Lunatic by K.L. Savage

So, this book was just really out there. I have to say, I'm not sure if I've ever had to remind myself so many times that it was just a book, not real life, quite so many times. You know, in a book that isn't supposed to be fantasy 😆

The book centers around Zain, a 45 year old escapee from a mental health hospital. He's been an inpatient there for 35 years with little to no exposure to the outside world since he was admitted at age 10. Zain is Reaper's uncle, Reaper being a president of the Ruthless Kings MC in another series of K.L. Savage's. I've read several of the Ruthless Kings books, and they were fairly enjoyable, so when I saw this new series leaned more on the crazy side of things, I was intrigued. Our lady interest is a delightfully naïve gal named Chloe who has some interesting issues of her own. Now, Chloe's intro is where things just ended up a little more out there than I was expecting, and the strange hits just kept on rolling.

It was an interesting and very quick read at only about 170 pages, so I do understand why the timeline needed to be accelerated, but the overall treatment of the issues these characters were experiencing with their mental health was just so out there and ridiculously inaccurate. While I have little knowledge of the disorder Chloe manifests, I do live with someone diagnosed with manic depressive issues like Zain, and I can tell you that the portrayal in this book is a bit off. I'm generally not an insta-love shipper, but in this book, I think the insta-love actually helped flesh out some of the characteristics of the two leads. Zain has been locked up the vast majority of his life, so his instant assertion of being in love with Chloe really highlights his immaturity, and her love for him underlines her disconnect with reality.

All things considered, this book left off on a massive cliffhanger, and I was honestly hooked enough to see where this story was going and grabbed book two. I was hoping for a bit more from this author, but it wasn't the worst thing I've ever read.

Character development: 1/5

Dark elements: 3/5

Steamy scenes: 4/5

Overall storyline: 3/5

Triggers: Definitely