Review: 4.5 stars. Gotta love Mal!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 25, 2014
(Quote) What was it about bad boys? Someone needed to invent a cure.We met Mal Ericson, the drummer for Stage Dive in Lick. He was fun, cocky, and totally not ready to settle down like his friend, David did with Ev.Anne was having a really bad day. Her next door neighbors Lauren(Ev's friend) and Nate(Ev's brother) decided to bring her along to a party with Stage Dive to cheer her up. And she meets crazy, over the top Mal. Before she knows it he has literally infiltrateded her life, home and eventually part of her heart. He was manic, crazed, overbearing, but also sexy, charming, determined, and sweet too.She needed something from him. He needed something from her. Before she knows it they are playing at a "fake" relationship. Or is it?"Life's too short for all this over-sharing. You're here. I'm here. We can help each other out and have a good time while we're at it. That's all that matters...Life's a song, Anne. Let's play."Mal had me gasping, smiling, and laughing out loud. The things he pulled and the stuff that came out of his mouth was hilarious. At first, I was not sure about him. It was hard to tell whether he was being serious and truthful or just making stuff up. He was so wild, crazy, and unfiltered. But he was so endearing, that I totally fell for him. I was laughing at him at times and wanting to hug him at others. He had an innocence and vulnerability at times, while also being naughty and flirty. And underneath that outside layer of pure fun and attitude, was a heart of a man suffering with painful truths that he was dealing with alone."You come across as this happy go lucky type dude most of the time, but you're in fact a man of many layers. You're kind of complicated."Anne was a good straight woman for him. She was sweet, caring, and had a history of being a door mat. She had been crushing on her boss for years. She had a complicated past and current life situation. Even though she had a celebrity crush on Mal when younger, she managed to get over it quickly and treat him like the multifaceted boy-man he really was. There was a lot of sexual tension. Their relationship started out one way, but kept morphing so they both had to try to keep up. And I enjoyed the ride."You're turning out to be quite a mind f*** for me, pumpkin."They were a good influence on each other and balanced each other out. He needed grounding. She needed to live a little and stand up for herself. And they both needed support, companionship, and understanding. Their banter had me giggling at times and fanning myself at others. But throw in some secrets, hidden agendas, past issues, jealousy, emotions, and outside influences and you have some complications. There were times I wanted to shake both of them, and other times that my heart just sighed."It's fate, Anne. Written in the stars. Leave it the f*** alone.""You're crazy."Kylie Scott just has a way of drawing you into this Stage Dive world with her interesting, lovable characters and unique story lines. This was fast paced, quirky, and entertaining. It was also sweet, sexy, humorous, and had some emotional depth. The characters had back stories and relationships that added to the complexity of the story. I loved seeing more with David and Ev and the rest of the band Jimmy and Ben. We also caught up with Lauren and Nate. I enjoyed the camaraderie, love, and taunting behavior between the guys and the girls. I am looking forward to more with Jimmy and Lena in Lead and Ben's story(I think I know who he will end up with). I can't enough of this group of characters and their crazy antics.Thanks to Kylie Scott and St. Martin's Press for providing with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.