Diving Into Him

South of Forever #1

by Elizabeth Barone

Book 1 in the South of Forever Series

Sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll—that was Jett Costa’s old life. After her wildly popular band falls apart, she’s determined to remain sober and rebuild her career. There’s just one problem. The only person who still has any faith in her is her ex-boyfriend Koty, and Jett isn’t sure that she can keep her hands off him.

Maybe living together wasn’t such a great idea after all.

She may have been sober when she made that decision, but she definitely wasn’t when she agreed to play a show on behalf of a band that no longer exists at one of the biggest bars in Boston. Now she has less than three weeks to get her new band together. Can she ignore the sizzling sparks that fly between her and Koty every time they play?

Diving Into Him is the first book in the South of Forever series, a steamy contemporary New Adult romance that follows a fledgling rock band on its way to the top.

ebook

First published August 4, 2015

About the author

Elizabeth Barone writes romance with a body count—sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally (but always fictionally, for legal reasons). She writes both because life isn’t just dark or light, it’s both.

Before publishing her debut novel, she was a web designer writing code instead of stories. It took a debilitating autoimmune disorder to shove her onto the path she was always meant to be on.

Elizabeth has published over a dozen novels, and has so many ideas for more, she finally has the job security she always dreamed of. She lives in Connecticut with her husband Mike, more coffee mugs than she’ll ever need, and too many characters “talking” to her.

Reviews

[J.C. Hannigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all...let's talk about this cover. This cover is INCREDIBLE. It encompasses all that our leading lady is. It's strong, yet vulnerable, beautiful and untouchable. And it's purple, so huge scoring there. If I had never read Elizabeth's work before and didn't know how talented she was, I would have snagged this bad boy up based on the cover alone. But luckily, I've read Elizabeth's work and I adore it.

DIVING INTO HIM did not disappoint. It was a tasty read that kept me on my toes. Elizabeth managed to portray the struggle of alcoholism in a real, raw way without glossing it over or making it overtly dramatic.. I loved the pull and shove of Jett and Koty. It made their relationship more authentic, in my opinion. Someone let Jett doesn't just rush into things without some hesitation.

[Lauren Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was provided an early copy of Diving into Him in exchange for an honest review and I loved it! This story is a wonderful introduction to Jett Costa’s life as a musician. Her band, Perpetual Smile has crashed and burned so she is ready for a fresh start. When she creates South of Forever, she has assistance from her friend and roommate, Kody Jackson. They have history, but he is determined to keep her on the right track. She can’t go back to drinking again, not after the last time… When Jett finds herself facing some very difficult problems, she doesn’t know who to turn to. Everyone has let her down in the past, but she knows that she can’t let history repeat itself. As her walls come crashing in with some unforeseen news, will she let anyone in?

My favorite character in Diving into Him is Kody. He is the friend that Jett needs; however, she doesn’t see it until it is possibly too late. A former boy band signer, he has now joined South of Forever with Jett and some other recruits including Max from a previous story called The Nanny with the Skull Tattoos. With everything in place, he is headstrong and persistent but that doesn’t mean that he can’t be emotionally hurt. I also like Griff who is another band member. He is a friend to Jett as well and he tries to set her straight when she feels like her life is falling apart. His energy and his focus is captivating and really keeps the band from ending up like the previous one.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this story. I think that I liked being able to relate to the situations in the story revolving around Jett. Her life is not perfect by any means, but she seems to find peace in knowing that she is trying to accomplish her dreams of being a musician through thick and thin. I recommend this story to young adult readers who enjoy fiction. This is a wonderful adaptation of a person who is trying to make her way through life the best way she knows how. I rate this book with five stars due to the originality of the story. The author had a way of pulling me into the story and holding my attention with steady pace and well-developed characters.

[Leanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dive Into this book!! What a wonderful book full of love, hope, drama, very steamy hot scenes, and strength. The story is very well written, includes refreshing humor, love and friendship, commitment, and touches on some important issues like alcoholism and persistence. The characters i this book were so well thought out and fun. Jett Costa is amazing, beautiful, and down right awesome.She is in no way perfect which is refreshing and real. I admire her strength, courage, and desire to do what is right even when she doesn't want to. She is most definitely my favorite type of female character, strong funny and full of personality and depth.

Jett Costa is a cool chick. She is in a band called Perpetual Smile but they have had some tough times and were struggling so she created South of Forever. She struggles with some real life issues and luckily she has some excellent and genuine friends to lean on and help guide her the best they can. Her roommate Cody (sexy) helps her with this mission and stirs up intense feelings inside her. Although they have a past together he is a good guy at heart and tries his best to keep her on track. I loved, appreciated, and admired the deep love and genuineness of Jett and her friends. It reminded me that anything is possible when you are lucky enough to have the unconditional support of family and friends. I highly recommend this book and this amazing author Elizabeth Barone.

I received an ARC for an honest review free of persuasion.

[Brandy Munroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five star read

A very good read. A fresh take on the rock star genre. Looking forward to the next book in this series

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an angsty, dramatic story. I really feel bad for Koty, I like him and think he deserved to be treated better. Jett is an immature mess, until the tragedy, then she grows up a lot. The storyline is engrossing and entertaining. The characters are intriguing, they are all different in temperament and maturity.

[Rachel-ann Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I see much potential in the south of forever series. I love Elizabeth s take on early relationships and sexual tension. You can feel her words filling you with the emotion that the character is feeling. I always find with her books that I'm yelling at the characters. Which makes me love them more. To feel a closeness and connection with the characters is the whole reason for the story. This book comes to life on the pages and is a wonderful fast pass.

Jett and cody have a huge connection. I think Jett is afraid to get close to Kody because she's afraid to actually be happy. Max s role is small in this book, but I have a feeling his and Savannahs presence will be larger as we get into the books. I loved playing for you, as well as nanny with the scull tattoos.


****Spoilers****

I was quiet upset the Jett found herself interested in Tyler.

She is always looking for distractions it seems when life gets hard.
when she finally realizes how she feels it almost feels to late.
at the hospital when they find out she was pregnant i was sure Kody would leave.
It didn't feel like his characters response but it was just a feeling.
i was so happy to find that in the end they both finally realized the love they both shared.

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love rock band romance books. In this one Jett's life has fallen apart. Her band has broken up. The love of her life has died She is fresh out of rehab. The only things she has going for her is her determination to get another band back together and her roommate Koty, who seems like the only person who has any faith in her anymore and just happens to be kind of her ex-boyfriend.

In the book she makes some choices that seem a little out of character, at least I thought there would be more inner dialog that explains why she makes them.

I enjoyed reading about the struggles of the new "band", her struggle to stay sober, and her struggle to try to define the relationship that she has with Koty.

I look forward to reading the next book.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the Goodreads New Adult Book Club.

[Medavis66 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty quick read. Not too serious of a subject matter and not much depth to the main character, Jett. I didn't care for her at all. She is quite selfish. Koty lets his world revolve around her and the music. She takes and takes, giving very little. He must be good looking, because of his former boy band status, but I didn't get a good feel for him either. He was supportive and helpful. Liked Max in Nanny with the Skull Tattoos, but he didn't get much play here. Didn't care for Perry. Can't recall other guy's name at the moment, but he was okay. I think he and Koty should start a band away from the others and maybe invite Max along. Just not my cup of tea.

ARC provided in exchange for honest review.

[Sarah Jimenez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book on the plane ride home after a long work trip. I ended up reading the entire book in one go. This is what I love about these books and this author in particular. Her work is fun, the characters are so believable and all the drama is written realistically. Everyone is relatable and you just get drawn into these books.

I am so glad that this is part of a series because I am not ready to leave Jett and Koty. I read The Nanny with the Skull Tattoos, it features Savannah and Max in a stand alone novel, and I am delighted to see them back in Thais series.

On to book two!

[Reading with 2 book lovers Sarah P - · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the names of the main characters jett and koty, how original and great.
This was a great rock star romance. Defiantly recommend reading.

I received an ARC for an honest review

[Jo-Ann Forrest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jett is a musician in need of a life change and she has her roommate Cody help her through it. A nice read.