Lick - Book Review

By Kylie Scott

Synopsis

Waking up in Vegas was never meant to be like this.

Evelyn Thomas’s plans for celebrating her twenty-first birthday in Las Vegas were big. Huge. But she sure never meant to wake up on the bathroom floor with a hangover to rival the black plague, a very attractive half-naked tattooed man in her room, and a diamond on her finger large enough to scare King Kong. Now if she could just remember how it all happened.

One thing is certain, being married to one of the hottest rock stars on the planet is sure to be a wild ride.

Review

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Right? Sadly, this is not the case for Evelyn in LICK. In Las Vegas to celebrate her 21st birthday, she wakes up on the bathroom floor with the mother of all hangovers, a strange man in her bathroom, a tattoo on her butt cheek that says ‘David’, and a rock the size of Mt Rushmore on her wedding finger. What the hell did she get up to last night?

“Come on. It’s not fair that you remember and I don’t.”
“No. It’s not fair that I remember and you don’t, Evelyn.”

Angry at realising his new wife doesn’t remember anything from the night before, David leaves her and heads back to LA. When the press hears about the wedding of Stage Dive’s lead guitarist and songwriter, they pounce on Evelyn as soon as she arrives back home in Portland. To keep her out of the public eye and to have her close when the divorce papers are finalised, David brings Evelyn out to LA with him. The situation goes from bad to worse until he takes her away to his beach house. It’s here that they decide to give their marriage a go and things run smoothly at first. But despite vowing to be honest with each other, David’s past and secrets threaten to tear their relationship apart for good.

I really liked Evelyn. Despite being only 21, she never really came across as young and childish. She felt real. Her emotions and reactions were not over-the-top, but what I’d expect from anyone put in the kind of situations she was.

David is your typical 26yo rich and famous male, but I felt he was a little emotionally stunted. When everything was going well between the pair, he was amazing. He always knew the right things to say to make a woman melt. But when things got difficult, he was unable to handle the situation at all. I was annoyed that he never seemed to fight for Evelyn. Instead of being mad and leaving because she doesn’t remember you, show her why she fell for you in the first place. When she asks for an explanation, give it to her. Don’t tell her ‘No’ and then get upset when she walks away. Damn it man, get a clue.

Mal was another character that really stood out to me. I loved his sense of humour and I can’t wait to read his book again. He’s the real jokester of the band, but I got the impression he’s also very loyal to those he cares about.

Mal: “Sure you want to go with him, child bride? Fucktard here made you cry. I make you laugh.”

And yes, topless cuddles are the best.

David: “Love isn’t always smooth or straightforward. It can be messy and painful. Doesn’t mean it isn’t still the most incredible thing that can ever happen to you. Doesn’t mean I’m not crazy about you.”