There’s more than one way to be a rock star.

Evan Pak is a card-carrying geek (he even has the job to prove it), but when his photographer brother invites him to tag along on a photo shoot with rock star Riley Flood, he figures it will be two days of ogling and eye-rolling and nothing more. But the reckless bad boy is nothing like he expected, and Evan is mesmerized by the mix of cocky and sweet he sees in Riley. When a spontaneous idea ends with Evan stripping down under the hot lights for an intimate portrait for Riley’s next album cover, Evan is absolutely sure their connection won’t end when the lights are turned off. Especially since Riley can’t seem to keep his hands off the tattoos Evan hides under his clothes.

Even a spoiled rock star wants to give up control sometimes, if only for a weekend. The world is full of people who want things from Riley and the demands on him never stop. Evan knows exactly how to turn off the noise in Riley’s head and it starts by putting him on his knees.

Together, they will push each other higher and farther than either one of them have ever gone before. It’s easy to take risks when there’s a time limit on the game. But when their time is up, what comes next if they don’t want the game to end?

Review

A lot of little details come together to make this a very enjoyable romance.

Both of the heroes are well hmmm smug? It is hard to describe but they both act selfishly and a bit carelessly with others and yet they end up being very tender with each other and dedicated to those in their lives.

This is a nice novella that thinks about making a relationship work despite the internal and external pressures.

Mostly sex and a tiny little bit of sweetness

This one didn't do much for me. It's the perfect short story in the sense that you get thrown right in. No intro, no long decriptions or explainations, no backround. And it's executed very well. A short episode in the life of two MCs who have some clearing up to do. The writing was good, the execution was good, the MCs seemed okay, and yet...

I didn't take something with me after finishing. I can barely remember the characters, plot was thin, but the sex was good. That's really all I can remember, and frankly, that's not enough in order to get more than 2 stars. It was okay, but not one iota more than that.

This was so hard to read...


Jamal is a young man, a guest student in the US, having his first taste of freedom. Because he is a Muslim, gay, and is already afraid of going back home East, where he will either conform and marry a girl, or come out and not only loose his family, but probably also his life.

But for as long as he's in the US, he really likes to at least pretend to be free for a second. And when he meets Matt, really meets him, it all gets intense very fast. It tender, tentative and heart-breaking. Especially because it gets you thinking about all the repercussions the opression of the LGBTQ community all over the world really has. The problem of safe sex and testing is one of them, and one that a lot of people (me included) sometimes completely forget about. We focus on the violence, the mortal danger, the torture. What we tend to forget is the everyday life and what that kind of oppression really means. It doesn't matter how educated you are, how far away from home you are, how different your current freedom is from the rest of your life - it always stays with you. And you will always see repercussions for your acrtions everywhere. And I loved how the author managed to show it without saying it.

I enjoyed this story very much. Matt might not have been my most favorite person in the world. I found his empathy and understanding to be lacking. A lot. Seriously, how selfish and ignorant can you be? Never heard of persecution because of one's sexuality? Never heard about gay witch hunts or honor killings? Maaaaan. Really. But on the other hand - and it's hard for me to swallow - I can understand that his experiences with oppression are really non-existent. So who am I to judge so harshly? But I couldn't help but be annoyed with him.

Jamal was the gem of this story for me. His POV, his thoughts, his fears really stayed with me and made me think about him and people in similar situation for quite some time. Really good.

The writing wasn't as smooth as I'd have liked, but it wasn't bad. I did love the set-up and how it all turned out. The ending was perfect, and fit the tentative and unsure tone of the story perfectly. A HEA would have been ridicolous under the circumstances and if you're honest, then I'm not sure if there even was a possible soution for Jamal's drama. But I'd still love to read more about these two.

4 Bookworm Undercover Stars!

I loved the initial situation of this story so much! Is it a little ridiculous? Hell, yes! But is it FUN! And so well written, I couldn't stop reading. A book worm with questionable people skills most of the time, goes undercover as stripper in order to help out his cop family, meets the new guy on the force. The one with a big heart and the need to prove himself. What's not to like?

Nothing too heavy, despite the underlying themes, and also a little sexy. Cute and entertaining, and definitely recommended!

Huh...


I'm not sure about this one. I liked the idea behind it and how the prompt came to life through the characters. But, come oooon. Sex on a rock out in the open when there's a killer hot on your heels? One of the worst the cartel could have sent? Puhleeease. Just no.

While I enjoyed the crime/suspense story line, the romance felt a little rushed and forced to me. The epilogue was... meh. I guess, I liked it, but not more than that.