The day of a young woman's wedding should be the happiest day of her life, but for Aylen Ware, it is the worst. Raised from a young age in a secret splinter sect of the Fundamentalist Mormon Church, Aylen has spent her life suppressing her true self and living in constant fear of violence and abuse. The Elders of the church claim that she has been chosen to be the eighteenth bride of a man three times her age and renowned for his cruelty, but Aylen has other ideas. Mere minutes before her wedding, she runs, knowing that she will fail in her flight unless she can find someone to help her...
An unlikely prince...
Half-naked and passed out drunk on a motel bed, Carter Hudson doesn’t seem like a knight in shining armor. Covered in tattoos and piercings, and distinctly disheveled, he frightens Aylen more than a little bit... but appearances can be deceiving. As Aylen runs with Carter's help, she discovers that beneath the rough surface is a scarred young man who has had his own curses and triumphs--and that he is full of surprises. Like his music. And his money. And his fame. Oh...and also his internationally acclaimed rock band. Still, as the two grow closer Aylen discovers they are more alike than not, and finds her feelings for him changing from the wary...to the wicked.
A fairy tale ending...?
But Aylen's past will not let go easily: men from the Church are tracking her, determined to take her back to the cult and a life of misery and servitude. Will the bond between her and Carter be enough to escape the evil that follows her, or is her curse so strong that not even love can defeat it?
Ava Lore was raised by wombats and lives to corrupt the innocent. When not writing erotic romance, she spends her time thinking about writing erotic romance and drinking enough iced coffee to kill a musk ox.
Ava yearns for you tragically. Please email her at authoravalore@gmail.com, follow her on twitter (@authoravalore) or visit her blog at authoravalore.com.
Where do I even start????? How about what happened to Carter???Apparently something happened between this book and the last to make him go on a soul finding trip. But what was it????? First book leaves us with a happy go lucky Carter but book two opens with him passed out!!!
We so needed Carter's POV in this book!!!!!
Book had too many flashbacks of Aylen' s story. I started skimming them. Too much of book was about her.
MINOR SPOILERS....
Author failed to tell us what was up with the prescription drug bottle Carter had. Despite learning more about Carter's past, there were still gaps in the story. It seemed he wasn't happy with the direction his life had taken but nothing was done about that. It was mentioned that he didn't know if he could do what was coming up in his life(assume acting) but, it was never mentioned again. Even the ending leaves you with questions. Was that really a HEA??? Not very powerful one.
I like Ava Lore's Lonely Kings, but I was really disappointed in this book. My main complaint was Aylen/Anna.
I couldn't buy her as a character. She wasn't at all what I'd expect from a virginal, spent most of her life in an ultra conservative and abusive cult, young girl. She was too bold and brave at times. I could have bought this transformation if she'd come into the life at a later age... maybe 14. I could have even accepted her the way if she'd just come from an abusive home with a controlling step-father.
Her back story really and her reactions really took me out of the realm of believably.
I fell in love with Carter in the first book, and was really looking forward to his story. I'm not sure how to really explain how I felt when I finished his story. The book is well written, but it just felt like something was missing. Like large chunks of the story were missing. Carter is still his lovable goofy self. And in this book he gets to play the real life knight in shining armor, when he rescues a stranger from what she claims is an arranged marriage. Anna, or as she renames herself, Aylen, is truly trapped in hell, and being forced to be the eighteenth wife of a man forty years older than her. Carter helps her escape, and she ends up in L.A. with him, her relatives and former church members hot on their trail. Aylens story is truly awful, and if she's caught she faces severe punishments. She has been so sheltered, she is lost in the real world, no ID, no money, no friends outside the church, no real clue how to survive on her own. She needs Carter. And as Carter had said, he was bored, and was willing to help her out and see where things ended up. We also learn more about Carters backstory. And the horrific things his father did to him, in order to keep him in line and remain his cash cow. His brother was his knight in shining armor, now he gets to pay it forward and help out Aylen. I was confused when I started reading this book. I was lost at the beginning. The last time we saw Carter, he was getting himself together, clean and sober, moving on with his music, and getting ready to start his acting career. When we see him in this book, he's drunk and passed out in a seedy motel in Utah. A bottle of pills on the nightstand. He tells Aylen he's on a meandering three week journey from New York back to his home in L.A. These things were never explained. I suppose he had to have a reason to be in that hotel, but an explanation of why and how would have been nice.
What an amazing story, I was gripped from the first page and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. It would've been read in one sitting if it hadn't been for life getting in the way.
The story starts with a girl walking into a strangers hotel room trying to get away from a threat. The gentle friendship between Carter and Aylen, the girl who walked into his hotel room, was a delight. A hardened rocker that has sampled all that life has to offer and the innocent girl who had witnessed such horrors in the ultra religious life she'd been made to endure. The journey of discovery they both take as drive through states is addictive.
I am completely hooked on this series, every character that I've been introduced to have been compelling. Carter and Aylen both stole my heart in this book, just as Kent and Rebecca had before. I can't wait to read the rest in this series.
Ava girl,you've done it again. You have written another awesome story .I couldn't help but feel so bad for Aylen and yet I felt so happy that fate had brought her to Carter.Carter drew me in completely.I love how real he is all the time.He had some heartache and mistakes in his past and I love how Aylen just sees the good.I loved their story.I also developed a strong hate for cults where men marry multiple woman.I would chop their dick off.(seriously)However,good news is...I'm officially addicted to Ava Lore books:)
3,5 stars. While reading my rating changed from 2 to 4 and back to 2 and then to 3. It was quite a slow read. I love Ava Lore's writing and this story was good but at times it felt a bit dragging. Starting a new life and making a change in the way you think and see yourself takes time so I understand why the story kept drifting in slow motion at times. Anna's cahnge into Aylen has been described very well and the story is believable.
Hard Rock Remix $2.99 373 pgs **.* 10/10/21 Carter & Aylen
2.5 stars. Aylen (her real name is Anna) was raised in a religious cult, one of the awful ones. She escaped to keep from marrying a 60 year old man that already had wives. Who’s room just happened to be unlocked in the sleazy motel? Carter of course! This story was okay and half of the book was descriptions, talking in her head, etc, so the flow was spotty with skipping pages and skimming all the written thoughts. The almost sex scenes were drawn out over pages and pages so the actual scenes (which were all oral) were lost somewhere in those pages. This book just didn’t do it for me.
Akční, neobvyklé téma. Prostředek knihy se docela táhnul a nechával čtenáře na vážkách kdy si to konečně vyříkají a rozhodnou se co dělat dál, ale konec byl naprosto skvělý.
Where the first book was raw and intense this one is sweet. I loved Carter in Hard Rock Arrangement and was glad to see the second book was about him. The small glimpses of sadness and sweetness I got to see of him did not do him justice, but in Hard Rock Remix I got to see him shine. And goodness gracious Carter Hudson is like the sweetest rock star ever!
This story all begins with a woman desperate for escape and the one unlocked door which will give it to her. Aylen is running from a life she was forced into by her mother, a life she knows isn’t right. No way should her eighteen year old self be forced to marry a man old enough to be her grandfather. Yeah, I’d run too! Far, far away! But just because she runs doesn’t mean she’s broken free. Her nuptials are well sought after and her groom won’t let a little thing like ‘she doesn’t want to’ get in his way.
Carter may have gotten his act mostly cleaned up, but he’s still missing something. And that something is the crazy girl who broke into his hotel room and begged for his help. He’s the type of guy who can’t walk away from someone in need and he strives to witness her excitement at every new encounter. He may have promised he’d let her go on her separate way, but can he? Read it and find out!
“Spare me. I’m very charming and persuasive, so you’re going to end up agreeing to whatever I say in the end, so we should just skip the stuff in the middle where you agrue.”
“Seriously, let me corrupt you. I love corrupting the innocent.”
My Favorite Moment: I love it when Aylen is talking about her whiskey. Someone who gets drunk for the first time is always a little funny.
“I hadn’t liked the whiskey, but I’d drunk it all. Mostly by accident. I’d thought it was ginger ale. That mistake cost me my nasal passages.”
“I tried to frown at my whiskey to let it know that I was not pleased with it. To my surprise my whiskey was not whiskey at all, but a banana daiquiri. What was this witchcraft?”
My Favorite Laughable Moment: Aylen on Google. Every new thing she looked up only made me laugh harder.
“The first thing I looked up was the phrase bust a nut. I mean, come on. I had to.”
I don't even know how to begin with this one. Hard Rock Remix has potential but I had a hard time connecting to the story. It was too slow pace, making hard for me to stay focused on it. I couldn't read more than a chapter a day.
The main characters:
Anna/Aylen: I feel kinda bad saying this but I couldn't find myself to care or like her at all. I found her to be too bitchy and selfish. You see, she had a hard life but that alone wasn't enough to make me feel compassionate towards her. Never once she thought about saving her others sisters/friends/family of The Church or denounce their horribles acts to the police. She was out, she could stop the abuse and save other girls lives, but no, she just didn't care. Maybe it's my OLS (Old Lady Syndrome) talking here, but that was a huge turned off for me.
Carter: I had an unbelievable hard time picturing him as a Aylen's love interested. The way he was described ,I could only imagine him being the gay best friend that every girl wants to have. So, to say Carter and Aylen didn't have any chemistry and their relationship seemed forced is a HUGE understatement.
Kent and Rebecca: Whatever happened to them? I thought they were in love but in Hard Rock Remix the author didn't give us any pick of their "happy ending" .
But the thing that I had most difficult time picturing/ imagining/processing it was The Church. Maybe because where I'm from it's not heard of something like that. So, it was hard for me to believe it. The author should have develop that aspect better. I never quite understood how The Church had such power and resources in the "real world". And I would've liked to know whatever happened to them. The ending seemed too rushed and until that point nothing had stopped them, so what made Aylen think that they would stop now?
Having said all that, Hard Rock Remix is a companion novel to The Lonely Kings Series that is full of potential but unfortunately didn't work for me but it might work for someone else.
I really enjoyed this book but when I think too much about it there is a lot that needs work as well. However, the basic premise of recovering addict rocker meets completely sheltered young women escaping a patriarchal extreme religious sect is awesome enough to pull me though.
Also, the characters are wonderful and believable. The romance is reasonable, passionate, and compelling.
Therefore the heart of the book is good enough for me to live with the surrounding issues...you may not be able to do so.
Issues:
1. How easily the people Aylen was escaping found her. 2. Why Carter didn't just call the damn police at some point way earlier? 3. We get zero follow up after the main confrontation with the sect. 4. How could Aylen not get her sister out. So, really the book just ended too soon. 5. Who would leave her alone ever? They (famous band) have to security/bodyguards. So, therefore things seem like unnatural plot devises. 6. She would have been way less literate based on the information we know. 7. Cum. Ewww. Come is very. Please, use this word instead. Please. 8. The Trevor meander which exist mainly to set up another book.
And yet... I really liked it because the dialogue and characters are so good. I have read the first book in the series. I had the same mixed feelings.
So! I will keep reading and enjoying this series as I think Ava Lore is a very promising writing but if these kinds of things don't improve she will become a guilty pleasure again--wonder bread with margarine of romance writing but for right now new chef.
This had potential but was poorly executed. There were major gaps in the storyline, especially in relation to Carter (what was he doing in the motel? What was with the prescription bottle that was mentioned twice in the space of a few pages and then never again?). I think this book could have done with some POV from Carter. I also found it a bit slow at times, something I also thought about the first book. There was little pacing, it was all detail from one hour to the next until suddenly at the end it was one month later (there was also a one month gap in the first book).
Kent and Rebecca (from book 1) were in this book, but apart from the statement that Rebecca was Kent's "girlfriend" you wouldn't know they were in a relationship - there was zero interaction between them at all. Some other major plot holes - how did the bad guy rock up to the front door to ring the doorbell - I thought it was "the most heavily fortified house in LA? Also, when Carter and Aylen first meet he appears to believe her story and there is no indication he thinks anything else. Then suddenly mid-way through the story it is stated that he only began to believe her when they were well on thier way to Vegas - up to then he thought she was some crazy fan. His actions at the beginning of the story did not support this, at all.
It also felt very much Young Adult compared to the first book.
I read a few reviews on this novel who rated it very low. Clearly I enjoy different books those reviewers. Cause that was awesome. I loved Aylan. I know she is young and immature and lacking in any socialising or men and I know she became active and social quickly but who cares. It's a novel and I love the characters and the story. Maybe I am just a romantic at heart. I would like to know what happened to the church people thou. Maybe one more chapter to explain that would have been good. Unless its in book three, then I will say no more.
Just loved Carter and his runaway Rock star n the virgin!! I didnt expect the runaway cult bride and the rockstar that helps her! that's for sure!! Its a nice sweet story line, it does drag out in parts, it takes them forever to get together! It is a nice sweet story line and you cant help but love the characters esp Carter!! The ending is O.K i would liked it to have a nice epilogue rather than just end the way it did (i dont want to spoil the book, so i cant say to much)
Much darker than the first novel, with antagonists that sometimes border the line of cartoon villainy (although, given testimony from survivors of those cults, it's more disturbingly accurate than we'd like to think), but Aelyn/Anna is a very compelling protagonist and charming in her interactions with Carter. It's a worthy follow up to the first novel, if not quite the lighter fare people might expect.
I was a bit disappointed with this one. I still loved the characters but I felt that it was just not as good as the first Lonely Kings. I wanted so much more from Ms. Lore when it came to Carter. I loved his character from the first book and I feel she fell short of expectations. That being said I still enjoyed the story.
I couldn't put this book down even if I wanted to. Such an amazing story. This book made me crying,laughing and grabbing my Kindle a bit tighter. I completely fell for Carter! I highly recommended this book..
Another book that I wasn't expecting much from but turned out to be GREAT. ADORABLE hero, strong heroine, and a plot that could read as super cheesetastic and over the top but doesn't. I think I've stumbled upon a good author to check out.
This one was a little slow moving for me, in fact, I almost abandoned ship a couple of times. Fortunately about 50% in the book started to pickup and kept my attention.
No cliffhanger in tns one but some unanswered questions regarding Anna's family.
I really loved this book! Watching the heroine leave behind the horrible place she survived was incredible. And Carter was quite lovely. Looking forward to reading book 3, Manny's story.