Long Way Home by Katie McGarry

Long Way Home
by Katie McGarry
Read: February 3 - 6, 2017

Published: January 31, 2017 by Harlequin Teen

Source: Ebook purchase

Category: YA, Contemporary, Motor Cycle Clubs, Romance
Series:  Companion 3/3

Find: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Indiebound

Book Description: Seventeen-year-old Violet has always been expected to sit back and let the boys do all the saving.

It’s the code her father, a member of the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, raised her to live by. Yet when her dad is killed carrying out Terror business, Violet knows it’s up to her to do the saving. To protect herself, and her vulnerable younger brother, she needs to cut all ties with the club—including Chevy, the boy she’s known and loved her whole life.

But when a rival club comes after Violet, exposing old secrets and making new threats, she’s forced to question what she thought she knew about her father, the Reign of Terror, and what she thinks she wants. Which means re-evaluating everything: love, family, friends . . . and forgiveness.

Caught in the crosshairs between loyalty and freedom, Violet must decide whether old friends can be trusted—and if she’s strong enough to be the one person to save them all. 
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NOTE: Long Way Home is the third novel in Katie McGarry's Thunder Road series. These are companion books, each with a different hero and heroine, although we see the characters through the series, and the larger problem they are fighting (the Riot Motorcycle Club) is a theme through all three books. Check out my reviews of Nowhere But Here and Walk the Edge.

I'm very happy Chevy and Violet finally got their own story! And it's a good one. Violet was so angry and hurt in Oz/Emily and Razor/Breanna's books that I wasn't sure how I'd feel about her narrative. But I ended up connecting to her right away. Possibly even the most of these three heroines. Even though I'm probably the least like Violet, I appreciate that she echoed a lot of the concerns and questions I had about how women are treated in this Terror Motorcycle Club. Ever since Violet's dad died while working for the Terror MC, she's done everything she could to separate herself from the club, and that's meant breaking up with her first love and ex-boyfriend Chevy. Despite how harsh Violet could come across, I love that she always knows who she is and what she wants, and demands respect and to be treated equally.

Chevy is still in love with Violet, but as he's still connected to the Terror - his grandfather is the president and he's has always planned to join when he turns 18 - while Violet is determined to get out of their small town as soon as she finishes high school. There doesn't seem to be a way forward for them that doesn't lead to heartbreak. But then Violet and Chevy are thrown together again in a frightening event, involving the rival motorcycle club the Riot, and their feelings are brought to the surface once again.

This book is all about whether these two can find common ground and a way forward together, despite what looks like completely different paths. It's also about taking down the Riot club once and for all, and I love the strong role Violet takes in working to make that happen. This is a girl who gets things done. Although we don't get to see Emily or Breanna in this book, I loved seeing the bond between Violet, Chevy, Oz and Razor that they've had from childhood. Long Way Home also connects to McGarry's Pushing the Limits series, and one of my favorite moments was when Chevy meets Isaiah for the first time, and both boys realize their connection to each other. I love Isaiah, and I wanted that part to go on forever!

This story also seems to tease some potential future stories in this world. I don't think McGarry is finished with it yet. Or at least I hope not. Breanna's friend Addison makes another appearance in this book, and she definitely needs an HEA. Some other plot elements are left unresolved as well (the names of the traitor(s) in the Terror MC). And though I loved watching Violet demand respect and forge her own path, I wished that there would have been more of a change within the entire Terror MC, namely in including women in their ranks.

I love Katie McGarry's books. After reading so many, I feel like I'm coming home to old friends in a world that I've gotten to know well. She writes characters and relationships so well, and I'm excited to see what she does next!

Love Triangle Factor: none
Cliffhanger Scale: series end


PS: Two more things 1) I stupidly didn't preorder this book, so I missed the bonus novella promotion. I'm especially upset not to get Isaiah's tale. If anyone did get those and wants to give me a play-by-play, I'll love you forever :). 2) Is Chevy's first name just that or is it a club name like Razor is? I can't remember if that was ever answered in a previous book, although no other name was given in LWH.