Tag Archives: Rockstars/Musicians

Disrespectful Diva (DJ Series # 2)

By Helen J. Barnes

Synopsis

Join Tara, better known as DJ DisDiva, and her best friend, Shazza, on a clubbing tour across the UK. Tara is living the champagne lifestyle as London’s hottest female DJ, producer and sound engineer. Her weeks are spent in the studio and her weekends spent clubbing it up, being paid for the pleasure. She is signed to one of the UK’s biggest record labels after the owner, Pops, takes pity on a down and out college student. One with a bad attitude, nothing but the clothes on her back and a head full of dreams of one day being the best DJ on the scene.

I think it’s safe to say, after a turbulent battle to the top, Tara deserves her time to shine. And shine she does, until her world gets thrown into a spin when Pops hires Dominic Clayton to manage the Xtreem radio station. He wastes no time in mixing things up and making his mark on the label.

Dominic’s reputation rivals even Tara’s and she knows there’s a good reason her best friend keeps warning her to avoid the sexy, yet arrogant, bastard. But how much can you avoid someone when you have to work with them? When they seem to show up everywhere you go. With a cocky smirk and devastatingly sexy green eyes, there is only so much temptation a girl can withstand before caving in and dancing with the devil. The only problem is, everyone knows, mixing business with pleasure is always a bad idea.

Review

Tara (a.k.a. Dis Diva) is currently living large, having risen through the ranks to be one of the most requested DJs in London. With her BFF, Shazza, at her side, they’re taking the world by storm. But their world gets turned upside down when Tara’s mentor and father-figure, Pops, hires his soon-to-be stepson, Dominic, to manage their station. They’ve heard of him and his bad reputation and want nothing to do with him. Sparks fly though when Tara and Dom first lock eyes on each other and bad reputation or not, she wants him. But with that single glance, Tara’s security quickly falls apart as relationships, friendships and loyalties are tested.

DISRESPECTFUL DIVA is part of the DJ series but it can be read as a stand-alone. You meet the couple from the previous book, but the events from their book have no impact on this one. It’s told mostly in Tara’s POV with a portion or two being told in Dom’s POV. The language is a little hard to get used to and I think anyone not English or Australian might have a problem understanding some of the words and phrases. The drama between Tara, Shazza and Dom was a little too bitchy for my liking and I didn’t like Tara’s bad attitude towards Dom, all because she liked him when she didn’t want to. If I was Dom, I would have given up and moved on. He’s a patient man that’s for sure. As you know, almost all romance novels have their major conflict right near the end, where it then gets resolved quickly and then BAM!!! Book over. But not so in DISRESPECTFUL DIVA. The major conflict between Tara and Dom happens around the 50% mark, was then resolved in a believable timeframe, after which the story moved on until we get our ultimate HEA. I thought that was really unique and I liked it a lot.

Disrespectful Diva (DJ Series # 2)

My Rating:

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Talon (Ashes & Embers # 4)

By Carian Cole

Synopsis

DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL PARTNER:
Caring. Hard-working. A devoted family man, loves kids.
Clean cut, funny, smart, quiet, but a good communicator.
~ Asia Jenson

DESCRIBE YOUR IDEAL PARTNER:
Independent. Tall, blonde, sexy. Outgoing. Intelligent,
neat. Unslutty. Confident. Loves to travel. Committed.
~ Talon Valentine

A SOCIAL EXPERIMENT.
The concept was scary but exciting…
Marry a total stranger.
Live together for six months.
Journal everything. (Feelings. Fights. All of it.)
After six months, we each get $50K in trade for our journals, whether we stay married or not. But the goal is to commit to the experience and see if the relationship experts could put together the perfect matches.
I have never been lucky in love. This was my chance to find my soulmate.
I couldn’t wait to meet the man the experts felt was perfect for me.
My hopes were immediately dashed when I saw him at the altar.
Shit. I married my worst nightmare.
Right?!

Review

Can two strangers, evaluated by a relationship “expert”, get married at first sight and stay married? After months of interviews and questionnaires, can this expert really find the one person you’re meant to spend the rest of your life with? That’s what Asia and Talon hope to find out when they sign up to participate in a marriage experiment, where they must get married and live together for six months, at which point they’ll either stay married or get divorced. They both have their dream partners in mind, but when the big day finally arrives, things get off to a rocky start because Asia and Talon were not what the other was expecting.

Asia is a young woman who has had no luck with dating – her most recent date dismissed her as girlfriend material after just a quick glance – and every rejection cuts a little deeper than the last. She also had a rough childhood that left her with trust and abandonment issues but despite that, she grew into a very kind, giving and loyal woman who craves love and stability. Talon also wants to be loved and is sick of women who are only interested in him for what he can give them in bed. I didn’t like Talon too much in the beginning as I thought he was extremely shallow and was very hurtful to Asia simply because she didn’t look like what he wanted. But as he got to know her, his feelings and affection for her grew and thankfully he stopped being a dick. Talon wasn’t exactly what Asia was expecting either, but at least she was more diplomatic with her concerns, at least out loud anyway.

Asia: This is not my dream man. This is like rock star hippie Tarzan.

Yes. Yes. YES!!! TALON is a perfect addition to the Ashes & Embers series and what I’ve been waiting for since reading STORM. There are no twisty surprises, hidden deceit or withheld truths in the epilogue like the previous two books. It was a beautiful story about two people needing to stop being so focused on what’s on the outside and see the real beauty that can only come from the inside. Did I think that Asia forgave Talon too quickly and that the ending was a little rushed? Yes, I do, but the ending was still beautiful and sweet. TALON is told in dual POVs, comes with a HEA and while it is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone.

Talon (Ashes & Embers # 4)

My Rating:

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Ashes & Embers Series

Roped In (Armed & Dangerous # 2)

By L.P. Dover

Synopsis

Who says a wild heart can’t be tamed?

For years, I lived for the job and let it control me. Violence was all I knew. I protected, killed, and served. My name is Blake Evans, one of the best undercover cops in the country. I thought I was about to live a quiet life on my ranch in Wyoming until an old friend showed up and changed everything. He brought me her, Hadley Rivers, country music sensation and the one woman I couldn’t have. I didn’t want her but she had me completely roped in.

My job is to protect her, to keep her away from some psycho who wants her for himself. However, there’s more to her story than I was led to believe. I promised to keep her safe and I won’t back down . . . even if I have to die trying. I can’t let him have her.

Review

Hadley is a country music sensation who has been stalked for a couple of years. She’s forced into hiding at a Wyoming ranch after her friend and bodyguard are shot while trying to protect her. Blake, the owner of the ranch and an undercover cop, is not happy at being forced to protect someone he assumes is a Hollywood princess, but the job comes at the request of two trusted colleagues and includes a huge pay-day he just can’t ignore. But he didn’t make it easy on her and enjoyed putting her in situations that pushed her out of her comfort zone.

Hadley might be a celebrity and an heiress, but she’s definitely no spoilt princess. She had no problem getting dirty, pulling her weight and giving back the shit that was thrown at her by the very rude and very annoying Blake Evans. Blake initially treats her like crap simply because he didn’t want the job; he’s a hunter and a killer, not a babysitter. But after watching her in action and looking into her file, he realised she was not what he expected and changed his whole attitude towards her immediately. He’s a dangerous man and he can be deadly when he needs to be, but you know he would truly die to save a loved one.

ROPED IN is book 2 in the Armed & Dangerous series but it can be read as a stand-alone. It’s told in dual POVs and while it’s a story that is mostly mystery and suspense, there were a few funny scenes that lightened up the story a little bit. Who the stalker ended up being didn’t make much sense to me, but in that respect, I truly didn’t see it coming. I really enjoyed ROPED IN and I’m looking forward to reading book 3 when it comes out next year. I wouldn’t mind reading a story about her bodyguard, Connor, because I think he’s in desperate need of a HEA.

Roped In (Armed & Dangerous # 2)

My Rating:

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Armed & Dangerous Series

Lukas (Ashes & Embers # 3)

By Carian Cole

Synopsis

Storm’s younger cousin.
Vandal’s little brother.
You’ve met him in the background.

The sweet one.
The nice one.
The one they can all rely on.

The good one.
He’s a tattoo artist. He plays metal and classical music – on the violin.
He’s got a body built for sin.

He’s 24.

In comes Ivy. She’s a 36 year old single mom who hasn’t dated in 18 years.
All she wanted was a tattoo.

She got a helluva lot more 🙂

Being good has never been so bad.

Review

I wasn’t sure what to expect with LUKAS because I loved STORM but I didn’t love VANDAL, so I was a little wary. I was hopeful that LUKAS would be an enjoyable read and boy was it ever. I think Lukas has just beaten Storm for best book boyfriend in this series.

Ivy was a great woman, very sensible and reasonable. Her confidence is shattered by her husband’s affair with a much younger woman, so she has trouble believing that she has anything of value to offer a man, especially one as young as Lukas. At the same time, she’s a strong and fiery woman who has no problem standing up to her husband every time he tries to knock her down. Lukas was a really great guy, very mature for his age with a great head on his shoulders. He’s very respectful with Ivy and treats her right. I liked how his childhood didn’t turn him into a bitter bastard like his half-brother, Vandal. He craves love and affection, but doesn’t give his trust to just anyone; that has to be earned.

Lukas: “Some things in life, you just can’t do over. They’re meant to be permanent, whether they’re what we expected or not. Doesn’t mean they’re a mistake.”

LUKAS is book 3 in the Ashes & Embers series, but takes place before and after VANDAL, with some of it taking place in STORM. This was a really hard book to put down and at the end of every chapter I was left craving the next. But as I got closer to the end, I started to worry because the conclusion didn’t seem to be near, but the pages were quickly running out. And sadly, it’s the end of the book that was the only disappointment. Firstly, the story just ends. We see some huge conflict between Ivy, her teen-aged daughter and Lukas, but suddenly we’re at the epilogue and all has been forgiven. That was a huge letdown. Secondly, like VANDAL, the ending is filled with deceit and hidden truths that will surely bite Lukas and Ivy on the arse down the road. They’re keeping a massive secret from a family member and that’s just not right. But up until the end, I thought the story was a perfect mix of hot and sweet, just like Lukas.

Lukas (Ashes & Embers # 3)

My Rating:

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Ashes & Embers Series

Vandal (Ashes & Embers # 2)

By Carian Cole

Synopsis

She takes my breath away; she is so beautifully damaged. Yes, I had broken her, ravished her life and destroyed her happiness. I brought her to the ultimate despair.

I was responsible for all the pain and suffering that now brought her to her knees in front of me.

Broken.
Hopeless.
Reckless in her agony.

She is a mirror of my own tortured soul.

But what I took away I can give back, in ways she cannot even begin to imagine .

She is everything right in all my wrongs.

She loves me. She needs me.

She has no idea I’m the one who wrecked her life.

Review

Vandal was involved in an accident where three people died and one of them was Tabitha’s husband. When he sees her grieving at the cemetery, he sees something he wants but doesn’t think he deserves: someone who will love him as much as Tabi loved her husband. Watching her mourn is too much for him to bear; he wants to see her smile, to show her that her life didn’t end when her husband died. So he takes a chance and offers her an escape, which she accepts.

We knew from STORM that Vandal was a dark and mysterious man, but I had no idea just how dark he really was. I found him unlikeable most of the time, unless he was grieving. Only then did he come across as human. There were just so many traits and actions that I didn’t like, a couple even came off as creepy. He wants to feel loved yet he pushes his family away because he’s bitter. Thankfully, his relationship with Tabi changed him for the better and I kind of liked him by the time we got to the end.

On the other hand, I liked Tabi throughout the entire book. Her grief brought tears to my eyes. Despite submitting to Vandal and opening herself up to a new type of relationship, when her heart was on the line she stood up for herself and I really liked that. Unfortunately, my positive feelings for her were ruined in the final chapter. While the twist at the end was shocking and unexpected, I didn’t like it and it quickly changed my opinion of her.

Sometimes when I’m not sure how I feel about a book, I take a few days before writing my review. If after a few days I remember more good than bad, it’ll get 4 or 5 hearts. But if all I can focus on is what I didn’t like about it, it usually ends up with 3 hearts or less, which is sadly what happened with VANDAL. The D/s part of story was fine, but I don’t see how it could possibly work between them when both are guilty of not honouring what is probably the most important part of a D/s relationship…trust. Both are guilty of deceit, which I guess makes them perfect for each other. But the story kept me engaged and I thought Carian did a great job in writing the grief scenes. I’m going to continue on with the series, but I for one am hoping they’re a little bit lighter, like the first book was.

Vandal (Ashes & Embers # 2)

My Rating:

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Ashes & Embers Series

Storm (Ashes & Embers # 1)

By Carian Cole

Synopsis

The calm before the storm…

I lived in the quiet stillness.
I felt the wind rustle, warning me, telling me to get out of its path.

But I didn’t.

I never stood a chance.

A series of weather and road mishaps leaves me trapped in the middle of a blizzard with a complete stranger. In the back of a pickup truck. For forty-eight freakin’ hours.

A stranger with long hair, tattoos, and rippling with muscle.
A stranger with an insanely sexy voice and a wicked smile that turned my insides to jelly.
A stranger who held me in his arms, calmed me, and then set a fire in me that I couldn’t put out.

Storm lives up to his name. Beautiful. Dangerously inviting. Tumultuous. Dark. A clash of hot and cold.

He’s used to getting everything he wants.

And now he wants me.

Some people chase storms for the beautiful thrill. What happens when the storm chases you?

Review

Evelyn meets Storm when he comes to her rescue after she has a slight accident driving in the snow. But as luck would have it, he also crashes his truck, leaving them stranded for two days until the blizzard stops. She’s very fearful of him at first but they spend their time together getting to know each other and end up liking each other. Sort of. Their meeting might have been unconventional, but their connection was undeniable. He wants her and she wants him, but she has a long-term boyfriend and is not willing to throw away a 12 year relationship on what might just be a fling.

Initially, Evelyn annoyed me because she acted like a princess throughout their ordeal and she was very rude to Storm several times, even when he was trying to help her. But I quite liked her by the end of the story because she became more strong and independent. Once she made her decision to be with Storm, she never went back on it or questioned it. She stood up for herself during the break-up with her boyfriend as well as Storm’s wannabe-girlfriend.

Storm: “You’re like a little spastic kitten. One minute you’re cuddling and purring, and the next, the claws are out and you’re pouncing in five directions.”

Storm I loved because he’s so friggin’ sweet but so friggin’ dirty at the same time. You could see he was in love with Evelyn because only a man in love would put up with her crap. He was always there for her whenever she needed him, even when she thought she didn’t need him. And man oh man, does he have a way with words.

Storm: “What I want, what I fantasise about with you … is you being my sweet angel during the day and my whore at night.”

I really enjoyed STORM and didn’t realise it was a debut novel until I started writing this review. I felt that at times the story moved a little slow and for a series based around a band, there’s surprisingly very little band time. Obviously it’s a series and throughout this story we meet Storm’s brothers and cousins who I assume will be getting their own books. VANDAL and LUKAS are already out, with TALON coming out in next month.

Storm (Ashes & Embers # 1)

My Rating:

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Ashes & Embers Series

Fix You (Second Chances # 1)

By Mari Carr

Synopsis

What if love can’t heal all wounds?

After too many years of secretly loving her best friend, Zoey realizes she’s been shortchanging herself. It’s time to take action. This New Year’s Eve heralds the year she’s going to tell Rob the truth. Even if he is on the road, reaching for musical stardom with his band.

Her plan is derailed when she discovers a lump in her breast—and it’s not “nothing to worry about”. How can she ask Rob to take a chance on love when her future is so uncertain?

Rob has spent his entire life chasing his dream, but the moment he hears Zoey’s voice on the phone, he realizes he’s been running the wrong race. Zoey never sounds like she’s been crying. Ever. Without a second thought, he books a flight for home, determined to give her everything she needs. A shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold…and nights of intensely emotional, passionate sex.

His biggest challenge, though, is convincing his best friend that he’s in it for the long haul. Because he finally knows what he wants, and it’s not fame and fortune. It’s her—and her love.

Review

Rob and Zoey have been best friends for 25 years, since they were 10 years old. While Rob’s on tour with his band, Zoey gets some heartbreaking news; she has breast cancer. The first person she calls is Rob, who senses something’s not right with the call and jumps on the first flight back home. When he returns home and learns of Zoey’s diagnosis, he doesn’t leave her side. He’s there for every doctor’s visit and every chemo session. Simply put, he was amazing. Zoey was a nice, strong character, but other than her dealing with her cancer, I don’t remember much about her at all. Maybe because Rob shined so bright, it left Zoey harder to see.

I liked this story and I liked both Zoey and Rob. Do I believe that a man and a woman can be friends for 25 years, both secretly love the other for almost all that time but not once make a move? No I don’t, but it was a nice story regardless. FIX YOU is told in dual POVs and includes flashbacks dating back to the beginning of their friendship. This is a novella, so it’s a fairly quick read, but despite that, there’s a lot of sex in the story, with the first sex scene occurring in the second chapter. FIX YOU is book one in the Second Chances series and all the books in the series will revolve around Zoey’s “wine girl” friends and a new year’s resolution they all made.

Fix You (Second Chances # 1)

My Rating:

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Badass In My Bed (Badass # 3)

By Rae Lynn Blaise

Synopsis

Both of our secrets have exploded into the open, but I’m afraid I’ve lost Dylan forever.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this—I wasn’t supposed to develop feelings for my one-night stand. Now I have to choose between my future and my heart.

Finding the courage to be my own badass just might kill me.

Review

BADASS IN MY BED # 3 is the conclusion of this serial novella and what a great end to the series it was. Rachel’s secret is out and Dylan reacts exactly as I suspect anyone would at the betrayal. His hurt, his sadness, his anger, his frustration, all of it drew me in. I don’t blame him at all for the things he said to Rachel; he was deeply hurt and wanted to hurt her as much as she had hurt him. I loved him and he was definitely the best part of this book.

I never had a problem with Rachel until this final part. When her secret is revealed in front of Dylan, she can’t stand the thought of him hating her, so she chases him, calls him and emails him in the hopes that she can explain things so that he won’t hate her. But she can’t tell him the truth, so all that chasing, calling and emailing was utterly useless and annoyed the hell out of me. What she was willing to do to achieve her dreams was terrible, and I can’t decide if she agreed because she was silly or selfish. I’m glad she finally realised that the only person she needed to please was herself, that making decisions about her life for the approval and benefit of others was stupid and not worth it. She ended up making the right choice and it worked out very well for her in the end.

I’ve given each novella in this series 4 Hearts, but there are a couple of things that I have an issue with. Rachel’s father is the main reason why she’s worked so hard to get to where she was aiming for. She’s apparently out to please a man that simply cannot be pleased and everything she does is never good enough. For someone that seemed to have so much influence over her, I was very surprised that he never made an appearance. It’s hard to relate to her motivation or feel sorry for her when you never see how badly she’s treated. The only other issue I have with the series is the price. I know that an author needs to make money, but all three novellas in the series currently cost a total of $6.97, which in my personal opinion is too much given the overall length of the story. If I didn’t have access to Kindle Unlimited I probably would have avoided this series and I wonder how many other people are missing out on a good story just because of the price.

Badass In My Bed (Badass # 3)

My Rating:

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Badass In My Bed Series

July (Calendar Girl # 7)

By Audrey Carlan

Synopsis

Hip-hop, Miami heat, and the Latin Lov-ah.

The second half to this year-long journey has taken me to Magic City…Miami. I’ve been hired by the nation’s top hip-hop artist, Anton Santiago. His name is as sexy as he is, and it rolls off the tongue the same way his muscled form rolls to his music. He goes by the name Latin Lov-ah, and boy does he work that title from his rock-hard body, Latin hip-hop fusion dance moves, to the way he beds his women.

He’s raw, dirty, and one hundred percent player…and I want to wrap my naked body all over him and forget about everything.

Every word that comes out of his mouth is a siren’s song.

Every thrust of his hips draws me closer.

Every breath against my neck sends me into a tailspin of need and desire.

After what happened in June, I need to rip the bandage off. Move on. Anton could be just the thing I need to get my groove back.

I was hired to play the part of a seductress in Anton’s new music video, but, in the end, I’m the one being seduced.

Review

I felt that JULY was a perfect way to come off from JUNE; we needed something mostly fun and light hearted after the seriousness of the previous month. Mia is still coming to terms with her attack and she’s having a hard time of it. She suffers from flashbacks and panic attacks when her latest client, Anton, touches her unexpectedly, yet in a friendly way that she would have previously been fine with, returned even. Anton and his employees are really good about her situation though, being supportive and doing their best to help her feel safe when being touched by a man. Her fear lessens even more after she shares her story with her BFF, Ginelle, and Wes. Yes, Wes is back. And it’s about friggin’ time. How will they go over the next five months? I’m not sure but I guess we’ll find out. I can’t wait to read AUGUST; the excerpt at the end has me really intrigued, trying to figure out who the client is and how it will affect Mia.

July (Calendar Girl # 7)

My Rating:

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Calendar Girl Series

Badass In My Bed (Badass # 2)

By Rae Lynn Blaise

Synopsis

It’s been two weeks since Dylan St. John entered my life in a firestorm of lust and passion. And now I know his secret- he’s a beloved, badass rock star.

His band is playing in Boston tonight, and I have tickets to his show.

Has he been reliving our every moment the way I have? Or was I just another distraction?

And he’s not the only one with a secret.

Review

As with most trilogies I’ve read, book two just seems to be filler; not as exciting as the first book, but it gives you just enough to make you desperately wish the third book had come out yesterday. This is definitely the case with BADASS IN MY BED # 2.

So being that this is mainly filler, not a great deal happens in this book. The story is told in Rachel’s POV and there’s a lot of recollection and reflection that goes on, with her remembering her two nights with Dylan, talking about her feelings for Dylan and her fantasies involving Dylan. She’s now rehearsing with the Boston Symphony and they’re getting ready for their show to start. Dylan does come back into the picture and when he has to continue on with his band’s tour, Rachel is left wondering if she made the right choice in not following him. The book ends in a cliffhanger when Rachel’s secret is revealed. I’ll admit, it was pretty easy to guess what was coming, but what has intrigued me is the reason behind the secret. I think the secret is just a smoke screen and I can’t wait to see how it plays out in the final book.

Badass In My Bed (Badass # 2)

My Rating:

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