Book Review: Under Locke

I have loved every Mariana Zapata book I’ve read so far and I hope she comes out with her next book soon because I only have a few left that I haven’t read. Back in the spring I read Wait for It and loved it so much. There is one scene in the book where Diana is at a bbq and Trip is helping her get some food because she had an injury (no spoilers) and couldn’t use one of her hands. Trip playfully flirts with the girl who was scooping out food and the girl’s husband yells at Trip to f off. This tattooed man was described as being very hot and intimidating even while he had a toddler strapped to his back and a baby cradled in his arms. That man and his wife were Dex and Iris, the main characters in Under Locke so I knew I had to read that book!

Under Locke follows Iris Taylor, a mid-20s woman who has not had the best luck in life. She grew up in Florida with her mother, ex-motorcycle club father, and younger brother, but when she was a kid her dad left and besides him coming back once when she was 16 and her mom was dying from cancer, she hasn’t seen him since. Now with her younger brother off on his own, her mom gone, she’s on her own and when she loses her job she heads to Texas to stay with her older half-brother, Sonny. Sonny was left behind by their dad too but has always stayed in touch with Iris and visited her as they grew up.

Iris goes to stay with Sonny while she gets back on her feet and he gets her a job at his friend and fellow motorcycle club (the Widowmakers) buddy’s tattoo shop. Now Iris has to work as the receptionist at the tattoo shop that Dex Locke owns and while he is very hot, the tattooed man is also very grumpy. At first he doesn’t really give her the time of day and doesn’t really care if he hurts her feelings with his brusque behavior, but as he gets to know her he begins to see how sweet and amazing she is and feels protective of her. And as Iris gets to know Dex, she sees that he’s actually one of the most caring people she’s ever met. But of course things can’t be simple. First of all, Sonny would not like them to be together and second, her father is in a lot of trouble with a rival motorcycle club and since he is always on the run now Iris and Sonny are on the hook for their dad’s debts. Can Iris and Dex figure out their feelings for each other while also trying to find her father and stay safe from the violent rivals?

Mariana Zapata is the queen of slow burns and this one was another amazing one. I loved Dex and Iris. Dex was sometimes an ass, but I liked that Iris – although generally a little naive and timid in personality – really grew as a character and didn’t hide when he hurt her feelings. And I loved that Dex would always own up to his mistakes.

The book was addictive and I couldn’t put it down. Mariana Zapata just has a way of making her books, storylines, and characters so engaging and the slow burn being so good and worth it.

This has become another favorite of mine and after seeing Trip in Under Locke and Wait for It I’m one of the many people who need a book about him! I know at Mariana Zapata’s event at The Ripped Bodice in Brooklyn people asked about him and she said one day!

Read this if you want a slow burn, spicy romance with the grumpy sunshine, workplace romance, and motorcycle club tropes.