2.5 Wine Glass #Review of Rock King by Tara Leigh

 

Title: Rock King
Series: Nothing But Trouble #1
Author: Tara Leigh
Format: eBook/Paperback, 370 pages
Published: February 20th 2018 by Forever Yours
ISBN: 1538712776
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Crystal
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Wine Glasses

I'm not who you think I am.

Shane Hawthorne has it all. At least, that's what the headlines say about me. I have millions of fans, awards, more money - and women - than I know what to do with. But what you don't see is the wreckage I've caused. The memories and pain I can't escape, even when I pour them into music and spin them into gold.

I tried to forget. To lose myself in booze and groupies. It didn't work. It hurt me and - worse - it hurt my band. That's the last thing I want to do, so I'm cleaning up my act... starting with Delaney Fraser.

Gorgeous, smart, drama-free, and even nice - Delaney is the perfect "girlfriend." When I'm with her I don't have to pretend. It's like she sees the real me. And I can see a future with her. But that's dangerous. Because the truth is, Shane Hawthorne doesn't actually exist. He's a shield to hide who I really am. Fraud. Runaway. Addict. Murderer.

And it's impossible to love a lie, right?

Crystal's Thoughts:
Tara Leigh introduces readers to the newest rock sensation, Nothing But Trouble, and their edgy, sexy lead singer Shane Hawthorne in her release of Rock King. 

Rock King spins the classic fake fiance book troupe, with a small twist. Delaney Fraser plays Shane Hawthorne's fake girlfriend, but she also has the task of keeping him sober and in line so that his image remains sparkling for his fans. Shane is a broody, tortured kind of musician with plenty of demons in his past that give the plot a healthy dose of misery and mystery. He is not alone though. Delaney has her own share of horrors and regrets that keep her living in a shell of her former life. Despite helping Shane attain acceptance and forgiveness of his own. When the lines between fake and real begin to blur, Delaney must find the absolution she needs in order to fully live in the here and now. But that may mean giving up everything, including Shane Hawthorne ...

This was my first Tara Leigh book and I'm on the fence about continuing the series. It took twice as long as normal for me to finish Rock King. I think the reason for that may be that the story line seemed to repeat itself with similar scenes which often caused the plot to drag. The author's writing style was also one that told instead of showed so I was never able to become lost in the story. Another hindrance was the amount of overdone metaphors, I couldn't take the characters seriously.

Shane and Delaney have a strong amount of chemistry from the start. Shane, being the typical rock star, expects Delaney to immediately fall on her back for him but is quickly shut down. However, a bit of role reversal follows when Shane realizes that Delaney isn't his typical hanger-on. It was an interesting twist to a story fueled by drama and angst. Shane keeps solid footing as an asshole alpha throughout much of the story. I can't say I really liked his character, especially considering his convoluted feelings toward the end of the story and his actions that follow. I felt that his and Delaney's similar past tragedies had a faux depth to it, and that their relationship needed more context other then lust. Sadly, I can only recall one other Nothing But Trouble bandmate, Landon. That all being said though, I did read the excerpt from the next book in the series, Rock Legend, that is found at the end of Rock King and my interest is piqued.

All in all, Rock King was just an okay read. It had your typical sex, drugs, and rock and roll background with a few provocative scenes. Nothing that stood out for me, but if you enjoy a rock story with your quintessential seedy manager and debauched characters with murky pasts, you might want to give Rock King a try for yourself.