Gutter Mind: Smoke Valley MC

M/M Biker Romance (Sex & Mayhem, Book 12)

By: K.A. Merikan

Narrated by: Wyatt Baker

Length: 9 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Face of an angel. Mind in the gutter.

Mike. Macho Biker. Scarred. Will never love again.

Arden. Femme boy. Jaded. Will never succumb to lust again.

Mike is always on the lookout for a fresh fling, and there are more than enough chicks for a stud like him at the Smoke Valley MC clubhouse. But the pretty little thing he spots at the gas station turns out to be a boy, and that triggers all sorts of confusion.

Mike loves a challenge, so when he’s given the cold shoulder, his predator senses are set aflame! Straight or not, Mike makes a bet with his cousin and won’t settle for anything other than a total seduction of Arden.

Arden has bigger fish to fry than some biker’s petty insecurities. His last relationship has left him jaded and hurt, so he will never again succumb to the charms of a bad boy. Especially since Mike isn’t just hot, he’s freaking irresistible. Older, dangerous, and cocky, Mike will be Arden’s downfall if he isn’t careful.

But when a monster from Arden’s past reaches out his claws, the only deterrent Arden can think of is claiming Mike is his new boyfriend. So now, he’s stuck in a fake relationship with a straight guy.

For Mike, what starts as a game turns out to be an awakening he’d never expected. The ice prince in lace is actually hot as hellfire, with a gutter mind to match Mike’s, and all of a sudden, his scarred heart is not as safe as he’d thought it was.

A scorching-hot, stand-alone M/M romantic suspense novel.

Warning: This story contains scenes of violence, mentions of past abuse, offensive language, and morally ambiguous characters.

©2020 K.A. Merikan (P)2020 K.A. Merikan

Messed up my bedtime routine and caused me to neglect important responsibilities

This was so good, I listened through my bedtime. When I woke up the next day, I kept going with this book and neglected other things I needed to do because I could not get myself away from this story. Make sure you don’t start this when you have important things to do or you will be sorry.

Strong.

This was a pretty fair story, I enjoyed a lot of aspects of it and there were a lot of creative playing with the idea of gender and sexuality which I thought was handled pretty well. I wasn't a huge fan of the climax though... I mean there were two very legitimate antagonists here and I think the climactic ending would have been better served with the one that took all of fifteen minutes to get through. That sex scene was real good though...

The narration performance was very very good I've found that I actually REALLY enjoy Wyatt Baker as a narrator and will certainly be on the look out for more of his work.

Fabulous!!

I loved this audiobook!! Arden and Mike seem so mismatched but they work hard to make it together. The biker club does cause issues at the beginning but I feel that this is normal. The writing and narrator are both awesome!!

Bad boy meets his match

Ahhh I love when the bad boy/play boy meets his match in a sweet and sassy boy. Especially when it’s a new awakening in the bad boy. I love love love Arden. I love that he’s so comfortable in his own skin and loves his life of lace and more feminine things. Mike is such a good guy hiding in the desire to not fall for anyone but he can’t help his desires and feeling with Arden. This is such a fun read and even better listen.

Great audio

I enjoyed listening to this novella as much as I loved reading it too... the narration was good and had me the with the MC’s...

Another fun ride with the Smoke Valley MC

This was an interesting sexual awakening story. It was fun to see a character accept an new attraction without having a major crisis about and just accepting that he cares about another guy without it fundamentally changing who he is. The idea that sexuality doesn't have to be rigid or static came across clearly. Interesting characters, hot sex and, it was fun to see previous couples in this one.

Really Enjoyable

I thought Wyatt Baker did a great job. Each character had distinctive voices.

The story was entertaining. I wasn’t sure I was going to like Mike at first, because he was so full of himself, but he grew on me really quickly. Arden was unique and not Mikes usual type… until he was. There are sexy times, action, and even a few emotional moments. I really liked this story.

A hot age gap, GFY, opposites attract contemporary romance!

This was an interesting age gap, gay for you opposites attract contemporary romance.
The chemistry between Mike and Arden was hot and I couldn't put this down.
The storyline was compelling and I love a good GFY, self discovery romance and this one ticked all my boxes.
Wyatt Baker's flawless narration made this all the more engaging and enjoyable!

Gutter Mind Is One Hot, Action-Packed Listen

I've been reading/listening to a lot of books with "cinnamon roll" main characters lately and, wow, was that not the case here! Mike is a piece of work in so many ways...morally ambiguous, cocky AF, blunt AF, a shameless player, hothead, fierce protector, and - who knew? - caring, loving, deep and open-minded. This is a surprisingly compelling journey as badass biker Mike and the much younger Arden bumpily forge a relationship and explore Mike's sexuality and shared kinks while posing as boyfriends before becoming the real thing - to say nothing of their dirty, flirty banter. Mike's biker family is very much in the mix here, too, which is another strength of the story.

There is also some action and angst, with the club protecting Arden from a dangerous ex, that adds extra intensity and urgency to much of the story. The big (if not overly brutal) act of violence toward the ex seemed oddly placed storywise though, given the immediate threat he posed had passed. It also wasn't where the story ended, so the actual ending felt somewhat anticlimactic and overly dramatic.

Narrator Wyatt Baker delivered an engaging performance, and I recommend experiencing this story in audio. This was my introduction to the Sex & Mayhem series and I had no trouble following along or deciphering character relationships. I received this free review copy audio book by request and have left this honest review voluntarily.

I Liked It

I liked this story, it has interesting characters, good storyline and cameos from Leo and Zolt, unfortunately this was not my favorite story. Maybe its because I am spoiled by amazing books written by my favorite authors KA Merikan. I expect the captivating story with amazing characters and I didn't get it in this book. I liked it, I liked Mike and I adored Arden, GFY relationship was cute and the action encounters kept me on the edge of my seat, but I compare it to other books by these authors and this story was not as amazing. It is probably me not the book, I am not a fan of GFY/fake relationship stories, and this could have impacted my enjoyment. Narrator did a good job as always and overall this was a good listening experience.