Favorite rocker stories

I have a serious rock star addiction and probably obsession, too. I call myself a rocker groupie because in all fairness I kind of am or at least, have been in the past. Last year I saw the same band 10 - no - 11 - no, I think it was 12 times - in Canada and the States. Live shows bring out things in me that aren't normally there; I become more social, more of an extrovert, more unaware of my self-conscousness and self-confidence issues. So I think it's only natural that rock star books and hot rock star boys make me happy.

Anyhow since I do have this obsession and I'm writing my own rocker series, Glitter Fox, I'm going to share my fave rock star reads with you.

Jordan's got a good life. He's got his own web business, a fat cat for a pet and his own house, which he shares with his sister -- oh well, nothing's perfect. Also not perfect is not having someone special to share his life with. His sister Rebecca believes it's because he's too picky and too unapproachable, but Jordan just wants someone to do the Sunday crossword with, take walks with, someone who'll be his mate for life. Is that really too much to ask?

One night Rebecca drags Jordan to a Tyler Curtis concert. Tyler is a notorious bad boy who treats his audience with contempt and sleeps with a different groupie every night, and Rebecca is determined to be tonight's groupie. Jordan is there under protest. At least he is until he meets the man beneath the crass, bad boy image. Will Jordan get to know the true Tyler or will Tyler's manager and a world wanting the man to match the image conspire against them?

I love this book and it's one of the only m/m books I've read, and really enjoyed, that doesn't complete the sex act. Some people don't like that aspect of the book but I didn't feel like I'd been slighted in the least. The emotions and issues in this story are raw, complex and real and I challenge anyone to not find something in this book that strikes a chord with them. I cried a whole lot of tears but recovered with a whole lot of smiles and "awwwws". Fabulous writing and characters make it just a fabulous read.

*****

Vocally gifted singer, Jesse Alexander, has dreams of taking his band, Conquest, to the top. Evan Arden was thought of as a musical genius when at the height of his career he vanished from the spotlight. Together, their relationship is just as intense as their music careers. With success pushing down on them, Jesse must decide between his life of music, or his life with Evan.

There are 5 books in this series and I loved them all, but I have to say my faves are the original Conquest, Not Fear and Black Heart Down because I think they all involve my fave couple in the books - Evan and Jesse. That seems to be a pattern of mine - the first couple in a series usually end up being my fave. I could read about these boys for days and yeah, I probably have. They're emotional and loving and supportive and I can only hope my Glitter Fox boys will touch someone as much as Evan and Jesse touched me. As far as I'm concerned, SJ and Jet Mykles are the "queens of rock stars" and I bow down to their greatness. ;)

*****

Danny and Jeff have never had an easy relationship. Danny admits early on that he wants Jeff, maybe even loves him, but all Jeff wants is a normal life, at least as normal as a rock star can have. Over the years, the two of them will come together and drift apart, as Danny spirals deeper into depression over what he feels is an unrequited love. Jeff has his ownreasons for pushing Danny away, but when he finally decides to take life by the horns and find Danny again, it might be too late. Can Jeff and Danny find a wayto put their past behind them, and build a future as bright as the prospects of their new band?

This book just blew me away. There's really nothing sweet or mushy about it, at least not in an overall way. It's gritty and raw and made me want to throw things on occasion - at the characters - but it's also memorable and real. It takes place over several years and there are no angels and saints to be found - everyone has their own flaws, some far greater than others, but the beautiful way its written, makes you just wanna adopt these guys, flaws and all.

*****

Heaven Sent gets a hell of new keyboardist with a name to match. Hell Witting is an amazing musician and proves to be the answer to a sound that the band was missing. With lavender hair and big violet eyes, he captivates Brent Rose from the start, and not just with his music. When Hell makes his interest in Brent all too obvious, Brent is unprepared and unable to stay away. So, fine, if they just keep it at sex, everything will be all right...

This isn't the first in the Heaven Sent series but actually the third. I did like them all but I ended up with this special obsession with the little lavender-haired, alpha-in-the-sack, keyboardist named Hell. He's pretty damn special and together with Brent, they're an awesome combination. Jet has another rockstar series and I love that one, too, but I'll just let Hell speak for her for now.

*****

Brandon Ashwood had it all--fame, fortune, and Nicholas Kilmain--but it took almost losing everything to realize his most important possession was his belief in himself. And the one thing he'd fight for was Nicholas.

This book broke my heart in a lot of ways and in a lot of places, but that's also the kind of story I like as long as the ending makes me feel better again. It was a complex, angsty, emotional read, twisting and turning much like the characters' minds and hearts. The complexities came in the form of a back and forth pattern of past and present references, and though, the "past" journal did add the backstory, I found myself just wanting more of the "present" story which, yeah, I eventually got. The characters were rich, well-drawn and believable with both strengths and flaws. It was another total tear-jerker for me and that's not a bad thing.

*****

Cassidy Monarch had dreams to sing, to be famous, to tour the world at the head of his own rock band. Then his parents were killed in a tragic accident, leaving him to raise his two siblings. Determined to hold on to what remained of his family, Cassidy settled into an ordinary life, his dreams of fame reduced to occasional nights of singing at karaoke dives. But his careful, ordinary life began to fray with his new job, and the beautiful, charming boss who reminds him of all the things he tried to stop wanting.

Malcolm Osborne is a classic rags to riches story, a foster child who wound up with the perfect family and more money than he knows what to do with. He's wealthy, beautiful, successful, and completely miserable. Then he hires a new worker for his office, a young, hard-working man with a sadness in his eyes that Malcolm aches to banish, hoping that in doing so he will be rid of his own loneliness as well.

This was a beautiful read and Cassidy is just an incredible, all-round character. The story is one of the sweetest that I've ever read in this genre and it sucks the reader into the psyche and dreams of this lovely young man. Truly great read.

*****

Hard rock band Schadenfreude is finally on the verge of the success that’s eluded them for the last several years. With Aaron McClure as their new lead singer, nothing’s going to stop them…except maybe a steamy, secret relationship between Aaron and bassist Bastian Koehler. Aaron knows all too well what can happen when band members get involved with each other. After all, his last band was a casualty of his last relationship, and Schadenfreude forbids band members from dating for that very reason. But Bastian is too hot to resist, and besides, it’s just sex, so what’s the harm?

Bastian has just gotten out of a long relationship with his volatile ex-fiancée when Aaron catches his eye. The sexy singer is irresistible, and in spite of the potential for strife within the band if this comes out, Bastian can’t help himself.

Their passion in the bedroom is rivaled only by their ambition as musicians, though, and pretty soon, it's going to tear them, and Schadenfreude apart, if they can't get back to playing with the band.

The secrets and passion and just plain hotness really sold me on this book. I could just hear the music and see the bandmembers rocking out on stage - that's how descriptive and great the writing was.

*****

Jake Brenner has too many wild oats to sow to fall in love—or so he claims. Besides, he's much too busy with his band, the Wayward Sons, to go looking for romance. His reticence has nothing to do with his embarrassing crush on Chris, the band's lead singer and Jake's erstwhile best friend. But that was before enigmatic wanderer Parker McAvoy signed on as the band's new lead guitarist.

He can only deny his attraction to sweet, dorky Parker for so long before the urge to do something about it becomes impossible to ignore. The trouble is, Parker knows all about Jake's philandering ways—and oh, yeah, he's not gay. Or so Jake thinks until a string of related events provides encouraging new insight. Can he convince Parker to overlook his colorful past and give him a chance? Or will this love song fade out before it even begins?

Sweet story with not a lot of angst but that was okay under the circumstances. It's a soothing story that's comprised of blog entries which really work in the context. The ending is perfect HEA and as Baby Bear says everything ended "Just right."
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