Getting Real

by Ainslie Paton

A romance about confronting fears, making music, and learning to be true.

Rielle Mainline is a rock star with a hardcore image, a troubled heart and a twenty-five city tour to front with her band, Ice Queen. She should be ecstatic. But the tour includes Sydney and Rielle has spent years trying to deal with the tragedy that happened there.

Roadie, Jake Reed knows Rielle’s reputation as a prize bitch will make being Ice Queen’s tour manager a challenge. Jake’s comfortable he can handle her, until he meets her, and then he’s thrown off-balance, unsure if he wants kiss her or throttle her.

Sparks fly, tempers flare and boundaries are crossed. It’s rock star verses roadie, alpha girl verses the boy-next-door and neither of them will survive unchanged.

Genres: Romance, Music, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Ebooks

558 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 5, 2012

About the author

Ainslie Paton always wanted to write stories to make people smile, but the need to eat, accumulate books, and have bedclothes to read under was ever present. She sold out, and worked as a flack, a suit, and a creative, ghosting for business leaders, rabble-rousers, and politicians, and making words happen for companies, governments, causes, conditions, high-profile CEOs, low-profile celebs, and the occasional misguided royal. She still does that. She also writes for love and so she can buy shoes, and the good cat food.

Reviews

[Purple · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jack is AWESOME! If I were to rate solely him I would give him 10 stars! No doubt! But Rielle messed up everything (the reason for my 1.5 stars). She's an awful character. I hoped that at least at the end of the story the author would gift her with some redeeming qualities but I was left with my (reasonable) wishful thinking : (
It seems that Ms. Paton gave her best in creating a very unlikable main female character and poured her talent on every other character. I think Rielle is the worst "heroine" I have read so far...

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was sweet.

Arielle Mainline is the ice queen. Literally. She's head of the Ice Queen band which is world-wide famous and she shows no real emotions to now-one besides her brother. Whose also in the band. She hides behind her hair extensions, make-up and slutty clothes but really she's just a vulnerable girl living in the past.

When her band are to do a 25 city world tour, her worst nightmare comes true. She has to go back to Sydney Australia, the place she's run from for years.

But there she meets Jake. Jakes your regular guy just doing gigs to make enough money to get by. So when he takes the job of tour manager he never expects Arielle. Feisty, ruthless and completely stunning he can't help but admire the girl. But he wants all of her, and that's more than she's willing to give. He wants to strip her armour and know her inside out.... But will he still want her if she does give him what he asks for?

Can a regular guy tame Arielle? She's adored by fans, ogled and fantasised by guys and is always the leader. What does he have in common with her, what can he offer her, and if she's never been able to talk about what happened years and years ago to her brother whose the only family she has left can she tell Jake what she's been keeping in so long? Will she be able to stay with him knowing if she does she's vulnerable and will be hurt if he ever leaves her. Will Arielle the risk taker be able to take the biggest risk of all and fully give herself and her heart to Jake?

This was an emotional romance story, I loved how Arielle was stripped down bit by bit and as that happened she became more relatable and real. The writing and story was flawless and was well as I said really sweet.

[Cate Ellink · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favourite Ainslie Paton story to date. It's set in the hard world of rock and roll and Rielle is as hard as they come. A girl with a fortress around her protecting a childhood horror she's never faced. Jake is the gorgeous boy next door who can't resist the walk on the wild side. He knows he'll get hurt but he thinks it won't be so bad.

This story is full of wonderful secondary characters - a trait of Ms Paton's - which fills her stories with stories. And Getting Real is a fantastic story.

[Coral · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has a lot of things going for it, but couldn't add up to the sum of its parts.
I really liked the twist on the trope having the heroine be the rock star who's too broken to love. And the hero be the emotional rock.
The first third was really good setting everything up. The heroine's Hannah Montana disguise shtick was kind of silly, but oh well.
The pacing got messed up after they get together, and it never comes back on track. By the last few chapters I was making the "wrap it up" motion.

[Mmeguillotine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Kat Ashworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot, sexy and fun. Tension and drama of storyline kept me reading.

[Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The world I was taken into was done so well I felt like I was right there setting up with them. What a wonderful gift the author has with letting you be a part of everything the characters live.
The story is unlike any other rock star romance I have ever read and I have read my fair share. I am all for those sexy bad boys dominating the stage so not only was this different because it centred on a female lead rock star but also because it took place in the reality of the industry instead of the hyped up fantacy we all dream it to be. Sure the cliches were in the background, the parties, the cheating, womanizing, drugs etc. Yet the main focus was on these main characters who were real in a brand new way.

I loved Jake he was perfect, well rounded fleshed out and wonderful.
Rielle I toughed out in some parts but understood her through it all even if I didn't know why yet. But when I got to the end she just made me sick fleeing like she did. I could truly feel the same anger at her as Jake.

The romance part was done in such a realistic time line I like how it wasn't rushed and insta love or well even lust really, at least not that they would admit to beyond the checking out of eachother. The sex scenes were a bit odd I really didn't even know what was going on, when it ended if it had happend. Not sure if the author was trying to be vauge or just trying to make it too beautiful but it didn't work either way. Not that I need every graphic detail but a bit of detail so I knew what was actually taking place and not just guessing would have been appreciated. If that is not the authors thing perphaps just fading to black might have been a better option. Though with this story the lust between them is a huge factor so that too would be risky.

The ending felt rushed yet the book felt so long I don't know how it could have been helped. It was just weird how in a chapter Reille gets her shit together after the tour ends. No real help or anything just ok time to change? After all this time really? It was just to quickly done. And after being a part of everything up to this point I felt like I had been cut out of the story than handed a few loose ends tied up.

Jake forgiving her and taking her back made sense for the story to end but for some reason I still can't forgive her or understand her reasons it felt to selfish to me. If she had perhaps realized her mistake ealier and flown back or ended up breaking down on tour enough to come to grips with what she'd truly lost but no she toughs it out barley thinking of him believing that he's moved on because he didn't love her that much. Was she all of a sudden blind to how much he loved her? She had known this truth before she took of. Her excuses were lame and selfish and ended up giving us a limp ending. The whole thing was a mood fowling experience to read and then her magic fairy transformation and snap everthings all better. Not the way I pictured everthing getting figured out but hey at least they got to end up togehter right? By that time I wasn't even sure I wanted them to any more. Her selfishness ruined the romance for me I couldn't cheer for them after that. But that is probably just me.

Over all I liked this book interesting take on the rock star world and the writing was so easy to get into. I probably wouldn't read it again but I would recommend it for those looking for something a bit different.

[♡B♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
Overall, I enjoyed the story I would say that as far as "rocker" goes, I have read a few rocker, books and I just didn't get the complete rocker feel that I was hoping for. It felt more like a romance story about a guy and a girl. For me the book could have been shorter. I felt like it was a little pulled out. Some stuff could have been left out and I don't think I would have missed it. Like Jake. I can honestly say I would have been fine without him.
It was kind of slow for me. I wanted to connect sooner, but didn't. It took a while for me to get really pulled into the story. It was a cute story once you get pulled in.
It was almost like it took you a while to get pulled in and just when you start to get into the story it was done. I did feel that the ending was just too fast and "Bam" done. I figured since I took the time to get through all the other stuff like her brother's relationship as well as what was going on with other people in the band. I would have gotten a good ending.
Another thing was the cover. Don't get me wrong with most book covers are what draw people in. I will admit that I'm one of those people sometimes. and this one I liked the cover it looked good It lets you know what you are going to be reading about. A rocker girl. NOW the girl on the cover has red hair and that's it, there is no other colors mixed in there, unless I just don't see it. lol On amazon that one is more fitting I think. The blonde haired girl, but then they have the violet eyes on her. So if they are doing the mix, then okay, I get it, I suppose, but I am a huge cover freak. I want the people on the cover to resemble the people in the book if they are showing the persons face on the cover. It is one of my biggest pet peeves with books. I think it is almost better to not show a face at all on covers.
Anyhow, enough of that tangent. Overall, it was a sweet and good. But like I said. I did feel as though it was drawn out a little from time to time.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok..hmm...on the fence with where to put this one...I liked it OK. 2 stars feels kind of mean though.

I really do like the general idea of this book. There are tons of rock star books out there with male leads so i was excited about this one having a female as the rock star. It was a different and fresh approach!

Lets start with the characters. I really did love Jake. He's so good and wholesome. Such a great guy and strong male, which was a nice balance with the Arielle. Arielle is hard to place. I know some people hated her. I was rooting for her though. Even though she was a rock star she felt like and underdog to me, and I always root for the underdogs. I can't help it! She was very stand off-ish and mean at times, but I could see through it and really thought there could be more at the heart of her.

The story is sweet....but it felt too long and too disjointed. There were subplots flying all over the place. This could have been like a 2 book series with a spin off for Rand because I don't think he got enough time in this one...but I was annoyed when it would switch to him because it just drug the book out and I wanted more Rie and Jake. It would have been nice if there were labels for when the POV changed. Sometimes it was from paragraph to paragraph and could be super confusing.

I did enjoy this a bit, but it's not one I would read again or anything.

[Fiona Marsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading this book for months because it was on my phone and I started reading it in doctors waiting rooms.It's romance set around the tour of Ice Queen, a rock bank with a brother and sister as leads. Arielle, Rielle (note the play on the name) is a real diva and when she confronts Jake, the sweetheart roadie manager, sparks truly fly.

Her brother Rand has a secondary romance which is very sweet and make a good counterpoint to the main event. The romance(s) play out on a five city tour of Australia through Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne and finishing up in Sydney (sorry Hobart, you miss out again.)

There is a lot in this story because Rielle has some deep issues that come to the fore as they get closer to Sydney which is the home town of the duo and also for Jake.

This is a great little romance which fits in with the current trend for rock star romances but has it's own quirky Australian touch. This is an early effort for the author and as such is a little uneven at times but the story itself kept me going. I was even getting quite resentful that the doctors and other appointments were too prompt so I kept having to put it down. Lucky my DH had surgery which left me sitting in the hospital for hours and I finished it.

[Jaclyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a good, light read for me. I loved the back story about the band, plus the male lead, Jake, wasn't just an ordinary guy. He actually had a reason to be noticed by Rielle, so it made for a better plot. The only thing was that some aspects of the story seemed important, but then turned out to be nothing. It was almost part romance, part suspense, part tragedy, and yet not completely any of them. I did understand the character perspectives, but with a large supporting cast it was hard to focus. I'm not sure if this was because Ainsley Paton is planning on writing more in this storyline. If so, the book makes more sense. I just feel it took away quite a bit from Jake and Rielle, and I wish their story would've been a little more love and less antagonism. They really didn't seem to have built a foundation before Rie tore it back down. Which, because of her, makes me feel like maybe Jake wouldn't have held on or been forgiving. I would like to read more about the bandmates and the brother, though. So, I would read more by the author definitely.

[SaturNalia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rielle is the lead singer of rock group Ice Queen, embarking on a world tour. Jake is hired to be the tour manager for the Australian leg of the tour. There is a lot of behind the scene tour stuff, at least 20% of the book went by before any form of attraction is hinted at by the leads. Rand, Rielle's brother and band guitarist, is reacquainted with his first love and has a picture perfect, easy romance. Rielle has survivor's guilt for surviving a car crash while her parents died. This is not really dealt with. Progress of relationship weighed down by even more touring information. Then a lot of drama in the end, with Rielle doing a quick 180 degree emotional turn about, decides she wants to be with Jake and forget all the issues from before. Jake is a good guy with a fear of heights, which Rielle exploited many times for unknown reasons. Why he wanted to be with such a difficult person was not shown.

[Sadie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm kind of over cooked on ALLTHEANGSTALLOFIT books and Rock Stars but someone rec'd this book and it was free and... I wish I'd paid money for it.

Rie is a mess and a bitch and she owns that even as she sometimes slips and wishes that maybe she wasn't...but no, she does. She has to.

Jake is the kindest, most together hero. THANK YOU fore a strong hero who is neither controlling nor damaged beyond compare.But, he's completely hot while he gets it done and the only things he's afraid of, he faces head on.

Well... until Rie nearly destroys him. Their journey was just that....a journey. This isn't a jump-into-bed-nothing-else-matters story. Yes, hot sexy times (also, one very emotionally explosive mess of a first time together.

I'm exhausted and have a headache and was up way too late reading (and then may have snuck chapters in at work) so this review sucks.

Summary: Go read this book.

[Crystal _ Reading Between the Wines Book Club · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Getting Real was an okay read from new-to-me author, Ainslie Paton.

At the beginning I found it hard to get into the story, and it wasn't until the last half that I started to feel anything for the characters. The heroine more then lived up to her name as the 'Ice Queen' throughout the book. However, the hero Jake was an easy character to like and so was Rielle's brother Rand. I really enjoyed his romantic journey as a side story.

The ending was wrapped up too quickly for my taste and the pacing was very slow but if you like new adult, lovable heroes, feisty heroines with hard exteriors and music themed stories, you may want to give this one a try.

[Susan Scribner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite from this author. I liked the authentic look at what it takes to put on an ambitious rock tour, and the hero was a sweetheart. But the heroine was too awful to him and her alleged change of heart too little and too late for me to root for them as a couple. The happy ending for me would have been for the hero to run as fast as possible in the other direction. I'm all for modern kick-butt heroines, but if the hero had been this cruel the book would have felt like a romance out of the 1980s.

Nowhere near as good as Floored, Detained or White Balance.

[Josée · Rating 5 out of 5]

A refreshing change of roles, the woman being the insecure, cold and heartless rock star, and the man being the rock, the solid one who can give unconditionally until the star can feel good about taking it and not feeling guilty about it.
Great characters, well developed and endearing, yes even her.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75. This story is not quite worth 4 stars to me, but it's still definitely a quality read.

[Angela]

21 April 2014: $0.99 on Kindle
2 April 2013: $0.99 on Kindle