Long Way Home by Katie McGarry: Review + Excerpt + Giveaway!

 

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Katie McGarry's new release, LONG WAY HOME! I truly loved LONG WAY HOME and I'm excited to be taking part in its release. So let's get started!

The highly anticipated third book in Katie McGarry’s Thunder Road Series is being released on January 31st! LONG WAY HOME is a Young Adult Contemporary Romance being published by Harlequin Teen! Pre-order your copy of the next book in this emotionally charged series, and don’t miss Violet and Chevy’s story! Check out all of the stops on this awesome tour and be sure to pre-order your copy for the amazing bonus scenes!

 

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.

LONG WAY HOME Pre-Order Links:

Amazon | Kobo | BAM | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | IndieBound

"An intoxicating and unforgettable story that kept me glued to the page."

—Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on Walk the Edge

Add it to your Goodreads Now!

M Y  T H O U G H T S

As a fan of Katie McGarry, I look forward to each and every new release. And, not that I expected any different, this third and final book in the Thunder Road series did not disappoint.

Chevy and Violet grew up side by side, children of the Reign of Terror motorcycle club. Since the death of her father Violet has distanced herself from the Terror, including Chevy, the boy she has always loved. She considers the Terror’s continued involvement in her life as an unwanted intrusion and all she wants is to go to college and flee the small town and the reach of the Terror. When rival club, the Riot, becomes a threat to Violet, her mother and brother her only concern is keeping them safe. But is she willing to betray those she once considered family to make that happen?

The only life Chevy has ever know is life with the Terror. His mother has tried to counter their influence but Chevy has long straddled the line between her and the club that has always been family. With longtime love Violet cutting him and the Terror from her life, his uncertain future after high school, and the still unanswered questions about the father he never knew, Chevy feels the mounting pressure to choose sides.

Long Way Home started with a bang and kept me thoroughly invested until the very end – filled with tension, drama, romance and a twist I never saw coming. Chevy and Violet both found themselves in such impossible positions – faced with decisions that pitted one loyalty against another. How far would you go to protect someone you love? Would you betray one person if it meant saving another? Themes of what makes a family and what it means to be family were showcased so perfectly, along with loyalty, trust, forgiveness and forging your own path, even when that goes against expectations.

I truly loved Violet and Chevy’s story. Violet is a strong young woman who was never afraid to speak her mind or do what she felt needed to be done. She was devoted to her brother and longed to see him become independent – the same thing she wished for her other, despite their differences. Chevy, like so many of McGarry’s male protagonists, is fiercely loyal and fiercely protective – qualities that never fail to draw me in. As a young man living under the weight of others’ expectations, he has never allowed himself the freedom to decide what he truly wants from his life. The growth in these characters was so well done, so realistic, and made for a richer reading experience.

Fans already familiar with the Thunder Road world will be thrilled to finally see Chevy and Violet’s story told (as well as the appearance of a couple familiar faces from the Pushing the Limits series!). New readers will be instantly hooked and will no doubt be excited to backtrack and read the previous novels. Long Way Home is not to be missed and, while I’m sad to see this series end, I can’t wait to see what McGarry gives us next!

E X C E R P T

VIOLET

“You can do this.” I take Brandon’s hand in mine and give a reassuring squeeze. “I know you can.”

Brandon swallows hard, but nods. A combination of nervous energy and pride rushes through my veins as he grasps my hand in return and fists the cash in his other hand. He’s going to face his fears. The lift of my lips is genuine now. My brother believes in himself, and I believe in him and maybe we’re both going to be okay.

Right as Brandon takes a courageous step forward, two black leather vests slip in front of us and staring back at me is a half skull with fire blazing out of its eye sockets.

The world surrounding me turns red, and my blood begins to boil. “There’s a line and you just cut.”

Eli, one of my father’s once best friends, glances over his shoulder and winks at us as he pulls out his wallet. Like always, he has dark hair cut close to his head, plugs in his ears and a huge grin like we should be glad to see him. “I got you covered.”

Fabulous. Here comes the Reign of Terror Motorcycle Club riding in on their black Harleys determined to save the day of people who really need to learn how to save themselves.

“No really, we got this,” I insist.

I try to muscle my way past to pay, but Eli’s right hand man, Pigpen, plants himself in front of me like the towering sack of testosterone and annoyance that he is. Then he’s on the move and I somehow find myself away from the ticket booth.

“Surprised to see you here, Violet.” Pigpen is in his late twenties and thinks he’s all handsome with his blond hair and big muscles. Because he was a Navy SEAL or Army Ranger or something outrageous like that, he also thinks he’s awesome, but he doesn’t impress me. “Surprised you’re here, but happy to see you. You haven’t been at a game all year.”

“I’ve been busy,” I say.

“Is that what you call avoiding anyone from the Terror? Busy?”

“Works for me.”

“Hi, Pigpen!” Brandon is lit up like a firefly who was convinced the rest of his species was extinct. Eli, of course, enjoying the role of savior, has his arm around Brandon’s shoulder as they join us.

“Hey, Stone.” Pigpen calls my brother by the stupid nickname the club created for him. “How’s it going?”

“Good. They bought our tickets, Vi!”

“Yep, they sure did, because little ol’ me couldn’t’ handle the big ol’ ticket booth on my own.” Heavy on the sarcasm and then a hard glare at Eli. “Brandon was going to buy his own ticket.”

Eli rolls his neck like he’s the one who owns the right to be annoyed. “Most people say thank you.”

“You’re missing the point.”

Eli pats my brother’s back. “Why don’t you head in with Pigpen? I’d like to catch up with Violet.”

Brandon bounces like a damn puppy dog given a treat and then rushes off into the stadium, leaving me with Thing Two. And to think my brother called me Vi. The little traitor.

“Pigpen,” I call out. “Don’t leave him.”

I forced my brother to tattle today and while the football game will make him smile, I’m also taking a calculated risk that the people he told on won’t be here. If they are here, I’m betting they won’t mess with Brandon as long as I’m around.

“You worry too much,” Pigpen answers without glancing back.

When it comes to my brother, they don’t worry enough about the right problems.

Eli watches as Brandon and Pigpen go into the stadium. Instead of taking a left for the bleachers, they go right for the concession stand, and I’m contemplating how to stab Pigpen in the jugular. Concession food brings my brother into a near state of euphoria, and because of the crappy day my brother and I had, I wanted to be the one that made him happy with a hot dog, nachos and a slushy.

Motorcycle men around the world, as far as I’m concerned, can just plain suck it.
  

 

Don’t Miss the First Two Titles in the Thunder Road Series! Grab your copies today!

NOWHERE BUT HERE

WALK THE EDGE

Pre-order LONG WAY HOME by Katie McGarry, and fill out THIS FORM, to receive three previously unreleased bonus scenes featuring important “firsts” in the lives of your favorite characters from the world of Katie McGarry! Complete the form to register your pre-order at https://wyng.com/campaign/820152. Offer Ends 1/31/17 at 11:59pm EST.

   

   

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Katie McGarry Bio: Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON, BREAKING THE RULES, NOWHERE BUT HERE and WALK THE EDGE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine’s 2012 Reviewer’s Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.  

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr | Pinterest | Goodreads