Lead - Book Review

By Kylie Scott

Synopsis

Can rock n’ roll’s most notorious bad boy be tamed by love?

As the lead singer of Stage Dive, Jimmy is used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants it-now he’s caught up in a life of hard partying and fast women. When a PR disaster serves as a wake-up call and lands him in rehab, he finds himself with Lena, a new assistant hired to keep him out of trouble.

Lena’s not willing to take any crap from her sexy boss and is determined to keep their relationship completely professional, despite their sizzling chemistry. But when Jimmy pushes her too far, he just might lose the best thing that’s ever happened to him. Can he convince his stubborn assistant to risk it all and let her heart take the lead?

Review

LEAD is Jimmy’s story and I knew it was going to be a bit deeper than the previous books given what I’d already read about him.

Jimmy is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. After overdosing and almost dying, he successfully completes a stint at rehab in order to stay with the band. But his issues are more than just addiction, stemming from a childhood with a drug addicted mother and an absent father. He’s so screwed up he has absolutely no idea how to function in any kind of relationship. The best relationship he has is with his brother David, but even that’s strained at best. He’s very destructive and truly believes he’s unworthy of any success, both personally and professionally.

Lena is hired to be his live-in companion, someone to keep an eye on him, to make sure he doesn’t drink or take drugs. So far, no-one else has lasted very long, but Lena will not be deterred by this rude and cranky man.

I loved Lena, her whole attitude was great. I loved how the rest of the band saw her worth and would stand up for her when Jimmy was being a prick. But she had no problem standing up for herself either. Quite often she put Jimmy in his place with just a few words, or a well placed cold shoulder. And when Jimmy made her that offer near the end? Totally insulting, and Lena did not disappoint me when she basically told him to shove it. What I loved most was her dry sense of humour and snarkiness.

Mal: “You don’t seem very impressed by me, Lena. Am I not impressive to you?”
Lena: “Sure you are. I guess I’m just a bit busy getting fired right now to fully appreciate the magnitude of the moment.”

We get glimpses of the previous couples, David & Evelyn and Mal & Anne, and it’s great to see their relationships progressing. Ben is still fairly quiet, but we heard more and saw more from him in this book than the first two books combined. Out of Jimmy and Lena, Lena was without a doubt my favourite, but there are a couple of notable mentions.

Lena’s father barely makes an appearance, but when he does it’s meaningful.

Lena: “I got my heart broken again. Stupid me, huh?”
Dad: “Stupid him, more like it. My girl’s a queen. Any boy that can’t see that doesn’t deserve to get within spitting distance.”

And Mal? Mal shone in this book. He is still my favourite of the Stage Dive crew and it’s great to see his playful side again after the death of his mother.

Mal: “You single, Lena?”
Lena: “And you want to know, why?”
Mal: “Just curious. Judging by the frown, I think the answer there is yes. And shame on my brothers everywhere for overlooking such a fine girl as yourself.”

and

Mal: “I’m going to tell you what I told Killer at puppy training today when he tried to mount a teacup poodle he’d only just met. If she means something to you, you gotta do the woo, son. You can’t just be trying to stick it in.”

The number of quotes I wanted to include in my review was crazy high and most of them involved Mal. I highlighted so many in my book it was hard to limit it to just the few I have here. That tells me that a lot of what was said in the book spoke to me, made me laugh or made me go “Awwww”.

DEEP, the final book in the Stage Dive series, is about Ben and will be released March 31, 2015.

Jimmy: “Look, the truth is, I’m all about you, Lena. You’re my best friend. You’re my girl.”