Rock Addiction by Nalini Singh

From New Zealand to Los Angeles, sometimes you have to take a chance and go the distance for true love. Even when it involves a world famous rock star.

What’s it About?

A bad boy wrapped in a sexy, muscled, grown-up package might be worth a little risk… Molly Webster has always followed the rules. After an ugly scandal tore apart her childhood and made her the focus of the media’s harsh spotlight, she vowed to live an ordinary life. No fame. No impropriety. No pain. Then she meets Zachary Fox, a tattooed bad boy rocker with a voice like whiskey and sin, and a touch that could become an addiction.

A one-night stand with the hottest rock star on the planet, that’s all it was meant to be… Fox promises scorching heat and dangerous pleasure, coaxing Molly to extend their one-night stand into a one-month fling. After that, he’ll be gone forever, his life never again intersecting with her own. Sex and sin and sensual indulgence, all with an expiration date. No ties, no regrets. Too late, Molly realizes it isn’t only her body that’s become addicted to Fox, but her heart…

First Impressions

The meet cute is everything in a romance novel. When Molly first sets her eyes on Fox, in person, for the first time she is immediately smitten. She’s aware of his rock-star status, and is undeniably drawn to his sex appeal and dark persona. As someone who’s always played by the rules, Molly admits to herself that she could see herself taking a chance with this one. Even if it’s just for one night. Fox on the other hand? He’s been eyeing her from across the room all night long. He knows that Molly isn’t just someone he wants to take to bed, but rather is someone he wants to have a future with. She’s different than other women, and he’s dead set on convincing her that he’s different than other men. That they have a connection which is worth more than one night.

Now, why was it that Fox’s commitment beam was focused so specifically on Molly? Honestly, I have…no…idea. And it bugs me! Throughout the whole novel I kept waiting around for some sort of explanation, or window into what Fox was feeling that night. How, considering his life in the limelight, he knew that this woman was so different than any other woman who had come before. Sure, we could say that it’s because she just wanted one night with him when other women had always demanded more. We could perhaps theorize that it’s because Molly’s sister is his PR rep, and maybe she had shared with him the details of how amazing and special her sister was. But we never hear that from Fox directly, and it’s kind of killing me to wonder how he knew before even speaking to her that she was worth pursuing so vehemently. Perhaps we’re dealing with a rock star with a bad case of love at first sight.

From Part 1 to 2

While I didn’t really understand the logistics of their initial meet-cute, I must say the progression of their relationship was addicting to behold. A note to all the romance authors out there, this book is the perfect example of how to divide a novel into multiple parts. Part 1 of the book is set entirely in New Zealand, and is mainly focused on laying the foundation of Molly and Fox’s relationship. They’re getting to know each other, both physically and emotionally, and Fox is trying his damnedest to convince Molly to take a chance on him. She’s hesitant to enter into a long-term romantic relationship with him because she knows that if the paparazzi catch wind of their affair, then the sordid details of her family’s past will come to light. She’ll have to relive it all. But with Fox by her side, she realizes it just might be worth the risk. Cue Part 2.

About halfway through the book we get a “Part 2” heading, and we immediately switch gears to Fox’s home turf in Los Angeles. The focus changes to living life in the fast lane, and wondering if their relationship is strong enough to face the pressures of reality and celebrity. And I must say, it’s unbelievable how important that little “Part 2” heading was. If it hadn’t been indicated, I think the book would have felt ridiculously disconnected, almost as though we were dealing with two books smashed together into one. But just by having that little heading, I was able to mentally prepare myself for the story to veer off into another direction. This is when Molly and Fox’s relationship is truly put to the test.

Testing the Waters

There are bound to be disagreements and arguments in every relationship, especially when a couple moves in together. Considering this particular couple is moving in together after only knowing each other for a month, he’s a famous rock star, and she left behind all she knew in New Zealand to be with him? Yeah, you can prepare yourself for a spat or two. Now, I must say at times I found their dynamics during these arguments to be somewhat problematic. It seemed like Molly was always the one apologizing to Fox for whatever disagreement they seemed to be having. For example, at one point after the move to Los Angeles they get into a fight because she decides to buy groceries for them,  considering he’s always the one to purchase things.

Fox kind of goes off the rails and says she needs to get used to the fact that he’ll want to spoil her a bit and pay for things. Mkay, I must say this kind of upset me. This woman just quit her job, said goodbye to all of her friends, packed up, and moved all the way to the other side of the world to be with him. She’s getting situated into a new life where she’s trying to feel needed, helpful, useful, and instead she feels guilty for always accepting his money. Let her pay for the damn groceries! If this is a way that she feels she can contribute to the relationship while she’s trying to get her life in order as he creates music all day, why use it as a source for an argument? Just have kitchen sex or something and get over it. It’s just one example, but there were a few times in the novel where it seemed like Fox would kind of snip at Molly for trying to acclimate to his world.

The Truth Comes Out

Throughout the entire novel we are waiting for two major reveals. The first is the truth surrounding Molly’s family, specifically her father. The details are hinted at here and there, but we really have to wait a while before Molly has an honest and open discussion with Fox about the particulars. And I must say it is an utterly heartbreaking reveal. It finally makes sense why Molly was so hesitant to enter into a relationship with Fox. She didn’t want the paparazzi to start digging into her past, and drudge up all the horrific memories she’s tried to put behind her for so long. However, this sad past also highlights the beauty of her present relationship with Fox. She’s finally living her life for herself, taking chances and making decisions based on what she thinks will bring her true happiness. And for her that means Fox. He helps her learn how to live in the moment, and understand that a future with him can bring even more joy and love. Quite touching!

The other big moment that we’re waiting around for is the discovery of Molly and Fox’s relationship by the paparazzi. And of course something else which goes hand-in-hand with that: the insinuation by the paparazzi of infidelity. There was no way it could be avoided, but there’s the constant wonder of when and how it will happen. And when it finally does I must say I was pleasantly surprised with the aftermath. At first Molly is devastated, and her flight response kicks in. But then lo and behold she does something that most romance novel leading ladies in a similar situation always seem incapable of. She takes a moment to breathe, calm down, and think things through logically. Molly reminds herself of not only how much she loves Fox, but all the different ways he’s convinced her of how dedicated he is to her. She then proceeds to talk to him about her fears and doubts, and together they are able to find their way through the mishaps and misunderstandings. Who knew they could be such cool-headed adults!! Did it make for a somewhat uneventful read when dramatic reveals were handled in such a mindful way? Sure, in a way, but it was also unbelievably refreshing to not once again see a female lead who could be so easily dismayed and swindled by gossip rags.

Series: Rock Kiss, book 1. I’m excited to see the romance stories of our other bad boy members of the band who played such crucial supplemental roles in this first story. Each musician appears to have a distinct personality, and I’m looking forward to getting to know them more.

Should you read it? Definitely an interesting story arch as we see our couple build their relationship from the coast of New Zealand to the fast pace of LA. They have their ups and downs along the way, with both of their pasts coming back to test them. However, they also find strength in each other, which helps them through the inevitable challenges of fame and romance. I do wish we learned a bit more of the impetus for Fox’s initial link to Molly, and why he was so willing to fight for her considering the start of their relationship was primarily based around sex. They eventually develop a heartwarming emotional connection that has you crossing your fingers in the hope that they’ll succeed through all the paparazzi mayhem. Personally I really enjoyed their ability to not give into the artificial drama which was being created around them, but instead they could focus on the importance of their own relationship and that with their closest friends and band mates.

Smut Level: This romance definitely has an interesting balance of scenes which are kind of glossed over, and then others which are provided in explicit detail. You never quite know what you’re gonna get!

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $5.99 Kindle Price. TKA Distribution. 406 Pages.

Luke’s Redemption by Anni Fife

A romance that blossoms over some beignets. Might not seem like the most sensual of baked goods, but when they’re from Cafe du Monde in New Orleans, I must say I get it.

What’s it About? 

Chased by her criminal kingpin father, Katya Dalca runs to New Orleans and straight into the arms of Luke Hunter. Sucked into the carnal world of the French Quarter, she succumbs to Luke’s potent sexuality. He not only steals her breath, he steals her heart and the only leverage she has against her father. She is left with no choice except to pick up the pieces and rebuild her life alone.

Undercover DEA agent Luke Hunter thought his newest assignment—recover a stolen flash drive to gain the trust of the Russian mob—was like any other. But his target brings him to his knees, and after one taste of her intoxicating beauty, he’s in too deep. Doing his job means walking away, leaving his heart behind with nothing but a promise to reunite. It’s a promise he can’t keep. When Katya’s past reaches out and her world unravels, her only hope is the one man she is most vulnerable to—Luke.

First Impressions

One of the more prominent features of this novel is definitely the timeline of Luke and Katya’s relationship, which I will say felt a bit disjointed to me. Technically, their relationship spans six years, but they’ve only spent a total of 5 days together in all that time. When they first meet, Luke assumes an undercover identity in order to obtain a flash drive which Katya stole from her mob boss father. Sparks fly, they do a little dance (both on the dance floor and in the bedroom), their condom breaks, and the next morning Luke says he has to leave, but that they should meet up one year later in NYC.

One year later and Katya travels to NY to meet Luke, but he’s so far undercover that he can’t meet with her, or explain his absence. Fast-forward another five years, and Katya returns to NY with her daughter in tow. She gets caught up in some mob drama and Luke is the only one who can protect her. This is also when he discovers for the first time that, surprise! He’s a daddy!!

Timeline Dilemmas

I will say I wasn’t a huge fan of the year long gaps in between their meetings, not to mention the fact that these happen so early on in the book. It makes it harder to really develop a close first impression of the characters when there’s so much jumping around. In addition, you can’t help but wonder what happened to both characters during such a long interlude apart.

When they do reconnect in person after six years, they are quick to pick up where they left off, which was kind of surprising to me. After all, their first meeting was under false pretenses, as Luke lied about his true identity, and their second planned meeting never came together. Although Katya does express her reservations about this to Luke when they reconnect, I couldn’t help but feel she forgave him a bit too quickly considering they only spent one night together. Perhaps their emotional connection went deeper than you’d think because he was her first lover?

I will say I liked that after this six year period apart they really do open up to each other about their pasts, and are able to connect over conversations of actual substance. That being said, this is also the point in the novel where I wish they had spanned things out over a longer period of time so their re-connection didn’t seem so rushed. I mean, this span of the book takes place in just 4 days! That’s not even an entire business week.

Fathers and Daughters

Although this book is primarily about Luke and Katya’s relationship, there was actually another relationship type that received a lot of attention, and I personally found it to be much more compelling! That would be the father/daughter relationship. We have Katya, who has to try and reconcile the fact that her father is a criminal mob boss on the one hand, yet on the other he’s also been looking out for her all the years he’s been in prison. It was such a complex relationship, and I must say it was probably my favorite feature of the book.

Another father/daughter relationship at play was between Luke and his daughter with Katya, Lily. Luke didn’t know she existed for the first 5 years of her life, yet when he first realizes that he’s a father he immediately jumps in as her protector. There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation, even though it must have come as quite a bit of a shock. Luke and Lily have a scene together which was so endearing you can’t help but love it. If anything, I wish Lily could have been featured more prominently. It seemed like in most scenes where she was present she was quickly handed off to somebody else for safe-keeping.

The Edge of Your Seat

There are three primary scenes of suspense in this novel, and I gotta say each one keeps you on the edge of your seat. They were written very well, and you feel like you’re actually there with the characters. The first is when Katya returns to New York with her daughter, and kidnappers infiltrate the hotel where she’s staying. Luke swoops in, and the search for their daughter throughout the hotel as shots ring out was simply nail-biting. The second scene involves Katya actually being kidnapped, and you can’t help but wonder if she’ll successfully escape to see Luke and her daughter again.

The final scene of suspense was probably the most gripping, but unfortunately it was also the most unnecessary. It only came about in the last 10% of the book, and seemed like something of an afterthought. Although intense, it really didn’t relate at all to the rest of the story line. I think it could have been worked into the plot earlier on in the book so that it meshed with the rest of what was happening, but as it stands it felt too random, and sort of threw off the flow of the book right at the end.

*A copy of this book was provided for an honest review*

Series: King Security, book 1. The supplemental characters were great, and I absolutely loved the one who will be featured as the lead in the next book.

Should you read it? I did enjoy the suspenseful elements of the book, as well as the multiple complexities of the father/daughter relationships. I will say I found the timeline of the novel to be rather distracting, and various elements of Luke and Katya’s relationship to be unrealistic. Mainly how they’ve only spent a total of 5 days together in 6 years, and how Katya forgave him so quickly after so much time apart.

Smut Level: How to get intimate when you have a young one at home? Call a babysitter, and check-in to a motel. Bow chica wow wow!

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $2.99 Kindle Price. The Wild Rose Press, Inc. 311 Pages.

 

Beyond Believing by D. D. Marx

“My name is Olivia Henry, and I am addicted to friendship!” Not gonna lie, not exactly the best first line of a novel. Sort of makes you think it’ll be about flying unicorns who burp fairy dust and fart rainbows. However, not only do we have no unicorns in sight, but we’ve got people dying all over the place. Car accidents, and a plethora of different cancers abound.

What’s it about? 

When Olivia gets news of her best friend Dan’s fatal car accident, her life is shattered. Consumed with grief and struggling to find any meaning or purpose to life, she trudges along with a gaping void in her heart. Finally, when her frustration reaches its peak, Olivia decides to put her trust in the depth of friendship the two of them shared. That trust finally allows him to breakthrough to her, and Dan begins to guide Olivia through the twists and turns of her life, leading to something new and entirely unexpected. 

When Olivia exposes a gigantic internal scandal at work, her career implodes. With no job and nowhere to turn, she escapes to Palm Springs for the sympathy and care of her beloved cousin, Garrett. However, with only weeks left before the opening of his newest store, “Gin and Tonic,” Garrett isn’t quite the comfort Olivia had expected. She yet again tries to find her way, and in the process meets someone who begins to fill that void in her heart. She’s never before experienced a love like this; it heals her soul and rekindles her spirit – and just may have been the design of her dearly departed friend all along.

First Impressions

Beyond Believing follows the lives of two different people, Olivia and Finn. Although they’re strangers, their lives are linked by loved ones they’ve lost. Olivia’s best friend Dan died in a car accident, and to deal with this unexpected loss she speaks to him, and looks for signs from him to guide her through life. On the other side of the world, Finn lost his wife Christine to cancer, and he also seeks her guidance in the form of signs. Eventually, both Olivia and Finn are brought together by following these signs.

I’ll admit, at first I was worried that this book would heavily feature a paranormal aspect, but instead it’s an emotional and realistic look at how people deal with loss. Both Olivia and Finn look for signs from their loved ones, but these signs aren’t paranormal in nature. It might be something as simple as a song on the radio, but it helps them to move on thinking that those they care about are still watching over them. 

Just Meet Already!

Throughout the entirety of the book you are just waiting for Olivia and Finn to meet. Again, their lives are linked in many ways, the most important of which is that her friend Dan and his wife Christine were friends in college. Major events in their lives slowly bring Olivia and Finn closer and closer together, but it isn’t until about 70% of the way through the book that they finally have their meet cute. In my opinion it was a tad overdue. 

By a tad overdue, I mean crazy overdue. Firstly, the majority of the book is extremely depressing. Practically every other character gets some form of cancer. It isn’t until our lovebirds meet that we finally get to feel some warm and fuzzies, and even have a few laughs. There is also a decent amount of neck nuzzling and steamy hot tub escapades. Secondly, by waiting until almost 3/4 of the book is done for them to meet, we don’t really get a whole lot of time to connect with Olivia and Finn as a couple. They basically fall in love in the span of about 3 dates. Don’t you at least want to find out if he prefers Aunt Jemima or Mrs. Butterworth’s before making that kind of commitment?

*A copy of this book was provided by iRead Book Tours for an honest review*

Series: Beyond series, book 1

Should you read it? It’s a very emotional read, so be sure to have a happy Disney movie on hand for when you finish it. It is a good story though which shows how people cope with grief and the loss of loved ones. 

Smut Level: Not much in the way of smut. However, we do have the perfect male specimen in the form of Finn. Not only does he have a sexy Scottish accent, but the man cooks! Stand back ladies (and gents), he’s mine!

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $15.00 Kindle Price. Next Century Publishing. 248 Pages. 

Meet the Author: D.D. Marx is a contemporary romantic fiction writer and blogger, as well as a lover of all things social. She is a graduate of the University of Dayton, as well as the Second City program in Chicago, where she currently resides. A proud aunt and self-described hopeless romantic, Marx has always has a knack for humorous and engaging storytelling. Her pen name is a dedication to her beloved friend Dan, who continues to guide and inspire her in her daily life.

Connect with D.D.:  Website  ~  Facebook

That Voodoo That You Do by Lorelei Delille

You just know that when a book has a balls joke within the first ten pages you’re in for something special. Theodore is a straight-laced goody goody who just moved to New Orleans, and he needs to find an apartment. After looking at several duds, he finally comes across a voodoo shop that has an affordable apartment for rent upstairs. The sultry owner of the shop, Delphine, will be his new landlady, and they are about as opposite as they come. Like bacon and cupcakes. Oh wait, that’s a thing now isn’t it? Well anyway, after getting off to a bit of a rough start, Delphine decides to cook up a spell for unsuspecting Theodore which will help him loosen up. Ha! Loosen up? More like get hornier than all get out. Once the spell is cast, Delphine realizes she might have the warm and fuzzies for her nerdy tenant, but wonders if the attention he’s started paying her reflects his true feelings, or is merely the voodoo influencing his actions. Looks like things are getting spicy in the Big Easy!

When I first started reading this book I realized I’d been a tad naive when it came to the summary. With all the voodoo talk I just thought, “Yeah, sure, whatever. Delphine thinks she can do voodoo, but let’s be realistic. She’ll just mix some herbs together and think that a spell was cast when in reality Theodore had feelings for her all along.” Oh no no no. I couldn’t have been more wrong. We’ve got real magic happening in this section of the French Quarter. There are spells, talking paintings, shape-shifters, and a lot of potions which make people insanely randy. Delphine might want to look into making her potions less concentrated because those things are damn potent.

This book was pretty cheesy overall, but in an entertaining way I guess. I did giggle at times, such as with the balls joke mentioned above, but it was usually more of a light chuckle than a down and out belly laugh. There were also some delightfully intriguing side-plots going on. One of the partners at the company Theodore works for embezzled practically all of their money, so he has to try and figure out how to get more clients at the annual Mardi Gras party, while at the same time refusing the advances of one of the firm’s most important clients. Talk about a quandary! Delphine is dealing with some unwanted advances of her own in the form of her ex-boyfriend, who sounds like the ultimate king of sleaze balls. Gotta say, I kind of judge Delphine for getting involved with him in the first place. Come on chica! I must say it was kind of concerning how many sexually lascivious characters there were throughout this book. People need to think of some good hobbies to partake in when sex isn’t available to them. Why not look into scrapbooking? Or learn how to juggle? Something!

Call me crazy, but my favorite character in the book was someone who only said about two sentences, and wasn’t even alive. That would be Grand Paw Paw. He’s actually a supernatural painting of Delphine’s dead relative, and would change his facial expressions and body language based on the situation at hand. For example, when Theodore was acting particularly stuck-up Grand Paw Paw could give him some serious side-eye, and when Theo and Delphine finally did the dirty he gave an encouraging thumbs-up to the couple. Although, the old man did have his limits. When the two lovebirds got particularly hands on towards the end of the book, poor old Grand Paw Paw had to implore them to take their rambunctious activities elsewhere. I couldn’t help it. I thought he was hilarious.

Theodore copes extremely well with learning that his new girlfriend put a spell on him, and that her cousin is a shape-shifter, which was kind of strange. You have to admit though that there is no better name for a pretentious man than Theodore. I mean, his full name was Theodore Prudcomb! Doesn’t get much snootier than that. Theo and Delphine’s relationship itself was kind of ridiculous considering they fell in love in about a week, give or take a day, and the foundation of their attraction for one another was based on a love spell. I’m also kind of worried for Theo. I mean, the first time Delphine got mad at him she concocted a potion which she put in his wine (aka drugged him!), and broke into his apartment to enact a love spell. Can you imagine what she’d do to him later on in their relationship if she was really mad? Advice for Theo: don’t forget to put the toilet seat down. She might turn you into a wombat or something.

*A copy of this book was provided for an honest review*

Series: A Crescent City Magic Book

Should you read it? It’d be a good book to read around Mardi Gras. All the talk about tasty gumbo and Cafe du Monde beignets actually gave me the urge to go back to New Orleans! But then I remembered all of the passed out drunk people and smell of vomit on the streets, and sort of decided to rethink that idea.

Smut Level: The act itself was never described in much detail, although there is a pretty fair amount of sex happening in this book. We also had what can be considered a border-line orgy happen at a work party.

Get it on Amazon: Click Here