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Rock & Release #1-3
Rock & Release
She wants something easy. What she needs might be something else...
Cassidy Evans is looking for an escape over her college summer break. And when one night with a few too many martinis leads her to sexy guitarist, Gage Logan, she may have found exactly what she needs.
He's sweet and hot, and in the bedroom he's enough to make Cassidy forget her own name. Multiple times. But as her heart opens to Gage, feelings she's been trying to avoid slip through, too. Regret over her rocky relationship with her parents. Pain from her brother's recent death. Guilt over a fallout with her best friend... As much as she craves Gage, she can't unlock her heart the way she feels he deserves.
Enter Luca James, international rock star and lead singer for Gold Rush Standard. Cassidy can't stand his music. She can't stand his arrogance. And, when he sets his sights on more than the drinks she serves him, she especially can't stand how she's drawn to his no-strings-attached flirting.
Soon Cassidy will have to make a choice: ignore her heart and go after the carefree life she covets, or stand strong to face a bittersweet reality.
Either way, she risks losing everything she truly wants.
Cassidy Evans is looking for an escape over her college summer break. And when one night with a few too many martinis leads her to sexy guitarist, Gage Logan, she may have found exactly what she needs.
He's sweet and hot, and in the bedroom he's enough to make Cassidy forget her own name. Multiple times. But as her heart opens to Gage, feelings she's been trying to avoid slip through, too. Regret over her rocky relationship with her parents. Pain from her brother's recent death. Guilt over a fallout with her best friend... As much as she craves Gage, she can't unlock her heart the way she feels he deserves.
Enter Luca James, international rock star and lead singer for Gold Rush Standard. Cassidy can't stand his music. She can't stand his arrogance. And, when he sets his sights on more than the drinks she serves him, she especially can't stand how she's drawn to his no-strings-attached flirting.
Soon Cassidy will have to make a choice: ignore her heart and go after the carefree life she covets, or stand strong to face a bittersweet reality.
Either way, she risks losing everything she truly wants.
365 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 2, 2015
111 people are currently reading
1029 people want to read
About the author
Riley Edgewood
8 books164 followersSign up for Riley's newsletter to receive updates on new releases and other fun things!
Riley lives in the DC area and spends most of her time with her characters, playing with her toddler and husband, and pretending she knows how to be an adult. Former dancer. Current writer. Lifelong lover of accessories, books, and the beach. And cats. Can't forget the kitties. Of which she has two.
Riley lives in the DC area and spends most of her time with her characters, playing with her toddler and husband, and pretending she knows how to be an adult. Former dancer. Current writer. Lifelong lover of accessories, books, and the beach. And cats. Can't forget the kitties. Of which she has two.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
April 3, 2015
**Copy provided by author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I'll just say this.
Ahem.
Dear Cassidy,
You do not deserve Gage. I will be taking him from you until can truly appreciate him. Which will most likely be never. You suck.
After Cassidy ran off with Luca a was done with the book. It went downhill from there and didn't make much sense.
Gage gets all the stars for this book, Cassidy gets none.
Full review at Bookaholic Raves
I'll just say this.
Ahem.
Dear Cassidy,
You do not deserve Gage. I will be taking him from you until can truly appreciate him. Which will most likely be never. You suck.
After Cassidy ran off with Luca a was done with the book. It went downhill from there and didn't make much sense.
Gage gets all the stars for this book, Cassidy gets none.
Full review at Bookaholic Raves
June 24, 2015
The best things in life aren't planned. That is the saying and this book holds tight to that idea. Cassidy had always played it safe and works hard, letting life kind of pass her by. After some decisions, good and bad, she ends up bartending and with Gage. Gage is a musician, sensitive, hot, witty, and adoring. Both characters are fighting their own demons but when together, they are dynamic. You can't help but fall in love with Gage, he's perfectly imperfect. The writing is great, the story has twists and turns, and there is character development. This book sucks you In and doesn't release you until the last word of the happy ending.
January 27, 2015
Rating: 3.75/5
Review coming soon!
Review coming soon!
September 28, 2015
Review by Trinette Dungee
Cassidy Evans is kind of a mess. She recently lost her younger brother to a drug overdose, her parents seem to be in denial that he is gone…no, they live their lives as if he never existed, her best friend is something of a bitch, she’s committed herself to a summer internship that she really doesn’t want, she then blows of the internship to bartend at a local venue that’s known for holding the ultimate rock concerts, she started a relationship with a hot co-worker (Gage Logan) who also happens to be a singer/guitarist and is sexy as sin. Oh, then she meets the lead singer (Luca James) of a famous band who she just happens to decide to chuck all the previously mentioned and go on the road with.
This was not the easiest book to read. It took me FOR-EH-VER (or at least that’s how it felt). My first introduction to Riley Edgewood was Truth and Temptation, book 3 of the Summer Love series; and I said I would add books 1 and 2 to my TBR list. So Rock and Release is the first book in the series. It was previously released as three separate books, each a cliffhanger. I hate cliffhangers. The one thing I hate more than cliffhangers are cliffhangers that are love triangles so I’m glad I got to read all three as one complete story. As for the love triangle let me just say this….I really liked Truth and Temptation and gave it 4 stars. Rock and Release…4 ½ stars! I am soooo a Riley Edgewood fan! This lady nails it! Love triangle and all. And it’s really not that much of a love triangle.
Okay, so I’m quite sure you’re trying to figure out,” why 4 ½ stars if the book was so hard to read?” Well, because I honestly could not stand Cassidy, she made me so freaking angry that several times I had to stop reading all together and find something else to do (like binge watching the first two seasons of The Walking Dead). It took me two days to put my thoughts on paper because there was so much to say that I didn’t know what to include and/or omit! The first time I finished I had a seven page review. So if I seem a little all over the place with this review…that’s why.
I don’t think I’ve ever had such a visceral response to a character. I have quite a few authors that I love because I love their stories and very few authors grab me not only because of the stories but because they also have the ability to make me actually “feel” while I’m reading. This is a testament to Riley’s writing. I don’t know if it was her intention for Cassidy to come across as unlikeable but I was not her fan…AT ALL; but it didn’t stop me from really enjoying this book. My sister is an educator (a reading specialist to be exact) and she often uses the phrase “text-to-self” connection. In a nut shell it’s the reader’s ability to connect with a character by a shared experience. Okay, kind of sounds like being empathetic or maybe even sympathetic to a character and we’ve all done this, right? Well I have to say…it’s not quite the same thing. I thought I’d experienced this before but in all my years of reading this was the first time I feel as if I’ve truly had a “text-to-self” connection! And I had several of them while reading this book! As with Truth and Temptation Riley Ridgewood hits subject matters that really make you think. With Cassidy I feel like it was grief, guilt, regret and avoidance…lots and lots of avoidance.
Most of Cassidy’s issues seem to revolve around the aftermath of her brother’s death. While I did sympathize with her loss I still couldn’t let go of the fact that she was soooo self-centered, it was all about her (I felt like she was this way before the death of her brother). Not once did she ever consider Gage’s feelings or even Luca’s for that matter. I think she considered their feelings but only because she was worried about how it would affect her. Poor Gage (although I do think he had a little bit of a ‘hero complex’), this guy constantly tried to be more than just sex for her, he wanted to know her, be there for her…but nope, she wasn’t having it. Two times my heart really broke for Gage when it’s obvious that how much he wants to know Cassidy. The first time was when Cassidy is angry when she learns that Gage’s Ex-girl works at the same bar.
"I mean, are you kidding me? Your ex works with us and you didn't think you should mention her to me?" Now he has the decency to drop his eyes. But he looks up a second later, and instead of looking sorry, he looks even more pissed. "You never want to talk about anything personal, Cassidy. You've never even wanted to come to my place." He lets out a frustrated sigh. "And you definitely don't ever ask anything about me—so why would I force anything on you? Including Zoey?" "You didn't have to tell me every little detail about your relationship with her," I say, stung by his words. It's not like we're strangers. Hell, he even knows about Jason. You only told him because you were drunk. I ignore the hiss of my conscience. "But don't you think it's kind of f#*ked up not to mention that you have a thing for sleeping with every girl at BackBar? It's something I might have taken into consideration before becoming one of your tally." "My tally?" He laughs, but there's no humor in it. "First of all, there is no tally. Second…tell me, Cassidy. What's my last name?" I know this. Don't I know this? How can I not know this? "Logan." He wants to say more, I can tell by his intake of breath, but he stops himself instead and closes his mouth. "I knew that." Okay, I totally hadn't known that. But still, "What were you about to say?" I push him, my irritation growing disproportionately to the way I can see him trying to calm himself. "Don't back down now." "You don't even know my last name." "Oh, what, and that makes me some slut because I jumped into bed with you?" "No! God, Cassidy." He shakes his head. "But how am I supposed to know what's important to you?"
Granted, Cassidy was justified with being angry but it’s like her cons just out weigh her pros and it made it hard for me to give her points or a pass for anything. The second time comes when Gage begs Cassidy not to leave with Luca.
"Cassidy, don't." He squeezes the hand he's still holding. "I'll fight for you, if you need me to. Just tell me how to do it without crossing one of the borders you have up. There's nothing to worry about with Zoey. I know I told you before that I still care for her but I don't, not anymore. What I used to feel is gone. There's no room—you fill me too completely." "I believe you." I step toward him. I want to erase the sadness in his eyes. I want to kiss it away. "But, Gage, I can't keep—" "You're not going to run off with some rock star—especially Luca James," he says. "You're better than that."
"Better than that? What does that even mean?" I'm rankled by the censure in his words. Then I take a closer look at the hint of shock still sitting across his features, and my irritation disappears as quickly as it came. I don't have a leg to stand on here. I'm the one in the wrong. "This is too complicated." "It's not." He shakes his head. "This is simple. Just you and me. Don't go, Cassidy. Stay here. With me."
When she finds herself high and dry and alone, it’s Gage that’s there to help her. Cassidy does say over and over again that she doesn’t think she has what it take to give Gage what he truly needs. But I think that was only part of it. The other part was that it was just easier for her to walk away, rather than fight for him or them.
But it’s too intense. Too real. All I wanted this summer was something carefree, something easy. I find a notepad and a pen in his kitchen, and I leave a note on his nightstand…Ending things between us, officially. And I hate myself for it, almost as much as Gage will when he wakes up. Half an hour later, I step onto Luca’s tour bus.
There’s no mistaking that I was so Team-Gage it wasn’t funny. Not so much Team-Gage as opposed to Team-Luca…I was Team-Gage for Gage. At some point I wished he would just move on from Cassidy. Hell, I didn’t even want her with Luca! Let’s talk about Luca for a moment. While at times Cassidy wanted to paint him as the bad guy; I wasn’t buying it. Other than his less than honest attitude towards drugs, to me he never made himself out to be anything other than what he was. And as for the drug thing…Seriously Cassidy, the writing was on the wall but when you’re that wrapped up in your own world I guess it’s hard to see. I’m kind of curious about Luca’s story too, nothing too big just a little novella maybe (hint, hint).
The only time I really kind of felt bad for Cassidy was when she has the epiphany as to why she and her parents have had different responses to her brother’s death.
I think…I think maybe I had it easier than my parents after Jason died. I was away at school for the first six months. I threw myself into classes and had the eternal distraction of a college town. But my parents have been here. Home. Surrounded by him wherever they look…
At that point it hits her that most of her reaction is probably because she has to accept the fact that she really didn’t know her brother as well as she thought. She thought she was a good sister and it’s not that she wasn’t but she had to accept that there were things going on with her brother, in his life that she knew nothing about.
It seems like every relationship Cassidy has whether it’s with Gage, Luca, her parents, or her friends Vera and Teagan…they all seem to be in turmoil and primarily because Cassidy doesn’t acknowledge or resolve anything, she takes the easy way out and just avoids whatever she can.
In the end, I’m still not a fan of Cassidy but I did enjoy the heck out of this book, even when I had to put it down and breathe. Oh and that most gut wrenching text-to-self connection for me came when Cassidy returns to Gage’s house unannounced after just leaving his bed the next morning without even so much as a good-bye…
At one point, there it was, that feeling when you see something that you are not quite sure how to interpret and the thought that you have no idea what is going on behind closed doors. As much as I didn’t like Cassidy, I honestly felt that heartache, that quick breathing that feeling you get when your feelings are so completely hurt.
Cassidy Evans is kind of a mess. She recently lost her younger brother to a drug overdose, her parents seem to be in denial that he is gone…no, they live their lives as if he never existed, her best friend is something of a bitch, she’s committed herself to a summer internship that she really doesn’t want, she then blows of the internship to bartend at a local venue that’s known for holding the ultimate rock concerts, she started a relationship with a hot co-worker (Gage Logan) who also happens to be a singer/guitarist and is sexy as sin. Oh, then she meets the lead singer (Luca James) of a famous band who she just happens to decide to chuck all the previously mentioned and go on the road with.
This was not the easiest book to read. It took me FOR-EH-VER (or at least that’s how it felt). My first introduction to Riley Edgewood was Truth and Temptation, book 3 of the Summer Love series; and I said I would add books 1 and 2 to my TBR list. So Rock and Release is the first book in the series. It was previously released as three separate books, each a cliffhanger. I hate cliffhangers. The one thing I hate more than cliffhangers are cliffhangers that are love triangles so I’m glad I got to read all three as one complete story. As for the love triangle let me just say this….I really liked Truth and Temptation and gave it 4 stars. Rock and Release…4 ½ stars! I am soooo a Riley Edgewood fan! This lady nails it! Love triangle and all. And it’s really not that much of a love triangle.
Okay, so I’m quite sure you’re trying to figure out,” why 4 ½ stars if the book was so hard to read?” Well, because I honestly could not stand Cassidy, she made me so freaking angry that several times I had to stop reading all together and find something else to do (like binge watching the first two seasons of The Walking Dead). It took me two days to put my thoughts on paper because there was so much to say that I didn’t know what to include and/or omit! The first time I finished I had a seven page review. So if I seem a little all over the place with this review…that’s why.
I don’t think I’ve ever had such a visceral response to a character. I have quite a few authors that I love because I love their stories and very few authors grab me not only because of the stories but because they also have the ability to make me actually “feel” while I’m reading. This is a testament to Riley’s writing. I don’t know if it was her intention for Cassidy to come across as unlikeable but I was not her fan…AT ALL; but it didn’t stop me from really enjoying this book. My sister is an educator (a reading specialist to be exact) and she often uses the phrase “text-to-self” connection. In a nut shell it’s the reader’s ability to connect with a character by a shared experience. Okay, kind of sounds like being empathetic or maybe even sympathetic to a character and we’ve all done this, right? Well I have to say…it’s not quite the same thing. I thought I’d experienced this before but in all my years of reading this was the first time I feel as if I’ve truly had a “text-to-self” connection! And I had several of them while reading this book! As with Truth and Temptation Riley Ridgewood hits subject matters that really make you think. With Cassidy I feel like it was grief, guilt, regret and avoidance…lots and lots of avoidance.
Most of Cassidy’s issues seem to revolve around the aftermath of her brother’s death. While I did sympathize with her loss I still couldn’t let go of the fact that she was soooo self-centered, it was all about her (I felt like she was this way before the death of her brother). Not once did she ever consider Gage’s feelings or even Luca’s for that matter. I think she considered their feelings but only because she was worried about how it would affect her. Poor Gage (although I do think he had a little bit of a ‘hero complex’), this guy constantly tried to be more than just sex for her, he wanted to know her, be there for her…but nope, she wasn’t having it. Two times my heart really broke for Gage when it’s obvious that how much he wants to know Cassidy. The first time was when Cassidy is angry when she learns that Gage’s Ex-girl works at the same bar.
"I mean, are you kidding me? Your ex works with us and you didn't think you should mention her to me?" Now he has the decency to drop his eyes. But he looks up a second later, and instead of looking sorry, he looks even more pissed. "You never want to talk about anything personal, Cassidy. You've never even wanted to come to my place." He lets out a frustrated sigh. "And you definitely don't ever ask anything about me—so why would I force anything on you? Including Zoey?" "You didn't have to tell me every little detail about your relationship with her," I say, stung by his words. It's not like we're strangers. Hell, he even knows about Jason. You only told him because you were drunk. I ignore the hiss of my conscience. "But don't you think it's kind of f#*ked up not to mention that you have a thing for sleeping with every girl at BackBar? It's something I might have taken into consideration before becoming one of your tally." "My tally?" He laughs, but there's no humor in it. "First of all, there is no tally. Second…tell me, Cassidy. What's my last name?" I know this. Don't I know this? How can I not know this? "Logan." He wants to say more, I can tell by his intake of breath, but he stops himself instead and closes his mouth. "I knew that." Okay, I totally hadn't known that. But still, "What were you about to say?" I push him, my irritation growing disproportionately to the way I can see him trying to calm himself. "Don't back down now." "You don't even know my last name." "Oh, what, and that makes me some slut because I jumped into bed with you?" "No! God, Cassidy." He shakes his head. "But how am I supposed to know what's important to you?"
Granted, Cassidy was justified with being angry but it’s like her cons just out weigh her pros and it made it hard for me to give her points or a pass for anything. The second time comes when Gage begs Cassidy not to leave with Luca.
"Cassidy, don't." He squeezes the hand he's still holding. "I'll fight for you, if you need me to. Just tell me how to do it without crossing one of the borders you have up. There's nothing to worry about with Zoey. I know I told you before that I still care for her but I don't, not anymore. What I used to feel is gone. There's no room—you fill me too completely." "I believe you." I step toward him. I want to erase the sadness in his eyes. I want to kiss it away. "But, Gage, I can't keep—" "You're not going to run off with some rock star—especially Luca James," he says. "You're better than that."
"Better than that? What does that even mean?" I'm rankled by the censure in his words. Then I take a closer look at the hint of shock still sitting across his features, and my irritation disappears as quickly as it came. I don't have a leg to stand on here. I'm the one in the wrong. "This is too complicated." "It's not." He shakes his head. "This is simple. Just you and me. Don't go, Cassidy. Stay here. With me."
When she finds herself high and dry and alone, it’s Gage that’s there to help her. Cassidy does say over and over again that she doesn’t think she has what it take to give Gage what he truly needs. But I think that was only part of it. The other part was that it was just easier for her to walk away, rather than fight for him or them.
But it’s too intense. Too real. All I wanted this summer was something carefree, something easy. I find a notepad and a pen in his kitchen, and I leave a note on his nightstand…Ending things between us, officially. And I hate myself for it, almost as much as Gage will when he wakes up. Half an hour later, I step onto Luca’s tour bus.
There’s no mistaking that I was so Team-Gage it wasn’t funny. Not so much Team-Gage as opposed to Team-Luca…I was Team-Gage for Gage. At some point I wished he would just move on from Cassidy. Hell, I didn’t even want her with Luca! Let’s talk about Luca for a moment. While at times Cassidy wanted to paint him as the bad guy; I wasn’t buying it. Other than his less than honest attitude towards drugs, to me he never made himself out to be anything other than what he was. And as for the drug thing…Seriously Cassidy, the writing was on the wall but when you’re that wrapped up in your own world I guess it’s hard to see. I’m kind of curious about Luca’s story too, nothing too big just a little novella maybe (hint, hint).
The only time I really kind of felt bad for Cassidy was when she has the epiphany as to why she and her parents have had different responses to her brother’s death.
I think…I think maybe I had it easier than my parents after Jason died. I was away at school for the first six months. I threw myself into classes and had the eternal distraction of a college town. But my parents have been here. Home. Surrounded by him wherever they look…
At that point it hits her that most of her reaction is probably because she has to accept the fact that she really didn’t know her brother as well as she thought. She thought she was a good sister and it’s not that she wasn’t but she had to accept that there were things going on with her brother, in his life that she knew nothing about.
It seems like every relationship Cassidy has whether it’s with Gage, Luca, her parents, or her friends Vera and Teagan…they all seem to be in turmoil and primarily because Cassidy doesn’t acknowledge or resolve anything, she takes the easy way out and just avoids whatever she can.
In the end, I’m still not a fan of Cassidy but I did enjoy the heck out of this book, even when I had to put it down and breathe. Oh and that most gut wrenching text-to-self connection for me came when Cassidy returns to Gage’s house unannounced after just leaving his bed the next morning without even so much as a good-bye…
At one point, there it was, that feeling when you see something that you are not quite sure how to interpret and the thought that you have no idea what is going on behind closed doors. As much as I didn’t like Cassidy, I honestly felt that heartache, that quick breathing that feeling you get when your feelings are so completely hurt.
April 19, 2015
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Cassidy's summer break has finally arrived and while her dad has plans for her to start a summer internship at his company, Cassidy decides that she has different plans. She desperately needs to escape her life, her responsibilities and her brother's recent death. A strange turn of events lands Cassidy in a precarious situation with her best friend, her family, a handsy manager at a bar and a sexy musician. Cassidy's idea of a carefree summer quickly morphs into something else that she isn't quite ready for.
I am not a big fan of novellas. I don't understand this new craze that seems to be spreading like wildfire in the writing world. Why would you want to write a full length book just to decide to break it into three different sections. I'm not an author, so maybe you have to be in that club to understand the motivations behind that kind of decision. Anyhow ... When I found out that Edgewood's three novellas were being put into one book, I was all for it. I was really interested in the summary and I thought that it would be something fun to read.
I'm glad that I did pick this one up and while I found it a little eye-roll worthy at times, it was a good book that I enjoyed. I don't know that I would read it again, but I enjoyed it this time. I found the characters to be pretty endearing, mostly Gage ... I thought that he was perfect and behaved exactly how I would expect a guy in his situation to act. My heart broke for him a little bit at the end and that made me love him even more. Riley Edgewood can construct some pretty amazing characters. Funnily enough, I didn't like the main character as much as I liked Gage and that doesn't happen very often. Cassidy just felt shallow and fake to me throughout most of the book and it wasn't interesting to read. Her interactions with the other characters was interesting enough to keep me hooked though.
All of the twists and turns within these pages was nice. I didn't expect a lot of the things that ended up happening, which is refreshing. But some of the scenes were a little ... much. Now, I'm not friends with someone in a massive band and I have no clue what goes on back stage but ... damn. Some of the stuff with the band just seemed so far fetched. But what the hell do I know. Anyhow.
I probably won't read this one again but I might pick something up by this author again. For the most part, I liked her writing style and a lot of her characters.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review *
January 1, 2016
Cassidy drops out of an internship to work at a club. It is there where she meets Gage and her new friends. But Cassidy isn't really sure of what she wants and while trying to figure it out, she hurts the people that care for her the most.
To me, Cassidy was a very self-absorbed character. She doesn't deserve the love that Gage provides. It is true that they didn't really define their relationship in the beginning but she betrayed and hurt Gage. For the majority of the book if not all, I couldn't stand Cassidy. There was no real character development in her until the very beginning and by then, my opinion of her had been made
On the other hand, Gage is the sweetest character and he doesn't deserve someone like Cassidy. He was there for Cassidy through anything and everything and even after the betrayal, he was still there for her. Now, Vera was a great addition to the story. She is Cassidy's co-worker and she brings life to the story, which I totally loved.
The story could've been done a whole lot better than it was or at least change Cassidy's character. I recommend this to those that love lots of sex scenes and drama.
To me, Cassidy was a very self-absorbed character. She doesn't deserve the love that Gage provides. It is true that they didn't really define their relationship in the beginning but she betrayed and hurt Gage. For the majority of the book if not all, I couldn't stand Cassidy. There was no real character development in her until the very beginning and by then, my opinion of her had been made
On the other hand, Gage is the sweetest character and he doesn't deserve someone like Cassidy. He was there for Cassidy through anything and everything and even after the betrayal, he was still there for her. Now, Vera was a great addition to the story. She is Cassidy's co-worker and she brings life to the story, which I totally loved.
The story could've been done a whole lot better than it was or at least change Cassidy's character. I recommend this to those that love lots of sex scenes and drama.
February 13, 2015
Okay, yes, I stopped reading this for a bit, but I am so glad I went back to it!!! Gage is a perfect book boyfriend. He has his issues, so not overly perfect, but so much better than Luca. Cassidy could be selfish and didn't mean to, but tragedy kinda stopped her brain from working.
March 7, 2015
Boring as hell. Couldn't keep going.
April 7, 2015
Rock & Release was originally a three part serial, so it is divided into three acts. Since I am not a big fan of serials, I was happy to read this as a complete novel. This was definitely a 4.5 star read. all the characters in this story are great, even the ones I hated. I did not have any points where I felt like I wanted to put the book down. This actually surprised me because I usually need breaks from books with this level of drama.
Losing her younger brother has completely changed Cassidy’s life. Her parents have changed, her best friend is angry and bitter, and she is looking at the prospect of a summer internship she has no interest in. All of that changes the night she ends up stranded in the VIP section at a concert arena. Rather than starting her internship, she takes a job tending bar and meets the oh-so-yummy Gage. I was surprised that I liked Cassidy’s character. Normally, behavior like Cassidy’s is a big turn off for me in a book. In this case, Cassidy’s behavior made sense. While there are moments when I wanted to reach through the pages of the book and smack her, I was satisfied with the way she grew in the story, and with the resolution she found with each character.
Now Gage is perfect book boyfriend material. He is hot, sweet, and comes up with the perfect panty melting lines. Sadly, he wants much more than Cassidy is willing to give in the beginning of this book, so be prepared to get offended on his behalf more than once. There is quite a bit of drama between Cassidy and Gage, mostly Cassidy’s fault, but I still liked them as a couple and found myself hoping they would find a happily ever after.
The other man is Cassidy’s life in this story is the sex-on-a-stick hot rocker, Luca James. While he certainly had the sex appeal, I never really found myself hoping Cassidy would end up with him. The author did a good job of making Luca likable enough so I didn’t skim the pages involving him while still making him seem like the wrong man for Cassidy.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Losing her younger brother has completely changed Cassidy’s life. Her parents have changed, her best friend is angry and bitter, and she is looking at the prospect of a summer internship she has no interest in. All of that changes the night she ends up stranded in the VIP section at a concert arena. Rather than starting her internship, she takes a job tending bar and meets the oh-so-yummy Gage. I was surprised that I liked Cassidy’s character. Normally, behavior like Cassidy’s is a big turn off for me in a book. In this case, Cassidy’s behavior made sense. While there are moments when I wanted to reach through the pages of the book and smack her, I was satisfied with the way she grew in the story, and with the resolution she found with each character.
Now Gage is perfect book boyfriend material. He is hot, sweet, and comes up with the perfect panty melting lines. Sadly, he wants much more than Cassidy is willing to give in the beginning of this book, so be prepared to get offended on his behalf more than once. There is quite a bit of drama between Cassidy and Gage, mostly Cassidy’s fault, but I still liked them as a couple and found myself hoping they would find a happily ever after.
The other man is Cassidy’s life in this story is the sex-on-a-stick hot rocker, Luca James. While he certainly had the sex appeal, I never really found myself hoping Cassidy would end up with him. The author did a good job of making Luca likable enough so I didn’t skim the pages involving him while still making him seem like the wrong man for Cassidy.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 15, 2015
Rock & Release by Riley Edgewood
Review by: Kayla
She wants something easy. What she needs might be something else.
Cassidy Evans is looking for an escape over her college summer break. And when one night with a few too many martinis leads her to sexy guitarist, Gage Logan, she may have found exactly that.He's hot and he's sweet, and in the bedroom he's enough to make Cassidy forget her own name. Multiple times. But as her heart opens to Gage, feelings she's been trying to avoid slip through, too. Regret over her rocky relationship with her parents. Pain from her brother's recent death. Guilt over a fallout with her best friend... As much as she craves Gage, she can't unlock her heart the way he deserves. Enter Luca James, international rock star and lead singer for Gold Rush Standard. Cassidy can't stand his music. She can't stand his arrogance. And, when he sets his sights on more than the drinks she serves him, she especially can't stand how she's drawn to his no-strings-attached flirting. Soon Cassidy will have to make a choice: ignore her heart and go after the carefree life she covets, or stand strong to face a bittersweet reality. Either way, she risks losing everything she truly wants.
Review: I was given a copy of Rock & Release by netgalley and Sunshine and Mountains book blog for an honest review.
Cassidy was looking for an escape over summer break. One night and took many drinks she ends up with a sexy guitarist, Gage Logan and she finds that he is enough to make her forget her own name more than once. A lot of emotions come round when she starts to have feelings for Gage. Then comes along Luca James, he is an international rock star and lead singer for Gold Rush Standard. Cassidy can’t stand his music or his arrogance and she can’t stand his flirting. But Cassidy has to make a choice, ignore her heart or go after the carefree things she wants? Either way she could lose it all. I liked this book. It was a wonderful story and I enjoyed it immensely. I give it 4 out of 5 stars!
Review by: Kayla
She wants something easy. What she needs might be something else.
Cassidy Evans is looking for an escape over her college summer break. And when one night with a few too many martinis leads her to sexy guitarist, Gage Logan, she may have found exactly that.He's hot and he's sweet, and in the bedroom he's enough to make Cassidy forget her own name. Multiple times. But as her heart opens to Gage, feelings she's been trying to avoid slip through, too. Regret over her rocky relationship with her parents. Pain from her brother's recent death. Guilt over a fallout with her best friend... As much as she craves Gage, she can't unlock her heart the way he deserves. Enter Luca James, international rock star and lead singer for Gold Rush Standard. Cassidy can't stand his music. She can't stand his arrogance. And, when he sets his sights on more than the drinks she serves him, she especially can't stand how she's drawn to his no-strings-attached flirting. Soon Cassidy will have to make a choice: ignore her heart and go after the carefree life she covets, or stand strong to face a bittersweet reality. Either way, she risks losing everything she truly wants.
Review: I was given a copy of Rock & Release by netgalley and Sunshine and Mountains book blog for an honest review.
Cassidy was looking for an escape over summer break. One night and took many drinks she ends up with a sexy guitarist, Gage Logan and she finds that he is enough to make her forget her own name more than once. A lot of emotions come round when she starts to have feelings for Gage. Then comes along Luca James, he is an international rock star and lead singer for Gold Rush Standard. Cassidy can’t stand his music or his arrogance and she can’t stand his flirting. But Cassidy has to make a choice, ignore her heart or go after the carefree things she wants? Either way she could lose it all. I liked this book. It was a wonderful story and I enjoyed it immensely. I give it 4 out of 5 stars!
September 9, 2015
*I received a copy via Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is the second book that I have read by Riley Edgewood and I have to say that I have become a big fan. Her characters are real and full of heart, passion, and insecurities. Cassidy's story with Gage and Luca is exhilarating, sexy, and often times heart wrenching and I loved every step of he journey. This book is about summer fun, escape, all encompassing grief, and of course a tempestuous love.
This story begins with Cassidy who is still heartbroken over the death of her brother and is looking to have a fun night out with her best friend before her summer internship begins. Cassidy is a college girl who has a heart of gold, is a true lover of music, and is looking for a way to escape reality and just let loose. Gage is a musician who oozes raw sexiness and has even more heart than he has musical talent. He knows how to strum those sexy hands across not only a guitar but also Cassidy's body and her heart. He is a devoted son and brother who enjoys playing music for himself and others but is not willing to sell out for fame. Luca James is a sexy tattooed rock star who is arrogant, is out to have a good time, and wants that good time to include Cassidy. He demonstrates talent on the stage as well as in the bedroom and can be found traveling the world on a glamorous bus. What Gage and Luca have in common is their attraction to Cassidy and while Gage offers toe curling passion that involves the heart, Luca offers unforgettable passion, fun and escape from reality.
Cassidy's world is entertaining, carefree, confusing, and sometimes grief stricken. This love story shows that you have to face heart break, not run away from love, and that situations and people are not always what they seem. I highly recommend to those who want to experience love through the eyes of young woman who has lived through tragedy and finds love during a whirlwind spontaneous summer. A sweet, erotic, read that will be hard to forget.
This is the second book that I have read by Riley Edgewood and I have to say that I have become a big fan. Her characters are real and full of heart, passion, and insecurities. Cassidy's story with Gage and Luca is exhilarating, sexy, and often times heart wrenching and I loved every step of he journey. This book is about summer fun, escape, all encompassing grief, and of course a tempestuous love.
This story begins with Cassidy who is still heartbroken over the death of her brother and is looking to have a fun night out with her best friend before her summer internship begins. Cassidy is a college girl who has a heart of gold, is a true lover of music, and is looking for a way to escape reality and just let loose. Gage is a musician who oozes raw sexiness and has even more heart than he has musical talent. He knows how to strum those sexy hands across not only a guitar but also Cassidy's body and her heart. He is a devoted son and brother who enjoys playing music for himself and others but is not willing to sell out for fame. Luca James is a sexy tattooed rock star who is arrogant, is out to have a good time, and wants that good time to include Cassidy. He demonstrates talent on the stage as well as in the bedroom and can be found traveling the world on a glamorous bus. What Gage and Luca have in common is their attraction to Cassidy and while Gage offers toe curling passion that involves the heart, Luca offers unforgettable passion, fun and escape from reality.
Cassidy's world is entertaining, carefree, confusing, and sometimes grief stricken. This love story shows that you have to face heart break, not run away from love, and that situations and people are not always what they seem. I highly recommend to those who want to experience love through the eyes of young woman who has lived through tragedy and finds love during a whirlwind spontaneous summer. A sweet, erotic, read that will be hard to forget.
April 7, 2015
This story is about Cassidy Evans and Gage Logan. Or is it Cassidy and Luca? I forget. Anyway, this is a story of growth, humor, fun, sex, college, rock stars, and so much more! Cassidy has a lot of growing up to do and a lot of friends to make.
Our book opens up with Cassidy not sure where to go as summer in between college begins. She knows she does not want to take a business internship - since it was really mean for her late brother - and her parents have forgotten she has dreams too.
She talks to her parents who do not agree and kick her out of their home. She goes back to the bar where she met some kids her age over the weekend and gets a job there. It turns out bartender is just the job for her.
While there she meets the world famous Luca - and cannot decide if she wants to make something more permanent with Gage or take a once in a lifetime trip with a star. Gage has a hard time forgiving her choices.
Until one night his sister lives through almost the same thing Cassidy had to. A tragic event that can change your life and cause grief to prevail. Can her friends help her choose the right path for her future?
Can Gage be the man she needs even when she screws that future up? She takes so many risks and has many surprises in store for her. This book is life changing for many characters. I laughed, I cried and basically it ended up on the permanent shelf at my place. I give a solid 5/5 Kitty's Paws UP!
Formerly released as a three-act serial, Rock & Release is now a complete novel.
***This ARC copy was given free from Netgalley.com, for review purposes. My honest opinion does not reflect Netgalley, nor its affiliates.
Our book opens up with Cassidy not sure where to go as summer in between college begins. She knows she does not want to take a business internship - since it was really mean for her late brother - and her parents have forgotten she has dreams too.
She talks to her parents who do not agree and kick her out of their home. She goes back to the bar where she met some kids her age over the weekend and gets a job there. It turns out bartender is just the job for her.
While there she meets the world famous Luca - and cannot decide if she wants to make something more permanent with Gage or take a once in a lifetime trip with a star. Gage has a hard time forgiving her choices.
Until one night his sister lives through almost the same thing Cassidy had to. A tragic event that can change your life and cause grief to prevail. Can her friends help her choose the right path for her future?
Can Gage be the man she needs even when she screws that future up? She takes so many risks and has many surprises in store for her. This book is life changing for many characters. I laughed, I cried and basically it ended up on the permanent shelf at my place. I give a solid 5/5 Kitty's Paws UP!
Formerly released as a three-act serial, Rock & Release is now a complete novel.
***This ARC copy was given free from Netgalley.com, for review purposes. My honest opinion does not reflect Netgalley, nor its affiliates.
May 1, 2015
*I was given an ARC from Netgalley. All comments are my own.
This is an amalgamation of Riley Edgewood's VIP series - I only found out after I had read it and was looking for something else that was written by her.
This book shares Cassidy's summer where she begins to learn to let herself go and also learn to look into herself and accept her brother's untimely death. There's romance, lust and adventure where she decides to throw caution to the wind and go against what she's always known.
I could tell from the get-go that this is a girl who was set to destroy herself simply by ignoring what she truly feels. Sure the adventure of going off with a well known rock star seems like a chance of a lifetime but she does it at the expense of her true happiness with a guy who actually cares for her; Gage Logan.
You can follow (and bang your head against the wall) Cassidy's journey to self discovery and realisation that sometimes you need to go in the deep end, love and lost to learn to love yourself.
This is an amalgamation of Riley Edgewood's VIP series - I only found out after I had read it and was looking for something else that was written by her.
This book shares Cassidy's summer where she begins to learn to let herself go and also learn to look into herself and accept her brother's untimely death. There's romance, lust and adventure where she decides to throw caution to the wind and go against what she's always known.
I could tell from the get-go that this is a girl who was set to destroy herself simply by ignoring what she truly feels. Sure the adventure of going off with a well known rock star seems like a chance of a lifetime but she does it at the expense of her true happiness with a guy who actually cares for her; Gage Logan.
You can follow (and bang your head against the wall) Cassidy's journey to self discovery and realisation that sometimes you need to go in the deep end, love and lost to learn to love yourself.
May 14, 2016
I liked this book. There were a few put offs but otherwise a great story. The main character of this book Cassidy is a complete mess. Her decision making skills sucked and her back and forth was annoying. Gage was amazing. The 3rd part of this book was awesome. First 2 parts was alot of back and forth and hiding from her feelings which annoys the crap out of me. I seriously didn't think Cassidy deserved Gage. He was an amazing character and I freaking loved him. Luca was clearly a douche from the start. I probably would have gave 5 stars if Cassidy wasn't so all over the place, and repeating things 3 times in an ocd fashion really made it hard to get into it. I just ignored the other 2 times things were repeated so I could read the story. Other than that it was a good read. The 3rd part was the best part and that made the book awesome. I look forward to reading more from Riley because the characters are very real and I like that.
August 26, 2015
Cassidy is hilarious especially when that girl is being awkward, "I swallow. Twice. "Me, too… I mean, you, too. I mean I can't wait to taste you, too." Effer. Could I be any worse at the sexy talk?" I loved Gage, his emotions were raw, real and made him look really sexy, "I'm not a fan of jealousy, Cassidy, but eff, I don't want to share you." A muscle in his jaw clenches, before he continues. "Who was it?" I liked this book I fell in love with Gage I was pinning for him through out the whole book.
January 10, 2015
Not really sure how I felt about this book. I do know that I really wanted to smack Cassidy throughout most of the book.
February 29, 2016
Great read. Glad she ended up with the right guy.
March 12, 2016
everyone in this book was an asshole who probably needs a mood stabilizer.
February 14, 2020
Give me a loyal partner or give me death.
*** SPOILER alert***
This sums up what bothers me most about this book. I loved reading about the hotness that is Gage - with the exception of the constant unnecessary repetition of words, again and again and again, making me irritated, frustrated, annoyed... I mean, you get the point. Anyway, what I was trying to say, say, say (whoops sorry, I'll stop) was that I loved this book up until the point where Cassidy started cheating.
I absolutely love Gage, I hope to find him out in the real world and have him fall for me, because honestly, he seems like a catch. He's thoughtful, family oriented, great between the sheets, has his partners back, is forgiving (maybe a little too forgiving)... I can go on and on. But the point is: Cassidy didn't deserve him at that point in her life. It was so frustrating to see her treat him like trash, try to make him her friend with benefits and basically use him for his sexual skills. Also, the ending, I was very impressed Gage was able to forgive her with literally next to no amount of effort on her part. If I were Gage, I would've made Cassidy work for it, or at least prove that she would do better. But I guess that's where I'm petty and he's mature (and too forgiving, I'm sorry, but it's just too much).
On to Cassidy. She was really testing my empathy and mentalising skills, there. I was really getting frustrated by her behavior and especially her thoughts. Cheating on Gage for starters, then cheating on Luca by thinking of and calling Gage from Luca's bed, and then being a complete b*tch to Gage after he made this grand gesture... I kind of got lost in my frustration, until I reminded myself I was a future psychologist and took the opportunity to try and understand her, as well as find something to empathize with. Even though Cassidy was in survival mode, trying to push down her grief so she wouldn't feel the pain of losing her brother, I still think it doesn't make her behavior okay. But, in the end, I'm glad she owned up to it, took her responsibility and made up with her parents and apologized to everyone. She can call herself lucky she has such great family and friends who forgave her quite easily. I do hope she keeps this in mind and tries to do better in the future.
Anyway, rating wise, I have to keep my frustration in mind. Both stories--Gage's and Luca's--would've been really hot if Cassidy wasn't cheating on both of them. At about 70% I was considering a DNF because of this. So, 2 stars because I didn't like the whole 'cheating with the rock star' bit. Gage would deserve the stars and the moon, but sadly, he got overshadowed by the other parts in this trilogy.
*** SPOILER alert***
This sums up what bothers me most about this book. I loved reading about the hotness that is Gage - with the exception of the constant unnecessary repetition of words, again and again and again, making me irritated, frustrated, annoyed... I mean, you get the point. Anyway, what I was trying to say, say, say (whoops sorry, I'll stop) was that I loved this book up until the point where Cassidy started cheating.
I absolutely love Gage, I hope to find him out in the real world and have him fall for me, because honestly, he seems like a catch. He's thoughtful, family oriented, great between the sheets, has his partners back, is forgiving (maybe a little too forgiving)... I can go on and on. But the point is: Cassidy didn't deserve him at that point in her life. It was so frustrating to see her treat him like trash, try to make him her friend with benefits and basically use him for his sexual skills. Also, the ending, I was very impressed Gage was able to forgive her with literally next to no amount of effort on her part. If I were Gage, I would've made Cassidy work for it, or at least prove that she would do better. But I guess that's where I'm petty and he's mature (and too forgiving, I'm sorry, but it's just too much).
On to Cassidy. She was really testing my empathy and mentalising skills, there. I was really getting frustrated by her behavior and especially her thoughts. Cheating on Gage for starters, then cheating on Luca by thinking of and calling Gage from Luca's bed, and then being a complete b*tch to Gage after he made this grand gesture... I kind of got lost in my frustration, until I reminded myself I was a future psychologist and took the opportunity to try and understand her, as well as find something to empathize with. Even though Cassidy was in survival mode, trying to push down her grief so she wouldn't feel the pain of losing her brother, I still think it doesn't make her behavior okay. But, in the end, I'm glad she owned up to it, took her responsibility and made up with her parents and apologized to everyone. She can call herself lucky she has such great family and friends who forgave her quite easily. I do hope she keeps this in mind and tries to do better in the future.
Anyway, rating wise, I have to keep my frustration in mind. Both stories--Gage's and Luca's--would've been really hot if Cassidy wasn't cheating on both of them. At about 70% I was considering a DNF because of this. So, 2 stars because I didn't like the whole 'cheating with the rock star' bit. Gage would deserve the stars and the moon, but sadly, he got overshadowed by the other parts in this trilogy.
December 11, 2021
4.5 Stars
Whew! What a book. I can’t tell you what I was expecting when I first started this book but it whatever it was, was not this book.
It was great, the writing style, the story, the characters (most of the time), & that character development… Man that was fantastic.
So to start it off I’m in love with Gage, he’s super wonderful & way too good for anyone, even Cassidy. He was sweet in all the ways, he was sexy in even better ways & just way too caring. That may be his one flaw but I’m certainly not holding it against him.
Can we talk about the sex in this? Whew, whether it was Gage or Luca, certainly made me have to fan myself a little. Steamy, let me tell you. It wasn’t even too much. Some books can have too much or too little, but Goldilocks, this was just right.
In the beginning I was very much with Cassidy, she was great. I liked her sass & her personality but hated how she was running from things. Who could run from Gage? He’s too wonderful. This book truly shows what happens with grief. When her brother passed, a lot of books will just mention it that once & the main character will get hung up on it once or twice just for story reasons. But this book did the perfect thing, it had her running & every choice that was made was because of her grief. It did irritate me how she kept running when I wanted her to stay but it was all for character development. I ended up really liking the person she had become by the end of the book. It was such a good place for her to be & it was healthy & just perfect. It certainly made me wipe a few tears reading this.
The story was woven in grief that even if it wasn’t straight up mentioned, you could feel it. It made the book so much better though in my opinion. It shows grief is not just a one stop destination, that it really is a journey. It certainly made me feel the story more. I would happily recommend this book to other people, it was pretty great.
The Good:
* Gage.
* The Story.
* The emotions. The grief, the happiness, can’t get enough.
* The characters (except when I wanted to smack Cassidy on the head).
* The writing style.
* Gage. Oops, did I mention him twice?
The Bad:
* Cassidy running so much. Even this part of the book I really couldn’t be mad about though. Really I was just rooting for Gage the entire time & if something went against that I wasn’t thrilled.
The Book:
Lovely book, I would recommend it to those who read this genre. I’d even consider reading this again. It seriously surprised me & gripped me to the end.
Whew! What a book. I can’t tell you what I was expecting when I first started this book but it whatever it was, was not this book.
It was great, the writing style, the story, the characters (most of the time), & that character development… Man that was fantastic.
So to start it off I’m in love with Gage, he’s super wonderful & way too good for anyone, even Cassidy. He was sweet in all the ways, he was sexy in even better ways & just way too caring. That may be his one flaw but I’m certainly not holding it against him.
Can we talk about the sex in this? Whew, whether it was Gage or Luca, certainly made me have to fan myself a little. Steamy, let me tell you. It wasn’t even too much. Some books can have too much or too little, but Goldilocks, this was just right.
In the beginning I was very much with Cassidy, she was great. I liked her sass & her personality but hated how she was running from things. Who could run from Gage? He’s too wonderful. This book truly shows what happens with grief. When her brother passed, a lot of books will just mention it that once & the main character will get hung up on it once or twice just for story reasons. But this book did the perfect thing, it had her running & every choice that was made was because of her grief. It did irritate me how she kept running when I wanted her to stay but it was all for character development. I ended up really liking the person she had become by the end of the book. It was such a good place for her to be & it was healthy & just perfect. It certainly made me wipe a few tears reading this.
The story was woven in grief that even if it wasn’t straight up mentioned, you could feel it. It made the book so much better though in my opinion. It shows grief is not just a one stop destination, that it really is a journey. It certainly made me feel the story more. I would happily recommend this book to other people, it was pretty great.
The Good:
* Gage.
* The Story.
* The emotions. The grief, the happiness, can’t get enough.
* The characters (except when I wanted to smack Cassidy on the head).
* The writing style.
* Gage. Oops, did I mention him twice?
The Bad:
* Cassidy running so much. Even this part of the book I really couldn’t be mad about though. Really I was just rooting for Gage the entire time & if something went against that I wasn’t thrilled.
The Book:
Lovely book, I would recommend it to those who read this genre. I’d even consider reading this again. It seriously surprised me & gripped me to the end.
March 16, 2017
Cassidy Evans is struggling with grief and her friends and parents don't seem to be on the same page as her. The only thing she can think to do is run from the pain. And from there, one bad decision leads to another until Cassidy is left to confront the cold hard truth about herself and pick up the pieces of destruction that she's left behind. While her chemistry with Gage appeared lukewarm at best initially, I did like Gage a lot because he was such a good guy who did all the right things. Luca had a certain charm about him that seemed appealing so I could understand Cassidy's interest in him, because Luca was all about the escape from reality. Cassidy herself is a bit self-absorbed and rather ignorant to her egocentric behavior. Still, part of her journey was to find herself and who she was separate from the life that she lead and her brother so in that regard, she finally matured and discovered what it means to stick around, face her fears and fight for what she wants instead of continuing to be a victim of circumstance. In the meantime, I did struggle with Cassidy's indecisions and I couldn't quite feel the angst build up except to be sympathetic to Gage the whole time.
February 27, 2017
Cassidy is dealing with the death of her brother and her depressed parents. Her father wants her to intern at a company which she doesn't want to do. She decides to go against what everyone wants her to do and goes to work for a bar. She meets Gage and she keeps fighting having a real relationship with him. She even runs off with a musician to avoid life. Story was good, I just thought Cassidy should grow up and deal with life. I was surprised there was a HEA due to her indecisiveness on what she wanted.
March 16, 2015
***REVIEW ORIGINALLY POSTED ON EMILIE'S BOOK WORLD***
You’ve probably heard me say before that I am often hesitant to read self-published books, but every so often I make exceptions. With Rock & Release, I made an exception because I know the author, Riley Edgewood (well I do on Twitter, but you get my point). And believe me when I say that it was absolutely and completely worth the exception. I loved every single moment of this sexy new adult story.
When she came home, Cassidy Evans thought she knew what her summer was going to be like. But after a night spent in the VIP area of a bar drinking a few too many martinis, her plans seem to be changing. Before long, Cassidy finds herself being offered a job tending bar instead of the business internship she had planned. And then there’s Gage Logan, the sexy guitarist Cassidy meets at BackBar, who seems to be just the escape she’s looking for. And there’s a lot Cassidy is looking to escape. But the more time she spends with Gage, the more she finds herself wanting more than just a fling. Except Cassidy can’t find a way to open herself up to Gage the way he has to her. Instead, Cassidy lets herself be drawn to arrogant rock star Luca James and his offer of no-strings-attached fun. Before long, Cassidy finds herself torn between a carefree life and the possible for a real relationship. She just has to choose what she really wants.
So. Rock & Release. It was initially released as a three-part serial and that’s how I read it. Which would have been fine had all three parts been released when I started reading it. But no. When I read it, only the first two were out and by the time I got to the end of the second part, I was pretty much begging for the third part. I just had to know how the story ended, what, and more importantly who, Cassidy would choose. Simply put, Riley Edgewood just wrote an addicting story. And again, like I’ve said, the fact that it was told in three parts just made it that much more addicting. Or at least it did to me. And that’s because the story itself was just great. I loved reading about Cassidy and everyone working and coming and going at BackBar. I loved reading about the romance between Cassidy and Gage and between Cassidy and Luca. And of course it didn’t hurt that the romance in these books was just HOT and engrossing. Let’s just say that there’s a whole lot of sexy in this book and this story and I loved every bit of it.
Cassidy is very much a character you can relate to. Well, I could definitely relate to her. It’s the summer before her last year of college (I think I’m remembering this correctly) and she’s not really sure about what she wants to do once she finishes school. And on top of that, she’s dealing with having lost her brothers less than a year earlier and how that’s affected her family. Needless to say that Cassidy has a lot going out and I can understand why she would want to find a way to escape all that for the summer. In way though, in wanting to escape her life, she was able to find herself and better understand what she wanted. Or at least she did by the end of the story. And that meant spending time with Gage and Luca. Much like Cassidy, I feel for Gage right away, I was just willing to admit it to myself. And that’s because Gage was an absolutely fantastic guy. I loved him and how caring he was and everything he was willing to do for Cassidy. So I did get annoyed with Cassidy when she wanted to throw it all away. For Luca of all people. Don’t get me wrong, Luca isn’t inherently bad or anything. I just didn’t take to him the way I did to Gage. There were moments where I would start really liking him, but then something always seemed kind of off with him. And he was just way too arrogant for my liking. But he was necessary to this story. Cassidy needed him in order to figure out what she really wanted. So for that, I liked him, because he got Cassidy to where I would really hope she would go.
So yeah, I really loved reading Riley Edgewood’s Rock & Release. It was a sexy, thoughtful new adult read that was addicting to read. If you’re looking for a good and sexy NA to read, I can’t recommend this one enough. And lucky for you, the whole story is available in one book now. So go get it, you won’t regret it.
You’ve probably heard me say before that I am often hesitant to read self-published books, but every so often I make exceptions. With Rock & Release, I made an exception because I know the author, Riley Edgewood (well I do on Twitter, but you get my point). And believe me when I say that it was absolutely and completely worth the exception. I loved every single moment of this sexy new adult story.
When she came home, Cassidy Evans thought she knew what her summer was going to be like. But after a night spent in the VIP area of a bar drinking a few too many martinis, her plans seem to be changing. Before long, Cassidy finds herself being offered a job tending bar instead of the business internship she had planned. And then there’s Gage Logan, the sexy guitarist Cassidy meets at BackBar, who seems to be just the escape she’s looking for. And there’s a lot Cassidy is looking to escape. But the more time she spends with Gage, the more she finds herself wanting more than just a fling. Except Cassidy can’t find a way to open herself up to Gage the way he has to her. Instead, Cassidy lets herself be drawn to arrogant rock star Luca James and his offer of no-strings-attached fun. Before long, Cassidy finds herself torn between a carefree life and the possible for a real relationship. She just has to choose what she really wants.
So. Rock & Release. It was initially released as a three-part serial and that’s how I read it. Which would have been fine had all three parts been released when I started reading it. But no. When I read it, only the first two were out and by the time I got to the end of the second part, I was pretty much begging for the third part. I just had to know how the story ended, what, and more importantly who, Cassidy would choose. Simply put, Riley Edgewood just wrote an addicting story. And again, like I’ve said, the fact that it was told in three parts just made it that much more addicting. Or at least it did to me. And that’s because the story itself was just great. I loved reading about Cassidy and everyone working and coming and going at BackBar. I loved reading about the romance between Cassidy and Gage and between Cassidy and Luca. And of course it didn’t hurt that the romance in these books was just HOT and engrossing. Let’s just say that there’s a whole lot of sexy in this book and this story and I loved every bit of it.
Cassidy is very much a character you can relate to. Well, I could definitely relate to her. It’s the summer before her last year of college (I think I’m remembering this correctly) and she’s not really sure about what she wants to do once she finishes school. And on top of that, she’s dealing with having lost her brothers less than a year earlier and how that’s affected her family. Needless to say that Cassidy has a lot going out and I can understand why she would want to find a way to escape all that for the summer. In way though, in wanting to escape her life, she was able to find herself and better understand what she wanted. Or at least she did by the end of the story. And that meant spending time with Gage and Luca. Much like Cassidy, I feel for Gage right away, I was just willing to admit it to myself. And that’s because Gage was an absolutely fantastic guy. I loved him and how caring he was and everything he was willing to do for Cassidy. So I did get annoyed with Cassidy when she wanted to throw it all away. For Luca of all people. Don’t get me wrong, Luca isn’t inherently bad or anything. I just didn’t take to him the way I did to Gage. There were moments where I would start really liking him, but then something always seemed kind of off with him. And he was just way too arrogant for my liking. But he was necessary to this story. Cassidy needed him in order to figure out what she really wanted. So for that, I liked him, because he got Cassidy to where I would really hope she would go.
So yeah, I really loved reading Riley Edgewood’s Rock & Release. It was a sexy, thoughtful new adult read that was addicting to read. If you’re looking for a good and sexy NA to read, I can’t recommend this one enough. And lucky for you, the whole story is available in one book now. So go get it, you won’t regret it.
December 14, 2015
I received this book free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
OMG i LOVED this book.
Cassidy is home from school for the Summer when she lands a job in the VIP area of a music venue. As she's there as a patron the first day, she meets Gage, the gorgeous singer/guitar player and they leave together. Cassidy is so wrecked that Gage puts a stop to their fumble, but that is the start of a 'thing' they get going on.
Except, Cassidy refuses to name their 'thing' just as she refuses to let anyone get close to her since her big brother recently died of a drug overdose. Gage is a gent, you get from the way that the book is written that he knows Cassidy is pulling away, and that that makes him sad but he's still there for her.
When a famous rock band play at the venue, the lead singer makes a play for Cassidy and, long story short - she ends up leaving Gage a note to break it off with i=him in order to tour with the band for the rest of the summer. My heart absolutely broke for Gage at this bit and i really hated Cassidy for doing what she was doing to him.
one the road, Cassidy can't stop thinking about Gage and wondering if she has made a mistake, but at least she's not feeling anything, her emotions are safely locked away so she donate have to feel the loss of her brother, Gage or her estranged parents.
The singer turns out to be what he had sworn he wasn't and Cassidy walks in on him partying, she's not upset as she had already decided she was leaving him and the tour the following morning. she packs her stuff, moves out of the suite and rents her own room to crash for the night. When she gets up in the morning, the band have already left, leaving Cassidy to get the 4hr drive back home with no money. Trying and failing to get help for parents or friends she has no choice but to contact Gage for a lift home. The drive id awkward in no small way but when they are almost home Gage gets a disturbing phone call and they end up at the scene of an accident in which Gage believes his sister has just been killed in.
Cassidy begs forgiveness from the boss of the venue and manages to get her job back. Gage is cool and overly polite with her, but shows no sign he wishes to pick up where they left of before she ran out on him. Time passes and Cassidy is resigned to the fact that they'll never be more than friends but still, she takes full responsibility.
After a drama at work with the shift manager, Cassidy confronts him but Gage beats her to it and pummels the other bloke for what he did to Cassidy but still shows no sign of wanting to get back 'together'.
The night before Cassidy is leaving for college, she spots Gage at the bar a little worse for wear. She tells him she loves him the leaves him there to drown his sorrows when he doesn't answer her.
The morning after, she drives to his house with coffee to bang him out of bed. They play a 'little getting to know you game' and Cassidy asks Gage for one ore chance, now she has her shit sorted out. Gage says he can't go there again, she hurt him too many times and again, Cassidy understands that this is her won doing so leaves fro college sad but resigned.
A week into the new sensate, the new 'not hiding form anything Cassidy' changes her major to something *she, not her parents want her to do and after waking out of the school office, she bumps into Gage. He has chased her again and this time its to tell her he loves her back and that as soon as his sister is well enough to be left, he will move to be with Cassidy. HEA.
This book has me actually crying tears a few times, it was full on angst which is good when done well, and this was. The only thing that drove me slightly insane was the reputation join the internal dialog. Such as - 'Im waiting'. waiting. waiting. - 'Oh' oh. there was quite a lot of that towards the start of the book but seamed to get less, unless i just got used to it and didn't notice it quite as much. Anyway, i loved this book and will definitely be reading the next 2, even if Cassidy and Gage aren't the main characters, I'm hoping they'll be in there quite a bit?!
OMG i LOVED this book.
Cassidy is home from school for the Summer when she lands a job in the VIP area of a music venue. As she's there as a patron the first day, she meets Gage, the gorgeous singer/guitar player and they leave together. Cassidy is so wrecked that Gage puts a stop to their fumble, but that is the start of a 'thing' they get going on.
Except, Cassidy refuses to name their 'thing' just as she refuses to let anyone get close to her since her big brother recently died of a drug overdose. Gage is a gent, you get from the way that the book is written that he knows Cassidy is pulling away, and that that makes him sad but he's still there for her.
When a famous rock band play at the venue, the lead singer makes a play for Cassidy and, long story short - she ends up leaving Gage a note to break it off with i=him in order to tour with the band for the rest of the summer. My heart absolutely broke for Gage at this bit and i really hated Cassidy for doing what she was doing to him.
one the road, Cassidy can't stop thinking about Gage and wondering if she has made a mistake, but at least she's not feeling anything, her emotions are safely locked away so she donate have to feel the loss of her brother, Gage or her estranged parents.
The singer turns out to be what he had sworn he wasn't and Cassidy walks in on him partying, she's not upset as she had already decided she was leaving him and the tour the following morning. she packs her stuff, moves out of the suite and rents her own room to crash for the night. When she gets up in the morning, the band have already left, leaving Cassidy to get the 4hr drive back home with no money. Trying and failing to get help for parents or friends she has no choice but to contact Gage for a lift home. The drive id awkward in no small way but when they are almost home Gage gets a disturbing phone call and they end up at the scene of an accident in which Gage believes his sister has just been killed in.
Cassidy begs forgiveness from the boss of the venue and manages to get her job back. Gage is cool and overly polite with her, but shows no sign he wishes to pick up where they left of before she ran out on him. Time passes and Cassidy is resigned to the fact that they'll never be more than friends but still, she takes full responsibility.
After a drama at work with the shift manager, Cassidy confronts him but Gage beats her to it and pummels the other bloke for what he did to Cassidy but still shows no sign of wanting to get back 'together'.
The night before Cassidy is leaving for college, she spots Gage at the bar a little worse for wear. She tells him she loves him the leaves him there to drown his sorrows when he doesn't answer her.
The morning after, she drives to his house with coffee to bang him out of bed. They play a 'little getting to know you game' and Cassidy asks Gage for one ore chance, now she has her shit sorted out. Gage says he can't go there again, she hurt him too many times and again, Cassidy understands that this is her won doing so leaves fro college sad but resigned.
A week into the new sensate, the new 'not hiding form anything Cassidy' changes her major to something *she, not her parents want her to do and after waking out of the school office, she bumps into Gage. He has chased her again and this time its to tell her he loves her back and that as soon as his sister is well enough to be left, he will move to be with Cassidy. HEA.
This book has me actually crying tears a few times, it was full on angst which is good when done well, and this was. The only thing that drove me slightly insane was the reputation join the internal dialog. Such as - 'Im waiting'. waiting. waiting. - 'Oh' oh. there was quite a lot of that towards the start of the book but seamed to get less, unless i just got used to it and didn't notice it quite as much. Anyway, i loved this book and will definitely be reading the next 2, even if Cassidy and Gage aren't the main characters, I'm hoping they'll be in there quite a bit?!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 30, 2015
***THIS REVIEW AND MORE AT MY WEBSITE***
The Review: Well. Just…well. I didn’t love this one, but I also didn’t hate it. As far as NA romance novels go, it did provide plenty of steamy sex scenes. So if that is something that you really enjoy, then you’ll love this one. For those of us who crave a little bit more substance, I’m on the fence as to whether or not to recommend it. You all know (and if you don’t, then you’ll learn now) that I’m pretty faithful to not posting spoilers in my review-only posts, so I’ll try to elaborate the best that I can without giving anything away. There are some heavy topics touched upon in this book. I like how the author gave the main character a troubled family life after the tragic death of her brother. It helped me feel as if she had substance and wasn’t just a sex crazed hormonal girl looking for some hot musician hook up with. However, take away the family drama and the dead brother and that is what you’re left with: A girl who wants to hook up all of the time and is pretty airheaded while doing so. There is a lot of jumping into bed casually with near strangers in this book. Hey, to each her own, but Cassidy meets a guy and literally hooks up with him the same night. She meets another guy and does almost exactly the same thing. The book literally opens with Cassidy fantasizing about sex. I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was repetitive and annoying at times. That being said, Gage was a decent male lead. He was faithful, sweet, and forgiving. Gage seemed to be a sincere character. It made the whole love triangle schpiel with Luca seem ridiculous. When done correctly, a love triangle can be really stressful and well-written. This was not the case in this book and it put a damper on my reading experience, since it was a huge chunk of what the author focused on for plot conflict. Another point that I had an issue with were the friendships that Cassidy had. As you can see in the synopsis, Cassidy gets into a fight with her best friend. Well, sorry babe, but the ‘best friend’ in this book was completely unrealistic. She was borderline psycho-evil. I never really did understand why she acted the way she did…the author left that unexplained, really. In regards to how Cassidy treated her other friends, she wasn’t such a good one. Everybody in this book seemed to love and want to stick by Cassidy, when in real life I feel like they would have stopped trying long ago. There are a few ‘villains’ of sorts in this book. Both of them were convincingly annoying, so kudos for the author at writing bad guys who we can all agree to hate. I also really liked the way that Cassidy’s personal drama with both her family and her brother’s death were addressed in the last chapters. In the end, there is closure and legitimate self discovery with the main character, but was it enough for me to tell my friends to give it a try? I really don’t know. Maybe if you’re in a reading slump and want some sex and cheap drama... (I received this book in exchange for an honest review.)
The Conclusion: Read this if you’re into: Steamy sex scenes, faithful male leads, and intense personal drama.
Don’t read this if you can’t stand: Unrealistic relationships, oblivious main characters, or love triangles.
The Rating: A tentative 2.5 out of 5 stars because of the self discovery and closure that the author provided. I can’t give more because the unrealistic sexual encounters and relationships marred it for me.
June 14, 2015
*I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review*
This is the story of loss. And love.
Cassidy Evans recently suffered a loss, the death of her brother, and no one in her family is accepting is loss well. She is tired of the hole where he used to be in their home, and trying to fill that hole. Freeing herself from the confines of her home and family Cassidy takes up residence bartending for the summer and playing a dangerous game of no-strings attached with the sexy Gage Logan, the local guitarist with a voice of honey.
She makes friendships, and ruins them. She learns more about herself and life in that one summer as the people she comes to love help her to move on from the tragedy of the past.
I honestly had a very hard time reading this story. It wasn't due to trigger-inducing content or any thing that would normally cause pause in reading a story, but rather my own reaction toward the main character.
I could not stand the lead.
I have read plenty of novels where the main character made you made, or you hated them--but you were supposed to feel that way about those characters and I don't think as a reader I was supposed to feel so much disgust and hatred toward Cassidy. She was the antithesis of everything she said she stood for, which I can understand that she was just as distressed and grieving as her parents, but everything was portrayed poorly in my opinion. I think there could have been a better way of going about it, seeing as all the other characters were much better set-up and developed throughout the story.
With her dialogue and mannerisms, I'll be generous and say she has a handful of saying/words that she circles back to, whereas all of the other characters seem wonderfully dynamic, thought out and developed.
Even past the dreadful Cassidy, I had to love the romance--Gage. Gage is what made me keep reading when I wanted to give up. When I really wanted to throttle her, or didn't think I could take another second of the same words repeated. Gage was there evening out my temper and making me swoon. And in the end, when Gage needed somebody, I had to hand it Cassidy...she wasn't too bad. But even when she had her 'revelation' and changed--she still kind of sucked in my book, and I don't say these things lightly. I don't like to hate on characters. It's actually very hard for me.
So many things in the story seemed to be vague, and even when an explanation came up it was either strewn together or still vague. Not many over-all sub-themes and plots seemed resolved or answered. She seemed to be trying to give more steam, and that took away from the plot advancement.
I would probably give Riley Edgewood another chance with a different book, but Rock & Release just wasn't a favorite for me.
If you're into Boys with Musical talent, and going on the road with rock Gods--give this book a shot. It may be just the thing for you.
This is the story of loss. And love.
Cassidy Evans recently suffered a loss, the death of her brother, and no one in her family is accepting is loss well. She is tired of the hole where he used to be in their home, and trying to fill that hole. Freeing herself from the confines of her home and family Cassidy takes up residence bartending for the summer and playing a dangerous game of no-strings attached with the sexy Gage Logan, the local guitarist with a voice of honey.
She makes friendships, and ruins them. She learns more about herself and life in that one summer as the people she comes to love help her to move on from the tragedy of the past.
I honestly had a very hard time reading this story. It wasn't due to trigger-inducing content or any thing that would normally cause pause in reading a story, but rather my own reaction toward the main character.
I could not stand the lead.
I have read plenty of novels where the main character made you made, or you hated them--but you were supposed to feel that way about those characters and I don't think as a reader I was supposed to feel so much disgust and hatred toward Cassidy. She was the antithesis of everything she said she stood for, which I can understand that she was just as distressed and grieving as her parents, but everything was portrayed poorly in my opinion. I think there could have been a better way of going about it, seeing as all the other characters were much better set-up and developed throughout the story.
With her dialogue and mannerisms, I'll be generous and say she has a handful of saying/words that she circles back to, whereas all of the other characters seem wonderfully dynamic, thought out and developed.
Even past the dreadful Cassidy, I had to love the romance--Gage. Gage is what made me keep reading when I wanted to give up. When I really wanted to throttle her, or didn't think I could take another second of the same words repeated. Gage was there evening out my temper and making me swoon. And in the end, when Gage needed somebody, I had to hand it Cassidy...she wasn't too bad. But even when she had her 'revelation' and changed--she still kind of sucked in my book, and I don't say these things lightly. I don't like to hate on characters. It's actually very hard for me.
So many things in the story seemed to be vague, and even when an explanation came up it was either strewn together or still vague. Not many over-all sub-themes and plots seemed resolved or answered. She seemed to be trying to give more steam, and that took away from the plot advancement.
I would probably give Riley Edgewood another chance with a different book, but Rock & Release just wasn't a favorite for me.
If you're into Boys with Musical talent, and going on the road with rock Gods--give this book a shot. It may be just the thing for you.
June 18, 2018
A huge Thank you to Victory Editing for allowing me to read Rock & Release by Riley Edgewood in exchange for an honest review.
I was hesitant, for years, about reading this book. I was excited, and then I was anxious, and then I was intimidated by Rock & Release. I was excited because Rock & Release is a New Adult novel, and then I became anxious because I hadn’t read it on time and kept putting it off and putting it off for so long. But I finally FINALLY read it. I’m glad I did!
I didn’t like the love-triangle, or whatever it was. It was so obvious to me (but not to Cassidy) that she was in-love with Gage. But Cassidy had to go through what she did, to understand how she felt about Gage.
There were two characters that I didn’t like on the spot, and I’m glad that they themselves proved to be who they were. I’m glad that these two despicable people more or less got what they deserved.
Rock & Release is a story where the main character, Cassidy, works on accepting her brothers death, and her willingness to be in denial that everything is ok. Cassidy goes through a lot in the sense that she feels guilty for being happy because all of what she has now wouldn’t have happened if her brother hadn’t died.
The story shows how Cassidy has guilt and some anxiety about her brothers death. Her pain of losing a sibling. Cassidy has built some pretty thick walls to keep people away, even though she knows that she wants them in her life. Her brothers death plays a bigger factor in her life than she leads on. And because she doesn’t actively deal with her brothers death.
The pace of the book is incredibly fast. I believe that the whole story takes place over 2 months. The writing was nice as well. I could get completely immersed in the story, which is one of the things that I look for when I start reading a book. I’m glad that Rock & Release provided that for me (in terms of reading).
I genuinely appreciated the fact that Cassidy, and all of the other characters are pretty realistic.
I give Rock & Release 3 stars. I didn’t end up hating this book, but I wasn’t in-love with it either.
While I was initially excited to read Rock & Release, I held off doing so. In the end, while I didn’t end up loving this book, I didn’t hate it either. Rock & Release was an enjoyable story. I’m glad things worked out in the end for Cassidy.
I was hesitant, for years, about reading this book. I was excited, and then I was anxious, and then I was intimidated by Rock & Release. I was excited because Rock & Release is a New Adult novel, and then I became anxious because I hadn’t read it on time and kept putting it off and putting it off for so long. But I finally FINALLY read it. I’m glad I did!
I didn’t like the love-triangle, or whatever it was. It was so obvious to me (but not to Cassidy) that she was in-love with Gage. But Cassidy had to go through what she did, to understand how she felt about Gage.
There were two characters that I didn’t like on the spot, and I’m glad that they themselves proved to be who they were. I’m glad that these two despicable people more or less got what they deserved.
Rock & Release is a story where the main character, Cassidy, works on accepting her brothers death, and her willingness to be in denial that everything is ok. Cassidy goes through a lot in the sense that she feels guilty for being happy because all of what she has now wouldn’t have happened if her brother hadn’t died.
The story shows how Cassidy has guilt and some anxiety about her brothers death. Her pain of losing a sibling. Cassidy has built some pretty thick walls to keep people away, even though she knows that she wants them in her life. Her brothers death plays a bigger factor in her life than she leads on. And because she doesn’t actively deal with her brothers death.
The pace of the book is incredibly fast. I believe that the whole story takes place over 2 months. The writing was nice as well. I could get completely immersed in the story, which is one of the things that I look for when I start reading a book. I’m glad that Rock & Release provided that for me (in terms of reading).
I genuinely appreciated the fact that Cassidy, and all of the other characters are pretty realistic.
I give Rock & Release 3 stars. I didn’t end up hating this book, but I wasn’t in-love with it either.
While I was initially excited to read Rock & Release, I held off doing so. In the end, while I didn’t end up loving this book, I didn’t hate it either. Rock & Release was an enjoyable story. I’m glad things worked out in the end for Cassidy.
February 4, 2015
** ARC received on behalf of obsessed by books for an honest review **
This is all three books into to one and it was a whirl wind of emotions.
Bk. 1 We are introduced to Cassidy and see the heartache that she carries with her. she is a girl wanting to please her parents and by doing so she agrees to an summer internship that anyone would dream of, but its not her and she is dealing with the guilt of her brothers death. She has things to think about, she would love to be able to take time to find herself
one night out with friends she is given a job opportunity that just might give her the chance she needs to find herself and be the person she once use to be. The summer job sounds awesome but can she turn down the internship. also that night she meets the sexy Gage, a guitarist , they spend the summer together and Cassidys feelings for Gage is starting to cross the line. She doesn't deserve someone like Gage, she has to find herself first and until then she cant give 100% but that doesn't slow down the hot sex they have. we end book one with Cassidy pushing Gage away.
Bk.2 we start back with Cassidy not wanting to act on her feelings toward Gage, but she doesn't want him to move on, she wants him happy but only with her but she cant give herself to him ugh I just want to slap her. while she is trying to find herself she meets Lucas a lead singer of a band. He is hot as hell and arrgant and when he sets his eyes on Cassidy its on cause he always gets what he wants, but Cassidy cant stand him or his music but she is drawn to him. she sees this as a chance to help find herself, yeah to get over one you get under another. Cassidy agrees to tour with Lucase. will Cassidy ever find what she is looking for is Lucas the man for her.
Bk.3 Cassidy is on tour with lucas but seems to be thinking of Gage the whole time, maybe she has made a mistake, maybe the grass isn't always greener on the other side. when the tour brings them back home, Cassidy is faced with seeing Gage and realizes she has to make a decision that will leave someone hurt but she has to do the right thing. will pick desire or love and will Gage still be there when she decides.
this was a great series, I loved Gage would love a whole book on him.
5 out of 5 stars.
This is all three books into to one and it was a whirl wind of emotions.
Bk. 1 We are introduced to Cassidy and see the heartache that she carries with her. she is a girl wanting to please her parents and by doing so she agrees to an summer internship that anyone would dream of, but its not her and she is dealing with the guilt of her brothers death. She has things to think about, she would love to be able to take time to find herself
one night out with friends she is given a job opportunity that just might give her the chance she needs to find herself and be the person she once use to be. The summer job sounds awesome but can she turn down the internship. also that night she meets the sexy Gage, a guitarist , they spend the summer together and Cassidys feelings for Gage is starting to cross the line. She doesn't deserve someone like Gage, she has to find herself first and until then she cant give 100% but that doesn't slow down the hot sex they have. we end book one with Cassidy pushing Gage away.
Bk.2 we start back with Cassidy not wanting to act on her feelings toward Gage, but she doesn't want him to move on, she wants him happy but only with her but she cant give herself to him ugh I just want to slap her. while she is trying to find herself she meets Lucas a lead singer of a band. He is hot as hell and arrgant and when he sets his eyes on Cassidy its on cause he always gets what he wants, but Cassidy cant stand him or his music but she is drawn to him. she sees this as a chance to help find herself, yeah to get over one you get under another. Cassidy agrees to tour with Lucase. will Cassidy ever find what she is looking for is Lucas the man for her.
Bk.3 Cassidy is on tour with lucas but seems to be thinking of Gage the whole time, maybe she has made a mistake, maybe the grass isn't always greener on the other side. when the tour brings them back home, Cassidy is faced with seeing Gage and realizes she has to make a decision that will leave someone hurt but she has to do the right thing. will pick desire or love and will Gage still be there when she decides.
this was a great series, I loved Gage would love a whole book on him.
5 out of 5 stars.
December 24, 2016
I have mixed feelings about this book, and it's early in the morning, so please forgive me while I write my way through this. Also, fair warning, I'm about to go all Shiva on this book. Not because I'm going to destroy it, but because I have the feeling I'm gonna need a whole lotta hands to get through this, so without further ado...
The prose here was actually quite good, with few typos or grammatical errors. Few enough that I either didn't notice or were minor enough that they didn't disrupt the story.
The sex scenes were also quite good, and not the usual trope of "he did X, and then he, and then he, and Please, and boom shattering into a million pieces, and blah, blah, blah. They were well thought out, well executed, and a refreshing departure from what I usually get.
I've read a couple reviews where reviewers felt the book was boring and lacked emotion. I didn't have the same experience. I felt Cassidy's guilt and sadness and anger, and her happiness found through her denial to face things.
I got her denial, and I got her running away from her problems. I got her avoidance of dealing with the life she was facing.
I liked how the roles were reversed, for once. A female character only wanting a no-strings summer fling, and the man she's flinging with being quite smitten. That was a refreshing change, too.
Gage was just lovely, and I wanted to eat him up. I kinda wanted to hear his side of things, but I'm actually quite glad this book was given only in single person POV.
What I didn't get was the whole Luca interlude. I mean, I guess I could see that Cassidy was still running from her problems, but her leaving with Luca was a nasty betrayal of Gage, her friends, and even herself, and I just can't quite get it, or bring myself to comprehend it. Then, the signs of Luca's truth were so blatantly obvious, the reveal felt like a bit of a letdown. I will say, however, that I loved Cassidy's reaction and resolution to this part of the book. Again, it was the usual drama-filled trope.
I loved how, despite Cassidy's avoidance, despite her denial, despite her multiple, continued horrible decisions, that this book is, ultimately, a book of redemption and forgiveness, and one of moving forward, healing, and growing stronger.
The prose here was actually quite good, with few typos or grammatical errors. Few enough that I either didn't notice or were minor enough that they didn't disrupt the story.
The sex scenes were also quite good, and not the usual trope of "he did X, and then he, and then he, and Please, and boom shattering into a million pieces, and blah, blah, blah. They were well thought out, well executed, and a refreshing departure from what I usually get.
I've read a couple reviews where reviewers felt the book was boring and lacked emotion. I didn't have the same experience. I felt Cassidy's guilt and sadness and anger, and her happiness found through her denial to face things.
I got her denial, and I got her running away from her problems. I got her avoidance of dealing with the life she was facing.
I liked how the roles were reversed, for once. A female character only wanting a no-strings summer fling, and the man she's flinging with being quite smitten. That was a refreshing change, too.
Gage was just lovely, and I wanted to eat him up. I kinda wanted to hear his side of things, but I'm actually quite glad this book was given only in single person POV.
What I didn't get was the whole Luca interlude. I mean, I guess I could see that Cassidy was still running from her problems, but her leaving with Luca was a nasty betrayal of Gage, her friends, and even herself, and I just can't quite get it, or bring myself to comprehend it. Then, the signs of Luca's truth were so blatantly obvious, the reveal felt like a bit of a letdown. I will say, however, that I loved Cassidy's reaction and resolution to this part of the book. Again, it was the usual drama-filled trope.
I loved how, despite Cassidy's avoidance, despite her denial, despite her multiple, continued horrible decisions, that this book is, ultimately, a book of redemption and forgiveness, and one of moving forward, healing, and growing stronger.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2015
Received through Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review; original post can be found at:
http://mnonmklreviews.blogspot.com/20...
I originally read VIP (part 1) back in November, and while I never formally reviewed the title here, my biggest note was that I loved Cassidy and Gage, wanted to see more of them, but knew from previews that there was going to be a new player in the second installment.
And I was less than thrilled.
Cassidy has commitment issues; they don't stem from a romance gone bad, though, but from the loss of her little brother. Her brother was two years younger than she, and passed after messing with drugs. She doesn't feel that she deserves to be happy -- why should she get the happily ever after when her brother doesn't get to experience it?
She first met Gage when he was playing at a bar he worked at. She was drawn to his eyes and his voice. Slowly, the two began to get to know one another and they clicked.
...and it scared Cassidy.
She would try to push him away, but her body, mind, her entire being, craved him. And every night, she'd fall asleep in his arms --
-- only to wake on the edge of the bed. To which she'd feel relief.
Luca... Well, Luca is the lead singer for a band that Cassidy did not care for, but she, like with Gage, was drawn to his eyes. His message was against drugs, though, so Cassidy gave him points for that. But the part that irked me the most? He called her Cassie, and while, no that's not terrible, she told him time and again that her name was Cassidy. Eventually, she began to let it slide.
Luca was everything bad in Cassidy, and Gage everything good. She gets to see the country, but in doing so, she begins to lose herself.
She did not deserve Gage. Gage gave her chance after chance after chance. Why you'd give up something good, is beyond me. Gage would do anything and everything for her.
I enjoyed part one, detested part two, and cried in part three.
I grew to hate Cassidy, but Gage? Gage was always number one in my book, something he'd prove over and over and over again.
http://mnonmklreviews.blogspot.com/20...
I originally read VIP (part 1) back in November, and while I never formally reviewed the title here, my biggest note was that I loved Cassidy and Gage, wanted to see more of them, but knew from previews that there was going to be a new player in the second installment.
And I was less than thrilled.
Cassidy has commitment issues; they don't stem from a romance gone bad, though, but from the loss of her little brother. Her brother was two years younger than she, and passed after messing with drugs. She doesn't feel that she deserves to be happy -- why should she get the happily ever after when her brother doesn't get to experience it?
She first met Gage when he was playing at a bar he worked at. She was drawn to his eyes and his voice. Slowly, the two began to get to know one another and they clicked.
...and it scared Cassidy.
She would try to push him away, but her body, mind, her entire being, craved him. And every night, she'd fall asleep in his arms --
-- only to wake on the edge of the bed. To which she'd feel relief.
Luca... Well, Luca is the lead singer for a band that Cassidy did not care for, but she, like with Gage, was drawn to his eyes. His message was against drugs, though, so Cassidy gave him points for that. But the part that irked me the most? He called her Cassie, and while, no that's not terrible, she told him time and again that her name was Cassidy. Eventually, she began to let it slide.
Luca was everything bad in Cassidy, and Gage everything good. She gets to see the country, but in doing so, she begins to lose herself.
She did not deserve Gage. Gage gave her chance after chance after chance. Why you'd give up something good, is beyond me. Gage would do anything and everything for her.
I enjoyed part one, detested part two, and cried in part three.
I grew to hate Cassidy, but Gage? Gage was always number one in my book, something he'd prove over and over and over again.
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