Evie Jamieson, a former wild child, is not only a headstrong, smart-mouthed trouble magnet, she is also a lead singer with a plan. That plan involves relocating her band, including her two best friends guitarist Henry and band manager Mac, to Sydney to kick off their dreams of hitting the big time.
Jared Valentine is the older brother of Evie's best friend Mac and also the man determined to make Evie his. They strike up a long distance friendship which suits Evie because she's determined to avoid the distraction of love, not only because it doesn't fit in with her plan but because twice in the past it has left her for dead. Moving to Sydney however, has put her directly in Jared's path and he has decided it's the perfect opportunity to make his play.
Unfortunately Jared, co-owner in a business that 'consults' in dangerous hostage and kidnapping situations, makes an enemy who's determined to enact revenge. When this enemy puts Evie in his sights, Jared not only has a fight on his hands to make her his own, but also to keep her alive.
Is accepting the love he's so desperate to give worth the risk to both her heart...and her life?
I didn't have the time or the inclination for a man in my life for important reasons. The first of which was that I had a career in the music industry as a lead singer in a band that was going places...Besides music being my world, my heart had already been broken twice in the past, and I had no intention of revisiting that pain.
I have to say that I was a little bit overwhelmed in the first couple of chapters. I had to wrap my brain around the Aussie terminology, get a lot of characters and their nick names straight, and get used to the fast paced witty style. The characters have such a playful rapport with each other and it was fast moving so I needed time to catch up. But partway through, that all faded into the background as I fell in love with the characters and got interested in the story lines going on. And there are several story lines all wrapped up in this book. We have emerging rock stars, a "Bad Ass Brigade" of special consultants(think Commando types) and romance. I ended up staying up until almost 3 am finishing this book. I got sucked in and could not put it down!
Jared: He was a swoony, hot, charismatic alpha man who was not afraid to show his feelings and go after what he wanted. He is flirty, sweet, protective, but also a bit guarded due to trust issues. He likes his sister's room mate Evie. They have fun in texts but have not been around each other that much in person.
Evie: An emerging Rock Goddess who lives in denial so she will not get hurt again. Her past has shaped her present and she is afraid to face her own feelings. She likes Jared, but is also terrified of being near him.
Jared and Evie had a fun witty rapport, chemistry, and intense feelings. It is obvious to everyone that they are meant to be together, but Jared is afraid to push her too far and Evie is a runner. Evie's denial could get grating at times, but I still liked her overall and could understand how she came to be so untrusting. I adored Jared even though he had issues too.
"Because one day you'll belong to me, Evie, and I'll know everything about you."
"I feel like everything is so much brighter when I'm with you. When you're not there it's like someone turned out the lights."
And when I say I loved the characters, I do not just mean Jared (though sigh...swoon!) and Evie. I adored all of their crazy motley crew. Her room mate and Jared's sister Mac is feisty, controlling, bossy, outspoken, nosy, and funny. Henry, her band member and their other room mate is sweet, protective, but like a brother to them. The other band members Frog, Cooper and Jake. The "Bad Ass brigade" that includes her brother Coby and his brothers Travis and Mitch, and the super hot Casey. All of these characters lives intersect and they have such bonds of friendship and loyalty. Even though there were a lot of characters, many of them were developed enough so you can get a real feel for them and still want to know more. I can see these other characters getting their own stories in this series. The next book is supposed to be Give me Strength in December and will be his brother Travis' story.
This book has rock stars, black ops, and romance all rolled into one. There was a great love story, danger, action, and suspense. It also had angst, drama, misunderstandings, relationship fear, trust issues, separations, and reunions. There were many factors keeping these two people apart and it was hard to watch all they had to go through.
I saw it all, the highest of our highs and the lowest of our lows, and as much as every piece was a part of me, I wanted to howl for never getting a chance to live in the middle.
"We'll have our middle, Jared, and it's going to be perfect."
I was totally invested in this couple and loved that she gave us an epilogue. I look forward to more books in this series with more of the lovable characters. I really want to see books for Casey, Mac, and Henry. Travis is next and looking forward to that. A great debut by Kate McCarthy.
Thanks to Kate McCarthy for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Oh my gosh, Kate rocked this story and her characters! I was so invested in Jared and Evie. I rooted for them, I yelled at them, and I shed some big fat tears (dang you for that Kate!). Those two had me cursing at my tablet a few times, but over all I could not get enough. Jared and Evie were angsty, they were funny, and they were so not instant love. A HUGE PLUS there. I am not a fan of instant love so I loved reading about their relationship growing over the years as friends. Their journey was not an easy one, it was filled with broken communication, jealousy, and sometimes so much anger that I did not think they would make it. Their past screwed them both up emotionally and mentally and the pain and scars from that was front and center through 90% of the book.
Another reason I adored this book was hands down her intriguing characters. I fell in love with each and every one of them! They were all so well developed and fit perfectly together. To spend a day with them would be a fricken blast! Oh, and our heroine was the rocker and NOT the hero! Now mix this gang with some drama, some twists and turns, some black ops, some rocking music and you have the perfect ingredients for a story in my opinion.
I am not ashamed to admit that I am not beyond begging or throwing a tantrum so...Kate...I am in desperate need of Casey! You got me hooked girl and I need more of him like stat. Pretty please with cherries on top!! You teased us with his character right at the end and that little section had me panting for more...yes I said panting. Damn that man is super fine. While I loved Jared, Henry, Travis and Jakie (I even loved Coby), but my heart skipped a beat at the airport. I really just need Casey and his HEA!
Thanks to Kate McCarthy for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Kate McCarthy was born in Sydney, Australia. Graduating high school in 1992 in Port Macquarie before moving to Brisbane, attending Griffith University and graduating with a degree in accounting and now works as a cake artist.
Kate currently lives in the suburbs of Brisbane, Australia with her two children, husband Dan and two dogs Rufus the ridgeback and Peter the daschund.
Her favourite authors include (and are not limited to) J.R. Ward, Kristen Ashley, Colleen Hoover, Nalini Singh and JD Nixon. Her favourite books are the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward in which she longs to eventually join the brotherhood and change her name to Phierce Mutha. Failing that, she plans to continue her writing and make a few wedding cakes along the way.
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Kate is giving away an Ebook copy of Give Me Love!
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