Review: *4.5 Pretty Fricken Perfect Stars!*
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 24, 2014
*ARC generously provided by author in exchange for an honest review*Selena Laurence has done it again! I can honestly count with one hand the authors of whom I’ve read all of their books and Ms. Laurence is one of them. Her uncanny ability to draw you into her stories and captivate the reader with troubled characters seeking redemption is quite impressive. Whether they’re flawed war veterans or brooding rock stars, once you read one of her tales, you’ll be a fan for good.What could possibly be better than a delicious tatted up cliché rock star with the voice of an angel? A brooding, smokin’ hot, non-man-whore tatted up cliché rock star with a good head on his shoulders. Meet Joss Jamison, lead singer and jack of all trades of the kind of a big deal rock band, Lush. While the band is made up of four extremely talented men, Joss, Walsh, Mike and Colin; Joss is the responsible one that took the time to learn the ropes in all aspects concerning their music career. His long time best friend and drummer, Walsh (recovering alcoholic) is too busy being wrapped up in his happily ever after with fiancé and band assistant Tammy DiLorenzo. Mike is blissful enjoying the pleasurable perks that come with being in a successful rock band and Colin is usually lost in another world thanks to his love of greenery. Tammy is the fierce beautiful girl in charge of keeping the boys fed and in line. Dave Keller is the band’s manager and in charge of taking his most prolific clients all the way to mega stardom. They’ve already created an enthusiastic fandom but he knows they have a long way to go in order to join the ranks of Kings of Leon and Arctic Monkeys instead of opening up for them.Enter Melanie DiLorenzo, Tammy’s not-so-baby 24-year-old sister and MFA photojournalism student. Wrapping up her degree should have been a fairly simple task; after all she was top of the class and a shoe-in for the highly prestigious coveted Eddie Adams Award for Photojournalism. One unfortunate mistake and all that was shot to tell in the blink of an eye thanks to an unprofessional womanizing jerk. Thankfully, having a sister in the biz comes in very handy. Mel has been given the once in a lifetime opportunity to be a fly on the wall while creating a rockumentary and book of Lush’s climb to the top over the course of their upcoming summer tour. She’s given full access to the band on top of traveling with them and getting a hefty cut of her final work’s profits. In other words, she gets to do what she does best (without the pesky requirement of degrees and transcripts) and spend quality time with the hottest rock band and its equally hot lead singer.Joss Jamison is used to the legion of women that follow him from one venue to another but he is not prepared to deal with the plethora of emotions Mel ignites in him, all of them good. He hasn’t felt anything remotely close to happiness in over a year; when his drive for just about anything took a nosedive right after committing the biggest mistake of his life that could cost him and his band mates everything. Like Mel, one terrible decision was all it took and the immense feeling of guilt follows him day in and day out like his very own depressing black parade. Simmering under all the angst is the unshakeable feeling that he is very much alone. Losing his mother at an early age and having an estranged father leaves him with no other family to call his own. The only thing left, Lush, is on the cusp of greatness or disaster; partially thanks to him.While Mel tries to capture candid shots of the band and crew, she becomes intrigued with getting to know Joss the man. Reluctant at first, he no longer fights the feeling that could mean the end of his sadness. Together Joss and Mel begin an intense romance regardless of the growing opposition. When all is said and done will their relationship endure the harsh truth and what will that mean for the future of Lush?A Lush Betrayal, is in my opinion a pretty spectacular rock star romance that surpassed my expectations. The plot and execution were phenomenal and the pacing was perfect. I love Selena’s writing style and raw emotions that pour out of every page. I suffered along with the characters through every tragic moment and enjoyed every happy one. The good, the bad and the ugly came together beautifully, to bring about what looks to be a very promising book 2; depicting Walsh and Tammy’s story. Just in case you were wondering, the reader is rewarded with an amazingly sweet HEA (Selena is the queen of these). Needless to say, I highly recommend this and all of Ms. Laurence’s literary works, you will not be disappointed.