Book Review: Still Standing (Wild West MC #1) by Kristen Ashley

As soon as Still Standing hit my Kindle, I dropped everything to read it. The Chaos series is one of my all-time favorites, so I was expecting a lot when I started reading this. I was not disappointed. Get ready for an intense, drama-filled, wild ride in this new series by Kristen Ashley.

Still Standing (Wild West MC #1) by Kristen Ashley

When Clara Delany walks into the Aces High Motorcycle Club’s hangout, she’s hit rock bottom. She’s hiding her car from the repo man, she has less than two dollars in her bank account and the only employment she can get is delivering messages for a criminal.

All because of a man. Therefore, she’s sworn off them.

And then she meets West “Buck” Hardy, president of the Aces High MC.

Buck also meets her, and the minute he does, he makes it clear (to everyone but Clara) that they’re starting something. Since Clara doesn’t get that message, she decides to leave Buck and sort out her life in order to come back to him clean.

She’s not gone but hours before life hits Clara with another blow. Which means Buck and his boys have to ride in and save the day. After that, Buck makes no bones about where they stand.

But does he?

5 out of 5 stars

Still Standing was simply amazing. Beautiful. Raw. Gritty. Passionate. Intense. It was filled with so many incredible moments I couldn't get enough. Clara and Bucks' journey was phenomenal!

The first 10% totally hooked me. Clara was so kindhearted and caring, and I loved her personality. She had a painful history and my heart broke for her. I enjoyed watching her move forward and do what she had to do to survive, she had so much strength and I loved that tenacity. Buck was totally alpha but also smooth and charismatic, and I instantly loved him. He was the perfect combination of rough and sweet. When they first meet, their connection was instant and I loved that pull between them. I was excited for things to come together for Clara and when it happens, I was elated for her because I knew she had found her people. I was thrilled when Buck shared his history, I loved learning about him, he’s a man full of layers. The details, execution, and build to Clara and Buck’s story were incredibly well done and when they finally get there, my heart pretty much exploded.

I loved the world that’s been introduced in the Wild West MC series. This was an outstanding story filled with layers and depth, as well as all-new, gritty characters with their own set of rules and dynamics that pulled me in and made me fall in love with them. Besides the characters from the Aces High MC, there were some other really exceptional ones involved that brought so much to the story creating really wonderful moments. I loved Buck’s kids and all the angst, tension, and drama they brought in and how everything evolved with them.

There were moments that frustrated me, made me want to yell, and made me immensely sad on so many levels, but I loved it all because I felt like I was on this journey with them. I loved that things weren't always as they seemed and I pretty much held my breath waiting for everything to play out. There was drama and action and I loved it all. And when I say drama, holy wow was there drama. Some of it was heartbreaking, always intense. I love how those poignant moments kept the story moving forward, making it fuller, creating some really standout, heartfelt moments. It's the intensity of those building details and everything coming to light that made for the best ending, and as always, a fantastic epilogue.

There are new bad guys to contend with, new people to love and root for, and seeds being laid for future stories. This was a great series starter that was incredibly world-building. There were character connections to the Chaos series as well as other characters from a few other series and I ate that up. I also love when the title of the book is brought into the story and I thought it was incredibly well done, creating a beautiful moment. I loved Buck and Clara immensely, everything coming together, and the happiness and healing taking place. From beginning to end, this was an all-consuming story.