Review: Loved This Character-Driven Story and Look Forward to More in the Next Installment
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 25, 2013
Between my enjoyment of this author's stories and a fascination for the backdrop of this one, I was eager to read this story.  As can sometimes happen, the book produced even better and more than I was even anticipating.  It offered a good story for sure, but the two main characters quickly became favorites.  I closed the last page and marched off to discover to my relief that this is the first book in a series and there is more.Beginning at the point where Blaze joins a famous rock star's tour group to audition for the part of guitarist in the band, Blaze meets Jason Stockton and the near instant heat between the two of them is incredible.  Blaze gets the job and he also starts something with the new manager, Jason.  It's tentative because Blaze is a virgin and just beginning his first real love affair and Jason is protective of his heart after growing up in the business.As they venture into a relationship, things are not simple or easy.  They both have moments when something happens to challenge their trust and hurt them deeply.  Blaze is determined to come out to his family because he is certain that what he as found is real. Then there is just the grueling schedule of being much apart and trying to have something together.  Finally, they need to discover if their relationship can survive very public exposure and maybe censure.The story ended up having a different feel to me than what I anticipated when I read the blurb.  In many ways it felt like a coming of age journey story when it came to Blaze.  Both men narrated the story, but Blaze was the focal point.  He is a very talented and sweet young man who has a dream when he comes to Jason for an audition.  Jason is the jaded son from a famous acting family who struggles to put himself out there and trust.  The book follows the beginnings of their relationship.  Even as I neared the end of the story and saw them resolve so many things as they went along, I could tell that the journey for them together is just beginning.  It's neat being along for this interesting story that still has more to it.The pace of the story is gentle with occasional spikes when there were attacks on their relationship.  My only niggle about the story was that I couldn't really figure out what Cassie's (the rockstar who tried to break them up a few times) thing was.  Jason kept saying she wasn't really a cruel person, but her track record in this book proved him wrong.  I couldn't figure out if it was jealousy, wanting someone else to be miserable because she was or if she was just the type who pulls wings off butterflies for the heck of it.  This didn't really ruin the story; it just had me extremely curious.  Speaking of curiosity, I really want to get Jason's backstory.  There are huge clues that he didn't have it so good before and his stuff from the past is still getting to him even in the present- maybe enough to interfere with what he's got with Blaze.As I said before, I found Jason and Blaze just mucho caliente together.  These two got it on early and often, but things do deepen into the relationship stage which didn't slow them down one bit.  Each time something would happen to upset things, I was hurting for them because I was so vested.  It was so adorable to see Blaze turn the cynical Jason into a softy who just couldn't get enough of Blaze's goodness.All in all, it was a fabulous read that those who enjoy passion-filled M/M Contemporary Romance set against the rock entertainment world should give a try.