Joker (Executioners Book 2)

Joker is quite possibly the worst person to pick as a love interest. Dem is crazy to think he could charm his way into Joker’s heart. This could have been one of those deeply intense, emotional, filled with tears, angst and rollercoaster emotions stories but it isn’t. However, even though there is great pain, torture, sadness, hate and misery in Joker’s past, Dem somehow breaks through all that to love the crazy man. The story doesn’t dwell on the past, but mainly focuses on current issues between the two men. More light and lovely, less deep and gut-wrenching. Dabney seriously needs a good re-read of the stories before publishing, because some sentences are left unclear with words sometimes misused, misspelled, or just plain missing.

Joker from the start of the series has touched my heart. His character hinted at a rough beginning. Now that I have read his story...rough doesn't even cut it. Dem, the newbie in town is charming, good-spirited, and fun-loving. These two were like watching water and oil mix...yet if you looked long enough you could see the spectrum of a rainbow. They just blended beautifully. Mary...heartbreakingly fragile like a bomb. I'm starting to find it hard to remember which story is my favorite of the series. This story definitely covers some hard subject matter.

I think one of the things I love most about a J.M. Dabney book is the diversity of characters. You would assume in a biker/bar/tattoo shop series to find the usual sort: rough, big, foul mouthed, hardened..., but that's actually only the tip of the iceberg. In these books you will men that have survived terrible traumas, men with self-confidence issues, trans and physically disabled. There are hippies and lawyers, cops and ex felons. Every character comes alive between the words and you can literally feel the connections and love. Jackson, aka Joker, suffered some of the most horrific abuse from his father and has layer upon layer of issues because of this. He feels completely unworthy of even living and worries constantly about becoming just like his father. Dem is new to town and is completely drawn to the angry, sad man. Dem knows what it's like to be treated as if you are less and he makes it his mission to win Joker over. I love how all the books sort of overlap - the town, the bar and tattoo shop - and all the characters. Each book is like revisiting family and you get to see just a little more of everyone. I'm completely addicted to these books and have been binge reading them straight through. I highly recommend these and would give way more than 5* stars if I could. So good!

Joker by J.M. Dabney4.5 Stars – review by Dawn HoneycuttJoker is the 2nd installment in the Executioners Series and although it can be read as a standalone, I find it better to have read all of the previous books so that you are familiar with each character.Jackson Webb is anything but a Joker, but everyone gets a nickname and his friends thought calling him Joker would be funny. Jackson was raised by a very abusive father. His mother left when he was eight and after she was gone, Jackson got the full force of his father’s abuse. He didn’t have love in his life, he didn’t know what touch felt like that wasn’t associated with pain, and he had no idea how to live his life outside of the torture that his father inflicted. Joker has two bright spots in his life, Harper, his best friend and his little dog, Killer, who is the animal version of Joker.Demetri “Dem” Urban was born with bad hips and pelvic bones. He’s had several surgeries and walks with the aid of arm braces, but he knows his time is limited and eventually he’ll be wheelchair bound. His disability hasn’t stopped him from working in restaurants his whole life. When his best friend, Ghost, invited him to come and stay at the farm, Dem jumped at the chance to get out of New York and live a quiet life for awhile. As soon as he saw the picture of Jackson that Harper and Ghost had on their fireplace mantel, Dem was in love. He was also determined to make Jackson his.I’ve read all of the books in the series and I was hoping eventually Joker would get his HEA. Through each book I could tell there was more to the man than just the vigilante or the man who also looked out for everyone. Joker was the man I most wanted to just hug. So, I was excited at the prospect of finally reading his story and I was not disappointed. His childhood is the stuff nightmares are made of and it was very difficult to read, but the author did a great job of adding levity to those parts of the book to balance out the horrors. Dem was an absolute joy to read. I loved his single minded determination to make Jackson his. This book is good and another fantastic addition to an already wonderful series of books.

This book will stay with me for awhile. Deeply moving and made me very emotional. I want to pack up and move to this town. I want to hug and mother these people. I wish they were real. I highly recommend this book. I plan to read next book but will wait and savor this book for a few hours. I will definitely think and read it in the future.

I was pretty confused. The description said Joker got recruited to play in a band called the Executioners. I read the book and there was never a single mention of music, musicians or a band. Joker owns a garage. Very weird. Not a bad book though. Just not as advertised.

That's when I knew this book would be great! So not the word I want. I'm not good at reviews or using the right words but this book is a MUST read! I wanted to write a review at that 3rd chapter but I knew I needed to finish it. I also knew Jokers story was going to be a tear jerker, it is. Dem is exactly what smoker need to ground him and let him know that he can have what he desires. This book pulls you in and will not let you go. I cannot wait for the next one... I hope it's the twins and Pelter. If you haven't read any of the others I highly recommend it so you can see who's who but it isn't totally necessary. Ms. Denney you did it again! Loved it!

I really enjoyed this story and love catching glimpses of the characters from earlier good reads. Dabney ccreates stories that make you embrace each vivid character, so when they appear in other stories it is like their world exists and rhey are just going abput their day. The author has an abilitity to develop characters, who've had bad stuff happen in their lives, making them into fractured men but when they meet the One, they eventually see that their sharp edges make a perfect fit.

Thought this one was the better of some of the cross over mix from Twirled World. The second spin off Brawlers was a little disappointing and this new spin off Executioners has it's good moments. Jokers story was well told, for all his crap childhood, his transition to 'normal' was slow enough to be reasonably believable though I think the lack of professional help likely makes it more fiction than fact and since...well... we are reading fiction that's fine. I liked Joker, and I thought Demi was perfect foil for him, cute to look at but he had his own issues as well. Overall a good read.

Sad, happy and a great read . Your stories keep getting better. Love killer . Hope more to come from all friends and family.

I liked a lot of it but also had many niggles with the writing. Too much repetitiveness. Could have been great with some extra polish.

Loved this. Yet again, a great instalment in the Executioners world with glimpses of Brawlers and the Twirled Ink crews. I love the way all three series are intertwined yet still feel like distinct stories all on their own. Joker had a wonderful hard exterior with a beautifully tortured soft centre and Dem was relentless and determined with his disability intertwined and integral to the story.