Under Locke

Product Information

I loved Iris. Her life story made her interesting, real and not whiny. Life dealt her some horrible blows, but instead of being bitter or negative, she focused on the positive and tried not to get upset with the things she couldn't change. This book have truly been a great surprise to me. Motorcycles Club are REALLY not my thing, and I REALLY don't have patience for neither Alpha Males and not so much to SUCH long books (unless it's a PNR with a longer world building) so this one - being so capturing and engaging was so NOT what I was expecting. Yeah Dex got on my nerves a few times and yeah, Iris could be a bit annoying with the worshiping of Dex's perfect body but truth be told, it simply didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. The book just held me on the edge of my seat and all those little things didn't bother me that much. Even Dex's behavior at the beginning, since I knew there's going to be some sort of redemption on his part, I looked for it from the start and saw not this horrible guy, but someone who has struggled all his life with his temper, a closed off man who doesn't know how to truly rely on others. Iris was everything he needed as well, someone to ground him. It was beautiful to see him change yet in a genuine way. He didn't become a whole different person, no, it was more realistic than that. x ♾️ Reading this for the second time just brought me so much comfort and joy. I loved it just as much as the first time I read it. It was just perfection! This is a slow burn but compared to other books by MZ, it was not that slow. Their first kiss was at 58% so that’s pretty early compared to her other books. I wasn’t complaining though 😮‍💨🤭 So in my head it made sense that my work day had been spent A)ignoring Dex, B)avoiding Dex, and C)getting to know my coworkers slowly."

That's not necessarily a bad thing. In lieu of a roller coaster ride, we had a slow burn. I love it when attraction gradually evolves into love. This book had the makings of something great:

Luther. What was the deal between him and his son Trip? Luther made a statement the he thought Dex was more his son rather than Trip. What is with this feeling? Why? We will probably never know... But honestly, I totally loved Iris. She had loads of self respect. Was she insecure and naive at times? Sure. But at the core she was strong. Despite saying how hot Dex was about 10000x times she didn’t once act like she lost her brain cells because of it. The "love scenes" were simmering with so many beefy and meaty shafts, as well as mushroom and bulbous heads, that I wasn't sure if the characters were making love or cooking Beef Stroganoff. It was a little weird, I guess. Growing up, it'd just been Will and me. Being the oldest, I'd always been the one watching out for my younger brother; the person to threaten to rip organs out of orifices if he wasn't left alone. I'd been the protector. The one who cleaned his butt when he was too little to do it himself without smearing more poop than he actually wiped.

She also has a giant dog, a job she usually loves, and more than enough family and friends — but still, something feels off. I kept looking at him while he closed the distance between us, a portfolio shoved under one long, muscular arm that drew my attention to the inches of colorful red skin the cut of his shirt showed tattooed on his chest. I'd been too far away at Mayhem to see more than just splotches of heavy color on his skin.

Under Locke by Mariana Zapata Summary

I held my hands out for him to see how badly they were shaking. “I’m thinking that I love you so much it scares me. See?” Iris Taylor, aka "Ritz", has recently moved to Austin. Iris is broke and looking for a fresh start, after death and disease have upended her life. She is staying with her half-brother, Sonny, who has hooked her up with a job at a tattoo shop owned by his friend, Dex.

All of this assured me that I'd avoided having to interact much with my boss. The owner. The bleeding mouth sore. With no job opportunities pounding on her door, an ex-boyfriend she would still like to castrate, and no end in sight to moving out of her parents’ house in Dallas… it would be dumb to say no to the chance of a lifetime. Two bands, three continents, one tour. Spending the next ninety-plus days with three beloved idiots and eight complete strangers shouldn’t be a big deal, right? It's also one of those books where she hates him, he acts like an asshole, sexual tension and then floodgates of mushy love. R.S. Grey is a beloved contemporary New Adult author known for her humorous novels that feature strong alpha males and the journey from hate to love and from friends to lovers. Oh, and I hate how much Iris felt sorry for herself. It made me feel less sorry for her because of it. Having gone through everything that she had, I would think she'd have a little tougher skin. But if someone so much as looked at her funny her lip started quivering. It just didn't feel believable that she could be that meek with that upbringing. I mean, I'm not even that meek and life hasn't handed me that many lemons.

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

With an ever-growing fan base, Mariana Zapata has become a must-read author for lovers of contemporary and romance fiction. So yeah. A GREAT novel. Really recommend it. Put your judgement on the side and give Dex and Iris a chance to show you how even flawed people deserve a chance in love.

Anyway, it was as good as I remembered. I’ve noticed things that escaped me before - or rather, I didn’t appreciate as much before. I was saying a million Hell Yes’es in my head while Iris was giving Dex some lessons in human interaction 101 lol.

Not only that but she’s the only one he’s ever been with that he’s completely BARE with, in EVERY way- from his body (no barrier needed 😉), to his mind, to his private collections of collectibles and memorabilia, to his inner turmoils and thoughts- no one else has gotten that from him, and they learn to trust each other- which means that when they finally move forward in their relationship, it is a SOLID foundation 🥰❤️. Gahhhh. I just love him.