Catching London by MV Ellis

There’s getting caught red-handed, and then there’s getting caught completely nude by your employer in his shower.

What’s it About? 

He’s not looking to change his bad boy ways.

Arlo Jones is a bad boy billionaire rock star with the world at his feet. He lives the “sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll” lifestyle to the max, and believes in working hard and playing harder. He’s a man who always gets what he wants, especially when it comes to women. Until he meets London.

She’s a damaged dancer not looking to fall.

All London Llwellyn wants is to rebuild her life following the tragic car accident that robbed her of her fiancé, and ended her career as a professional ballet dancer. She’s working two jobs to scrape together the cash to set up her own studio, and reinvent herself as a photographer. The last thing she wants is to get involved. Arlo promises to always be there to catch her, but can London trust him enough to let herself fall?

First Impressions

My goodness are we presented with one hell of a meet cute! Nothing quite like our rock star lead, Arlo, catching London naked in his shower in her attempt to rid herself of a slew of spiders she encountered while cleaning his house. Arlo is the embodiment of an alpha male. He’s used to getting what he wants, and he wants London. At times he does cross the line of being too alpha. There was one scene in particular in which Arlo has publicly poured his heart out to London, and she doesn’t necessarily reciprocate in the way he was hoping for. He’s understandably upset, especially considering he’s never voiced such feelings of love for someone else before, and it results in him throwing a chair against a mirror in anger. While his frustration is clearly evident, it was almost too violent of a scene for my liking. That being said, London also manages to bring out the softer side in this rock star with such a tough exterior.

Let’s Get Physical

Sex is an important part of their relationship, whether it’s present in bringing them together, or absent entirely. Upon first meeting, there’s an obvious physical connection. They both want each other…badly. However, London is determined to distance herself from this man who has completely overwhelmed her. She hasn’t considered intimacy with anyone since the death of her fiancé, so her sudden feelings of lust and passion for Arlo are entirely overwhelming. She tries to leave him in the dust, but what Arlo wants, Arlo gets. He does everything he can to bring London back into his life, and it’s not long before their chemistry reaches a boiling point. They both admit the best strategy is to give into their passion, and just do the deed already.

But we all know these two are more than a simple one and done. I mean, does that seriously ever work? After they have a taste for each other, they find it difficult to separate. However, once Arlo proposes that London shadow him to photograph his band’s tour, London insists they need to draw a line in the sand that can’t be crossed. No sex between them on tour. As a matter of fact, she writes it into her contract before taking on the job. Again, we all know this no-sex clause isn’t going to last, but I must say I really appreciated when it was in place. It allows them to focus on a relationship that extends beyond the physical. They actually have a chance to get to know each other, and share some deep and intimate details of their pasts with each other.

An Expression of Love Through Art

At the start of their physical relationship, neither Arlo nor London are too keen to voice their true feelings for the other. It’s a source of vulnerability for them both. These two are artists who find it easier to proclaim love utilizing their own respective art forms. For Arlo, it’s through song. While we can’t hear the melody, we can see the poetry of his words on the page, and his love for London is more than evident. When it comes to London, she is much more hesitant to give into her feelings of love for Arlo. At first it’s definitely a source of frustration for us as the reader. He demonstrates in multiple ways that he’s serious and wants to commit to just her, even declaring his love in a public forum. And yet, she can’t admit to him even though she can admit to herself that she’s come to love this alpha rock star.

But then in a moment of clarity, London heart-breakingly admits her fear of loving Arlo in case things don’t eventually work out between them. She’s already lost one love of her life when her fiancé, Danny, tragically died. The thought of losing Arlo is another loss she’s not sure she could survive. It was an admission that gave us a window into London’s hesitancy to move on with someone else in her life. After shadowing Arlo on tour to produce a coffee table book of behind-the-scenes photos, London’s photography is what ultimately highlights her true love for Arlo. The only problem with this is that unlike a song where we can at least view the words, we don’t get enough of a description of her photography to allow us as the reader to truly appreciate her love for him. We see mention from multiple people that her photos clearly demonstrate her love for him, but more detail about what these photos entailed could have let us feel her love more clearly like we could through Arlo’s song.

A Trapeze Routine and Keeping Distance

Arlo may have started out in this read as a bit of a man-whore who would sleep with any woman on two legs, but in my opinion there were two moments which truly highlighted his love for London that went beyond their sexual relationship. During one of their first chats, London admits that while her focus growing up was constantly on ballet, her true desire as a youngster was to become a trapeze artist. This initially seemed like such a throwaway comment, and I’ll admit even I let this little detail slip from my mind. Yet, in the midst of the craziness of Arlo’s world tour, he manages to set aside time for the two of them in Paris to meet with an actual trapeze artist to teach them both a routine to perform with each other. He literally made one of her childhood dreams come true, and it was such a sweet and vulnerable moment that first made me realize Arlo isn’t just sticking around London for the sex. He truly cares about her, and wasn’t afraid to set aside his bad boy image to fly around on trapeze with the woman he’s come to love.

The second moment that demonstrates Arlo’s softer side came about at the end of their world tour together. It’s been an intense ride, and both Arlo and London know they’re in love with the other. We hope, as does Arlo, that the end of this tour can signal the start to an actual relationship between them. Unfortunately, the opposite happens. London feels that she and Arlo have been so close during this tour that she ultimately needs some space from him so she can focus on herself, and discover where this relationship can go. When she admits this to our alpha rock star, I was convinced it was either going to be the end of the two of them, or Arlo would ignore her request entirely to convince her they belong together. Imagine my utter shock when Arlo actually agrees to give her the space she asks for. He acknowledges that his instinct is to never let her go, but realizes that if he pushes too hard he could push her right out of his life. He might not be happy about it, but he places his faith in the connection between him and London, praying that eventually she’ll realize they’re meant to be together. The fact Arlo could put aside his inner alpha tendencies demonstrated that his character had truly grown and matured throughout the novel.

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

Series: Heartless Few, book 1. I’m excited to see what’s in store next for Arlo and London, as well as some of the other characters we’re introduced to in this preliminary novel.

Final Impression: There’s an interesting give and take with these characters. In the beginning you can’t decide if you wanna slap Arlo, or push him up against a wall for ravishing. Eventually you see him open up with London, and admit feelings he’s never had for anyone else before. While London is clearly struggling with her feelings for a man other than her deceased fiancé, at times her acts of distancing herself and her emotions from Arlo are somewhat selfish. At the start it’s definitely an understandable defense mechanism where she’s trying to protect herself from hurt, but once Arlo’s true feelings are evident, you feel a sense of sadness that his attempts to wear his heart on his sleeve are brushed aside so abruptly by London. Two imperfect characters for sure, but you’ll definitely root for them to be together.

Smut Level: Arlo is every inch the dirty talking, pushy, alpha rock star you could ever hope for. We get a plethora of delectably delicious erotic scenes, and these two have the act of multiple orgasms down to an art form!

Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $3.99 Kindle Price. Hot Tree Publishing. 387 Pages.

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.