Jessie Cooke’s latest book is the 24th in her Skulls MC series, and the 3rd in the Phoenix Skulls section of that series. However, I kind of think of Finn as the first one in the Phoenix Skulls books, even though we’ve had the two before. I’ll get to why I think that in a bit.
So, Finn is literally a walking dead man. His death was faked to keep him safe from people he owes back in Ireland, and his current ID is that of a dead man, so really, he’s a dead man twice over. Now he’s in Phoenix, working with Beck and Jace, to build up a new chapter of their club. He’s also boozing, wenching, and fighting, and occasionally getting arrested. His father, who is also a walking dead man, has asked him to go meet a guy, for some reason, and he’s not allowed to tell anyone about it. But instead of meeting who his father wants, he ends up meeting a lovely woman who sits down at the table with him and starts introducing herself.
Caitlyn is pretty new to Phoenix. She’s shy, quiet, reserved, and has spent her life living quietly. She doesn’t have a lot of experience with guys, and has no real dating life at the moment. Her cousin Joy, though, wants that to change. So she keeps setting Caitlyn up on dates. Her latest date is supposed to be with a guy who dresses like he’s into “grunge”, so when Finn drives up on his bike and walks into the coffee shop, Caitlyn is pretty sure that’s who Joy meant, so she goes into the coffee shop, sits down, starts talking, at least right up until the guy she’s supposed to be meeting shows up and is all like WTF?
So, here’s why I think that this is the first real story for the Phoenix Skulls. The first book was really about setting up the chapter and creating the new setting. We got to meet a few new characters, but we really didn’t focus too much on one particular character, though there was a lot of Beck and Jace, because, well, Beck and Jace. Jace’s book was pretty much all his backstory, which I really loved. We didn’t know much about Jace until that one, and then we learned all about him. Made me love him even more. This book, though, is the first one that focuses on one character and takes place all in Phoenix. So, see why I think it’s the first real book of this section.
OK, back to Finn and Caitlyn. I like Finn. He has gone through so much shit in his life, just so much, and yet, he’s managed to pull himself through it and is able to thrive on the other side. I mean, he kicked heroin, and though the temptation is always going to be there, he hasn’t backslid, which can be really hard. I have to give him major props for that. I think that he’s a dick at times, which, well, pretty much anyone can be, but once he realizes that he’s being a dick, he’s able to adjust and do better.
Caitlyn is a lot stronger than her family wants to believe. I think that she’s probably stronger than even she knows, and she doesn’t learn that until she had to figure it out. I think that she is good for Finn, and she’s not going to let him get away with anything, which is exactly what Finn needs, as well as someone who supports him so well. I look forward to seeing more of them as a couple in future books.
OMG, Finn’s dad. That son of a bitch needs to die in incredibly slow and painful ways. I’m pretty sure that there are presidents of at least 3 different MCs/chapters who want to hurt him, a lot.
OK, that’s all I have to say today. Go check it out! Happy reading!
In Between the Pages 