Blogger Wife Chat Double Review ~ Lawless & Soulless ~ T.M. Frazier

Lawless by T.M. Frazier
Series: King #3
Published by Selfpublished on December 8, 2015
Pages: 231
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Purchase

Thia is prim and proper.
Bear is leather and lawless.
It will never work between them.
It's a lie they almost believe...

It is necessary to first read King and Tyrant to fully enjoy Lawless.

Soulless by T.M. Frazier
Series: King #4
Published by Selfpublished on February 23, 2016
Pages: 276
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Purchase

Soulless, is part two of Lawless.

The finale to Bear and Thia's epic love story.

I don’t know why by Lawless & Soulless seemed to resonate with me even more than King & Tyrant. They were gripping, gritty, and fantastic! I think, though, it might be that Frazier’s writing gets tighter with each book. 🙂 I know this is a double review, wifey, but I want to let you know in advance that my questions are not in order. They come from my thoughts upon finishing both books.

I agree, with each book I’ve read from Frazier, the writing is tighter, the character development somehow more, and the overall story and plot just even better 🙂 We are so lucky to have gotten our hands on her books, right?

 

The way that Bear and Thia meet is so perfect because if ever there was a girl made for Bear it was Thia. She’s spunky and has an incredible inner strength. Plus, she knows where the guns are and she’s not afraid to use ’em. 😉 What did you think of Bear and Thia’s meeting and Thia as Bear’s match?

I found their first meeting to be spectacular as well. And the way she held on to that meeting until she really needed someone strong to help her out made it even better. Thia was awesome – I can’t even imagine that one evening / night. That she managed to stay sane means a lot. And Bear needed someone like her, that’s for sure. A no-nonsense girl who knows how to take care of herself. 

 

I want to touch a little more on Thia because that girl had to endure more than her fair share of tragedy and hard times. I liked how Frazier accomplished character growth in both Thia and Bear – Thia learning how to let go a bit, that it’s a show of strength to know you can lean on someone and trust them to take care of things – and Bear learning to care about someone enough to want to take care of them. Did you appreciate the character development?

I loved the character development. And I loved that they were both able to open up and trust each other a little bit – even if that was not their usual modus operandi. Frazier did very well with both of them – and even if they’re very different form me, I found them to be so relatable.

 

The sacrifice Bear made for Thia was so selfless. And the revelations it brought about allowed us to get to know him so much better. How did you feel about his sacrifice and about what we learned about his family?

His family sucks! Ha! See how eloquent I can be? :p I think Bear needed to really know everything, though, especially the very dark and ugly parts. It helped him make peace with his past in a way nothing else could have. And sacrifice was the way to go about it, I think.

 

Frazier is adept at creating characters that have dubious morals but are nonetheless redeemable as well as those that are pure evil. Lawless and Soulless definitely had some evil. How did you feel about those particular characters that, in my opinion, were evil incarnate and did you think that one – the one you’d think would have had a little compassion – was actually redeemable?

Those dubious morals are a big part of why I love her books so much! Her characters do have a moral compass, they just use theirs a little differently from most people. The redeemable characters are the ones that really touched me. Because their flaws and their strange morals just made them seem real to me. Those who are pure evil were just that. I mean, they were still somewhat realistic to me, but I wanted them gone. Not sure that one could have been redeemed in any way – and I think that just made the story even deeper.

 

There’s more than a little bit of drug and alcohol use in this series. Mostly it’s been marijuana and alcohol but there are a few characters who really enjoy their “blow.” How do you feel about the role it plays in the characters’ lives and how they changed with regards to how they used those substances once they found love?

I think the fact that there is drug use, and the way it impacts the characters shows us how hard it can be to deal with life. And I’m sure we all have different coping mechanisms when life is hard. You and I might pick up a book that make us laugh (or cry) to help us feel better. Here, the characters need something stronger to take the edge off.

 

Bear had gone off the rails a bit – with reason considering the cause. But he pulls back from the edge because of Thia. She gave him something – or some things – to hang on to. Hope. Love. Home. These things they each had little to no experience with but found in each other. How did you feel about the foundation of their relationship.

Yeah, Bear had definitely gone off the rails – and more than a bit in my opinion. Seeing that he could actually be good for someone was a big help for him. I think he felt almost superfluous after everything he had been through. And he just couldn’t trust his club anymore. There was no way he would have been able to figure out who was on what side if not for what happened with Thia. He really did need to figure that all out, and take action, though. And finding hope in another person rather than in drugs, or too much work, is a good thing. Especially when that person is truly worthy of trust, love, hope and home.

 

A new character – Rage – is introduced in Soulless. She was something, wasn’t she? But despite seeming to be at least sociopathic, she formed a fairly close friendship with Thia. I liked Rage but I certainly wouldn’t want to be on her bad side. 😉 What did you think of her?

Oh my gosh! I absolutely loved Rage. She was so different. And I loved that she was so very edgy. I wouldn’t want to be on her bad side, for sure – but I loved how she did her thing. She just knew what she wanted. Just wait until you read her story 😀

 

I feel like Thia’s adopted dog must be symbolic of something but I haven’t yet figured out what. Maybe that she can love something others wouldn’t deem as lovable or worthy? What do you think?

LOL Thia’s adopted dog made me laugh so hard. And I think that she just needed someone close that she could take care of, but who could also make her feel safe. A dog is definitely a symbol of domestic life, plus a dog is a human’s best friend, right? Only, Thia’s dog was very special 😉 

 

When I found out Thia had a friend in law enforcement it made me question her initial actions/reactions. However, she was only 18 and in shock so I gave her the benefit of the doubt. How about you? And how did you feel about her friend once you met him?

I didn’t like her friend very much. He should have done something to help her long before what happened happened. Plus, I can totally understand that she only thought of getting as far away from home as possible after that. Even if it wasn’t the logical road to take, I think it made her feel like a little girl again. And Bear had made her feel small and protected back when she was younger. I guess there’s nothing logical with grief and fear, so I didn’t think it was questionable as much as it could have been.

 

The ending before the ending was pretty spectacular. I couldn’t believe the sequence of events o those involved. (I did guess on actually) It was gritty and pulse-pounding and gut wrenching. WOW! How did you feel about how things went down?

It was definitely shock and awe! And also spectacular! Plus, I just really thought things would be even worse than they were… I even felt a little sick when reading some parts of that.

 

The actual ending? Did you foresee that?!? I’m not gonna lie…I DID NOT.

Nope, I didn’t foresee that AT ALL! I was completely taken by surprise.

 

I’m going to again touch on these anti-heroes because Frazier definitely excels at creating them. I think what I find most touching is that these men, who were not given stability or unconditional love, who were neglected and abused – found one another. The loyalty they give one another, the love – it’s beautiful. What else is it about these guys that makes us love them?

Anti-heroes are sometimes the best heroes in my opinion. I especially enjoyed how loyal these men were – even when they had gotten no loyalty whatsoever from those who should have loved and protected them when they were younger. I also loved how they would go to hell and back for each other. There was nothing they wouldn’t do for each other. They just wanted what anyone wants – their family to be safe and happy. And they are definitely family!

 

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Grace. She was so much more to King, Bear, and Preppy than a “granny grower”. What did you think about the reveal regarding her and Bear?

*sighs* That was really something. And another thing I wouldn’t have ever guessed. It was surprising, and at the same time not that much, if you get what I mean? It did make me want to re-read the whole series, though, to see if there were any clues I missed on my first read 😉 

Great questions, wifey! I love buddy-reading with you 🙂 

  

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