Item: Eli's Triumph
Rating: 4
Author: Angie

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Review + Excerpt: Eli’s Triumph by Joanna Wylde

Eli's Triumph by Joanna Wylde
Published by Self Published on 5/7/19
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 186
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From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Joanna Wylde comes a new story in her Reapers MC series…

Peaches Taylor spent the last seven years slinging drinks and dodging drunks at the Starkwood Saloon. Some might call it a dead end job, but to her it was an investment—another six months, and she’d have enough money to buy the place.
Life would've been perfect if Eli hadn’t come home.
Eli King is ready to settle down. He stood by his brothers when they needed him, paying the price for their freedom with his own. Now it’s time to claim his reward—the Starkwood Saloon. He’s got the cash to buy the bar, the skills to run it, and just one person standing between him and his dream: Peaches Taylor.
She’s been driving him crazy since they were kids, and not in the good way. When she was six, she shoved a spider down his pants. When he was ten, he locked her in a closet overnight. Then she hot-wired his car at seventeen, and things got ugly…
They’re adults now, and the Starkwood isn’t a toy to fight over—it’s the hill they’ll die on. No prisoners. No compromises. No mercy.
Peaches Taylor and Eli King are going to war.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

I do love a good love/hate dynamic and holy moly do I love Joanna Wylde’s Reapers. Eli’s Triumph is a delightful little snack that I pretty much ate for lunch, a delicious novella jam packed with push and pull between a biker and his childhood nemesis turned rival coworker. This fast paced story was an enjoyable read, a steamy enemies to lovers romance and a sweet reminder of how much I adore this series.

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Jessica’s Review

The ending of this novella is a little rushed for my taste, I’ll be honest. There’s some things I wished were a bit more detailed, declarations I wished I’d heard. But this IS a novella and this IS a biker romance, so I guess I needed to accept that not every biker is going to be that forthcoming with their feelings. But man, I did long for that little something something. Still, this was an unputdownable novella and I appreciated it for exactly what it was.

There’s a lot about this novella that hit me right in the feels. There’s a bit that left me salivating for more. But all in all, I did enjoy this book quite a lot. I’ve been dying for more from Joanna Wylde and this was exactly what I needed to satiate the craving. Peaches and Eli’s lifetime of mischievous rivalry and steamy sexual tension all plays out in this fast paced read and I ate it right up.

Excerpt

“Kinda desperate, coming here on your night off,” Eli said as I walked up to the bar. “Usually, girls just text me when they want a booty call.” His lips quirked up in a smirk.
“Go to hell,” I replied absently. Where was Gus? The place was mostly empty, just a few of the Reapers hanging out in one of the corner booths. Megan was wiping down tables, and Eli was the only one behind the bar. I frowned, boosting myself up onto one of the bar stools. “Oh, and can I have a rum and Coke?”
Eli leaned forward on his elbows. “Too late. I already did last call for the night.”
“It’s hardly past eleven,” I said, surprised.
“Slow night.” He shrugged. “Decided to close early.”
“I’ve been trying to convince Gus that we should close earlier when it’s like this for the last three years.”
Eli’s mouth quirked up, radiating smugness.
“Gus isn’t in charge anymore.”
My stomach dropped. “Does that mean you signed the papers today? I thought they weren’t ready yet.”
Eli raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t give me a direct answer. Instead, he grabbed a couple of shot glasses and set them out between us. Then he grabbed a bottle of Crown Royal from the shelf behind the bar.
“Eli, did you sign the papers?” I asked again, feeling nervous. He filled the shot glasses. This was starting to look like a celebration, which didn’t make sense.
They weren’t supposed to finalize things until next week.
“Got them today,” he said, and I heard the triumph in his voice. That fucking bastard… It wasn’t enough for him to take the bar from me. Nope. Now, he wanted me to celebrate with him. This was about him winning. Again. “Already looked everything over. We’ll sign them tomorrow morning at the title company. Grab your drink, Peaches. It’s time for us to make a new start.”
Eli caught my eye, raising his glass in a toast.
I briefly considered throwing the shot in his face because I’d be damned if I would concede defeat. If the papers hadn’t been signed yet, I still had a chance to make my offer. Eli didn’t need to know that, though. So, I gave him a strained smile and forced myself to give his glass a token tap. Together, we downed the shots.
He reached for the bottle and started pouring again.
“Are you trying to get me drunk?” I asked, wondering if he had a deeper game. “Because I stole bottles of this shit all the time in high school. It’ll take more than two shots.”
“Not true,” he said. “You always went for the crappy vodka. Easier to water down. Cover the crime.”
He had me. I’d totally done that.

About the Author

Joanna Wylde is the New York Times bestselling author of the Reapers MC series. She started her writing career in journalism, working in two daily newspapers as both a reporter and editor. Her career has taken different paths, from managing a homeless shelter to running her own freelance writing business, where she took on projects ranging from fundraising to ghostwriting for academics. During 2012 she got her first Kindle reader as a gift and discovered the indie writing revolution taking place online. Shortly afterward she published her breakout book, Reaper’s Property, and started writing fiction full time.

Joanna lives in the mountains of northern Idaho with her family.

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