RELEASE DAY NOVELLA REVIEW: Bomb: A Day in the Life of Spencer Shrike

Bomb: A Day in the Life of Spencer Shrike (A Rook and Ronin Spinoff), by J.A. Huss
Published February 17, 2014
Publisher: self-published
Format: e-book, provided by author in exchange for an honest review
Genre:  new adult/adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon

Rating:  5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Spencer Shrike is a plotter. Known for his ingenious, albeit illegal, plans that keeps the Team running efficiently and out of jail, he carries this same love of order into his personal life. He’s kept his long-time main squeeze on the sidelines for years as he builds the Shrike Bikes empire.

Veronica Vaughn is an explosion ready to happen. Ronnie lives in the here and now. She lives for today. She knows what she wants, and she wants it now. And right now Ron the Bomb Vaughn wants Spencer shrike to leave her the hell alone. She’s done playing his game. She’s done waiting around. She’s moving forward with her own plots, plans, and dreams and she’s moving forward tonight. Ron the Bomb is finally—finally—gonna get some satisfaction.

Too bad Spencer Shrike is standing in her way.

J.A. Huss - the things you do to me. She has created this holy trinity of hot men, all of which make my legs turn to spaghetti and my lady bits tingle. First there was Ronin. The beauty. The model. And, he found forever with Rook. Then came Ford. The brains. The deviant. And, all it took to give him purpose was Ashleigh. 

And, now it's Spencer's turn. The brawn. The biker. And, the only girl for him is his Bombshell, Veronica.

In Bomb, we take a peek at a day in the life of Spencer Shrike, owner and operator of Shrike Bikes. Spencer is a really busy guy. He's building a new facility, getting ready for a new season of his reality TV show, and trying to keep his girl from dumping him for good. He's been together with Veronica Vaughn for the better part of three years, and now with the mess he's in with Ronin and Ford, he's just trying to keep her safe. Unfortunately, that means, he has to pretend like he doesn't care about her, and that is tearing him up. 

Bomb shows us that there is so much more substance to Spencer Shrike than you could've imagined. What do we already know about him from the Rook and Ronin series? Spencer is an artist. He can paint masterpieces on naked women. He can build beautiful custom motorcycles from nothing. He wears his art on his skin in the tattoos he designed. Spencer is also protective of his friends. He always has their backs, which usually means, he's willing to physically take out anyone that stands in their way, to hell with the consequences. 

Spencer is smart. He built his business from the ground up, and he runs it well. And, we know that Spencer Shrike loves Veronica Vaughn. What we didn't know was just how much. 

In Bomb, we see how the two of them met and how taken he was with her from the first time he saw her. We see how Ronnie's feisty spirit meshes so well with Spencer's intensity. But, the biggest surprise is the lengths that Spencer will go to to keep her in his life. He always fronted as a player - as someone who wouldn't be serious about any one girl. Like I said - Spencer is smart. Everyone has been thinking exactly what he wanted them to think. But, the truth of the matter is, he is serious about Ronnie. And, if he can just hold it together for a few more weeks, he can come clean to her and they can start their lives together. 

There was so much information packed into this Rook and Ronin spinoff novella. We get some backstory on Spencer and Ronnie's relationship. We get the lowdown on Spencer's current situations, both with his upcoming trial and with his biggest business competitor. And we see the framework being laid for his future plans with both his business and with his girl. 

Bomb is told entirely from Spencer's POV. It is exciting, funny, incredibly sexy, and believe it or not, really romantic. Although reading this isn't necessary to understand what will happen in Guns, Spencer's full-length novel due out in a few months, I definitely recommend reading this first. Guns will be the final book set in the Rook and Ronin world, and it promises to be absolutely explosive. Take all the time with these characters that you can now, because soon it will be all over.