Day two of sexy beach reads week and I am reviewing another sexy read for your beach bag!
Release Date - June 7, 2016
Pages - 307 pages
My Rating - 3/5
**purchased**
LibbyMusicians have pretty much been everyone's fantasy. At least at some point in their life. There is something sexy about being able to make music, and there is no denying the allure of passion. This is why stories that involve rock stars as love interests always catch my eye. Idol takes the rock star trope, combines it with some sexy banter, and lots of drama to create an enjoyable, highly readable novel about letting down your walls.
I found Killian drunk and sprawled out on my lawn like some lost prince. With the face of a god and the arrogance to match, the pest won’t leave. Sexy, charming, and just a little bit dirty, he’s slowly wearing me down, making me crave more.
He could be mine if I dare to claim him. Problem is, the world thinks he’s theirs. How do you keep an idol when everyone is intent on taking him away?
Killian
As lead singer for the biggest rock band in the world, I lived a life of dreams. It all fell apart with one fateful decision. Now everything is in shambles.
Until Liberty. She’s grouchy, a recluse—and kind of cute. Scratch that. When I get my hands on her, she is scorching hot and more addictive than all the fans who’ve screamed my name.
The world is clamoring for me to get back on stage, but I’m not willing to leave her. I’ve got to find a way to coax the hermit from her shell and keep her with me. Because, with Libby, everything has changed. Everything.
There is a familiarity to the story almost immediately. This is partly due to the tropes that exist within the genre, and the nature of romance reads. The couple falls in love, something happens that creates drama and is an obstacle for them to work through which is followed by the happily ever after (at least typically). What makes a story stand out tends to be the writing and the characters. Those are the elements that make you remember a story. This is a case where the characters shone the brightest.
Each of the characters has something intriguing about them. They are, by far, the strongest element of this story and what really holds it together. Liberty and Killian are both compelling and interesting, but more importantly the side characters truly shine. The rest of the band members are brilliant and their manager, Scottie, is a force. His calm, collected demeanour just begs to be ruffled, and I cannot wait to read his story. Jax, one of the band members, also has a tragic backstory that will create a starting off point for his own story. Brenna is someone I would want to be friends with (and I hope she gets her own story). This will ensure successful companion novels because the reader will already care about these characters to some degree.
The romance was the only real misstep for me. There were moment where the chemistry between the two characters was palpable, but just as many moments where I didn't feel their connection. It felt rushed, and underdeveloped. The story is really what happens after they've fallen in love, and as a result the beginning of their relationship is paid less attention. We skip over times where we are supposed to know they are talking, seeing each other and falling in love, but we don't experience it and therefore we don't feel it. The time that is supposed to pass doesn't resonate and therefore everything feels sped up.
This is not just the story of guy and a girl falling in love. It's also the story of finding your way back after being devastated. It is also about music, and falling back in love with something with the passion you once had for it. Liberty and Killian each have things outside their relationship that they need to work on and that made a difference in how I related to them. They felt like more than just a couple but individual characters which is something that is important in this kind of novel.
A story that will be instantly familiar to any romance/new adult fan but that is not without its comforts. There is a reason these tropes work, and Kristen Callihan makes full use of them to create an enjoyable, if rushed love story. There are plenty of intriguing characters who will make readers eager to return to the world that has been created, and to continue this series.
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