ARC BOOK REVIEW ~ WICKED BEAT BY OLIVIA CUNNING

Title: Wicked Beat (Sinners, Book Five)

Author: Olivia Cunning

Expected Release Date: August 6, 2013  

ARC provided by NetGalley 

From the moment he lays eyes on Sinners’ new front of house soundboard operator, drummer Eric Sticks knows he has to make Rebekah his. Unfortunately, she’s too busy trying to seduce guitarist Trey Mills to pay him much attention. Rebekah never planned to fall for the tall, goofy drummer with the weird sense of humor and a heart the size of the galaxy. But Eric makes her laugh and his constant attention makes her feel sexy and irresistible–exactly what she needs after the things her last lover said to her. A woman who gives as much as she takes, Rebekah makes Eric feel like a total stud–exactly what he needs after surviving a decade of watching the incredibly talented members of Sinners from the wings.

Book Review 

Wicked Beat is the final installment in Olivia Cunning's series--Sinners On Tour--and I am sad to see its end. 

I have loved the rock-n-roller coaster ride that Cunning created with her very sexy rockers and addictive characters.

Eric Stixx, the often misunderstood drummer, finally gets his HEA with a heroine that fits him like a glove. I absolutely adored Rebekah. She is sassy, gets Eric's warped humor, and has such a heartbreaking past, you can't help but like her. She is Eric's perfect match. 

Throughout the Sinners Series, Eric's character has been a bit superficial...he's been the jokester, the one always watching from the sidelines...but as the series moves along, Olivia shows the reader a vulnerable side of Eric that tore at my heartstrings. For example, his relationship with Jace in the book, Hot Ticket, is expanded upon and the two become closer. 

And now in Wicked Beat, we get to see exactly why Eric chose his voyeuristic tendencies and how his past shaped the man he became. 

On top of all the emotional turmoil Cunning immerses the reader in, she gives us what she is extremely talented doing--extremely erotic and unique sexual situations that make for extremely aroused readers praying for their own rock god. You never know what to expect with Cunning's wicked imagination--but you can expect to be well satisfied in the end. 

BOOK REVIEW ~ ROCK STAR BY GINGER VOIGHT

Title: Rock Star (Groupie, Book 2)

Author: Ginger Voight

Release Date: September 25, 2012 

Reviewer purchased own copy of eBook 

"Rock Star" is the highly anticipated sequel to Ginger Voight's Rock and Roll Rubenesque saga, which began with the sizzling debut of "Groupie." For those who have been anxious to see what has become of Andy, Vanni and Graham... buckle your seat belts. You're in for a thrilling new ride right through the dark underbelly of fame. 

In the second book in the series, readers get insight into the mind of the romantic hero, Giovanni Carnevale, as he reaches the pinnacle of success as a world wide rock star. Everyone wants a piece of him, but all he wants is the one thing he can't have. He's angry and he's entitled, with ample opportunity to make really bad decisions. The combination proves explosive.

Andy must watch from the sidelines as her beloved Vanni falls victim to grifters, scandals and alcoholism thanks to this self-destructive behavior. Things come to an emotional head when his estranged father comes on the scene just when Vanni thinks things can't get any worse.

Darkness shadows Graham Baxter as he begins his journey as a paraplegic. The powerful mogul bitterly handles this new vulnerability by lashing out at the people who could help him the most. He needs Andy more than ever, pulling her in yet another hopeless direction. Andy is put in the impossible situation of keeping the most important promise she has ever made, or saving the man that she can't help but love.

Author Ginger Voight turns up the scandals, secrets, passion and heartbreak to 11 in a very Jackie Collins type of way. Flawed characters face excess and all the pitfalls that entails. They fight as hard as they can to hold onto anything real in the fake world of celebrity.

Book Review

I fell in love with this series back in October 2011. The writing of Ginger Voight's book, Groupie, just sang to me. I couldn't stop reading the book and had to finish it! It was like watching a horrible train wreck or car accident. My eyes were wide open, devouring every word as fast as I could read them. Vanni and Andy's relationship was brutal. It was like a kick in the gut and made me curse aloud. 

Thank god there was a sequel! I had a huge WTF moment at the end of the first book. 

Rock Star takes place pretty much immediately where Groupie ended. Vanni returns to his home in L.A. He is hurt, angry, and turns to the bottle to drown his sorrows. He cannot believe that Andy has turned him down. He finally gave his heart to a woman and she decides to stay with another man. Unable to deal with his loss, he drinks his pain away and turns to several nameless women to help ease the ache. 

Andy sees things a bit differently. How can she leave Graham when he took a bullet for her? He's paralyzed and needs someone to be by his side. Guilt is the main culprit to why Andy stays, but she does love Graham. It's just not the all consuming passion that she has for Vanni. She views her time with Graham as temporary and hopes that Vannie will hold out and wait for her. 

Both Vannie and Andy have some major growing up to do and some heavy issues to solve. And along the way, some people are very determined to see that Andy and Vanni never get back together.

There are several new players in Rock Star that will become very important for different reasons:

(1.) Maggie, a nurse who specializes in treating paraplegics, shows up and pushes Graham to find the will to want to walk again. She ignores his threats to fire her (which he does numerous times) and and forms a bond with Andy--the two women become friends, despite the strangeness of their situation. Maggie has her own reasons for not giving up on Graham. Could one of them be that she is falling in love with him?

(2.) Holly, aka The Bitch, as I like to call her. She comes across as this sweet and innocent girl who wants nothing more than to help Vanni when he needs a good friend. Her brother, Julian, is the newest guitarist of Dreaming in Blue--Vanni's band--and her sickeningly sweet persona was about to make me puke a little in my mouth. You know she has a hidden agenda and you hope Vanni is too smart to fall for it. 

(3.) Leo --who is not actually new to the books, but he definitely has an important role in Rock Star.  I wanted to strangle the S.O.B. on several occasions. He is poison and he helps push Vanni over the edge in the wrong direction. 

The web of deceit in Rock Star is thick and tangled beyond belief. It seems like an insurmountable mountain that Vanni and Andy will never be able to surpass. There is much heart ache throughout for all and at the end, just when you think the pieces click in place--FINALLY--there is an evil waiting around the corner, just waiting to ruin the bit of happiness that Vanni and Andy have finally found. 

Mogul, the last book of the emotional trilogy is expected to be released February 5. And if you visit my website on February 15, I will have a spotlight/review of Mogul for your perusal. 

ARC BOOK REVIEW ~ HOT TICKET BY OLIVIA CUNNING

Title: Hot Ticket (Sinners On Tour, Book Three)

Author: Olivia Cunning

Expected Release Date: February 13, 2013

ARC provided by NetGalley 

There are things in bassist Jace Seymour’s past that he is unwilling to share with anyone. To cover his guilt and anguish, he seeks dominatrix Mistress V (Aggie) to temporarily placate his inner turmoil.

Aggie doesn’t have much use for men–besides the power rush she gets when they’re begging for mercy at her feet–but Jace isn’t like her usual clients. His cool defiance and unexpected dominance in the bedroom drives her to distraction and quickly steals her heart.

When circumstances threaten Jace’s position in Sinners, Aggie must help him regain his rightful place in the band while showing him that time and love can heal all wounds.

Once upon a time, I was perusing the shelves at my local bookstore, when I came across this book by an unknown author--Backstage Pass. The cover grabbed me with its seductive pose and the blurb --well, the blurb kind of put me off, at first. 

It was a book about Rock Stars.

I wasn't sure if I would be interested in such a book. And I put it aside...

GAH! What in heaven's name was I thinking?! 

I can't remember what prodded me to pick it up the next time around, but I did. And I have been truly thankful that I did every day. The Sinners On Tour is one of my all-time favorite series. 

The Sinners is a fictional band created by the uber-talented Ms. Olivia Cunning. Her rockers are hot, sexy, and hysterical. I couldn't put the book down. I was lost in the world of hard rock music, screaming groupies, and talented musicians who know how to use their hands. Reading Olivia's books make me want to go see a kick-ass rock concert and scream my lungs out. 

Hot Ticket is Jace Seymour's story--the quiet bassist of the group-- who spoke to me from the very beginning. When I learned that this rocker had a darker side, which included whips and paddles, I knew he had a story to tell. 

Hot Ticket starts out in Las Vegas, in a strip joint, where the Sinners run into Jessica, Sed's old girlfriend. There is a lot of overlapping at the beginning of Hot Ticket--scenes that took place in Rock Hard (Book Two), but you get the story from Jace's point of view.  This is also where Jace spots Aggie, dressed in leathers and sporting a bullwhip. And their is an instant connection--Jace has something he desperately needs and Aggie is the one who can give it to him. 

"I want you to hurt me." He drew a deep, shuddering breath into his expanding chest. "Hardcore." 

Aggie, an experienced Domme who knows her way around a whip and flogger, is flummoxed when she can't get Jace to submit. 

"Whatever it is that's eating you alive, you have to let it go, she murmured, stroking his brow, his stubble-rough cheek, and his angled jaw with tender fingertips. "Let it go, Jace."

 His jaw set. He shook his head slightly. "I'd rather be gutted alive.

 There are so many layers to Jace that we get to see in this book. That tender, gentler side, made him all the more lovable. We get to see how he lives when he's not on the road with The Sinners and how simplistic he keeps his life. Jace's character is multi-faceted and as each layer is revealed in this book, I fell a little bit harder. All the painful issues that come to light made my heart hurt and my throat tight with tears. 

As Jace struggles to come to terms with his past and fight for his rightful place in The Sinners, he must also realize that he is loved and deserves to be loved. Aggie is like a balm to his battered soul and the band grows closer together. The disconnect between Jace and Eric is bridged and is one of my favorite scenes in the book. 

And, of course, Olivia delivers with some really steamy scenes between the sheets. This woman knows how to write sex that's filled with emotions, humor, and highly erotic dialogue. 

Hot Ticket gives Olivia's fans a little bit of everything and has them (ahem, me) wanting more. 

ARC BOOK REVIEW ~ DOUBLE TIME BY OLIVIA CUNNING

Title: Double Time (Sinners on Tour, Book 5*)

Author: Olivia Cunning

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Expected Release Date: November 1, 2012

ARC provided by NetGalley

Trey Mills, the notoriously sexy Sinners rhythm guitarist, gives up his bisexual lifestyle and is swept into a hot, heady romance with Reagan Elliot, a female rock star sensation. But when Trey encounters Reagan's sexy bisexual roommate, Ethan Conner, he can no longer deny who he is or what he wants. Reagan heartily agrees to a solution that opens up a hot new world of sexual experience--and love--with the two men she wants the most.


Book Review

I have put off this review for as long as I possibly can. Sigh.
This has been weighing heavily on my mind, as I love and adore Olivia Cunning's series, Sinners On Tour, since I first read and devoured her sexy Rock Gods from the first book--Backstage Pass.

For those of you readers out there who do not have the first clue what I am talking about and have not picked up this fabulous book--(shame on you), The Sinners is the fictitious rock band that consist of Sedric Lionheart, Brian Sinclair, Jace Seymour, Eric Sticks, and Trey Mills.

This is the problem that I am having as I put my thoughts on "paper":  Trey Mills's book was supposed to be released last in this series. In order for his character ARC to make sense, I think that it should have stayed the last to be released.

Who can understand the thought processes of an editor's or publisher's mind when that important fact is NOT taken into consideration? Uh...that would be a big fat no--I cannot understand. Why? Because the reader misses vital character development when deciding to release a book out of sequence. And that is all I will say about this touchy subject.

After finishing Double Time, I think a lot of how I rated this book is affected by missing above stated character development (I go into much more detail about this below but it is a bit spoilery, so beware). So, yeah--I'm going to have to do a re-read when all books are finally out (and that will not be a hardship, peeps, lol). Maybe then things will make a bit more sense in the overall scheme of things.

Double Time has a very unique and interesting leading lady-Reagan Elliot. I totally dug her style and her personality. She has a rocker's soul and plays a kick-ass guitar. She is auditioning to temporarily replace the guitarist for the band, Exodus End. And the infamous Trey Mills is in attendance during her audition. When the mysterious guitarist breaks out with the Sinners' "Gates of Hell" during the auditions, Trey is stunned to find out the guitarist isn't his best friend and band member Brian Sinclair playing a trick on him. And even more stunned when he sees that its a woman.

Trey and Reagan have an instant sexual attraction to each other. One that can steam your glasses and have you changing your panties...several times...as you continue to read. There is no doubt that Olivia has a way with words and especially if they are coming out of Trey's mouth. He is the king of sexual innuendos, lol. Here is a little snippet that emulates Trey's sense of humor and his sexiness that curls my toes:

"You're driving me insane," she said. "Do you have a condom?"

"Are you in a hurry?" he murmured.

"Kinda. My fifteen-minute break is almost over."

"You're going to be late." He nipped her earlobe and released her wrist.

And the fact that Reagan goes head-to-head with this sex machine, giving back as much as he dishes out, makes my knees knock. They are great together.

"Do you know what I do to naughty boys?" she asked.

"Tease them to their limits and then shoot them down," Dare guessed and took a nonchalant sip of his beverage.

Reagan grinned. "Exactly."

Well, fuck, if she was just going to shoot him down anyway, he might as well push the envelope.

"Do you know what I do to naughty girls? {Trey} asked, locking her gaze with his.

"What?"

"I put in my tongue piercing." 

But Reagan has some issues that still linger from her past. She is recovering from a relationship where her ex-boyfriend, Ethan Conner, turned out to be gay. The two now remain good friends--in fact, they are roommates. But what will happen when Reagan finds out that Trey is keeping a big secret from her? One that could totally blow up in his face and sever their relationship? Can Trey give up having sexual feelings for men? And--WHOA, Mama--what happens when Trey starts getting that feeling for Ethan?

Double Time is packed with oodles of scorching sex scenes that pack an emotional wallops, snarky humor, and wicked banter between the band members that give me the warm fuzzies. But something bothered me big time with this story. So if you don't want to get a taste of spoilery, you may want to cover your ears at this point.

Trey finally reveals to his best friend, Brian, the sexual feelings (and love) that he had towards him in the past. It was a sort of closure for Trey as he makes the decision to move on in his relationship with Ethan and Reagan.

What bothers me is Brian's reaction to Trey's admission.  I am stunned that for two people who had such a close relationship, that Brian could have been (1) blind to Trey's real feelings all this time, and (2) that Brian came across as a wee bit crass and uncaring regarding Trey's confession. and (3) it is never really discussed further.

Were there ulterior motives to the way Brian handled Trey's confession? Is this something that a reader would have understood more if Jace and Eric's books had been released prior to Trey's story? And to be honest, I would have loved to have seen more of Brian and Trey working through this. It was such a brief scene that left me hanging and disappointed with the final results of such an epic part of Trey's life. 

Overall, I believe that missing the hows and whys that a reader would have gotten in Jace's and Eric's story had a major affect in my rating--which has nothing to do with how much I enjoyed the book or Olivia's writing--and pulled it down to the 3.5 stars that I gave it. I totally believe that it would have been higher if I would have had the FULL story.

Still a big fan of the big O--and no, I ....well, yeah; both O's are held high in my book, lol.