Review: Really good addition to the series. :D
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 27, 2014
4-4.5 starsThis was a really good story. I really liked Mal and Anne and their story was fun and engaging. I read and loved Lick and liked Mal a lot in that book. I was happy to see him get a great girl and his HEA.Anne is a good person that hasn't had an easy life. Her father left when she was 14 years old and her mother collapsed in grief and depression. This left poor Anne to take care of the house and her little sister, Lizzy, even forgoing her own education in order to make sure Lizzy was taken care of. Now she works in a book store and helps her sister (who's going to college at PSU) whenever needed. She doesn't date much. Crushing on her friend/boss is as close as she's gotten recently.Mal is a drummer for the group Stage Dive. They made it big in their teens and have been famous and popular for years. All 4 of the members have been close since they started playing together as teens. Mal is a good guy and tends to crack jokes and try to make the peace. Mal hasn't been in a serious relationship and has mainly just been sleeping with groupies.Anne is having a bad day when the story begins. She just got screwed over by a supposed friend (who owed Anne money for rent and other bills but instead left taking most of the furniture with her) and isn't feeling very chipper. Anne happens to be the neighbor of Lauren (the ex roommate of Ev, the heroine from Lick) and Nate (Ev's brother) and when they find out about her troubles, Lauren invites Anne to a party her and Nate are attending at David and Ev's condo. Anne is a big Stage Dive fan and has been since she was a teen so she's nervous but accepts the invite. At the party she ends up meeting all the members of the band but her favorite member has always been Mal and she's surprised to gain his attention during the party. They both wind up on the balcony and Mal overhears a phone call of Anne's when she doesn't realize he's there. Mal's intrigued by Anne and they start talking. Mal does have a tenancy to push thing and Anne ends up yelling at Mal, much to her horror. Later in the party Mal starts calling Anne his girlfriend and talks about moving in with her but since he's been talking crap most of the night and he's rather drunk Anne doesn't take anything he says seriously. Anne goes home that night figuring she'll never see him again but when she gets home from work the next day she finds he's moved in (with new furniture and everything). It ends up he convinced Lauren to let him in to Anne's apartment saying that Anne was expecting him to move in but forgot to leave him her spare key. Mal makes a proposition to Anne where they act like boyfriend and girlfriend (but it's just fake with no sex involved) until his tour starts and in return she gets the furniture and he pays her rent for the month. Since Anne's facing eviction when rent comes due (due to being screwed over by her ex-roommate) Anne reluctantly agrees figuring that since she knows it's fake she should be able to hold herself back and not get hurt when it ends.Anne and Mal start living together and there's no lack of shock at Mal's sudden relationship. It soon becomes apparent that Mal is dealing with something that's bothering him greatly but he wont tell Anne (or his friends) what is bothering him. Anne tries to be there for him and play her part. It's not always easy as there are groupies that are more than willing to step in and try to steal him away. Also, since Mal has never been in a relationship before he doesn't get the rules and that causes a few problems when he does stuff that makes Anne look bad because of their supposed relationship. Things get worked out and Mal and Anne both admit that they're attracted to each other and that they want more than a fake relationship. They decide that they'll be together for real and see how things go. An unexpected (at least to Anne) visit from Mal's parents brings the issues Mal's dealing with to the forefront but he has trouble sharing. Anne shares her own troubled past and in return Mal is able to share with her. Unfortunately, even though Mal has shared his issues they're still there and Mal makes a move that Anne isn't comfortable following and it causes a gulf between them. They end up separated for a time and things don't look good but thankfully Mal gets his head on straight and he and Anne are able to work things out, ending in a nice beginning to their HEA.I really enjoyed this story. I loved seeing Anna and Mal get together. They're both great characters and their interaction with each other is great. They have a feisty, passionate relationship that works so well. Mal is a bit crazy and Anne was the perfect match for him once she let go a little bit. The story was very short time-wise (most of it took place in a week and a half) so it was sort of an insta-love situation but I liked the way it progressed. Mal and Anne still went through a lot of the relationship steps you'd expect...just at a quicker pace than normal. The next book (between Lena and Jimmy) is already being set up in this book and although Jimmy has never been my favorite band member, I still can't wait for it to come out. I'd recommend this book. Thumbs up! :D