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Sinful Serenade #1
Sing Your Heart Out
Librarian's Note: This is an alternate cover edition for ISBN 9781942135098
Good girls don't date rock stars.
They certainly don't have rock star friends with benefits.
Still a virgin at 21, Meg Smart walks a straight and narrow path. She aces her classes, excels at her part time job, and carefully avoids trouble--no drinks, no drugs, and especially, no boyfriends.
Rock star Miles Webb doesn't do "boyfriend." He skips over intimacy and love in favor of easy distraction--a beautiful woman under him, screaming his name.
Meg is drawn to the pain in his gorgeous, tortured voice. But the man she hears on the radio is nothing like the player she meets at a mutual friend's house party. When she walks in on one of his trysts, she's embarrassed enough to die. His merciless teasing leaves her blushed and frustrated, but she's intrigued by his wit, his confidence, his casual offer to give her a night she'll never forget.
Neither of them wants a relationship, so they strike up an arrangement: They'll be friends with benefits, nothing more, nothing less. There are only three rules: no secrets, no feelings, no falling in love.
Only neither one of them can quite abide by the terms.
***Sing Your Heart Out is a full-length, standalone new adult romance in the Sinful Serenade Series.***
Good girls don't date rock stars.
They certainly don't have rock star friends with benefits.
Still a virgin at 21, Meg Smart walks a straight and narrow path. She aces her classes, excels at her part time job, and carefully avoids trouble--no drinks, no drugs, and especially, no boyfriends.
Rock star Miles Webb doesn't do "boyfriend." He skips over intimacy and love in favor of easy distraction--a beautiful woman under him, screaming his name.
Meg is drawn to the pain in his gorgeous, tortured voice. But the man she hears on the radio is nothing like the player she meets at a mutual friend's house party. When she walks in on one of his trysts, she's embarrassed enough to die. His merciless teasing leaves her blushed and frustrated, but she's intrigued by his wit, his confidence, his casual offer to give her a night she'll never forget.
Neither of them wants a relationship, so they strike up an arrangement: They'll be friends with benefits, nothing more, nothing less. There are only three rules: no secrets, no feelings, no falling in love.
Only neither one of them can quite abide by the terms.
***Sing Your Heart Out is a full-length, standalone new adult romance in the Sinful Serenade Series.***
318 pages, Paperback
First published October 5, 2015
1695 people are currently reading
2996 people want to read
About the author
Crystal Kaswell
114 books2,550 followersCrystal Kaswell is the author of the Sinful Serenade series. She writes steamy new adult romance with flawed characters. She loves police procedurals, tea, and The Hunger Games series. She lives in Portland, OR with her husband.
http://www.crystalkaswell.com/
https://twitter.com/CrystalKaswell
http://www.crystalkaswell.com/
https://twitter.com/CrystalKaswell
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 450 reviews
December 21, 2015
Not even for free
Did I like this book? No! I got it for free with KU and I still was disappointed. Seriously, rock star romances always involve an element of fantasy but some can actually make it seem a little believable or at the very least entertaining. This story does neither. I skipped over a lot of it because honestly the heroine was just a b*tch. A virgin who sleeps with a rock star as her first and then acts like a bratty b*tch? Really? The whole book she's just ugh...annoying and rude and dumb. Why Miles or anyone would find her anything but a witch is beyond me, she's sad we get it and he has secrets we get it too but for Neg to be so nasty and rude because he doesn't want to share right away? Ugh. Idiot. What fake rock star would even bother? Just skip this book and move on to something better.
Did I like this book? No! I got it for free with KU and I still was disappointed. Seriously, rock star romances always involve an element of fantasy but some can actually make it seem a little believable or at the very least entertaining. This story does neither. I skipped over a lot of it because honestly the heroine was just a b*tch. A virgin who sleeps with a rock star as her first and then acts like a bratty b*tch? Really? The whole book she's just ugh...annoying and rude and dumb. Why Miles or anyone would find her anything but a witch is beyond me, she's sad we get it and he has secrets we get it too but for Neg to be so nasty and rude because he doesn't want to share right away? Ugh. Idiot. What fake rock star would even bother? Just skip this book and move on to something better.
June 5, 2017
I know I'm a picky reader, from devouring most of the classics by the age 15 to majoring in English lit ( I sound very modest too :). I am looking for challenging and compelling storytelling otherwise I ...
So from time to time I need a feel-good, entertaining romance novel to pass time in between more serious books. Here I stumbled upon this little rock stars love story and even though these types of "heroes" do NOTHING for me ( drinking, drugs and whoring is not very romantic IMO)
Still I decided to give it a try and read it with an open mind ... Surprise surprise 10% into the story I knew it would not end well ( for me not these dumb characters ). There was NO plot and no climax ( pun intended) only a juxtaposition of sexcapades ( nothing wrong with that) but even those were tedious to say the least !! The author kept repeating herself and her descriptions of her steamy scenes turned into a messy if funny catastrophe !! No use in telling you my interest was quickly waning...
I made it through the end though. Yes I'm alive, but still wondering how is it possible to actually write and publish that but I'm ok :D
Hence my piece of advice: choose another book just trust me on this !! cheers
So from time to time I need a feel-good, entertaining romance novel to pass time in between more serious books. Here I stumbled upon this little rock stars love story and even though these types of "heroes" do NOTHING for me ( drinking, drugs and whoring is not very romantic IMO)
Still I decided to give it a try and read it with an open mind ... Surprise surprise 10% into the story I knew it would not end well ( for me not these dumb characters ). There was NO plot and no climax ( pun intended) only a juxtaposition of sexcapades ( nothing wrong with that) but even those were tedious to say the least !! The author kept repeating herself and her descriptions of her steamy scenes turned into a messy if funny catastrophe !! No use in telling you my interest was quickly waning...
I made it through the end though. Yes I'm alive, but still wondering how is it possible to actually write and publish that but I'm ok :D
Hence my piece of advice: choose another book just trust me on this !! cheers
September 5, 2016
What started out interesting turned into repetitive and boring by the second chapter, I found the character of Meg self centered and whiney who treated rock star Miles like total crap. This is how the story went, they meet, they have sex, a shower, more sex, go out to eat, more sex, a shower, and sex, go out to eat, and sex, this was the whole book, the story line was lost and had no substance what so ever, the only good thing it had was that it was narrated by Tanya Eby who is awesome.
April 2, 2016
I found the abundance of grammatical errors extremely distracting, which resulted in excessive highlighting and correcting. I might have been able to overlook that had the female character, Meg, not been a complete abomination. She was absolutely horrific. I am not sure if she was bipolar, unstable, or just needed to be committed, but she was an absolute walking contradiction and how she behaved was inconsistent with her situation. Her moods were up and down, she was a constant bitch, and completely unlikable. I found myself hoping that Miles just left her. Nothing about how they got together and what transpired made any sense at all. The entire relationship, which was coming from a virgin / Rockstar standpoint, was a complete contradiction and a conundrum. I actually didn't believe any of it. The premise was not even remotely plausible for me. I didn't dislike Miles, quite the contrary. I actually liked his character and found it more consistent than Meg's. I will also say that my favorite part of this book was the secondary characters in the band. I found each one had a distinct personality that I could look forward to reading about, particularly Tom. He seemed to have quite a backstory to warrant his demeanor, but each one seems intriguing in their own right.
Despite liking the band and Miles, I really could not get into this book and didn't really understand the path that it took. It did not make any sense, it was not very plausible, and it was absolutely inconsistent.
Overall, a one-star read for me.
Despite liking the band and Miles, I really could not get into this book and didn't really understand the path that it took. It did not make any sense, it was not very plausible, and it was absolutely inconsistent.
Overall, a one-star read for me.
July 13, 2016
Terrible.
Meg Smart is the stupidest character ever. Every conversation between them is awkward and forced. Simply terrible.
The whole series is a blatant rip-off of Sinners on tour, by Olivia Cunning, which is actually a pretty great series. The characters are very well-developed and as a reader you genuinely care about them. Sure, it gets a little repetitive after the third book or so, but the books are solid. I would totally recommend reading that series instead of this one. I mean, Crystal Kaswell seems to have copied everything from Olivia Cunning, but made it much, much, MUCH worse. She even gave the band a similar name (Sinners -> Sinful Serenade), and the drummer has the same nickname. Seriously.
The other books in the Sinful Serenade series are bad, but not as bad as this one. I would recommend skipping this one altogether. Or even better, if you're in the mood for a sexy read about rock stars presented from the POV of each member of the band, crack open Sinners on Tour ;)
Meg Smart is the stupidest character ever. Every conversation between them is awkward and forced. Simply terrible.
The whole series is a blatant rip-off of Sinners on tour, by Olivia Cunning, which is actually a pretty great series. The characters are very well-developed and as a reader you genuinely care about them. Sure, it gets a little repetitive after the third book or so, but the books are solid. I would totally recommend reading that series instead of this one. I mean, Crystal Kaswell seems to have copied everything from Olivia Cunning, but made it much, much, MUCH worse. She even gave the band a similar name (Sinners -> Sinful Serenade), and the drummer has the same nickname. Seriously.
The other books in the Sinful Serenade series are bad, but not as bad as this one. I would recommend skipping this one altogether. Or even better, if you're in the mood for a sexy read about rock stars presented from the POV of each member of the band, crack open Sinners on Tour ;)
June 24, 2016
Here lately I have read more books that I cant connect with compared to books that I really enjoy. This is one of them. Didn't connect with the main characters and the plot seemed secondhand.
April 3, 2016
I'm actually disappointed that I won't have time to write a fully review on this one, so I'm going to attempt a mini review on here!
I absolutely loved Sing Your Heart Out. It is the first book I've read by Crystal Kaswell and I cannot wait to read the other books in this series. Great characters with fantastic chemistry between them, literally, they hand me fanning my face.
Miles intrigued me from the get-go with his attitude but the way his is described leads you to realize there is more to him. Meg, for me, is one of those strong female characters that I like to read about. She does it in a way that isn't annoying or come off grating. Even the supporting characters were awesome; I wanted to know more about them just from the glimpses that you get.
The book moves at a good pace and has a well developed back story. I'm going to state up front that there is nothing life changing about the plot. It's a very straight-forward plot that has been done before, however, the way the author writes it does suck you in. You end up wanting to know more about the characters, the secrets they hide, the things going on... also, yes, it's downright steamy. The book doesn't lag out, you won't get bored and you'll want to keep flipping the pages. One I would definitely recommend.
I absolutely loved Sing Your Heart Out. It is the first book I've read by Crystal Kaswell and I cannot wait to read the other books in this series. Great characters with fantastic chemistry between them, literally, they hand me fanning my face.
Miles intrigued me from the get-go with his attitude but the way his is described leads you to realize there is more to him. Meg, for me, is one of those strong female characters that I like to read about. She does it in a way that isn't annoying or come off grating. Even the supporting characters were awesome; I wanted to know more about them just from the glimpses that you get.
The book moves at a good pace and has a well developed back story. I'm going to state up front that there is nothing life changing about the plot. It's a very straight-forward plot that has been done before, however, the way the author writes it does suck you in. You end up wanting to know more about the characters, the secrets they hide, the things going on... also, yes, it's downright steamy. The book doesn't lag out, you won't get bored and you'll want to keep flipping the pages. One I would definitely recommend.
September 13, 2017
I really enjoyed this book immensely! Who doesn't love an awesome rockstar romance?? And, this one really "rocked"! When Meg walks in on Miles getting it on with another chick, she has no idea that her life is about to change. Miles is one of her all-time favorite leading singers of an amazing rock group. He sings with lust and intensity while making his audience just swoon. Meg, though, doesn't really want anything to do with him because her life has just been so sad the last three months. She can't even grasp having any kind of romantic relationship. But, Miles is persistent and Meg finds herself letting him into her lonely and painful life. Unfortunately, Miles is keeping a very tormenting secret, and should Meg find out what it is, it could mean devastation for this couple.
This was a very emotional read. Some of it was sad, but then other times, I just had a smile on my face. Miles was one gorgeous specimen with a very humorous side to him. And, Meg was a very hard-working and responsible young woman even though her life had a lot of ups and downs. I really liked this couple together! And, their sexual encounters were off-the-charts HOT!! So looking forward to reading more from this author...
This was a very emotional read. Some of it was sad, but then other times, I just had a smile on my face. Miles was one gorgeous specimen with a very humorous side to him. And, Meg was a very hard-working and responsible young woman even though her life had a lot of ups and downs. I really liked this couple together! And, their sexual encounters were off-the-charts HOT!! So looking forward to reading more from this author...
February 1, 2023
3 🌟
I feel like I read a book by this author before and liked it, but this was just ehhhh.
There was nothing great about it. It was all around EHHH. That’s the best way to describe it.
I hated how hard they tried to make her not be “like other girls” and I do not like Star Wars or Jurassic park so I didn’t enjoy all those references.
The romance really seemed more friends with benefits than in love but she kept trying to make him be in love. Idk the whole thing was just eh. I’m not going to read more of this series.
I feel like I read a book by this author before and liked it, but this was just ehhhh.
There was nothing great about it. It was all around EHHH. That’s the best way to describe it.
I hated how hard they tried to make her not be “like other girls” and I do not like Star Wars or Jurassic park so I didn’t enjoy all those references.
The romance really seemed more friends with benefits than in love but she kept trying to make him be in love. Idk the whole thing was just eh. I’m not going to read more of this series.
February 26, 2017
Possible spoilers, I don't know. Depends on your definition.
This book could have been amazing, 5 star worthy. I want to say, I am the gooey, romance type of girl. Especially combined with an irredeemable rock star.
But this book is like 75% sex scenes, and at least half of those are not needed to get the story across. Plus the grammar, incorrect spelling (which here and there I can deal, but did anyone even edit this?) and she would say one thing then contradict it a paragraph later. Also the girl's panties would be to her knees yet she would magically straddle him in the next move.
Details are everything. She paid attention to the wrong details. The sex scenes were graphic, he bit her neck so many damn times she should be bleeding, but yet the important details were thrown by the wayside.
The plot itself was tacked towards the last like 20% of the story as an afterthought almost.
I rarely write reviews, but as an aspiring writer and one who does post her fanfics for reviews and I get GOOD reviews, I know I could do better and have done better than this. So when people like this get published, it irks me to no extent.
In order to get through this you have to like reading a TON of sex scenes. It had such a possibility to be good, but it was went about ALL wrong.
This book could have been amazing, 5 star worthy. I want to say, I am the gooey, romance type of girl. Especially combined with an irredeemable rock star.
But this book is like 75% sex scenes, and at least half of those are not needed to get the story across. Plus the grammar, incorrect spelling (which here and there I can deal, but did anyone even edit this?) and she would say one thing then contradict it a paragraph later. Also the girl's panties would be to her knees yet she would magically straddle him in the next move.
Details are everything. She paid attention to the wrong details. The sex scenes were graphic, he bit her neck so many damn times she should be bleeding, but yet the important details were thrown by the wayside.
The plot itself was tacked towards the last like 20% of the story as an afterthought almost.
I rarely write reviews, but as an aspiring writer and one who does post her fanfics for reviews and I get GOOD reviews, I know I could do better and have done better than this. So when people like this get published, it irks me to no extent.
In order to get through this you have to like reading a TON of sex scenes. It had such a possibility to be good, but it was went about ALL wrong.
April 22, 2016
DNF
I listened to the audiobook version and this is how I feel:
What is up with these narrators and their monotone voices? My goodness, this book was already boring and the narrator does not help.
October 17, 2016
Nope. Nope. Nope.
Couldn't finish it. I was all into the modern "wallflower" trope. Except that the horoine "says" she's brainy, but continually acts like a ditz. And once she meets Miles and gets biblical with him, then the truly horrible stuff starts. "I can't possibly talk about my sister." Literally, two lines later she's spilling what she just said she wouldn't share with anyone.
Come on.
I dropped it there. I don't have time for a waffling heroine who changes her mind like she changes her clothes.
Couldn't finish it. I was all into the modern "wallflower" trope. Except that the horoine "says" she's brainy, but continually acts like a ditz. And once she meets Miles and gets biblical with him, then the truly horrible stuff starts. "I can't possibly talk about my sister." Literally, two lines later she's spilling what she just said she wouldn't share with anyone.
Come on.
I dropped it there. I don't have time for a waffling heroine who changes her mind like she changes her clothes.
October 15, 2015
This was my first book by this author and I didn't like it at all. I didn't care for any of the characters and didn't feel any kind of connection between them. There was no real story to it either. I did actually read the whole book and in my opinion around 85% of it was just sex scenes, and they weren't even that good. There were also quite a lot of grammatical errors and mistakes. Needless to say I wouldn't recommend this book or author and I won't be reading any more of her work.
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October 7, 2015
more like 3.5 stars but 1/2 stars aren't up there.
So I am on the fence. Not bad thing. there were aspects I love like Miles and how he wasn’t what he appeared to be. He was more complex and not one dimensional. Drew who I couldn’t figure out and want to know more about. The band that were their for each other and helped one another when it was needed. and aspects I didn't like. The stereotypical way the Meg thought about Miles. Her attitude in general. Her extremes. Her boxing people into certain categories and she was a little bit selfish. She only thought of herself and never considered others has things in the past that hurt as well. Set that aside and you have a fun book.
Miles is one how, complex rock star. He comes off at first as egotistical and selfish but he is really one who is smart, uncertain of himself, kind, caring and has been through a lot that still made him vulnerable. He was trying to live up to his uncle’s words of being brave and living. He is also trying not to run away from things anymore. He was facing his addiction and his guilt. He didn’t want to talk about it though. He didn’t want to let anyone get close because of his past and his fear of losing himself to the demon of his addiction again. You see so many sides to him. The rock star nonchalance. The poet that expresses his feelings and pain in his words of the songs he writes. the closet geek in his education and reading habits. His soft sweet side in how he deals with Meg. He begins to trust her and let her in. he fights his feelings because of his fear but they truly are attracted to each other and what each other needs. He takes care of her and doesn’t want to hurt her. When he does finally admit his love, she isn’t exactly open to listening but he doesn’t take that as a deterrent. And he doesn’t revert to his running and drowning in alcohol or drugs either. He becomes brave.
Meg I didn’t like. She has a holier than though attitude and thinks she is the only one who knows things..Her way of grieving was the only way. That her parents were superficial instead of trying to cope. that she knew what Miles was and could put him in his place. that she understood everything but in reality she didn’ t. She believed that because someone wants to spare you pain by keeping something that would hurt you while you were still grieving was a lie. Not someone who cared about you trying not to cause you pain but someone who didn’t trust you and not worthy of her time. She at first treated Miles like a receptacle for her sexual needs. He allowed it so he could get to know her. Than she treated him like a puzzle needing to be solved. he went along with it. He indulged her and listened to her. He helped her with her grief and her parents. he made a mistake and she let him pay boy. HE showed he cared and wanted to spare her feelings and she really went off. She never really believed in him only what she wanted to believe. her own self pity took over. This is why I couldn’ t get behind her.
Even though I didn’t like her, I liked the rest of what was there. I liked the growth of Miles and how he began to open his heart again. I liked how Drew was there for Miles but also there for Meg. He wanted the best for both of them. I loved how there was a complexity to Miles. the intimate moments were steamy and Miles made those more enjoyable as well.
this is a story of two people drowning in grief and pain. Miles is trying to be brave and not let anyone in so he doesn’t fall again. Meg is trying to get away from it all and run. About how one through his words affects the other. How they find each other and help each other heal and begin to live again.
So I am on the fence. Not bad thing. there were aspects I love like Miles and how he wasn’t what he appeared to be. He was more complex and not one dimensional. Drew who I couldn’t figure out and want to know more about. The band that were their for each other and helped one another when it was needed. and aspects I didn't like. The stereotypical way the Meg thought about Miles. Her attitude in general. Her extremes. Her boxing people into certain categories and she was a little bit selfish. She only thought of herself and never considered others has things in the past that hurt as well. Set that aside and you have a fun book.
Miles is one how, complex rock star. He comes off at first as egotistical and selfish but he is really one who is smart, uncertain of himself, kind, caring and has been through a lot that still made him vulnerable. He was trying to live up to his uncle’s words of being brave and living. He is also trying not to run away from things anymore. He was facing his addiction and his guilt. He didn’t want to talk about it though. He didn’t want to let anyone get close because of his past and his fear of losing himself to the demon of his addiction again. You see so many sides to him. The rock star nonchalance. The poet that expresses his feelings and pain in his words of the songs he writes. the closet geek in his education and reading habits. His soft sweet side in how he deals with Meg. He begins to trust her and let her in. he fights his feelings because of his fear but they truly are attracted to each other and what each other needs. He takes care of her and doesn’t want to hurt her. When he does finally admit his love, she isn’t exactly open to listening but he doesn’t take that as a deterrent. And he doesn’t revert to his running and drowning in alcohol or drugs either. He becomes brave.
Meg I didn’t like. She has a holier than though attitude and thinks she is the only one who knows things..Her way of grieving was the only way. That her parents were superficial instead of trying to cope. that she knew what Miles was and could put him in his place. that she understood everything but in reality she didn’ t. She believed that because someone wants to spare you pain by keeping something that would hurt you while you were still grieving was a lie. Not someone who cared about you trying not to cause you pain but someone who didn’t trust you and not worthy of her time. She at first treated Miles like a receptacle for her sexual needs. He allowed it so he could get to know her. Than she treated him like a puzzle needing to be solved. he went along with it. He indulged her and listened to her. He helped her with her grief and her parents. he made a mistake and she let him pay boy. HE showed he cared and wanted to spare her feelings and she really went off. She never really believed in him only what she wanted to believe. her own self pity took over. This is why I couldn’ t get behind her.
Even though I didn’t like her, I liked the rest of what was there. I liked the growth of Miles and how he began to open his heart again. I liked how Drew was there for Miles but also there for Meg. He wanted the best for both of them. I loved how there was a complexity to Miles. the intimate moments were steamy and Miles made those more enjoyable as well.
this is a story of two people drowning in grief and pain. Miles is trying to be brave and not let anyone in so he doesn’t fall again. Meg is trying to get away from it all and run. About how one through his words affects the other. How they find each other and help each other heal and begin to live again.
January 1, 2016
This 3.5 stars review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.
Meg needs a distraction from life. When she arrives at Sinful Serenade’s party in their Hollywood Mansion, the last thing she expects is finding the lead singer of the band having sex. Later on, they encounter each other once again and they have this lust at first sight kind of thing. Neither can resist one another and after a while, they decide to try out the friends with benefits deal.
Despite my sweaty palm, I take his hand with a firm grip. We shake. And it’s done. Miles is my friends with benefits. Miles, rock star sex god, is my friends with benefits. *
I was very skeptical while reading the beginning of this book. It was going on a path that I wasn’t liking and I still can’t figure out why. After a while, I slowly started to get into it and ultimately enjoying the rest of the story. Meg has terms for this deal and all she asks is a friendship based on honesty and Miles asks for sex with no complications. The reason Meg wants 110% honesty is because she lost her sister to dishonesty and since then, she wants the truth from everyone. Miles knows this will be their ruin because he has secrets of his own he isn’t ready to tell Meg.
I started to like Meg’s character a lot. She’s a very independent girl just wanting a break from everything she has gone through. She’s very strong and has a good head on her shoulders. I was surprised by Miles because he isn’t a dumb rock star with no education. Nuh-uh. Miles graduated from Stanford and decided to continue with the music industry and ended up with Sinful Serenade. These two combined shared a unique connection like no other. Even when Miles was just asking for sex, he still was there for Meg. Not only that, when Meg wanted sex to get distracted, Miles would instead take her to a quiet place so she could relax and calm down and just to listen to her vent. That’s when I started falling hard for Miles because you could see this internal battle he had going on by wanting to be with Meg but couldn’t because he wasn’t being honest.
He said casual, fun, easy. He insisted. But he also looked at me like he was looking through me, like he was desperate to see inside of me, to pry me apart and put me back together. There’s nothing casual or easy about that. *
While the story was fun, it had it’s moments where you could feel the vulnerability in it because it touches a subject so important. It made the story feel raw at times. The main characters were portrayed as real people and the writing was done so well that I could picture the story so vividly in my head.
The other members of the band made appearances and it made me so excited to keep reading this series because these members are crazily amazing. The few appearances they made were fun and made me want more so I need the rest of the series ASAP.
Overall, this story had a slow start but gradually started building up and made for a fun and real experience.
*Quotes taken from advanced copy which may not end up in final copy.*
Meg needs a distraction from life. When she arrives at Sinful Serenade’s party in their Hollywood Mansion, the last thing she expects is finding the lead singer of the band having sex. Later on, they encounter each other once again and they have this lust at first sight kind of thing. Neither can resist one another and after a while, they decide to try out the friends with benefits deal.
Despite my sweaty palm, I take his hand with a firm grip. We shake. And it’s done. Miles is my friends with benefits. Miles, rock star sex god, is my friends with benefits. *
I was very skeptical while reading the beginning of this book. It was going on a path that I wasn’t liking and I still can’t figure out why. After a while, I slowly started to get into it and ultimately enjoying the rest of the story. Meg has terms for this deal and all she asks is a friendship based on honesty and Miles asks for sex with no complications. The reason Meg wants 110% honesty is because she lost her sister to dishonesty and since then, she wants the truth from everyone. Miles knows this will be their ruin because he has secrets of his own he isn’t ready to tell Meg.
I started to like Meg’s character a lot. She’s a very independent girl just wanting a break from everything she has gone through. She’s very strong and has a good head on her shoulders. I was surprised by Miles because he isn’t a dumb rock star with no education. Nuh-uh. Miles graduated from Stanford and decided to continue with the music industry and ended up with Sinful Serenade. These two combined shared a unique connection like no other. Even when Miles was just asking for sex, he still was there for Meg. Not only that, when Meg wanted sex to get distracted, Miles would instead take her to a quiet place so she could relax and calm down and just to listen to her vent. That’s when I started falling hard for Miles because you could see this internal battle he had going on by wanting to be with Meg but couldn’t because he wasn’t being honest.
He said casual, fun, easy. He insisted. But he also looked at me like he was looking through me, like he was desperate to see inside of me, to pry me apart and put me back together. There’s nothing casual or easy about that. *
While the story was fun, it had it’s moments where you could feel the vulnerability in it because it touches a subject so important. It made the story feel raw at times. The main characters were portrayed as real people and the writing was done so well that I could picture the story so vividly in my head.
The other members of the band made appearances and it made me so excited to keep reading this series because these members are crazily amazing. The few appearances they made were fun and made me want more so I need the rest of the series ASAP.
Overall, this story had a slow start but gradually started building up and made for a fun and real experience.
*Quotes taken from advanced copy which may not end up in final copy.*
July 5, 2016
This book was just a nice easy and quick read, with good characters it was the perfect pallet cleanser before I submerge myself in another series. Although it wasn’t the most original storyline but it completed its purpose of being just an easy read so for that reason alone I really enjoyed it.
The main character is Meg, a twenty something year old virgin who focuses entirely too much on her work to bother looking up to witness the world around her. Then she meets Miles the singer in her favourite band at a party she is dragged to by her friend; what starts off as a friendly flirty relationship between the two turns into a ‘friends with benefits’ kind of relationship then much to both Meg and Miles’ surprise into a proper relationship. While the characters have a rocky relationship at best with them struggling to overcome personal obstacles which they have to overcome to help their relationship.
The secondary characters I expect are going to be explored further in books of their own so for that I am going to withhold judgement until I read about them separately.
The storyline is not hugely original with there being plenty of other ‘band/ musician’ romance books out there but this was well written and lovely to read. The pacing was good leaving it up the last few chapters to show the outcome of the couple; I also liked that while other characters were mentioned in passing weren’t really explored as they will be in other books. This book was just the right length to satisfy the needs of the readers as well as properly concluding the story and leaving no details out.
3.5 stars pretty much four stars, I just wish it was a bit more original.
The main character is Meg, a twenty something year old virgin who focuses entirely too much on her work to bother looking up to witness the world around her. Then she meets Miles the singer in her favourite band at a party she is dragged to by her friend; what starts off as a friendly flirty relationship between the two turns into a ‘friends with benefits’ kind of relationship then much to both Meg and Miles’ surprise into a proper relationship. While the characters have a rocky relationship at best with them struggling to overcome personal obstacles which they have to overcome to help their relationship.
The secondary characters I expect are going to be explored further in books of their own so for that I am going to withhold judgement until I read about them separately.
The storyline is not hugely original with there being plenty of other ‘band/ musician’ romance books out there but this was well written and lovely to read. The pacing was good leaving it up the last few chapters to show the outcome of the couple; I also liked that while other characters were mentioned in passing weren’t really explored as they will be in other books. This book was just the right length to satisfy the needs of the readers as well as properly concluding the story and leaving no details out.
3.5 stars pretty much four stars, I just wish it was a bit more original.
June 15, 2016
This book as a whole was pretty great...I loved the push and pull between the characters. Meg though at times was down right mean to Miles...it was to protect herself, she knew he had the power to hurt her so she tried to hurt him first and as petty as that sounds it makes sense especially with everything she went through.
Miles had built a wall around himself as a means to keep himself safe from heartache...and again with him I can totally understand why because he went through even more hell than Meg did.
One thing I didn't really agree with was the way Tom went out of his way to push the two apart...granted he was trying to tell Meg the truth but I felt it was only to get her away from Miles
This was my first time reading this author and I was pleasantly surprised...there were some grammatical errors but honestly what book doesn't and it wasn't enough to take away from the story itself.
I am looking forward to finishing this series and seeing the rest of the band fall one by one and I think Tom's might be the funnest one to see since he is the biggest manwhore in the band.
Miles had built a wall around himself as a means to keep himself safe from heartache...and again with him I can totally understand why because he went through even more hell than Meg did.
One thing I didn't really agree with was the way Tom went out of his way to push the two apart...granted he was trying to tell Meg the truth but I felt it was only to get her away from Miles
This was my first time reading this author and I was pleasantly surprised...there were some grammatical errors but honestly what book doesn't and it wasn't enough to take away from the story itself.
I am looking forward to finishing this series and seeing the rest of the band fall one by one and I think Tom's might be the funnest one to see since he is the biggest manwhore in the band.
October 1, 2024
Meg Smart is a virgin who has just lost her sister to an overdose and no longer wants to feel pain. Enter Miles the lead singer of Sinful Serenade. The two of them start a friend's with benefits arrangement. Meg however wants Miles' trust, respect, and maybe even love. Miles is hiding something though and she must decide if she can deal with a one-sided relationship.
I liked that Miles was constantly there for Meg even if he couldn't open himself up completely. I liked how he couldn't stay away from her and missed her when they were fighting. I was happy he was able to finally give her everything she wanted in the end
I liked that Miles was constantly there for Meg even if he couldn't open himself up completely. I liked how he couldn't stay away from her and missed her when they were fighting. I was happy he was able to finally give her everything she wanted in the end
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2015
Not a typical rock god
I love the story. For once I think the sex scenes draw away from the story. I know I never had said that before about any book, but I genuinely thought it was sweet story and want start on the next. Just because Kara and Draw sounds so interesting from this book. You just know it will a lot of drama
I love the story. For once I think the sex scenes draw away from the story. I know I never had said that before about any book, but I genuinely thought it was sweet story and want start on the next. Just because Kara and Draw sounds so interesting from this book. You just know it will a lot of drama
April 12, 2019
This was good. I know people didn't like Meg but her prickly attitude was a protection mechanism and I'm glad that Miles was able to see through that. Loved the ending and I hope to see more of them in future books.
December 11, 2023
Ok, listen. I really enjoyed this book, it was sweet, spicy, and super intriguing. However, certain things would happen and I just would get so over the character, which was most likely Meg. Like, towards the end of the book, I wanted to pull my hair out because one minute Miles is saying something about being along for so long and she takes that, turns it into a million other statements and lands on 'Hes better off without me'. HONEY WHEN DID HE SAY THAT? And as a fellow over thinker, I understand where it would come from but come on. What the freak. Anyways, I did love Miles and the band members. He really was so good and it was fun learning more and more about him, given that this book was only in the POV of Meg. I loved the aspect of him being a rockstar and how he might have written one or two songs about Meg. Also, theres just something so satisfying about reading a book when one of the characters is set on the fact that they wont fall in love when we all know they're getting their happy ever after. The friends with benefits trope will never not be good, and I will be continuing the series! I'm excited, I just hope I don't have to shake my fists at some of the stupidity from the main characters!
3.5 stars!
3.5 stars!
March 11, 2018
Fue divertido mientras duró... al menos me sacó de mi estado de lectora patética :P
October 11, 2015
MILES MAY HAVE THE SKILLS TO MELT THE PANTIES OFF EVERY WOMAN, BUT HIS EYES ARE ON MEG ~ NOT HIS HEART!
Meg is a twenty-one-year-old pre-med college attending UCLA whom not only has school on her mind, but has also been mourning her sister’s death. The death of her sister has her in turmoil with herself in addition to the college parties, which Meg believes contribute to her sister’s death. Therefore, when Meg’s best friend, Kara, receives an invite for a party to the Hollywood Mansion from an old friend who in the guitarist in Sinful Serenade, Meg cannot deny her friend the opportunity to see him and maybe a break from everything would be good.
While at the party, Meg is trying to find a bathroom and ends up walking into the lead singer’s bedroom while he is having sex with someone. Shocked, stunned, and aroused; Meg’s brain finally communicates with her legs to close the door and leave. While the party is in full throttle, Meg later sees the same guy approach her and realizes is he not only the naked guy she walked in on while having sex but he is also the lead singer of Sinful Serenade, Miles – the voice who has been in her thoughts.
“He’s not a poet. He’s a man-whore.”
Miles is a panty dropping rock star with captivating blue eyes, a strong jaw you with that would come at full force at you, tattoos where you want to chart their beginning and their end on his muscular body, but all these things would be just bad news to any woman. However, in those blue eyes are storms of his own personal demons he has lock away.
“There’s something about being next to Miles. I feel exposed and safe at the same time.”
The only thing Miles is very clear is how much he wants Meg, there is something he sees and he knows she can see through him too – could it be just LUST? Meg agrees to the friends with benefits agreement, but with some terms.
“I want total honesty. No secrets. No lies. No deception at all.”
Meg and Miles both agreed to keep all emotions out to prevent falling in love for one another, while in the friends with benefits arrangement due to their schedules and life styles they shake hands.
“Despite my sweaty palm, I take his hand with a firm grip. We shake. And it’s done. Miles is my friends with benefits. Miles, rock star sex god, is my friends with benefits.”
Miles kept on surprising Meg every time she needed him, but Meg was struggling with Miles not being able to communicate the way she needed for him to and your heart poured out for both Meg and Miles.
“He’s fine as a friend, but anything else…he’ll break your heart.”
Crystal Kaswell’s will pull at your heartstrings of emotions from FRIENDSHIP, JEALOUSY, HEARTACHE, ANGER, DISCOVERY, LAUGHTER, and LOVE. Crystal Kaswell you most definitely ROCK and I can wait for more!
“He said casual, fun, easy. He insisted. But he also looked at me like he was looking through me, like he was desperate to see inside of me,
to pry me apart and put me back together. There’s nothing casual or easy about that.”
Crystal Kaswell’s novel, SING YOUR HEART OUT, receives - 5 ROCKING STARS!
Meg is a twenty-one-year-old pre-med college attending UCLA whom not only has school on her mind, but has also been mourning her sister’s death. The death of her sister has her in turmoil with herself in addition to the college parties, which Meg believes contribute to her sister’s death. Therefore, when Meg’s best friend, Kara, receives an invite for a party to the Hollywood Mansion from an old friend who in the guitarist in Sinful Serenade, Meg cannot deny her friend the opportunity to see him and maybe a break from everything would be good.
While at the party, Meg is trying to find a bathroom and ends up walking into the lead singer’s bedroom while he is having sex with someone. Shocked, stunned, and aroused; Meg’s brain finally communicates with her legs to close the door and leave. While the party is in full throttle, Meg later sees the same guy approach her and realizes is he not only the naked guy she walked in on while having sex but he is also the lead singer of Sinful Serenade, Miles – the voice who has been in her thoughts.
“He’s not a poet. He’s a man-whore.”
Miles is a panty dropping rock star with captivating blue eyes, a strong jaw you with that would come at full force at you, tattoos where you want to chart their beginning and their end on his muscular body, but all these things would be just bad news to any woman. However, in those blue eyes are storms of his own personal demons he has lock away.
“There’s something about being next to Miles. I feel exposed and safe at the same time.”
The only thing Miles is very clear is how much he wants Meg, there is something he sees and he knows she can see through him too – could it be just LUST? Meg agrees to the friends with benefits agreement, but with some terms.
“I want total honesty. No secrets. No lies. No deception at all.”
Meg and Miles both agreed to keep all emotions out to prevent falling in love for one another, while in the friends with benefits arrangement due to their schedules and life styles they shake hands.
“Despite my sweaty palm, I take his hand with a firm grip. We shake. And it’s done. Miles is my friends with benefits. Miles, rock star sex god, is my friends with benefits.”
Miles kept on surprising Meg every time she needed him, but Meg was struggling with Miles not being able to communicate the way she needed for him to and your heart poured out for both Meg and Miles.
“He’s fine as a friend, but anything else…he’ll break your heart.”
Crystal Kaswell’s will pull at your heartstrings of emotions from FRIENDSHIP, JEALOUSY, HEARTACHE, ANGER, DISCOVERY, LAUGHTER, and LOVE. Crystal Kaswell you most definitely ROCK and I can wait for more!
“He said casual, fun, easy. He insisted. But he also looked at me like he was looking through me, like he was desperate to see inside of me,
to pry me apart and put me back together. There’s nothing casual or easy about that.”
Crystal Kaswell’s novel, SING YOUR HEART OUT, receives - 5 ROCKING STARS!
April 23, 2016
I am always sceptical of heroines who let a guy who they caught having sex with another person touch them with the same hands that has the essence of another woman. What makes it more disgusting is the fact that the hero even drove her home that same night. Miles is the usual rockstar stereotypes. More women in their bed than is humanly or decently possible. So of course the story of Miles and Meg is sex, sex and more sex. The plot suffered because of the sexcapades. Not good.
November 23, 2015
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I liked both characters, Miles and Meg, but I thought
they were both somewhat lacking in depth and in character. I think with a little fine tuning this book could have been rated higher. I would have liked more emotion and a little more angst!!!
they were both somewhat lacking in depth and in character. I think with a little fine tuning this book could have been rated higher. I would have liked more emotion and a little more angst!!!
November 25, 2015
Full Review to come
October 16, 2019
Sing Your Heart Out
Loved this book. Read it through in one sitting. I totally recommend reading this series to anyone who has a love for men that aren't perfect.
Loved this book. Read it through in one sitting. I totally recommend reading this series to anyone who has a love for men that aren't perfect.
January 24, 2020
For a while this looked like it was going to be interesting, a cut above your usual college/New Adult smut romance, but the wheels fell off around 60% and it was just fight, sex, fight, sex, fight, sex, make up, happy ending.
Listen, I know NA romance is supposed to have a lot of sex, it's all about the smut, but this was still excessive. Up to a certain point in the story, the sex meant something. It showed Meg and Miles connecting emotionally even though they had agreed this was a friends with benefits scenario. And the reason I thought it was interesting was that it was clearly Miles, not Meg, who was catching feelings first--this setup usually leans heavily on the heroine falling love with the distant, closed-off hero and eventually getting him to admit he's invested too.
But not Miles. Miles is the best boyfriend-who-won't-use-that-term ever. He's depicted for most of the book as a real standup guy, compared to his caught-in-the-act introduction to the heroine. He's not flawless--he does keep a big secret from Meg, and his need to have someone rely on him for support while not sharing equally of himself is definitely messed up--but he's generally more of a person and less of a horrible mess than Meg.
Meg, who is the worst part of this story. She's so smart that it's her last name, thank you, very clever. But she's only a brilliant bookworm whenever the plot demands that she use studying as an excuse to avoid Miles (which is far too frequently, might I add, that got repetitive fast) and the rest of the time she's a hopeless ditz with no common sense, no real emotional depth, a tragic backstory that was a substitute for a personality, and no backbone. Miles, for all his flaws, is generally very clear on what he wants and what he's going to do to get it; Meg changes her mind constantly about everything except her desire to get into medical school. When she tries not to get involved with Miles in the first place, he's so hot and so into her that she caves; when they're fighting and she tries to shut the door on their relationship for more than five minutes, she caves. She goes from virgin to practical sex addict in no time at all, and she allows her libido to make bad decisions for her constantly. The last third of the book is a train wreck of constant orgasms instead of plot.
At one point this was looking to be a three-star book, despite its many flaws. It didn't take long to drop to two, and the final act puts it solidly at one. It's bad and I don't recommend it to anyone, even smut lovers, because honestly after a while even the sex scenes were boring.
Listen, I know NA romance is supposed to have a lot of sex, it's all about the smut, but this was still excessive. Up to a certain point in the story, the sex meant something. It showed Meg and Miles connecting emotionally even though they had agreed this was a friends with benefits scenario. And the reason I thought it was interesting was that it was clearly Miles, not Meg, who was catching feelings first--this setup usually leans heavily on the heroine falling love with the distant, closed-off hero and eventually getting him to admit he's invested too.
But not Miles. Miles is the best boyfriend-who-won't-use-that-term ever. He's depicted for most of the book as a real standup guy, compared to his caught-in-the-act introduction to the heroine. He's not flawless--he does keep a big secret from Meg, and his need to have someone rely on him for support while not sharing equally of himself is definitely messed up--but he's generally more of a person and less of a horrible mess than Meg.
Meg, who is the worst part of this story. She's so smart that it's her last name, thank you, very clever. But she's only a brilliant bookworm whenever the plot demands that she use studying as an excuse to avoid Miles (which is far too frequently, might I add, that got repetitive fast) and the rest of the time she's a hopeless ditz with no common sense, no real emotional depth, a tragic backstory that was a substitute for a personality, and no backbone. Miles, for all his flaws, is generally very clear on what he wants and what he's going to do to get it; Meg changes her mind constantly about everything except her desire to get into medical school. When she tries not to get involved with Miles in the first place, he's so hot and so into her that she caves; when they're fighting and she tries to shut the door on their relationship for more than five minutes, she caves. She goes from virgin to practical sex addict in no time at all, and she allows her libido to make bad decisions for her constantly. The last third of the book is a train wreck of constant orgasms instead of plot.
At one point this was looking to be a three-star book, despite its many flaws. It didn't take long to drop to two, and the final act puts it solidly at one. It's bad and I don't recommend it to anyone, even smut lovers, because honestly after a while even the sex scenes were boring.
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