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Review
An edgy, unexpected rockstar romance. I freaking loved it!
4.5 stars!
Rocked Up is a sweet, sexy, fun, edgy, forbidden rock star romance that sucked me in from start to finish. Co-written by Karina Halle and her husband, Scott MacKenzie, they’ve done a wonderful job and given us a cohesive, engaging and chemistry filled story with fantastic characters, great musical themes and a heartfelt, passionate romance. I loved it!
Lael Ramsay has been in love with Brad Snyder since she was a teenager. He is the lead singer of her favourite band, And Then, and she is infatuated with the sexy rock god. It helped that her father is the CEO of the band’s record label so she got to get up close and personal to her idol on more than one occasion. Now she’s all grown up – 21 and ready to take on the world. She has made a point of living her own life and doing what makes her happy, becoming a musician herself, and when she is given the opportunity to join Brad’s band as bassist for a two month road tour, she jumps at the chance.
Brad had a difficult childhood, but he always had a love for music and he was plucked out of obscurity and turned into a rock star by Lael’s father, Ronald. He and his band have achieved successful beyond his wildest dreams, and it doesn’t really bother him that Lael’s father takes full responsibility for Brad’s success and controls his career with an iron fist. Until Ronald’s wild daughter joins his tour and Brad is told to keep his hands off the wildly intriguing woman.
From the moment we see Lael and Brad together as adults, there is a wonderful chemistry between them. It’s a distant almost-friendship, but with an underlying ‘something’ that makes each encounter sizzle with anticipation, and once the tour starts and they are together 24/7, that friendship quickly becomes something so much more.
This isn’t a young teenager pining after a rock star. This is me, a young woman, getting to know this rock star on a very personal level. I’m falling for the real Brad Snyder.
I loved this romance! It’s a slow-building, beautifully developing love story that is sweet, fun, romantic and all kinds of sexy. Lael and Brad have fun together, they connect on a deep level with their music, and the sexual tension is fantastic! But more than that, they are functional! They don’t hide their feelings or play games with each other, they accept what they are starting to mean to each other and they explore that for all they’re worth.
“Baby, nothing is going to keep me away from you. Not your father, not the band. If it’s a risk, I don’t fucking care. You are worth that risk.”
Brad Snyder has instantly shot up into my all-time favourite rock-star heroes. He’s not a manwhoring bad boy or a tormented soul – sure, he had a difficult childhood, but he’s made the most of his talent and he’s created a good life for himself without moping or dwelling on the past. But most of all, he has a huge heart, and combined with the fact that the man is sex on legs, he is completely irresistible!
This man.
My rock god.
My everything.
There’s no huge surprise where the story is going to go, but I was surprised, and really happy, with the timing and pacing of the story. This isn’t a wham-bam situation, there is genuine emotion between Lael and Brad that grows naturally and is beautifully explored, and combined with the passion they have for each other, this is a hot, steamy and intense romance that I couldn’t get enough of.
I’m in love with him.
And I always have been.
Only this time, it’s for real.
It’s not a fantasy, it’s far from it.
It’s raw and it’s messy and it’s beautiful.
And it’s mine.
But everything between them has been happening behind closed doors. What happens when the secret gets out? And what are they willing to risk to get their happy ever after?
I loved this book. It’s fun, sexy, sweet and romantic with very little angst and a whole lot of chemistry. I loved the characters – the wildness and passion that Lael and Brad have for their music, and the way they live their lives, leaps off the page, equalled only by their passion for each other, which sucked me right into their love story. I loved the musical references which made me feel that I was part of an incredible concert experience, and the side characters that added so much to the story, and I loved that we got to see so much of the ‘after’ part of the story which finished everything off beautifully.
An absolutely fantastic read, I loved it!
4.5 stars.
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the authors in exchange for an honest review.
See our Karina Halle Author Spotlight for more awesome reads by this author