Review: Sexy and gritty portrait of the life of a rock star
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 27, 2014
Tristan and Lily are back in this haunting, gritty and very sexy installment in the Access Series trilogy.  Although technically a standalone novel, I highly recommend the first two books in the series, Access All Areas and Access Unrestricted, which introduce the brilliant but troubled rock star Tristan Hunter and rock journalist Lily Taylor. This series offers an incredibly detailed and nuanced look behind the scenes of the music business told from the viewpoint of Lily.In this book, Lily has agreed to go on tour with the world-famous Tristan and his band. Life on the road is a grueling and exhausting succession of endless hotel rooms, demanding fans and constant pressure from the record label. Tristan is a perfectionist and Lily soon learns that his ultimate focus is on the his music and the numerous details of performing live night after night."As I watched him move, watched him shut the door, and heard the sound of the shower starting, I realized that he never stopped working. That even now he would be thinking of the sound check, and what to ask for, what to tell the band, remembering to get someone to fetch the girl from the front of the stage.""Not for the first time, it struck me how lightly he carried enormous responsibility that he placed upon himself, to get it all right."Tristan and Lily had a sometimes-volatile relationship in the earlier books and Tristan constantly battled some serious addictions. He is more focused in this book but still exhibits some of the same insecurities and desperate need for love that makes him one of my favorite characters. Lily must deal with Tristan's deep connection with his lifelong friend and bandmate AC, who is battling his own demons.Access Unlimited provides a harsh look into the perils of stardom and fame and also is an incredibly written description of life on the road. I absolutely loved the relationship between Tristan, AC and Lily and could not get enough of these three together!  Alice Severin is a gifted and talented writer and these characters stayed with me long after I finished this book. I really hated to say goodbye to Tristan, Lily and AC and would love to read more about them in the future!