’s mean. She insults him. And she carries a big gun. He won’t have her. He should get away from her, but how? As soon as they can find the man who tied their heartstrings together, they’ll go their separate ways. All they have to do is get to H.S.P.C. headquarters building and pay him off. Raiden hopes that once he’s free, he’ll be able to go back to trekking on the surface of the planet and sending money home to his dad. He should be able to forget all about Ash and her handsome shadow.

Love has kept Stone as Ash Winsor’s shadow for two years. He can’t bring himself to leave her even though the relationship is painful and going in circles. When he finds out that Ash is now tied to another man, Stone wants nothing more than to see Raiden gone. Together they will both follow King Winsor from train to train. Stone is hoping against hope that the rough and troubled harvester will one day choose him, and Raiden will no longer be at their side.

Lying has become as natural to Ashley Winsor as breathing. Ash had made sure Stone thinks she’s a man. She has also made sure Raiden doesn’t know how much she needs him. If Ash can just make the trek to the headquarters building, she will be free of the two men who want her more than anything. The only problem is, the closer she gets to her goal, the more she wonders if she wants them gone.



Review
Raiden, Ash and Stone are three men trying to survive and earn a living in a dead world. A chance encounter soon binds this threesome in ways they never expected.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

OK, I put "men", but actually Ash is a woman that pretends to be a guy, because it's safer. And frankly, no one would mess with the "King" of the trains.

I believe this is the fourth book in the Off-The-Rails series. I haven't read the others, but I believe they're stand-alones, following different couples (or in this case, threesomes). 
To start with I felt like I was thrown in the deep-end, with some characters that are only familiar to those that have read the other books. But this soon levels out, as it focuses in on Raiden, Ash and Stone.

It's really fun, as Raiden can't stand Ash, a brutal "man" that doesn't have a kind bone in his body. And Ash wants nothing to do with Raiden, a lowly dog, known for trading sex for food.
(BTW, the dog insults were rather hilarious, and do continue throughout the book with a creativity I can only admire!)
Their heartstrings our bound together when Ash corners a guy with magic (I assume it's magic, this is sketchy), and tries to throw him off the train.
It's entertaining to watch them try to deny their attraction, and the friction that happens with Stone, Ash's shadow. Poor Stone has been in love with Ash for a couple of years, even though he doesn't realise she's a woman.

The story follows the struggling relationships between our trio, with plenty of hot sex along the way.
I was pleasantly surprised by the consistent background of the post-apoc world. There were enough details to support the story, and ignite my curiosity; but it didn't overtake the romance side of things. (It's one of my pet peeves when the "story" is simply sex and main charries.)

Overall, despite a sketchy opening, this was a fun read, and I would be interested in reading the rest of the books to find out more.

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