You stole my heart fifteen years ago and you still haven’t given it back.
Two
different people. One meeting that changed their lives forever.
Salome has
always thought that following Prophet David is the right thing, that what he
says is the way of God. But when her blood sister dies, Salome runs away from
The Order, where she grew up her whole life.
River
"Styx" Nash could never forget the girl with wolf eyes he once met in
the forest even though people thought he was only imagining her. Now he is the
president of the Hades Hangmen Motorcycle Club. All his life, he's been raised
in a very dangerous life led by bikers.
One night
changes it all as Salome finds her way in Styx's turf, injured, after surviving
from running away from The Order. She then faces what life is like outside,
that it really isn't what The Order made her believe it was. And River is
determined not to let go of the girl that had his heart for years already.
See It Ain’t Me Babe (Hades Hangmen #1) by Tillie Cole in:
You couldn't ask a more unconventional couple than this two. Their differences were literally like heaven and hell and yet they found an unbreakable bond that even time couldn't dissolve.
The story was told in dual pov and I had to give it to Tillie Cole because successfully did what other authors usually fail to do when they use dual povs, or in some cases, multiple povs. It isn't enough that the characters see things in their perspective. They also have to sound unlike from each other because, really, they didn't have the same upbringing and mindset. It was evident in this story and I was ensnared by how it went. I really couldn't make a concrete prediction because I've never encountered a story like this at all.
Add to that, the main characters in this story had so much depth for me. It wouldn't be easy to forget them, nor that I want to.
He had no idea of the life I had lived, of the tenacity of my spirit or the multiple horrors I had to endure on a daily basis. I am a survivor. The scars he found so repulsive were a testament to my strength. I cannot, will not, be ashamed of actions thrust on me by others.
As God is my witness, I was a child!
Salome, or Mae, as she was called later on, was a really courageous character. If you could just read what she went through, it's amazing that she didn't go insane. She was also a force to be reckoned with when she's determined. I was just sad that she had to go through all of those things that The Order subjected her to. And their reasoning, god, it was so insane.
Also, it was disturbing for me when I realized that what happened to her was actually inspired in real life, albeit exaggerated.
‘It Ain’t Me, Babe’ was inspired by the testimonies of ex-members from several NRM’s and the leaders that abused the power they had over their members—especially the women.
The female protagonist in this novel, ‘Salome’, endures situations inspired by real events told to me personally by survivors of such groups.
Styx also didn't allow his disability to hinder him. Although he was called the Hangmen Mute, people still feared him which was really amazing since I expected them to look down on him for his stuttered speech.
“Mae… You need a b-better man. It ain’t me, babe, no matter how much you th-think it is… or want it to be.”
He had always thought that he didn't deserve Mae, that he deserved someone better than a man who sometimes got pleasure in killing.
“Persephone, the goddess, lived with Hades, did she not? She supported him even when others thought she was wrong to do so?”
I nodded slowly.
Her long lashes met her cheeks, then fluttered up. “She fell in love with the dark lord, even though it did not seem right, did she not?”
I nodded again. Where the hell is she going with this?
She sighed happily and blushed. “Just like I have done with you.”
But they complement each other. *sighs dreamily*
Looking forward to reading the next book! Though I’m especially excited for the third one!!
