I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Rock Addiction
by
Nalini Singh
cozy romance in a Kindle edition that was published by TKA Distribution on September 9, 2014 and has 406 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Must Love Hellhounds, Kiss of Snow, An Enchanted Season, Archangel's Blade, Angels of Darkness, Lord of the Abyss, Desert Warrior, Angels' Flight, Tangle of Need, Play of Passion, Archangel's Storm, Wild Invitation, Heart of Obsidian, Archangel's Legion, "Hide and Seek", "Making Dinner", Shield of Winter, "A Conversation", "Home", Angels' Pawn, "New Year's Kisses", Night Shift, "Weapons Training", "Zoë's Workshop", "Wild Night", Archangel's Shadows, Archangel’s Enigma, Shards of Hope, “Fairy Balloons”, “An Unexpected Guest”, Allegiance of Honor, "The Song of the Wolf", Silver Silence, Archangel’s Heart, Archangel’s Viper, Ocean Light, "Elena's School of Horror", Cherish Hard, "Ain’t No Party Like A Bear Party", Archangel's Prophecy, "One Night At The Refuge", "Secret Things", Rebel Hard, Rock Hard, Wolf Rain, "Clean and Dirty", "Wolf School", "Naya’s Most Important Visitors", "Grocery Shopping", "The Cannibal Princess", "A Gift for Kit", "Movie Night", "Kaleb and Sahara’s Meeting with Sascha and Lucas", "Housewarming at the Orchard", "Christmas in the Kitchen", "Stalking Hawke", "Romancing Drew", "Sunday Morning", "Rowan", "Baubles & Ben", Wild Embrace, Love Hard, "Music Awards", Rock Courtship, "Rock Courtship Memo"s, Rock Redemption, "Sunshine", Rock Wedding, "With This Memo", "That Lip Ring…", A Madness of Sunshine, "Beary Tiny Ghosts", Alpha Night, "A Wedding Breakfast", "Poker Night", "Knives and Sheaths", "Seedlings", "Star Kissed", "A Walk on the Cliffs", "Wild Cat Blues", Slave to Sensation, Caressed by Ice, Visions of Heat, Kiss Hard, Angels' Blood, Archangel's Kiss, Archangel's War, Archangel's Sun, Archangel's Light, Archangel's Resurrection, Last Guard, “A Perfect Moment”, "Music in the Rain", Storm Echo, Resonance Surge, "Mate", “New Year’s Eve”
First in the Rock Kiss cozy romance series revolving around a famous rock ‘n roll band. The couple focus is on Mollie Webster and Zachary Fox. This story begins in Auckland, New Zealand.
My Take
This was both unexpected and typical of Singh. I know what you’re thinking…huh?? How can Rock Addiction be both?
It’s Fox’s character that’s so different. He’s the “scorned” one, in a flip role reversal. Sure he’s a hard controlling man who handles the spotlight well. A determined man. A man inundated with groupies. But he doesn’t want a one-night stand. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to win over his curvy librarian. He loves her smile, and I do love how he always hears music around Molly. Makes me think of Mercedes Lackey’s Bedlam’s Bard series.
Naturally, our librarian is gun shy. She’s not interested in the spotlight, fame, or Fox’s money. It’s that traumatic, scandal-ridden childhood that holds her back. Still, Molly is a genuine woman, a sister, a friend who’s loyal. Thea is another genuine person. A sister whom Molly has only recently found.
“I’ve never had to fight so hard to give a woman so little.”
The boys are serious musicians and have been friends since boarding school, through thick and thin. Wait’ll you read this bit of back history — you’ll learn how the band got its name, lol.
Singh uses third person dual protagonist point-of-view to tell her tale from Molly’s and Fox’s perspectives, so we hear both sides with its wide range of betrayals. Jesus. I’d like to say we feel both sides as well, but Singh tells more than she shows.
The story does redeem itself for that lack simply by being such a cozy tale of two wounded people finding each other.
The Story
Fox is definitely not your stereotypical rock ‘n roll singer. He sees Molly. He wants Molly. And not just for one night.
Now everyone wants a Molly.
The Characters
Molly Webster is a librarian, determined on her independence and a borin…, er, normal existence, to avoid those addictive genes that run in her family. Anne Webster starts a new career as an editor and researcher. Thea is Molly’s half-sister who does PR for Schoolboy Choir. Lily, Thea’s mother, had been an innocent nineteen-year-old who was seduced…and deported. Patrick Buchanan had been their father, a politician who endorsed family values…in public. Karen had been Molly’s useless mother.
Zachary Fox is the demanding lead singer for Schoolboy Choir and drives a Lamborghini Aventador. Gramps and Grammy raised him until they died. His mother was trash in every way. Tawanna is Fox’s assistant.
Schoolboy Choir is…
…an American rock band that’s made good. David Rivera is the drummer and a terrific cook. Noah “My Dick is My Life” is the guitarist who can also play bass; he has a slew of issues that he assuages with a different woman every night. Abe is the keyboardist with major addiction issues who’s been divorced for a year now. Maxwell is married to Kim, and they have two boys; he’s the crew boss in charge of everything behind the scenes.
Kathleen “Kit” Devigny, a former cheerleader, is an A-list actress who’s a friend of the band. Casey is her driver; Butch is her bodyguard.
Justin Chan is the band’s lawyer while they’re in Australia. Marc is a buddy of Fox’s who’s got a problem. James is a friend with a jet. Shawn owns a popular nightclub in New York City and gave the boys their first big break.
Charlotte “Charlie” Baird has been Molly’s best friend for the past twenty-one years, a mouse who works for a giant corporation. (Her story, Rock Hard, 2, takes place at the same time as Rock Addiction.) T-Rex is Charlie’s new, scary boss. Anya, the personal assistant to the CEO, is Charlie’s immediate boss. Ernest is the “safe” guy Charlie has been dating.
Ken is a record executive. A.J. is a socialite friend who gives a party with inedible food. Carina is a major recording star who has her uses.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a black-and-white photograph of a bare-chested man from the chin down to his knees in black jeans and a grommet-studded belt. He’s in a three-quarter profile with his body facing right, the better to show off the tattooed sleeve on his right arm, his hand holding a microphone.
The title is Molly’s problem, she’s got a Rock Addiction.
