Tag Archives: Rockstars / Musicians

Sexy Lies and Rock & Roll

By Sawyer Bennett

Synopsis

When you’re a rock god, fame and fortune are your two best friends, but they can be fickle bitches. Everyone wants a piece of me and I have no clue how to deal with it all. I’m being sued, pressured to sign contracts, and fending off rabid women who want to steal my virtue.

Well, not that I really have any virtue, but still… my life has turned completely bat-shit crazy.

That’s why I need Emma Peterson. She got me out of a bit of a jam once, and I know she can do it again. The only problem is that sweet, prim and totally straight-laced Emma doesn’t want anything to do with me. Not professionally, and certainly not personally.

It’s not that I want her in that way. Let’s be realistic… it would take a crow bar of epic proportions to get her to spread those legs for me.

No, I only want her legal expertise and for her to make sense of my crazy world. It’s a good thing I have just the leverage to make her do my bidding, because her refusal is not an option.

Review

After recently reading a few intense books from Sawyer Bennett, it was nice to pick up one that was⎯for the most part⎯nice, easy and laid back. SEXY LIES AND ROCK & ROLL definitely fell into that category.

Emma is a very intelligent young woman, but she’s also very insecure. She won’t believe a hundred compliments given to her, but she will believe⎯wholeheartedly⎯a single negative remark aimed her way. She’s also a loner, preferring to spend her time surrounded by books and legal paperwork instead of people. Evan is a manwhore, sleeping with women whose names he doesn’t know and then rudely kicking them out the next morning. His first scene was eye-opening and I wasn’t sure if I was going to like him, but you quickly get to know him and understand why he does what he does, and your heart breaks for him a little. At times he was cocky and arrogant, but in a cheeky and fun way that you can’t help but like him for.

Evan and Emma are like fire and ice, total opposites of each other, but somehow they just work. He helps bring her out of her shell and she becomes someone he can trust completely. I was quite surprised when the first night of sex between them was done behind closed doors, because I don’t recall Ms Bennett ever doing that before. I’ll admit I was worried we’d never get an actual sex scene, but this is Sawyer, so I should have known better. I thought the conflict was believable⎯albeit a little predictable⎯though I didn’t like that Emma dragged it out because she refused to listen to reason. It comes with a HEA epilogue, but I was hoping for a bit more of an ending as I would have loved to have seen a glimpse of their lives a few years down the road. SEXY LIES AND ROCK & ROLL is told in dual POVs, is a stand-alone and is a perfect way to spend a few hours of your day.

Sexy Lies and Rock & Roll

My Rating:

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Renegade

By Heather Dahlgren

Synopsis

Brooklyn Adler has the life she’s planned for. Job, house, and boyfriend – in that order. It’s a boring, routine life where there are no surprises and nothing is spontaneous. It’s safe, it’s mundane and she’s fine with that.

Crosby Fitzgerald, better known as Fitz from the band Renegade, has a life he never planned for. Popularity, women and success – not always in that order. Everything he does is spontaneous and exciting, because life is worth living to the fullest.

A chance meeting with Brooklyn and Fitz alter both of their worlds – ensuring neither will ever be the same.

Review

This is my first book by this author. I thought this was a wonderful read, we get POV from both two main characters and we even get a little excerpt at the end of the story by Brooklyn’s friend Poppy who created great humorous moments throughout this romantic journey.

I have not been a great fan of rockstar romance but Renegade has changed that for me.

My favourite part of this story was simply following Brooklyn’s growth as a woman and finding her place in life and finally following her dream. I loved how Fitz helped Brooklyn to realise her full potential as a strong and sensual woman. I understood and respected Brooklyn for how she dealt with Hank, she kept true to her beliefs and she just did not jump into bed with Fitz.

I thought when she left New York and then the story jumps a month, it was perfect, I as a reader wondered what had happened, we get flashbacks and I simply devoured them and they helped connect the two character back together for their reunion.

The physical and emotional connection between Fitz and Brooklyn was perfect and the romance sexual scenes where just right.

The other favourite part for me was the whole inner family that was Renegade, how the guys and girls were more family than friends – it was great.

Renegade

My Rating:

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Just A Girl

By Ellie Cahill

Synopsis

After getting kicked out of her own band—by her own boyfriend—Presley Mason finds herself back in Wisconsin, helping her parents run their renowned music store. Instead of belting out powerhouse vocals to sold-out crowds in L.A., she’s stocking shelves and inspecting rental violins. But the shop isn’t all bad: When she’s vacuuming up late one night, she bumps into the guitar teacher with the smoldering amber eyes and the killer tattoo. And that’s when things take an interesting turn.

Presley soon finds that Paul Kellerman is as good in bed as he is on guitar. So why isn’t he stoked to share his band, Jukebox Bleu, with her? Turns out Paul has crippling stage fright, which he’s been self-medicating without much success. But when Jukebox Bleu’s lead singer gets called for military service, the other members beg Presley to front them. Even though she swore never to mix men with music again, the temptation to perform is almost as intense as her chemistry with Paul. Now Presley must decide what’s more important: a second chance at love . . . or rock stardom.

Review

This book does a really good job of grabbing you from the beginning. It starts with Presley getting kicked out of the band she started with her boyfriend, the same boyfriend that just teamed up with the other band members to kick her out. What a prick!!! Three years of her hard work went down the drain in the span of a few minutes. Devastated and angry, she heads back home to lick her wounds and it’s there she meets Paul, a guitar teacher who works in her parent’s music shop. They quickly start a relationship, despite her vows to never date another guitar player again after being so badly betrayed by the last one. Things get even more tricky when she’s asked to be the lead singer for his band, because she also vowed to never date another bandmate, and that’s one line she’s not willing to cross.

I liked Paul and Presley and thought they made a really nice couple. The chemistry between them was palpable and the sex was hot, although some of the sex scenes are done behind closed doors. Between the two, I liked Paul the most. His struggle with stage fright was heartbreaking and you can’t help but feel sorry for him after what happened with Presley and his band. I liked Presley, but the conflict she caused between her and Paul, and then between Paul and his band, really frustrated me, and I have to admit that during that time, I didn’t like her much.

JUST A GIRL is told only in Presley’s POV and appears to be a stand-alone. Several chapters include texts between Presley and her BFF, Tweets and song playlists for whatever moment Presley is going through, which I thought were really interesting. I will say that I was disappointed with the lack of closure we got regarding Presley’s old band. Overall though, I found this book to be an easy and lighthearted read. I liked the story and the humour that popped up every now and then.

Just A Girl

My Rating:

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1984: Against All Odds (Love In The 80s # 5)

By Rebecca Yarros

Synopsis

Love the music—never the man.

At twenty years-old, Sabrina Caroline was America’s sweetheart pop star, until she took a year off to treat her social phobia that her cut-throat-manager/mom paid top dollar to keep quiet. Now as part of her comeback, she’s forced into collaboration with one of the hottest rock bands topping the charts—Birds of Prey—whose lead guitarist happens to be her biggest mistake…and her biggest regret.

Hawke Owens never imagined Birds of Prey would surpass the basement of the Duncan High School for Performing Arts, let alone score them a European tour. But success has its price, and for him, it’s being forced to work with the only girl who shattered his heart—Sabrina Caroline. She’s everything that he remembers and more, every memory and fantasy come to life. At first touch, their connection is electric, but it’s also as strong as her determination to follow her number one rule—she doesn’t date rock stars…even though she’s become one.

Loving her again is as natural as holding his guitar, but she’s destroyed him once, and this time the stakes are higher, more public, and the consequences life-altering. Against the backdrop of the birth of MTV, they’ll have to choose between the demands of their label, and the demands of the heart.

Review

AGAINST THE ODDS is a second-chance romance between Hawke and Sabrina. They were high school sweethearts, but as Hawke’s band gained popularity, Sabrina got a front row view of what it would be like to date a rockstar. Fearing future heartbreak, she ended the relationship then and there, leaving Hawke confused and angry. Flash forward a few years later and Hawke lives his life the way Sabrina feared he would, with wild parties, drugs and sex with groupies.

He’d become everything I’d preemptively left him because of.

Forced together by their label to write and produce a duet, old hurts are quick to surface before Sabrina comes clean about why she broke up with Hawke. As much as it hurt at the time, he realises she was right to do it and after clearing the air, they both decide their feelings are too strong to ignore and vow to try again.

“Tell me something I don’t already know.”
I miss you. Every second of every day.

AGAINST ALL ODDS is told in dual POVs and while it’s part of the Love In The 80s series, it can be read as a stand-alone. I would have liked some closure regarding Sabrina’s mother and father, but this is a novella, so I guess things have to stay short and sweet. Other than that, I enjoyed this lighthearted read.

“I have no problem with the world knowing that I get on my knees for you. I’m the envy of every man on the planet.”

1984: Against All Odds (Love In The 80s # 5)

My Rating:

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Love In The 80s Series

Good Girl (Love Unexpectedly # 2)

By Lauren Layne

Synopsis

Jenny Dawson moved to Nashville to write music, not get famous. But when her latest record goes double platinum, Jenny’s suddenly one of the town’s biggest stars—and the center of a tabloid scandal connecting her with a pop star she’s barely even met. With paparazzi tracking her every move, Jenny flees to a remote mansion in Louisiana to write her next album. The only hiccup is the unexpected presence of a brooding young caretaker named Noah, whose foul mouth and snap judgments lead to constant bickering—and serious heat.

Noah really should tell Jenny that he’s Preston Noah Maxwell Walcott, the owner of the estate where the feisty country singer has made her spoiled self at home. But the charade gives Noah a much-needed break from his own troubles, and before long, their verbal sparring is indistinguishable from foreplay. But as sizzling nights give way to quiet pillow talk, Noah begins to realize that Jenny’s almost as complicated as he is. To fit into each other’s lives, they’ll need the courage to face their problems together—before the outside world catches up to them.

Review

I’ve read a few books from Lauren Layne and have quite enjoyed them, so I’m sad to say that this one was not a favourite, mainly because of the two lead characters. Noah is a hard character to like. For most of the book he treats Jenny horribly, saying crude and hurtful things to her all because he wants her but doesn’t want to want her. He would sincerely apologise each time, but then he’d go and do it again and again. Jenny, on the other hand, is a very nice young woman, but I did feel she wasn’t a strong character. People slander her and she never defends herself. Noah treats her like crap, but she comes running back as soon as an apology leaves his lips. I kept waiting for her to do something, to stand up for herself or to put people in their place, but she never did, which was a let down.

What saved this story was the humour that occasionally popped up. I loved the funny and cute scenes with Noah’s and Jenny’s dogs, and I also loved Noah’s friends: Finn and Vaughn. When the three of them were together, their banter was sarcastic, funny and very enjoyable to read. GOOD GIRL is told in dual POVs and while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. Overall, this was a pleasant enough read that comes with a really sweet HEA.

Good Girl (Love Unexpectedly # 2)

My Rating:

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Love Unexpectedly Series

Release Me (The Music Within # 2)

By Faith Gibson

Synopsis

Fifteen Years…
For fifteen years, Cade Anderson, drummer for the world-famous rock band 7’s Mistress, has been in love with his best friend, the band’s lead singer. Even though it’s been years since they were lovers, Cade still wants the man. When his best friend falls in love with someone else, life as Cade knows it is over. The band breaks up and Cade has to figure out how to move on.

Ten Years…
For ten years, Mal Wilson has hidden who he really is from the small-minded people of Arlo, Kentucky. The family farm is dwindling down to nothing, and the bar he owns is draining him dry. When it looks like he’s going to lose both, Mal has to figure out where to go from here.

Three Months…
For three months, Cade has been drinking and f*cking his way across the country, trying to forget about his former friend and lover. When he finds himself at a redneck joint in the middle of nowhere, he is drawn to the handsome roughneck tending bar. Something in the man stirs Cade for the first time in years.

One Night…
When Mal ends up in a hotel room with the handsome blond man who sat in his bar for hours, the man asks for one night together. When Mal wakes up, he knows that one night will never be enough, but it has to be.

Two men…
One musician, rich and famous, out and proud of his sexuality. One cowboy, poor as the dirt under his boots, hiding who he is from the world. It’ll never work. Or will it?

Release Me is a love story between a hard rockin’ drummer and a hard workin’ cowboy.

Review

Sometimes when I sign up to review a book, I look back and think to myself “Why did I sign up to this one again?”. I’ll be honest, that was how I felt about RELEASE ME and I was worried that I wasn’t going to enjoy it. I couldn’t have been more wrong because what I found here was an absolutely amazing story. You have Cade, a famous rockstar who’s not ashamed of his sexuality and is wealthy enough to buy anything he wants. Then you have Mal, who is his exact opposite; a lonely cowboy who’s hiding who he is after an attack left him hospitalised and who’s so broke he’s about to lose his family’s farm.

I absolutely loved RELEASE ME and Cade and Mal make an amazing couple. There’s no fighting for dominance and no unnecessary drama between the pair. They meet, they like, they fall in love, they have some problems, they sort them out, they get their HEA. The supporting characters were also enjoyable to read; they weren’t in your face, but they weren’t so deep in the background that you forgot who they were when they popped back in again.

RELEASE ME is told in dual POVs and while it’s part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. It’s the first book I’ve read from Faith Gibson and I would gladly read more from her. The only issue I have with the story is the number of times Cade makes comparisons to his previous lover, Tag. I get that he had to realise that what he felt for Tag paled in comparison to what he was feeling for Mal, but it was just one of those things that was repeated one too many times. Other than that, the romance was sweet, the sex was hot, the conflict was heartbreaking, and the ending was beautiful and tied things up nicely. The story as a whole was very well written, flowed nicely and was enjoyable from beginning to end.

Release Me (The Music Within # 2)

My Rating:

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The Music Within Series

Dirty (Dive Bar # 1)

By Kylie Scott

Synopsis

Love—on the rocks….

The last thing Vaughan Hewson expects to find when he returns to his childhood home is a broken hearted bride in his shower, let alone the drama and chaos that come with her.

Lydia Green doesn’t know whether to scream or cry in a corner. Discovering the love of your life is having an affair on your wedding day is bad enough. Finding out it’s with his best man is another thing all together.

Just when this runaway bride has nowhere left to turn, a handsome stranger offers her a broad, muscular shoulder to cry on. Vaughan is the exact opposite of the picture perfect, respected businessmen she’s normally drawn to. This former musician-turned-bartender is rough around the edges and is facing his own crossroads. But Lydia’s already tried Mr. Right and discovered he’s all wrong–maybe it’s time to give Mr. Right Now a chance.

After all, what’s wrong with getting dirty?

Dirty is the first book in the Dive Bar series from bestselling author Kylie Scott.

Review

On the day of her wedding, Lydia finds out that her soon-to-be husband is in fact gay and that he’s been using her to hide the truth from his family and friends. Having only arrived in town a few months earlier, she wasn’t aware that his sexual preference was the town’s worst kept secret. She meets Vaughan when she breaks into his bungalow to hide away from the world…in his bathtub. It doesn’t take Vaughan long to figure out that the woman in his bathtub isn’t insane, just upset and in need of a friend and a place to stay.

I liked both Lydia and Vaughan and how their relationship progressed. Yes, they fall in love in under a week, but they spend almost all their time together during that week and gradually work their way up from like to love. If it wasn’t for the author telling us how much time had passed, I would have assumed the period of time was longer, it just seemed that natural.

“Something you need to know, before tonight.”
“What’s that?”
“I put out on the first date. That okay with you?”

DIRTY was a good start to Kylie Scott’s Dive Bar series and we were introduced to a slew of new characters that all revolve around the bar. The bar is owned by Nell (Vaughan’s sister), Pat and Eric, but tensions are running high between the business partners as their personal relationships fall apart. Nell was hilarious to begin with, but she’s dealing with some major issues that make me feel really sorry for her. I think out of all the new characters introduced, her story is the one I’m really looking forward to. It appears I’ll have to wait for her story though, because book two, TWIST, will be about Eric’s brother, Joe.

Dirty (Dive Bar # 1)

My Rating:

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Dive Bar Series

Claiming Addison (69 Bottles # 1)

By Zoey Derrick

Synopsis

For Addison Beltrand, PR rep for Bold International, Inc. climbing the corporate ladder is all that matters in life. Her hard work is finally rewarded with the promotion she’s worked her ass off to earn—but the gig comes at a price. She leaves in two days for a twelve-week tour with America’s hottest alternative rock band, 69 Bottles.

Talon Carver, lead singer of 69 Bottles, has no problem with women–as long as they’re gone by morning. When Addison shakes up his world, it’s a huge problem—compounded by the fact that Addison’s not the only one he wants.

Kyle Black, manager of 69 Bottles, has a secret. He and Addison are closer than she thinks, but telling her could keep her away. When Talon sets his sights on Addison, Kyle uses his secret to push her into Talon’s arms, only to discover she isn’t the only one he needs.

Two men. One dilemma.

Talon is wild, reckless and loves control.

Kyle is calm, collected and loves passion.

The perfect balance…or Addison’s ultimate undoing?

Talon and Kyle push their boundaries and Addison’s, but can they throw their reservations to the wind and claim her together?

Two men. One woman. A rock band. A tour bus. One Wild Ride…

Review

I saw the amazing ratings CLAIMING ADDISON had on Amazon and Goodreads and thought I’d grab a copy. Rockstars and threesomes with some M/M action thrown in? Sounds like it could be a good read. And it was good, up to a point.

My main issue with this story is Addison. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a perfectly fine character. However, this is a woman who, for the past several years, has been successfully working her way up the corporate ladder. Her current assignment with 69 Bottles is an amazing opportunity, and if she can pull it off, it’ll be great for her career. But in under 24 hours of her arrival, she’s allowing every member of the band to kiss and grope her before they go out on stage??? And then by day three or four she’s sleeping with two of them??? I find it hard to believe that a woman who was the ultimate professional would suddenly throw her professionalism out the window. I also thought it was odd that her bosses know she’s sleeping with two members of the band, and they don’t care.

CLAIMING ADDISON is part of a series and is told in Addison’s, Talon’s and Kyle’s POVs. The sex was hot and I liked the story well enough, even though I felt it moved a bit slowly. While the book doesn’t really end on a cliffhanger, it does just end, because apparently this threesome’s story will be told over three books. I assumed that each book would be a standalone, and I’m regretting that I didn’t research this series a little more before I started. I just don’t think I have it in me to read about the same threesome over three books, not when I didn’t love the first book.

Claiming Addison (69 Bottles # 1)

My Rating:

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Manaconda (Hammered # 1)

By Cari Quinn & Taryn Elliott

Synopsis

My name is Hunter Jordan, lead singer of Hammered and no, I didn’t name my c*ck Manaconda.
Rolling Stone did.
On the front cover of their damn magazine.
I still haven’t lived it down. And now our record label wants to maximize the frenzy.
So, I have a brand new PR person–Kennedy McManus.
And she’s making me insane.
I don’t know whether to ignore her, yell at her, or push her up against the wall and kiss her smart mouth shut.
I ended up kissing her.
Come on, I mentioned how exasperating she was, right?
That’s when it blew up in both our faces.
Now, the tabloids think she’s my girlfriend. My record label would rather have me remain the single manwhore of the ages.
Kennedy thinks I’m the manwhore anyway. She wants me for a quick fling and nothing more.
I just want Kennedy.
Man, I’m so screwed.

Review

Hunter is currently the most popular man in the world thanks to a Rolling Stone photo shoot. His band, Hammered, is reaping the rewards of his popularity with increased record and concert ticket sales, even if his bandmates are a little bitter about the media coverage being so focused on Hunter and what’s in his pants rather than their new album. Kennedy is sent by their label to handle the PR during the release week for Hammered’s new album and to help the band capitalise on the current publicity.

Even though I only finished this book yesterday, I have to admit that I’m having trouble remembering it. I know I somewhat enjoyed it, but I did find it a bit flat at some points. I was quite surprised that within five minutes of meeting, Hunter and Kennedy were almost going at it, especially since I didn’t really get a sense of any chemistry between them at the beginning. It was a case of “Oh, we’re stuck in here together and have nowhere to go? Let’s make out.”. MANACONDA is told in dual POVs, is part of a series and ends in a cliffhanger, which is to be continued on January 26th if the notation at the end of the story is correct. With tensions running high in the band and an ex-girlfriend out to cause trouble to promote her own agenda, it will be interesting to see what happens next.

Manaconda (Hammered #1)

My Rating: 1/2

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Reckless Rendezvous (Reckless Beat # 4.5)

By Eden Summers

Synopsis

One kiss sends Leah Gorman’s life into a tailspin.

After years sacrificing herself for Reckless Beat, Leah needs to catch her breath. She has to escape the constant chaos and revive her frayed nerves. There’s no better place than Vegas and the memory of a heavily-inked man with talented hands to make her heart palpitate for reasons other than stress. Logan is exactly what she needs right now… Or is he? Her pleasure comes at a price, and she will be left to question every aspect of her life and what her future holds.

This novella starts straight after the events of Sultry Groove (Reckless Beat 4) and will lead you into the final book of the Reckless Beat series.

Review

If you’ve read the series, you know that Leah has had a thing for Ryan for years, but she’s never acted on it because he was married. But in a moment of anger, he did, and it upset her deeply and sent her fleeing to Las Vegas and straight into the arms of Logan, the man she met when she got a certain “something” pierced. She wants to forget about Ryan and thinks Logan will be perfect for the job.

Leah and Logan are great, and I think they could be really good together if her heart didn’t already belong to Ryan. Leah’s honest and upfront and not too shy about asking for what she wants, except with Ryan. Logan‘s cocky, dirty and funny, but he’s also a nice guy who seems to genuinely care for Leah. You don’t see Ryan until the end where he breaks her heart by telling her he wants to try and be friends again. RECKLESS RENDEZVOUS is a quick read that sets us up for Leah and Ryan’s story, which will be the final book in the Reckless Beat series. You just know that their story is going to be explosive and I for one can’t wait to read it and see what is going on in Ryan’s head.