Review: And the awesomeness continues!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 15, 2014
Review:I loved the first book, it had great humor, sweet swoony moments and overall rocked the rocker romance trope in a way I haven’t yet come across – at the level which left everything else in the dust. This second book focusing now on the out-of-control yet lovable as a naughty puppy drummer and an ordinary yet relatable girl who managed to get the short end of the stick in many aspects of her life till she met the guy would mess up her world even more, but this time not in a bad way.I most of all appreciated that this book kept up with the quality humor from the first. The dialogue flowed and was full of banter, sexual innuendos and there was more than its fair share of awkwardly hilarious to all-around lol-moments – it all made the book exciting to follow. From the ridiculous how-did-this-come-about moment of Mal and Anne moving in together to the epic bed breaking scene to the supposed pregnancy scenes to to to… the book was filled to the brim with great funny scenes and when adding a dash of angst, misunderstanding and sadness – you have another winner in the rocker romance genre.Mal and Anne had great chemistry, they just clicked in this wrong but oh so right way, just like David and Evelyn with whom we can catch up in this book as well. But at the same time they weren’t the same recycled couple. Mal and Anne were unique together, but the main essence of a fun, young, sexy yet unlikely couple was there. I also liked how their attraction developed, there was this will-they-or-won’t-they element to it it.The end got really serious all of a sudden, even though there were subtle hints from early on. The sad turn of events was beneficial in helping the characters grow, but I didn’t entirely like it because it changed the tone of the story, which I was quite fond of till then. It changed at least for me too drastically, but it all went on track again in the end.Characters:Mal was a refreshing hero, most definitely an alpha and extremely hot, but he was also so over-the-top, playful, all-over-the-place, a shameless flirt and simply shameless in everything. You couldn’t really fault him with anything or make him accountable for his crazy ways and for all the outrageous things he says and does. He was entirely likable despite being tactless, too careless and doing everything according to his unique pace and understanding, which might not always coincide with everyone else’s. Also, while his hyperactivity and mood changes made him colorful and the person who he was, it was obvious that he needed help, the psychological kind, and his mind wasn’t entirely in the happiest place or knew how to handle issues the least destructive way.Anne was a sweet, simple and down on her luck. The way she handled Mal was exactly what he needed, gentle yet just and while she did let him let loose in his wacky ways, I loved that she set her foot down when it really mattered in the end with one specific questions at hand, that was awesome and educating all around.Overall:Another winner in the Stage Dive series. I’m really surprised and glad that I enjoyed it this much. Now I can more confidently recommend this to anyone interested in rocker romance. You won’t be disappointed! For me… nothing will stand in my way both physically and mentally to take on the third book. Bring it on!