For the Love of a Rock Star…or Several Rock Stars!

This year I ventured into the world of rock star romance novels—and as of today, I’m up to 100 rocker romances read since January. Out of 187 books read so far this year, that’s a lot of rock star goodness! I can’t help it. My novel consumption drastically increased this winter when my father passed away in January. Some people fall back on TV or eating or exercise (those are the weirdos!), but in times of pain, or just times of anything really, I fall back on reading. It’s like my crack. Not that I didn’t stress eat as well…let’s be serious here. And that’s why the Kindle is a magical device—you can hold it in one hand and a cookie in the other!

Anyway, I started reading these rocker books and the heroes were young, angsty, tattooed bad boys. I mean really, why wouldn’t I want to read about them in all their dirty dramatic glory! I would tell people that I and those angsty rockers were grieving together. Those beautiful and damaged men were always upset about something.

I’ve read them all. Some were awesome, some okay, and some not that great, but my blog is about books I’ve loved. I’m not here to rip on stories that I didn’t like, but to promote the joy of reading fantastic romance novels. Books that make us smile and laugh and hopefully fan ourselves.

So back to rockers and a particular series that I fell in love with. Kylie Scott’s Stage Dive series. Have you read them? Umm, well you should. They are awesome. The first book in the series is Lick. I kept going back and forth about downloading it. Just the title alone. Yes I know it’s for a guitar lick, but I have a super dirty mind so every time I saw that cover and the title, I was not thinking about a guitar. And then there was the premise. The heroine is 21 and goes to Vegas for her birthday. She gets drunk and wakes up in a stranger’s hotel room, with a massive rock on her finger, and she’s married to the lead guitarist of a famous band. Sounds crazy, right? But the reviews were good so I finally downloaded it. Then I read it in a day and wanted to read it again. I’ve read it three times since I originally downloaded it in January. 

So why do I love this book so much? Two words…David Ferris. He’s the hero and he’s just fantastic. I fell in love with him from the moment he stepped onto the page. He’s sweet, funny, charming, and adorably hot. And the way he pursues Evelyn…sigh! His heartbreak is clear when he discovers that she doesn’t remember marrying him. And for some reason it didn’t seem ridiculous for this drunken marriage to make sense. There chemistry is immediate and believable. 

"But I married you, Evelyn, because you made sense to me. We make sense. We're a whole lot better together than apart."

Seriously, just read it. 

Ev is completely relatable. She’s down-to-earth and not one of those too-stupid-to-live heroines. I totally hate them! I didn’t find her over dramatic, which happens a lot in these angsty books. These characters are and genuine. You root for them to find a way to work everything out. And isn’t that what we want in our romance novels? This story will make you laugh, maybe cry, but you will definitely be smiling at the end.

And if Mal (drummer, and hero of book 2) doesn’t have you snorting with laughter, then I just don’t know what to tell you…except that maybe you should have your head examined! 

I’ve loved the entire series, but I still go back to David. There is just something about him and Ev that I love. I cannot wait for the next installment, Deep, which I believe will be out in January. I’m looking forward to reading Ben’s story…oh and reading the entire series all over again! 

So what’s your guilty pleasure? Is there a particular type of romance novel that you inhale? 

Now I’m off to start rocker book #101!

Happy Reading.

A Review of Penny Reid's Beauty and the Mustache

 I loved this book…ok, review done!

Just kidding. If you’ve seen me on Facebook you would know that I love Penny Reid. My husband actually makes fun of how much I love Penny’s books…since I continue to talk about them ad nauseam. BatM is the fourth book in the Knitting in the City Series and they just keep getting better. The earlier books were quirky and laugh out loud snorting – don’t read at the gym unless you want people staring at you. Or when you’re in a bar while everyone else is watching the home team lose on the big screen. True story with her third book, Love Hacked. We were on vacation, sitting in a bar, watching the Patriots. Well, I was actually sitting in the corner snorting with laughter. The glares you get when people assume you are laughing at the home team’s defeat—seriously! Maybe they would have been in a better mood if they’d been reading the book!

Anyway, I digress. Tangents are my thing!

So back to BatM. This book was different. Yes there were funny parts and laugh out loud moments, but this story was softer. Its heartbreaking moments will make you ugly cry—another reason not to read in public. Honestly this story was beautiful. Penny Reid’s voice shines. Her writing style grips you, pulling you in until you realize that you’ve read the entire book in one sitting because you just couldn’t stop at the next chapter.

It reminded me of the first romances I read twenty years ago. Deep, brooding hero and sweet, sassy heroine. I don’t want to give too much away because I think everyone should read this book, but I LOVE Drew. Love him. I just wanted him to wrap me up in his strong Viking arms and take me away. Sounds corny, I know, but hey, it’s romance and it’s why we love romance. And once you find out what’s in that notebook he carries around…Oh My God, I couldn’t even function. Again, beautiful and amazing.

“Sugar, I’d be honored to catch you anytime you fall.”

Umm, seriously…yes please and where do I sign up for that! I do happen to fall a lot, so I’d be the perfect candidate.

Ashley is fantastic. She’s sassy and sweet, but never a doormat. Her inner dialogue and snarky comments to Drew make you laugh. Each of the heroines, in this series, is very different but I can always relate to them. That is a gift that Penny Reid has. Her characters jump off the page. They are so real that I want to touch them—well, I want to touch Drew—dreams! And then I want to hang out with the ladies and Nicoletta for Tuesday knitting night.

So to put it simply—which I don’t think I’m capable of—you need to read this book. Wait until you meet her brothers. Holy crap, let the snorting commence. Just that schedule alone had me dying! And due to my great love of old musicals, every time Ashley’s six bearded brothers appeared, I just wanted them to break out into song like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Side note—just writing that last sentence made me snort.

I would give this 5 stars and tell you to go out and get this now. And while you are at it, go buy the other books in the series too. You will not be disappointed, I promise!

Happy Reading .

Welcome to my musings...and Happy Anniversary!!

I decided to start a blog in honor of a very important anniversary. This month, September 2014, is the 20^th anniversary of when I started reading romance. 20 years of happily ever-afters, dreamy heroes, and sassy heroines that I always tried to see a little of myself in. To quote George R.R. Martin, (who doesn’t write happily ever-afters…umm, those poor Starks), “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” Well I’ve lived about four thousand lives and I’m not stopping any time soon. Over the years people have made fun of my reading choices. We’ve heard them all…”they’re so cliché,” “they have no plot,” “they aren’t reality,” or my favorite, “mommy porn.” I just ignore them and keep reading, inwardly feeling sorry for them. Don’t they realize what they are missing out on? It’s a guaranteed happy ending. Even the angstiest romance will put a smile on your face at the end when that couple gets together. With all the nonsense that goes on in reality, don’t you want to escape into a story that can make you laugh, cry, have hot flashes, maybe even snort, and root for a fictional couple that, by the end of the book, seems so real they could walk off the page?

The goal of my blog is to celebrate all things romance. Reviews, lamenting on how I’m not writing, and anything that pops into my head, since it’s my blog and I can do what I want! I will try to be funny and not long winded (this post is a poor example of that)…not that anyone will see it because I’m probably only talking to myself over here. So let’s see if I actually keep this up…fingers crossed!

And just a warning…I love exclamation points!!!

Happy Reading