Off the Shelf : Down to You by Jayne Frost

*ARC REVIEW*

Please note that this book was provided for free by the author's publishing PR in exchange for an honest review. Feel free to check out my full book review policy on my blog for more details.

Another sixth street bands novel!

If anyone else remembers, I really enjoyed the last book in the series Lost for You, much to my surprise. As I’ve said before rockstar romance isn’t my usual jam but Lost for You showed me that I shouldn’t be so quick to judge and risk a tango with a rockstar and his lady love every now and then! 

So Down to You is the story of Logan and Tori who are in a bit of bind when Logan ends up in a scuffle (in the physical and legal sense) that results in Tori being his (almost) constant companion as Logan’s band is on the road as a part of the Twin Souls concert tour. The two can barely stand each other...or so it seems, and it isn’t long before ride-alongs reveal that there’s more to Logan than the panty ripper he wants everyone to see and that there’s more going on with Tori than the people in her life have been willing to see. 

Let’s talk about Logan. Logan, Logan, Logan. He was really sweet but also charming with a bit of a naughty side. I loved him! I loved how he was going through so much but still had the ability to show caring and compassion for someone else. I loved how he was this awesome rocker who sang lead in the band but also had this big vulnerability that he only allowed a few people to see. He was a bad boy in a few ways-his penchant for fist fights being one-but getting to see beyond that and getting to experience his emotions as he fell for Tori was thrilling and downright swoon worthy. 

Now onto Tori. My last review of this series was really outspoken about how I didn’t like-read hated-the way Tori treated her best friend Taryn in the last novel. She came across as unnecessary sharp and a little selfish. It’s odd. Reading about Taryn from Tori’s perspective I kind of felt the same way about Taryn this time around. I found it infuriating that Taryn had expectations of who Tori should end up with and how she bucked against Tori’s revelation of feelings for Logan. I don’t know how I feel about their friendship. I just don’t know if I would want a friendship as messy-for lack of a better word-as theirs! That being said I think Taryn and Tori’s relationship represented what can happen to friends when real grief is present and when friends have to move on and the relationships between people grow and change as they do. 

I can’t say I found Tori particularly sympathetic and I can admit that tarnished my enjoyment of the book a bit. I felt like I was fully rooting for Logan and only halfheartedly rooting for Tori but that being said I still enjoyed the book! I loved how it depicted the life of musicians on the road and how it would be difficult to juggle that and a family (cue gushing at the cuteness that is Willow-baby)! I loved it showed the atypical family unit that develops on the road and the brotherhood between band mates. It honestly felt like I was given a back stage pass to the best show in town and I really enjoyed it, especially the last concert (which I won’t go into because I don’t want to ruin it for everyone). All that I will say was that that last show helped me to understand Tori’s grief so much more. It made it real and helped me get how she had struggled to move on from the death of her husband. 

This was a brilliant read and I gave it a rocking 3.5 stars! It had romance, rockstars and a roadtrip to remember! I enjoyed it and can happily reassure everyone that Mac got what he deserved. 

To get what you deserve-an awesome read that’ll put a smile on your face-pick up Down to You!

Jayne Frost can be visited here.

TK MAJ

Off the Shelf: Riven by Roan Parrish

Ok I have a new appreciation for rockstar romance! I tried a rockstar romance before and loved it and this time was no exception. I may have found a new sub-genre to obsess over, authors beware because I’m going to be devouring your works!

Riven is the story of the lead singer of Riven, Theo and recovering drug addict and former musician Caleb. The former is a reluctant rockstar and the latter would give anything to be able to make music again without giving once more into the allure of drugs. 

Theo has this edgy look that’s all unintentional, smudged eyeliner because he slept in his makeup and worn jeans and black tees because he can’t be bothered to wear anything else. He has fans stop him on the streets of New York on his way from picking up takeout and band mates who see him as a means to song lyrics and sales. He has this deep anxiety about his current situation and this is all coming to a head when he stumbles on a man strumming a guitar in a bar. He’s attracted to the man on sight but more attracted to the music the man is making, hearing the brilliance in composition and itching to add to it to make it even better. 

The man in the bar is Caleb. He’s trying to make music at the same time as he’s trying to stay on the road to recovery. Having been down the road of music, fame and drugs more than once before, Caleb, in addition to being a little older than Theo, is more jaded about life and the music industry in general. While he’s doing his best to keep his recovery separate from his love of music, he can’t help but give into his attraction to Theo and the path back to music and fame that it leads to.

Theo lives in the city, having an apartment in New York City but Caleb has used his family farm out of the city as his place of recovery, growing vegetables in the fields and eating most of them in the form of hash. At first blush it doesn’t seem like the two could make it together but Theo, in his desire for a refuge from the storm of his life, finds himself spending more and more time at the farm. This leads to its own challenges when the media gets a whiff of the brewing relationship and soon the love beginning to grow between the two faces more and challenges. 

This book was amazing at providing this angst inducing and angst full view into the music industry and addiction. It was so great at showing what people think of as the alcohol, drugs and rock and roll lifestyle without being cliche. 

I sympathised with both Theo and Caleb’s struggles. Theo had these band mates who didn’t seem to get him, who thought of him as this fame monger and who seemed content to have him as a lead singer and song writer but nothing else. He seemed really naive about a lot of things, from his rights to demand better treatment to the motives behind people’s actions. I really loved how Caleb was his perfect balance, having worked in the music industry for longer. He constantly encouraged Theo to seek better for himself and to see his own worth. It was pretty ironic because he struggled with his own identity in the wake of his repeated trips to rehab. It was so eye opening to see into his daily struggle to stay clean and how it led to him distancing himself from Theo in moments when it would have been better to lean on him. 

I love Roan Parrish as an author. Her writing grips you, thrills you and really takes you there emotionally. This book was no exception. It’s hard to get into just what I loved about it except to say it was really well done. It was so good at revealing the realities of the music industry and recovery from addiction. The parts about music composition were well written, realistic and really had me admiring Theo and Caleb. The characters emotions leaped off the page and I can’t wait for the next book in the series! I’ve already pre-ordered it!

Obviously this was a five star read! 

How about you visit Roan Parrish here to see if you think so too?

TK MAJ