Smooth Sailing by Kristen Ashley | Audiobook Review • Ana's Attic Book Blog

Smooth Sailing: Wild West MC, Book 3 by Kristen Ashley

Narrated by Stella Bloom, Joseph Discher & James Lurie

While the romance in this book stands alone, the rest of the book does not.

Thank you to Kristen Ashley and her team for supplying a complimentary copy for review. Neither this or any ads EVER affect my reviews. Ana’s Attic is part of the Amazon affiliate program.

“Wind. Ride. Fire. Free.”

Damn you, Kristen Ashley! I am SOBBING again while writing this! That epilogue was just so beautifully done. Smooth Sailing is the third book in the Wild West MC Series, and I think this is another one written for her die-hard fans. This series is an offshoot of the Chaos MC Series, which spun off from The Dream Man Series, which itself branched from Rock Chicks. It’s also tied to the Avenging Angels since we’ve got the main players in Phoenix, and we all know how Chaos works with Nightingale Investigations. (See my Complete Guide to Kristen Ashley for all of these series.)

Smooth Sailing was beautiful. Too beautiful for a traditional MC book, but absolutely perfect for those of us who’ve been along for the ride all these years. It’s a little corny, yes—but a lot of her recent reunion-type books are, and I am here for it.

Harlan, aka “Hugger,” has had a rough life. With a crappy sperm-donor father and a prostitute mom (who was wonderful and did what she had to do to keep her kid fed and housed), Hugger learned to take care of himself young. His mom was involved with Chaos and always wanted her son to join, but after she passed, Hugger never let himself get close to anyone. Rush and Big Petey finally convinced him to become a prospect, then a brother, but he never felt fully “in,” thinking his dad’s bad blood made him the same.

Diana lives in Phoenix. When she discovered a young girl had been sexually assaulted by a big-time local crime lord—and found out her own dad was defending the a-hole—she decided to step in. She rescued the girl from the hospital and guarded her, thinking the criminal wouldn’t come after his lawyer’s daughter. Chaos got wind of this all the way in Denver and sent Hugger and Big Petey to work with the Phoenix clubs to protect these women.

Well, you know how it goes in Kristen Ashley Land! That protection leads to more. Diana was another amazing KA heroine I’d want to be friends with. Harlan got the nickname “Hugger” ironically because he didn’t like being touched…but Diana changed all of that. I loved how she made him realize how much more life had to offer.

Smooth Sailing is the perfect name for this book because, honestly, for a story that starts off about protection, there wasn’t much action. But there was a LOT of family—both by blood and by cut.

“You went through the worst with us and it was a Rough Ride, but you Walked Through Fire with us, and finally, when we got Smooth Sailing, (…) Ride Steady, my brother.”

Likes:

OMG, the emotions!
I’ve always loved Big Petey, and I’m glad we got to know him even more.
All of the crossover characters from other books and series.
Even though so many characters were mentioned—including ones I barely remembered—I never felt lost like I did in previous books in this series.
Visiting Chaos in Denver and seeing all the players and their kids (but seriously, how did Diana keep all those names straight?)
I loved how Diana just accepted Harlan as a biker and never made it a thing.
All the reminders of what a real family the club is, and how that brotherhood means everything.
The songs. You NEED to listen to the two she mentions, really listen to the lyrics.
The epilogue. It broke me. But it was written so beautifully, and the way Kristen worked in the book names was genius.

Dislikes:

I was hoping for a little more romantic suspense. The reason Hugger and Pete went to Phoenix just kind of fizzled out.
Chaos (and the other clubs) are too good now. The men are too wise. The women are too quick to accept anyone. It’s all wrapped up in a pretty little bow. I just felt like we needed a little more grit—it was all so healthy, sweet, and beautiful.
I normally love how Kristen does 1st person for the female POV and 3rd for the male POV. I usually barely even notice it, but for this story, the 3rd-person narration felt more distant and removed than usual. Maybe it was meant to be because Hugger felt distant, but I don’t think so. It also just could have been the narration.
The Kristen Ashley motorcycle slang felt goofy at some points.

The Narration:

Stella Bloom is always perfect for KA books. When I hear her narrate anything else, she immediately makes the book better because it feels like I’m listening to a Kristen Ashley book. Joseph Discher is a great narrator, but I don’t love him in romance. He acts well, but his voice just isn’t sexy. I started Smooth Sailing by reading an ARC, and I loved it, but due to eye problems, I had to switch to audio. I definitely liked this one better when I read it because of his voice—he just sounds like a teacher and just not gruff enough to be a biker.

The Down & Dirty:

There’s a feeling that a Kristen Ashley book gives me that nothing else compares to. There’s a reason she has been my favorite author since I started my blog 13 years ago. Smooth Sailing is such a fitting title because the club drama, turf wars, and all that crap are over. Now they just run a custom shop and make babies. It’s a sweet and slightly corny love letter to Chaos. While it seems like Kristen is getting ready to move the series to Phoenix, I honestly think Smooth Sailing would be the perfect end to the Wild West MC series. It’s perfect for any Kristen Ashley MC fan, especially because it has that reunion feel, but people who read a lot of other MC romances may find it a little too sweet and tidy for them.