Review: Lead by Kylie Scott

Lead by Kylie Scott

(Stage Dive #3)

July 29, 2014

St. Martin's Griffin publishing

288 pages

Genre: Contemporary Romance 18+

(Contains: detailed sex, mature language)

Source; eARC from publisher for Honest review

Synopsis:

As the lead singer of Stage Dive, Jimmy is used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants it, whether it's booze, drugs, or women. However, when a PR disaster serves as a wake-up call about his life and lands him in rehab, he finds himself with Lena, a new assistant to keep him out of trouble. 　

Lena's not willing to take any crap from the sexy rocker and is determined to keep their relationship completely professional, despite their sizzling chemistry. But when Jimmy pushes her too far and Lena leaves, he realizes that he may just have lost the best thing that ever happened to him.

My Review:

Another Stage Dive hit! I loved Lead. Getting to know the rockers and their girls in each of these books has been a breath of fresh air. David and Evelyn, Mal and Anne, and now Jimmy and Lena - each of their stories, their love, and how they've all intertwined as their own special family is sheer awesomeness. Loved them all!

As for Jimmy and Lena's story, I genuinely enjoyed seeing how everything unfolded. We previously met Lena in book two as Jimmy's "babysitter" after the fallout of his need for rehab in book one. But we only got a glimpse of them there. Here we get it all. And when I say all, I mean the good and the bad, the heartache and the hope. Because Jimmy's past is riddled with heartache, self-inflicted and others-inflicted. And watching the way his life and his heart are revealed was definitely a process, but was so well done. It was hard and it hurt, it was also funny and sweet, and above all it was very healing. Then you throw in Lena, who has her own past she's been avoiding. But Lena is pure awesomeness. I loved her. She was the perfect match to Jimmy, even when neither of them knew it. Watching their relationship develop was difficult at times, because of where Jimmy was at, but I was fascinated by how Kylie put it all together and made it work. And while I imagine some superficial types won't believe in them, because Lena is not the typical modelesque girlfriend, I scoff at them and say, of course Jimmy and Lena work! They are perfect together!

Once again, I highly recommend Lead, as well as the entire Stage Dive series, to anyone who loves a rocker romance story, who loves humor and some heartache, who wants more than the perfect boy and the perfect girl, who likes a real boy and real girl and all their baggage, and who find their love story.

5 STARS

 

STAGE DIVE Series Links: 

#1: LICK

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS

MY REVIEW 

 

#2 PLAY

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS

MY REVIEW

 

#3 LEAD

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS

MY REVIEW 

 

#4 DEEP

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS 

 

Review: Play by Kylie Scott

Play by Kylie Scott

(Stage Dive #2)

March 25, 2014

St. Martin's Griffin publisher

304 pages

Genre: Contemporary Romance 18+

(Contains: detailed sex, mature language)

Source: Personal purchase

 

Synopsis:

Mal Ericson, drummer for the world famous rock band Stage Dive, needs to clean up his image fast—at least for a little while. Having a good girl on his arm should do the job just fine. Mal doesn’t plan on this temporary fix becoming permanent, but he didn’t count on finding the one right girl. Anne Rollins never thought she’d ever meet the rock god who plastered her teenage bedroom walls—especially not under these circumstances. Anne has money problems. Big ones. But being paid to play the pretend girlfriend to a wild life-of-the-party drummer couldn’t end well. No matter how hot he is. Or could it?

My Review:
 
I absolutely loved this book! My only problem with it was that I didn't read it sooner. (You can read my reasons why here: my Lessons from Stage Dive.) I already loved David and Evelyn from Lick. When I finally took the dive and read Play, I was a big Mal and Anne fan as well.
 
The story itself is the perfect blend of humor and seriousness. Mal and Anne have a lot going on in their personal lives. But via an impromptu invitation to a party and Mal's spontaneity, their worlds collide and their lives start to intertwine. For two people who have been trying to deal with their problems on their own, this opens them up to vulnerabilities they aren't used to, and so much more. I loved watching the story develop, watching their lives engage, and seeing the magic of their connection. Beyond their romantic relationship, this story also beautifully showcases family, love, and loss. But not just family by blood; family by love, by friendship, by kindness, by commitment. I laughed throughout the book, but I also felt deep emotions and may have even shed a tear. I loved the entire book! 
 
Then there are the characters. I loved Mal. Mal made me laugh and smile, and I mean laugh out loud and often. But Mal wasn't always the funnyman and seeing his layers and the depths of his soul made him so complete. He had it all going on, and I am officially a Mal fan. I also loved how he engaged with Anne. I loved their interactions. Anne was great. Yes, she has a history of being a doormat, but watching her grow, develop, and trust was encouraging. She wasn't perfect. Neither of them were. But they brought out the very best in each other, and isn't that what a partnership should do? We also get the whole band and then some. I loved seeing them all together. The band is a family through and through.
 
I loved Play. I love the Stage Dive series. It has everything you want in a great romantic rocker series, and blends the humor and the drama beautifully with characters you'll love.
 

5 STARS

 

STAGE DIVE Series Links: 

#1: LICK

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS

MY REVIEW 

 

#2 PLAY

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS

MY REVIEW

 

#3 LEAD

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS

 

#4 DEEP

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS 

 

Bad reviews, Teasers, and Subjectivity, Oh My!

How a bad review and displaced teasers almost kept me from a great book:
(Also known as, Lessons from Stage Dive)

Last year, I read Lick by Kylie Scott and completely loved it. I raved about it in my review. I friended her on both Goodreads and Facebook. I calendared the release date for the second book, Play, so I could read it when it came out. I was so happy to have found a new author who writes great books.

 

Then, the unfortunate happened. The teasers for Play, book 2, started coming. I thought to myself, "Hmm, not sure about these teasers. What is this book really going to be about?" Of course, teasers do serve a purpose. Gives you a taste of what to expect. But teasers can go both ways for me - pulling me into the story or turning me off.

My Problems with Teasers:

1. Too much spoiler potential. I really don't want to know what happens during the story. I like to discover it on my own.

2. If done too often, they give away all the best parts of the book. It's like those movie trailers for comedies that give away all the good jokes, then you watch the movie and you think, meh.

3. They are taken out of context of the scene. Of course, I know that's the point of a teaser. I just don't like it. Context is important to me.

 

 

So, then I decided to read some reviews when Play came out. Now there were a lot of good reviews, but for some reason, one of the bad reviews stuck. It stuck in my head, and after my initial trepidation, I found myself nodding in agreement that this wasn't the book for me. So Play was ignored, other books were moved to the forefront, and my reading life was just fine.

 

Fast-forward to Lead, book 3, and it's imminent release. I was much better about ignoring teasers this time around. I also avoided reviews. Because I really wanted to read more about the band, and I hoped that Lead would restore my fan-status. But then I read the prologue for Lead, and I just knew I needed to read Play. I felt like something was missing, and I really wanted to know the story between books 1 and 3. So I set Lead aside and bought Play.

 

Well, what do you know? I completely loved Play. I mean, really loved it! Not a complaint to be found. Actually, one complaint: that I almost didn't read it due to that bad review. So I flew through Play, then immediately read Lead (which I also loved), reading them both in less than 72 hours. I loved them both, and am a restored Kylie Scott fan!

 

 So why the lengthy story?

To say that reviews are mostly subjective. People have opinions. I have opinions. We all have opinions. And reading preferences are very individual. I have loved books others have hated and hated books others have loved. Some reviewer opinions I respect more than others, but even then our tastes may differ. Some reviews are insightful, some are emotional, some are scholarly, some are clinical, some are mean-spirited, some are fan-girly, some are bogus, some are genius... you get my drift.

 

This isn't to say that bad reviews should be ignored. Some have saved me from making a bad reading decision. This also doesn't mean that good reviews should be lauded. Some have lead me astray. It just means that they are opinions of that person, and it is your choice whether or not you let their opinion persuade you or not. It simply means that they are a tool, and you can use them how you like them.

 

My Take Away Reminders:

Teasers: Beware of context and spoilers. Know my limits.

Reviews: Use them as a tool, but remember they are subjective.

Trust & Go For It: Trust my instincts. I know myself, right? But be willing to take risks too.

 

 

Review Tour: Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

August 5, 2014

Atria Books

320 pages

Genre: New Adult Contemporary 18+

(Contains: explicit sex, mature language)

Source: eARC from publisher for Honest review

Book Synopsis:

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.

My Review:

What's special about Ugly Love? The whole dang thing! It's not that some of the concepts in this book haven't been attempted before; written down; brushed against; tinkered with; talked about; toyed around. They have. And they will again. But the difference with Ugly Love - its specialness, its uniqueness - is in its execution. Colleen Hoover has somehow been able to combine plot points and character studies that another author may attempt to write, but through the forces of her poetic genius with the written word and insightful explorations of the human condition, she has created a beautiful story from the ugly and the broken, a tenderly unique perspective, and intertwined harsh reality with that thread of hope that keeps us going.

I will not rehash the storyline or drop spoilers. For me, this wasn't a light-hearted read. The story had a depressive undercurrent, but was highly addictive nonetheless. I wasn't warm and fuzzy; I was nervous and chilly. There's an intertwining of storylines, and the entire time my stomach was in knots. Even as I started to predict certain things, it didn't make me feel any better. I was a nervous wreck. I am predominantly a hopeful person, and even my hope was tested, but I refused to give up. With a title like Ugly Love, you don't know whether it will end happily or not, but even with all my trepidation, nerves, and worry, I was completely hooked. (And, no, I will not tell you if it has a happy ending or not. But I trust Colleen, and so should you.)

The characters were so well-written, and so very addicting to want to know more about. Cap, the scene-stealer, is that special someone you will love, just completely love and want to adopt for yourself. And then there's Miles and Tate, and they are just... Wow. They gave me all kinds of feels, and not always good. Seriously, such fascinating characters and what an amazing way to learn about them, both individually and together. I completely hurt for them and hoped for them. I wanted to hug them and hold them and heal them. I cringed, I sighed, I worried, I hoped, I shook my fists, I smiled, I hurt, I cringed again, I mourned, I felt, I felt, I felt... I felt.

Bottom-line: I highly recommend Ugly Love! Days later, I'm still thinking about it, pondering its depths. Ugly Love is for the person looking for a unique, engrossing, and amazing read; who loves incredible writing with a thoughtful voice; who wants to be engaged with complex characters who may or may not do what you want them to do; who isn't afraid to feel a range of emotions and experience layer upon layer of levels of love in unexpected ways; who embraces storylines about the beautiful and the broken, the possibility of love but also the possibility of heartbreak; and who can hold out for a stunning conclusion that will stay with you long after. I loved it! Bravo, Mrs. Hoover!

5+ STARS

 

Book Links:

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS

It's Monday! What are you reading? (9)

 It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.

What I Read Last Week:

    
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
Play by Kylie Scott
Lead by Kylie Scott

 

What I Finished Listening To: 

Shattered by Kevin Hearne

 

My Reviews Last Week:

  
Falling for Fitz by Katy Regnery (4-1/2 Stars)
Break the Sky by Nina Lane (5+ Stars)

Have I Mentioned Comic Con?

You can find my thoughts on our San Diego Comic Con experience HERE.

 What I'm Reading This Week:

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
  

Stacking the Shelves (70): San Diego Comic Con Edition

Stacking The Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

My family and I attended San Diego Comic Con for the first time this year. It was awesome!! We only went Friday and Saturday, and just those two days totally wiped us out. It was overwhelming, crowded, colorful, and amazing. We learned a lot this time around and hope to go again next year with our new found experience under our belts, perhaps even ready to brave the line for Hall H.

You can find my thoughts on our Comic Con experience HERE.

Of course, being a bibliophile, books and authors were a big draw for me, and I got to see some amazing authors. I brought several books with me to have signed, and only bought one there. But my bags quickly doubled then tripled in size with the amazing booths to be visited and giveaways to be had.

Here are the books I actually got at Comic Con, and all but one were FREE!
(Thank you, publishers!)

Bought (& signed):

 The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman

 

Freebies (signed):

Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines

Inside the Maze Runner: The Guide to the Glade (signed by James Dashner)

Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton (ARC)

Vampires of Manhattan by Melissa de la Cruz (ARC x2)

The Young Elites by Marie Lu (ARC)

Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White (ARC)

 

Freebies (not signed):

 Thrones & Bones: Frostborn by Lou Anders (ARC)

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (ARC)

The Doubt Factory by Paolo Bacigalupi (ARC)

 Written in Red by Anne Bishop

The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett

The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

The Lost Stars: Tarnished Knight by Jack Campbell

The Clockwork Dagger by Beth Cato (ARC)

The Deep by Nick Cutter (ARC)

The Jewel by Amy Ewing (ARC)

Endgame by James Frey & Nils Johnson-Shelton (ARC)

Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant (ARC)

The Butcher by Jennifer Hillier

Finding Cinderella by Colleen Hoover

The Midnight Queen by Sylvia Izzo Hunter (ARC)

The Golem of Hollywood by Jonathan Kellerman & Jesse Kellerman (ARC)

Proxy by Alex London

The Young Elites by Marie Lu (ARC)

Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier

Maplecroft by Cherie Priest (ARC) 

Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes (ARC)

All the Wrong Questions by Lemony Snicket

The Waters Rising by Sheri S. Tepper

 

 

San Diego Comic Con: Thoughts of a First Time Attendee

So my family of five attended San Diego Comic Con for the first time this year. We only attended two days (Friday and Saturday) because we weren't sure if the kids could handle four days in a row. Turns out we don't know if the adults could have handled it either. We had big expectations and we weren't disappointed. We definitely want to try and go next year, and perhaps we may even attempt four days (if we can get tickets that is - we got really lucky this year).
 

Here are some thoughts about our Comic Con experience:

 
1. Day 1 = Overwhelmed:
As a newbie, I had no idea what to expect. I mean, people can tell you what to expect, but until you get there, you just don't know. The number of people, number of booths, and distances to travel were all more than I imagined. So the first day of our experience, even just getting our badges, was a lot to take in. 
 
2. Hall H = Completely intimidating:
People camp overnight to get into Hall H. The line for Hall H is huge. Apparently Hall H is also huge, but not everyone gets in because Hall H is also the place to be for some truly awesome panels from such epic distributors like DreamWorks, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, and Marvel Studios, plus goodies like The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, among others. But this newbie and her family couldn't quite wrap our minds around its epicness this time around, so we hope to tackle it in the future.

(See those white tents? That's the line!)

3. Plan, revise, and plan some more:
We went in with a plan. I spent a lot of time reviewing the schedule, then going to different author and publisher website and checking if they posted signing schedules, then researching some more. We printed the schedule, plotted our additional time frames of when the exhibit booths would be having their signings or activities, and hoped for the best. Then of course, when we got there, we found out about a bunch of other things we wanted to attend, and had to cross off other things that we deemed to difficult to try to get to, and then later found out we missed some really cool stuff we just didn't know about. Oh well. But I'm glad we started with a plan, even of it did get revised.
 
4. Cosplay all the way:
Though we are not cosplayers ourselves, we loved how into it so many other people were. And they were everywhere. I mean, Everywhere! But don't hesitate to look, admire, and ask for photos of or with them. They love it. My favorite costume was the Scottish Stormtrooper (yes, that's a Stormtrooper in a kilt). He was awesome, and I'm very disappointed I did not get a photo. Here's the only Cosplay photo I got:

 

Light-up Transformers. So cool!

5. Divide and conquer:

My husband, sons, and I have some similar and some different interests, so splitting up was unavoidable. This was great because we got to get more things done at the same time, but hard because we would go hours without seeing each other. Feeling like I'd been neglecting the family, I ate lunch with them on day 1, causing me to get into a panel line later than I'd hoped or needed, and despite getting into the line over an hour early, I still missed the panel. Now whether ditching my family or not would have made a difference, who knows, but it was a good learning experience (which we applied day 2).

6. Walking, climbing, and waiting, oh my!
There was no need to fit in a trip to the gym with the amount of walking, stair climbing, heavy bag lifting, standing, and then more walking that we did. The convention center is huge, and the events even extend outside of the convention center. I had sore muscles everywhere. Patience is key, especially when standing (or sitting) in very long lines.


(Waiting in line outside.)

(Hey, at least we're in line inside now.)

7. Commence fangirling:
I love meeting authors, listening to authors, seeing authors. Beyond that, my family just likes seeing and learning about new things and old things in all forms of entertainment. Between the few panels we attended and author signings and celebrity sightings, we got a great taste of Comic Con awesomeness, and only hope we can go again next year and see more. Here are just a few of the authors we met:

Meeting Deborah Harkness

Meeting Lev Grossman

Meeting Scott Westerfeld

8. Speaking of panels:
If you want to see something badly enough, there's a high probability that a bunch of other people do, too. Hence the need to get in line early. Since I missed the Outlander panel on our first day there due to not getting in line early enough, we rectified our approach the next day. I still wanted to see Diana Gabaldon and George R.R. Martin, who were speaking at a group panel, so we got in line early enough to not only see them but the panel before them as well, which luckily for us was the writers of The Walking Dead and Norman Reedus, so though the kids complained about sitting in the panel room for almost two and a half hours, plus the hour or more of waiting in line, it was worth it. But, the kids also got to see the Phineas and Ferb panel, and didn't have a huge line to wait it, so they were happy about that.

Norman Reedus, David Alperts, Robert Kirkman:
The Walking Dead

Norman Reedus smiling :)

Diana Gabaldon (Outlander)

George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones)

Panel: Joe Abercrombie, Lev Grossman, George R.R. Martin, Diana Gabaldon, Patrick Rothfuss

9. Freebies:

So I was hoping for a few free books or advanced copies. Well, I got more than I bargained for, and I loved it. Luckily, many of these lovely publishers also hand out free bags, so as my personal bag overflowed, I was able to carry more of these goodies. Plus, there's swag and trinkets to be collected everywhere. But if you take it, be prepared to carry it. A couple great things to bring with you: a backpack and a poster container.


(All these were free except The Magician King)

 
10. Did I mention the Exhibit Hall?
Bodies and booths are everywhere. Cosplay, comics, artists, movies, television, studios, publishers, entertainers, gamers, vendors... the list goes on and they are all over the place. Prepare to be jostled, to stop for people taking Cosplay photos, then to be told to keep moving. See great sights, hear all the awesome nerdspeak and geekspeak you dreamed of, and learn about things you didn't imagine. And though we spent very little money, if you're looking for unique finds, bring your wallet.

(This is a mere glimpse at some of the myriad of exhibits.)

 

 

Least Favorite Moment:

My middle son lost his iTouch :(

 

Favorite Moment:

 

My boys meeting Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman from Mythbusters

(They are huge fans!)