It Ain't Me, Babe MP3 CD – Unabridged, October 4, 2016

"I have only ever liked one boy in my life. I have only wanted one man to have as my own. I have only ever had one dream since I was eight. Styx, the dream is you."This book....THIS BOOK!! I gobbled up every morsel of this unique and interesting twist to an MC series.I didn't really know what to expect when I went in, but what I got is beyond my expectations. Tillie Cole mixed together MC life, religion and mythology in such a way that I was completely enthralled with all of it.Styx and Mae meet as young children in the forest. Styx is the son of the Hades Hangmen President and cursed with a debilitating stutter. He's unable to talk to anyone except his father and best friend, Ky. While out with his father, Styx wanders off, only to find a fence surrounding a large patch of land. There he finds a young girl crying. He's immediately drawn to her, but it's when she looks up and he sees her wolf-like sad eyes that he is completely mesmerized.He approaches the fence and tries to communicate with the girl. For the first time in his life, Styx opens up his mouth to try and speak to someone other than his father and best friend. The girl is frightened, shaking...but the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. She refuses to answer any of his questions. When he finally asks her name, all she says is that she is sin. He approaches the fence and hooks his finger through the loop, the girl comes closer hooking her finger onto his. As two small children, they share this brief moment that would stay with them forever.Fast forward 15 years later, and Salome/Mae is preparing for her wedding day. We find out that she is a member of a strict, religious commune called The Order. She is one of the Cursed, four women who have been locked away due to their beauty. It is believed they are work of the devil, put on this earth to tempt man. However, their Prophet David has a vision that Salome is to be his seventh wife, bringing with their marriage the salvation of their people.Salome/Mae does not want this marriage. She decides to escape. She manages to find a way beyond the commune fence, but not without discovery. During the chase she is injured, but perseveres in escaping....right onto Hangmen land.Who should happen to find her, passed out and bleeding? Styx. Styx is now the President of the Hangmen MC. He is known as the Hangmen Mute, one of the most brutal and feared men. He cannot believe his eyes when he discovers that the injured woman is his "Wolf Eyes," the little girl that he has never stopped thinking about....the little girl that he searched for for years.Mae does not know a life outside of her commune walls. She has been taught all her life that beyond their fence is hate and evil, but she cannot deny that she wants to be with Styx, her boy from behind the fence. He makes her feel all of the wonderful things that she's been forbidden from having.....compassion, protection, affection, safety....love. She cannot fathom that the love she feels for Styx can be a bad thing. Evil is not found in love."Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."Styx lives a very different life from the rest of the world. He is an outlaw, a man who does not follow laws or rules. He has slept with countless women, committed various crimes, killed men without a seconds hesitation...he cannot imagine Mae in a world like that, but he also cannot imagine his world without her.The connection, passion and love between Mae and Styx is undeniable. The level of emotion they feel for each other is all-consuming and soul deep. Not once during reading will you question their feelings for each other. And when they finally give in to their cravings...it is Kindle melting hotness!Mae opens up to Styx about life in the commune and the horrors she faced there. Let me warn you...it is hard to read, it is hard to imagine, it will shock you and it will break your heart.But it only made me love Mae more. The amount of strength she has, her determination, the depth of emotion she feels...and her unshakable faith in love. "Because if Styx was damned to hell, so was I. I would follow him into the fire."However, in the midst of Styx and Mae figuring out their relationship, the club has discovered they have a rat, they are at war with rivals, and The Order is most likely looking for Mae. What happens when all of these things collide and s*** hits the fan?Tillie Cole created characters and a world that I am completely entranced by......and a twist that I DID NOT SEE COMING!!The story is raw, gritty and heartbreaking...yet it shows forgiveness, makes you question things, and ultimately shows you the power of love. "We were always fated to be together. He is my everything. He is my entire world....Styx is my salvation."This was a book that I couldn't put down and I can't wait for the rest of the books in this series! Bring me Ky......BRING ME FLAME!!***So, all this gushing and why not 5 stars? Unfortunately, this book is riddled with editing errors. There are words missing from sentences, misspelled words, extra words repeated and awkward sentence structure.It takes a while to get used to the writing style of this story as Mae is a very formal speaker, and the MC has a Texas twang with butchered English. I typically wouldn't have much of a problem with this since it suits the story, but within these different ways of speaking the author also throws in British terminology....so the whole book comes off as a hodgepodge of dialects. There were many times where I had to re-read paragraphs and/or sentences because I wasn't clear on what was being said.

I really love any story with a cult/religious background and this was no exception. Wasn't a huge fan of Styx sleeping with another woman in the beginning, but I definitely grew to love him. Would have maybe liked to see more growth and development from Mae, but I'm hoping that will come up in the later books.

I was drawn in from the very beginning of this book. The idea of Styx running the MC but being mute was a new story line I hadn’t read before. I loved this book. With the cult, insight from Mae and everything she’d need through. There was just one thing that bothered me to end. The of the word weren’t when it should have been wasn’t. It drive me absolutely nuts. I’m hoping the next book doesn’t have that. But I am definitely reading more either way.

Wow! What a powerful and heartfelt book! I absolutely loved the characters! Styx and Mae are so beautiful together! I love that they are each others peace! I can’t wait to read more from this series

I originally listened to this on Audible (which is absolutely amazingly) But I was in a book slump and wanted to go back to the beginning of some of my favorite dark romances and this will always be at the top of my list! Styx and Mae's love story is as heartbreaking as it is beautiful. Mae is one of my favorite characters in this series I think because she was so strong once she broke free from the cult she was ready to live and experience life. I'm not a huge MC fan but this is definitely my favorite!

Melanie's 5-ADDICTIVE Stars Review:This book was a mish mash of addictive goodness. Tillie Cole somehow took such a powerful and taboo subject and mixed it into a gritty and raw MC story line that I will never forget. I couldn’t for one minute put this book down. There was something so unbelievably entrancing about the characters and the plot. The author’s note alone already had me begging for more, far before the story even started.Salome’s tale is one of loss and tragedy. There were so many moments in this book that had me quivering with both disgust and sympathy. All of these were told without inhibition, told from the painful truth of reality. The many inexcusable acts performed against Salome and her sisters caused such bitter bile to bubble up in my gut and rise up to my throat. Reading about the innocence they were robbed of and the after effects of such demonic acts quickly brought me to tears, my heart absolutely broken knowing full well that such pain exists in the world we live in. Salome a name given to a girl whose beauty so blinding, it was deemed a sin. Cursed because of her Snow White good looks—long raven hair, a pale porcelain skin, a body made to bring men to their knees, and innocent wolf like eyes so wide and blue. However, what was in Salome’s heart far exceeds her ethereal beauty. In her heart, resides Mae—the woman who knows the difference between bad and good putting aside the extremist teachings she’s grown up on. She is the courageous woman who breaks free from the bonds of evil, the woman who learned to love without being taught. I was beyond drawn to her character. The pureness and the innocence she carried along with the innate sexual prowess she possessed. Mae is brazen and she is brave. All of this made up for a powerful heroine, one that I always and will always long for in any literary read.River “Styx” Nash, the “Prez” of the Hangmen MC battles not only rival gangs but also a speech impediment that would cripple any other. But Styx rises above this challenge, becoming the ultimate leader of the deadliest motorcycle club in Texas. This guy was sex on a stick. A mass of tight muscles wrapped up in leather, I was clamoring for him. The originality behind his character impressed the living daylights out of me. I mean, an MC President who can slaughter a handful of men with a simple blade using ASL to communicate?! Who can say that they’ve read many books like that?! Or any book for that matter?! Having seen such destruction and death his whole life, Styx has obsessed about the one good thing he encountered at such a young age; the beautiful girl with those hypnotizing wolf like eyes. Determined to find this lost opportunity, Styx tries to search for her for years and when he has finally given up; an all-powerful, inexplicable intervention of sorts practically drops her right at his front door. His reaction was one I won’t soon forget-- a man who has thirsted for so long finally gets the chance to quench it for a lifetime.The story that unfolds between Mae and Styx is at many times agonizingly painful, but deliciously raw and sexy as hell. It is mind-numbingly sweet and romantic at the same time. The chemistry between these two will leave you panting and breathless. Her innocence and her curiosity could only be matched by his powerful, all male force. Their exploration of each other so intense and hedonistic, I was left in a puddle of a mess that I was in no hurry to clean up. Like me, Tille Cole will suck you right in and you’ll have no choice but to give in to this deadly tale of unbelievable sacrifice and deceit but above all, a love story between two people who you would least expect to fall madly, deeply, irrevocably in love with no one else but one another. It Ain’t Me, Babe is exactly the reason for my fiction addiction. The sort of book that leaves such an imprint and a book hangover that may only be tempered by another in the series. And with the way that this book ends, you’ll be rejoicing in the fact that the follow-up was just released. So friends, off I go to dive into Ky’s and Lilah’s story.

Sinning never felt so good."I am blown away. Truly blown away at this incredible story. I went in blind all I knew was it was an MC romance that's it. I didn't know anything about Mea. I didn't know about the religious cult until I read her authors notes, from then I knew right away I would love this book. I have been obsessed with groups of people who live different to how I do. That being "cults", different religions, or people who just live a different way of life to me. I found this book so fascinating, I have never read anything like this before. From the first page I was hooked.Mea story is sickening and heartbreaking. Reading it really affected me. It's a very sensitive story so be aware and the way Tillie writes it felt so real. For such a heavy story I actually laughed a lot reading it, the way the men are, the way they speak, the thing they do I actually LOL. Mainly at Ky. I have a good feeling about his book. Everyone in this book brought something to the table. I'm not just obsessed with this couple I'm obsessed with this whole world. It's unbelievably good.Just Mea's story alone is 5 STAR and the add a crazy psycho MC president you get one hell of a story. Mea and Styx individually are amazing characters. I love both their story alone and together. They go on a incredible journey together. I have to mention the detail in this book is out of this world. I can picture everything in my head. Tillies writing is perfection.If you haven't read this go in blind try to stay about from any big spoilers. This book will consume you.

As a boy, Styx once stumbled upon a beautiful but sad girl. She was behind a huge fence, crying, and he wanted nothing more than to talk to her. To comfort her. But he had a speech impediment and would only speak to his dad and best friend, Ky. To the rest of the world he used ASL. Since the girl was frightened and clearly didn’t understand sign language, he tried his best to speak, and to his immense surprise, managed to get stuttered words out.15 years later, Styx was now the president of his MC, Hades Hangmen. Feared and revered, was known as the Hangmen Mute. But he never forgot about the sad, scared girl in the forest that day. He tried for years to find her but could never find the location again.So when a girl turns up in his compound, bleeding to death, she seems familiar to him. Could she be the one he’s been looking for all along?Oh. My. God. This book. I am…almost speechless. There is a lot of heavy content so please do read the trigger warnings and author’s note because this is not for the faint of heart.Salome (Mae) has been through a horrific life of abuse, disguised as religion. As the Lord’s word. She grew up in a commune, a cult, where the Prophet David basically just made up all these visions to get away with rape, child rape at that, and all other kinds of abuse. Mae has never known life outside of the commune so could do nothing but accept her fate. Until one day she is pushed to her limit and flees.The struggle between Mae and Styx was frustrating, but it made it all the more real. Styx is unapologetically himself - flawed, an outlaw, and totally out of his depth when it comes to loving someone. Mae was naive in certain matters but honestly I think she adapted incredibly well all things considered!There was no doubting their chemistry, their passion, their love. And I adore how they helped balance each other out.Spicy, violent, and yet endearing, it’s a true mark of great writing to be able to accomplish all three in one book.

MC romance isn’t my jam but I’ve had this series on my TBR for a long time and I do love Tillie Cole’s writing… She captures emotions so beautiful, and especially the raw and messy ones that leave you heart gaping.I fell into this story from the go and at not time did I want up give. MC men are crass talkers and their lifestyle and code of conduct is not akin to us mere mortals…This story is heart wrenching to say the least, and the plot was well executed overall. I had a few minor issues with the pacing and development, and eye-rolled several times over some things that happened mostly on the heroine’s part, but I understood her actions were from a good place and she’s naive to life outside the commune.The narration was incredible, especially that for Styx. As much as this book was easy to read, the narration blew my mind. What’s not to love about broken hero and one with a speech impediment.𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗻-𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗹-𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲, 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗲. 𝗬-𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺-𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯-𝗯𝗮𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳-𝗳***!𝗻’ 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘇𝘆. 𝗠-𝗺𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗸𝗶𝗱, 𝗮 𝗱**𝗻 𝗺-𝗺𝘂𝘁𝗲. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗴-𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗴-𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲. 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗶-𝗶𝘁, 𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗲. 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗺-𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗳-𝗳***!𝗻’ 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱.”Every time Styx called Mae “Babe”, my heart fluttered!Like I already mentioned, I don’t read a lot of MC romance but for me- this is how it is done!4 ⭐️ for story5 ⭐️ for Narration4.5 over all

Tillie Cole knocks it out of the park again! Every book I’ve read so far by this women has been a five star read and the urge to buy and read everything she’s ever written is so high, not to mention her MMC are all slowly making their way onto my book boyfriend list!A chance meeting, fate orchestrated. River and Salome meet as children, on separate sides of a fence. River never forgot ‘wolf eyes.’ Fifteen years later River ‘Styx’ is President of the Hades Hangmen MC, a legacy that was thrust upon him young. Styx is a mute. Using his hands to talk, he’s had to earn respect by pulling no punches and proving himself to be a sadistic killer. Whiskey, bitches, bikes and the club is his entire life.Salome or Mae as her sisters call her has lead a life of captivity, not knowing the world outside the fence except it’s a world of sin. Her commune has strict beliefs, one is that beautiful women are the worst sinners, designed to drag men to the pits of hell. Mae and her sisters pay with their bodies. On her 23rd birthday Mae​ is to marry the Prophet but something tragic happens before and Mae has no choice but to escape.This story is so raw and heart wrenching, I loved it so much. There were moments I held my breath, shocking twists. Tillie’s writing ​has the ability to suck you in and live in the book. I need to read the entire series as there are so many characters I need to know more about.This story is so raw and heart wrenching, I loved it so much. There were moments I held my breath, shocking twists. Tillie’s writing ​has the ability to suck you in and live in the book. I need to read the entire series as there are so many characters I need to know more about.This story is so raw and heart wrenching, I loved it so much. There were moments I held my breath, shocking twists. Tillie’s writing ​has the ability to suck you in and live in the book. I need to read the entire series as there are so many characters I need to know more about.

3.5 StarsGenre-wise this is an MC Romance.We have Salome/Mae growing up behind the fence part of a religious commune.Her life a nightmare so much so she escapes under the fence making a break for freedom.She passes out behind a dumpster near death and on the doorstep of the Hades Hangman MC.The Prez Styx is mute due to a stutter and he finds something familiar in the half-dead girl that has suddenly appeared out of nowhere.They met once before as children through the fence and he hasn’t been able to forget her wolf eyes since.This one is definitely not hearts and flowers and Styx is a bit of a D with a short fuse and hot temper.He’s also crude and unapologetically real.I did find this lacked some of the romance I was after concentrating more on MC life and all.So With Mae growing up In a cult and Styx having a disability it actually made this stand out from your average MC story and Mae’s background does make her stronger despite her lack of normal life experiences.I thought this was gritty and raw but not really that dark.It definitely has dark undertones and situations though but I wouldn’t class this as dark romance.There was also some stuff that wasn’t to my taste but I kind of expected it anyway with this being MC romance and all.Overall this was a good solid read but I’m still unsure whether I will be continuing on with this series just due to the stuff here that was not to my taste.