#CBR9 Book 6: "Deep" by Kylie Scott

Page count: 273 pages
Rating: 3 stars

Psychology student Elizabeth "Liz" Rollins is the younger sister of Anne, heroine of Play, who ended up with the drummer of Portland-based mega rock band Stage Dive after a whirlwind romance. Liz was a supporting character in that book, as well as in the sequel, Lead, and she's been nursing a crush on the band's massive, strong and silent lumbersexual bassist, Ben. Due to a nine year age difference and the fact that Ben is quite obviously not the settling down type (or even the multiple dates kind a guy), both Anne and her boyfriend Mal warn Liz to stay away from Ben, but they keep texting in secret, and this does nothing to diminish Liz' infatuation, until she figures out that Ben really isn't going to piss off his friends, and she cuts off all contact.

They see each other for the first time in a while at Anne and Mal's wedding in Vegas and alcohol and the prolonged absence leads to a one night stand (Liz kicks Ben out of her room - sans pants - once he lies on the phone to Mal about who he's with and what he's doing). Cue a couple of months later, when Liz has discovered that she's pregnant. She's forced to announce the news at a particularly awkward band dinner, where Ben's current date diagnoses both Liz and lead singer Jimmy's girlfriend Lena with probably "bun in the oven"-itis. Anne is worried and disappointed, Mal is outraged at his best friend's betrayal, and Liz pretty much figures she's going to be a single mum, as Ben is clearly not all that enthused about becoming a daddy.

As Stage Dive are going on a months long tour, Ben persuades Liz to come with them, so she'll be taken care of and he and she can try to figure out some sort of friendship, since they'll be sharing custody of a child in about seven months. Liz is disappointed that Ben has no interest in even trying for a closer relationship, but doesn't want to be alone either and agrees to his "let's be friends" suggestion, against her better judgement. Her brain tells her to be rational and not expect too much of him, even as her crazy pregnancy hormones make her even more insanely attracted to him than before. Is she ever going to get him to see her as more than his baby-mama friend?

I'm really not sure what the title Deep is supposed to refer to, as there is nothing particularly deep or profound about this story. While I really did enjoy the first two books in this series, especially Anne and Mal's book, Kylie Scott's writing seems to be a case of diminishing returns. She writes great female characters. I always really like the heroines in her books. Sadly, the heroes just don't seem to come up to scratch. I actively disliked Jimmy in Lead, I though Vaughn in Dirty was incredibly bland and far too commitment shy and Ben doesn't impress me in any way either. A better title for this book would have been Shrug, which pretty much sums up my feelings about the whole thing. It's not an actively bad book, but it's not exactly a life-changing one either. I don't feel at all bad that it's been nearly two years since this book was published until I got round to reading it.

Things I liked:
- Liz is a really good heroine (her baffling love of Ben notwithstanding). She's smart, determined to get a good education and she really has very few expectations of Ben, even after she gets pregnant. Liz and Anne come from a troubled family background and Liz had a time in her youth when she lived a pretty wild lifestyle, but is very grateful to Anne for not giving up on her, and having worked hard to help put her through college. After Ben insists, she agrees to accept a hefty bank transfer from him, but even as she's growing out of all of her clothes, she's reluctant to touch the money, intending to save it all for the child.
- The friendship between the various women in the series. Liz and Anne are sisters, who are very close, but Liz also finds a close and supporting friendship with Evie and Lena, the other wives/girlfriends of the band.
- Most of the supporting characters are actually pretty good.

Things that annoyed me:
- This is yet another contemporary romance where the heroine is apparently so astoundingly fertile that she gets knocked up after having sex once WITH a condom. As someone who has struggled with infertility issues for more than half a decade now, this just feels a bit insulting. Unlike with Rock Wedding, where I was unaware of the pregnancy storyline, I was at least prepared for it this time (as it says in the blurb).
- Ben. First of all, the burly, bearded, man-bunned mountain of a man doesn't do it for me at all. It's pretty much the opposite of the physical type I find attractive. Add to that the fact that Ben is super happy about being the laid-back, happy-go-lucky commitment-phobe who claims he really wants to be 100% involved in his child's life, but doesn't go to a single doctor's appointment with Liz, and just pays a huge amount of money into her account. Only later in the book, when they actually start getting into a more romantic relationship, does he seem like he cares about the details of her pregnancy. He's also super jealous of any other guy who shows Liz any attention, even while he still insisting that they're just platonic friends.
- The baffling inclusion of Ben's super-bitchy sister in the last third of the book. She arrives out of nowhere, is super insulting and even though she seems to be happy living large on Ben's rock star paycheck, dares to accuse Liz of being a gold digger and emotionally blackmailing her into signing a contract in front of her entire extended family. She later shouts abuse at Liz during the birth, claiming that Liz will deliver the baby faster if she's angry.
- This is yet another book where the heroine could do SO much better and therefore the romance just doesn't work for me.

At this rate, it's going to take some very rave reviews for me to bother with another of Kylie Scott's books.

Judging a book by its cover: Each of these books have featured partial pictures of rocker dudes in various states of undress, and I'm guessing that the dude on the cover here is meant to be Ben, what with having tattoos and holding a bass guitar. He doesn't seem big enough or built enough based on the descriptions in the book, and his beard is positively weeny for all the loving descriptions the hero's facial hair gets in this book. Weak cover, guys.

Crossposted on Cannonball Read. 

#CBR6 Book 89: "Lead" by Kylie Scott

Page count: 288 pages
Rating: 3 stars

This is the third book in the Stage Dive series, and while the books can be read as stand-alones and independently of each other, the series is best read in order. Start with Lick and if you like it, move on to Play. If you don't like the first two, then book three is probably not going to be your thing either.

James "Jimmy" Ferris is the lead singer of the hugely popular, world famous rock band Stage Dive and he's had a rough few months. Having hit rock bottom after years of drinking, doing drugs and generally enjoying being a bit of a d*ck, he's gone through rehab and is now trying to clean up his act. His band mates hire Lena Morrissey to be his personal assistant, and well, babysitter. She lives with him, makes sure he stays sober and generally tries to keep him from acting like an out of control asshole. She has a long history of falling for the wrong guy, most recently, her boyfriend dumped her for her own sister, and she now has to decide whether she's going to cause her family a huge amount of upset by refusing to show up at their wedding.

Preparing for the funeral of the Ferris brothers' surrogate mother of sorts, Jimmy is sorely tempted to give in and drink. The Ferris brothers' own mother is a horrible woman, who is still drunk, constantly trying to cash in on the fame of her two sons (David is the songwriter and guitarist in the band). Lena manages to stop him, but has trouble staying impersonal and detached after Jimmy basically breaks down and cries all over her. Despite their sizzling chemistry, Lena knows that it would be a monumentally bad idea to fall for her damaged and messed up boss, and tries to stay professional at all times. She even agrees to go out on a number of dates arranged for her by Jimmy and the other members of the band, when all she really wants is to jump Jimmy.

In the previous two Stage Dive books, Jimmy hasn't been the villain, exactly, but he sure hasn't been very likable. A drunken, loutish douchebag, who made an unwelcome pass on his new sister-in-law and generally made life difficult for his brother and band mates. I was interested in seeing how Scott was going to redeem him in this book, and am sorry to say that I don't think she really did. It's clear that there are reasons for Jimmy's uncontrollable behaviour, his partying, the drink and the drugs, not helped by his shitty upbringing and his awful excuse for a mother. He's managed to shelter his younger brother from realising just how toxic their mother was, but for all that there are good reasons for his life being messed up, I didn't think he needed to act the way he did. He's frequently quite rude and unpleasant to those around him, not least Lena, who he tries to force into quitting by being as disagreeable as possible.

I've said before, romances where you think the heroine should end up with someone else, are just not all that effective. Lena is amazing. She's tough, snarky and I would love for her to be my friend. She doesn't suffer fools gladly, and is hired to be Jimmy's live in assistant and sobriety companion after the band's manager fires her for sarcastically talking back at him. She's actively trying to avoid her family, as having to deal with your ex marrying your younger sister is trying at the best of times. So falling in love with her extremely sexy, but clearly damaged employer is not going to make her life easier. Lena and the rest of the band with their assorted spouses and friends is what made this book worth it for me. If I had my way, Lena would have found someone truly worthy of her, and Jimmy would emerge a better person after years of therapy, but even then, would be unlikely to be good enough for Lena. Absolutely the weakest of the series so far.

This doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to Deep, the concluding volume of the series, when drummer Mal and his girlfriend are going to get married in Vegas, and the bassist of Stage Dive finally succumbs to his own happily ever after. Most of this series has been a lot of fun, and the reviews Lead has on Goodreads suggests that a lot of people disagree with me about Jimmy's effectiveness as a hero.

Crossposted on Cannonball Read.

#CBR6 Book 33: "Play" by Kylie Scott

Page count: 304 pages
Rating: 4 stars

Anne Rollins is having a really bad time of it. Her roommate ran off, owing Anne more than two months' of back rent, taking quite a bit of the furniture with her. She needs money, and fast, or she won't be able to keep her little sister in college. She reluctantly accompanies her next door neighbour Lauren to a party at Lauren's best friend's, who just happens to be recently married to David Ferris, the guitarist in world famous rock band Stage Dive (see the previous book in the series, Lick).

Anne feels out of place at the party, surrounded mostly by strangers, and her teenage idols, so tries to find privacy on the balcony. There she has an argument with her boss/best friend about how she shouldn't have let herself have been taken advantage of. The conversation is overheard by the object of all her teenage fantasies, Malcolm Ericson himself, the drummer for Stage Dive. Mal claims Anne is a doormat and needs to learn to set boundaries for herself. As their conversation progresses, Anne shows that she can hold her own and catches the eye of most people at the party when she loudly tells Mal to mind his own business.

Still worried how she's going to pay her rent, not to mention her sister's next tuition fees, Anne is surprised to discover a new sofa in her living room when she returns from work the next day. Mal claims he's been kicked out of David's, and needs a place to stay. He also really needs an image change fast and a nice, sensible, steady girlfriend would do wonders to calm his bad boy, rock star playboy reputation. He's already paid Anne's rent and promises that they will keep things completely platonic in private, as long as she agrees to play his girlfriend in public. Not one to say no to the half-naked rock god she's idolised for much of her life, Anne agrees, even though she's not sure how she's going to be able to keep feelings out of the deal.

In Lick, the protagonists woke up surprisingly married after a drunken night in Vegas, and had to figure out if they actually had a future together. In Play, there is very little time for the couple to get to know each other before they're suddenly thrust into a relationship together. Always extremely impulsive, Mal doesn't really consider that Anne might find it strange that a man she just met at a party the night before wants to move into her tiny apartment. They talked, they danced, they had a good time. Mal knows he's irresistible to women and can tell that Anne likes him. He also sees that she's in need of help, and lets herself be taken advantage of far too easily. Because of Scott's skillful writing, there is nothing creepy or inappropriate about Mal's impulsiveness and enthusiasm. He doesn't come off as threatening or condescending, just energetic and a bit oblivious.

Anne really does need someone who takes care of her. Mal is right that she lets herself be taken advantage of too easily. She's also had to be the one who cares for other, after her father left the family when she was a young teenager, and her mother flaked out completely. Dropping out of high school to make sure her mother didn't commit suicide, Anne has pretty much had to raise her younger sister and works hard to give her sister the college education Anne herself could never have. She puts up with her boss/best friend Reece friend zoning her completely, only really having time for her when one of his many dates have fallen through. Reece, of course, suddenly discovers that Anne is quite the catch once she has a rock star suitor and tries, unsuccessfully, to put the moves on her. Luckily, there is no real love triangle here, as Anne really is incredibly sensible, and more or less instantly sees that any feelings she may have nurtured for Reece fade completely compared to what Mal makes her feel.

I was impressed at how convincing and enjoyable Kylie Scott made a romance between two people who got married after a drunken night together, and once again, even though it shouldn't really work, the growing romance between two people who agree to pretend to be in love is very well done. The preposterous nature of the situation is even commented on in the book, which is one of the reasons why you're willing to suspend your disbelief. Mal and Anne are great characters, and the book is very funny. Mal is pretty much a super bouncy dog trapped in the body of a smoking hot drummer. Anne needs someone to make her laugh and take life less seriously, as well as someone who puts her first. Mal needs someone who grounds him and makes him think things through before he acts. It's a quick and easy read, and I'm already looking forward to the third book in the series, featuring the lead singer of Stage Dive and his personal assistant (who's also introduced in this book). I suspect the fourth and final book may be the romance between the bass player and Anne's little sister, as there were definitely sparks every time they met in this book. Either way, I'm in for the duration now.

Crossposted on Cannonball Read.

#CBR5 Book 98. "Lick" by Kylie Scott

Page count: 286 pages
Rating: 4 stars

Evelyn "Ev" Thomas went to Vegas with her best friend to celebrate her 21st birthday spectacularly, and maybe get laid. She wakes up on a bathroom floor, monstrously hung over, in the presence of a very attractive, half-naked man with tattoos, and a diamond the size of a small ice berg on her finger. The courteous half-naked stranger is less than happy when Ev admits to having blocked out the previous night completely. She doesn't remember who he is, and she certainly doesn't remember getting married. Her new husband storms out in anger, claiming his lawyers will contact her.

Ev discovers that her new husband's name is David, because on her drunken night out, she apparently had it tattooed on her butt. She wants to just quietly forget that anything every happened, hopefully keeping her drunken mistake from her parents. When a horde of paparazzi meet her as she arrives back home in Portland, asking her all sorts of intrusive questions about what her new marriage will mean for the future of Stage Dive, Ev realises that anonymity is no longer an option. Her friend Lauren is both shocked and delighted that Ev's new husband is David Ferris, guitarist and song writer for the biggest rock band out there at the moment (and Lauren's favourite band). Ev is determined to just get the marriage annulled, and agrees to be flown to LA to get the papers signed when David sends a bunch of body guards to pick her up at her parents' house.

When she arrives in LA, there's a huge celebrity party at the mansion where the band are staying. David pretty much completely ignores her, dumps her in a huge bedroom, all alone. He then gets furious when he finds her later in the evening, talking to his brother (who Ev doesn't recognise), who is skeevily trying to make a pass at his new sister-in-law. The day after, a team of lawyers try to bully Ev into signing annulment papers, but she's so appalled when it's clear that she's seen as some opportunistic gold digger that she storms off, being rescued by the drummer of the band, who seems to be the only nice guy there. Her cranky husband eventually shows up and apologises for being a complete tool, and after Ev actually spends some more time with her new husband, she discovers why she may have agreed to marry him on a spur of the moment.

I noticed my friend Erica reading this, and as she rated it very highly, I decided to give it a try. It's a lot more fun than the rather contrived set up suggests. Slowly but surely, Ev remembers more about her drunken night in Vegas. When spending more time with rock god David Ferris, she discovers that he doesn't just make her weak at the knees, but is actually a very nice, if quite emotionally damaged guy. Ev has just turned 21, has only had (bad) sex with one other person, and has never really had a significant relationship before. David is five years older, but is also a rock star with a fairly messed up family and relationship history. He clearly has a lot of trust and abandonment issues, which isn't going to make him the easiest of partners.

For a while I was worried that the book was going to be some sort of annoying insta-love thing, but all the characters in the book feel very real, with a number of convincing flaws. Marrying a complete stranger, no matter how hot, in Vegas, isn't going to be super easy. David has a number of issues that complicate things, and after about a week of married mostly bliss, said complications are big enough that Ev is unable to cope. The way the story is resolved is nicely done, and I enjoyed the heck out of the book.

It helps that Ev, who narrates the book, is a fairly snarky and engaging heroine. She feels awful that she can't remember what David clearly does about their first night together, and once he stops being a jealous, insecure douche who taunts her with groupies, they are able to really talk and start getting to actually know each other. She's willing to cut him a lot of slack, but also has enough backbone to not let herself be taken advantage of, which is nice to see in a young female character. David is rather melodramatic, and I personally would have trouble being with a guy who was quite as possessive and quick to jealousy. The supporting cast are mostly good, and it's obvious that each of the three other members in the band are going to get their own romances in due course. Based on this book, I'll probably check out the next ones in the series too.