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Integrity
Tyler Kostritch is famous for his integrity. It’s just a pity he’s lying to everyone.
Ty gave up a promising MMA career to focus on his band. As the frontman of Proletarian Yell, he’s famous for the aggression and brutal honesty of his live performances... all while hiding in the closet, and never risking relationships.
After years of hard work, Proletarian Yell finally have their big a tour with the hottest metal band around. It’s the best thing to ever happen to Ty.
Until he meets Hale.
“We’re real. We’re part of a movement. You’re just a boy band playing dress-up.”
Hale Tahmid, vocalist of the staggeringly-popular Funeral Kiss, is everything Ty’s Showy, flirty, openly gay. Hale’s the quintessential rock star from his staggering good looks to his attention-craving love of social media.
The two bands couldn’t be more different, and their vocalists are opposites. They clash from the moment they meet, a constant verbal sparring and battle of personalities.
But they can't ignore their extreme attraction. Hale’s passionate and ruthlessly dedicated, facing Ty in a way the ex-fighter never imagined. The temptation is too right to resist.
"I'm nobody's dirty secret."
Ty lives in a castle of lies that would come crashing down if he came out. He’d risk losing his band, his family, and everything he’s worked for.
How can Ty choose between his love and the music he’s built his world around?
Integrity is a standalone MM romance with a HEA (happily ever after ending) and no cliffhangers.
Ty gave up a promising MMA career to focus on his band. As the frontman of Proletarian Yell, he’s famous for the aggression and brutal honesty of his live performances... all while hiding in the closet, and never risking relationships.
After years of hard work, Proletarian Yell finally have their big a tour with the hottest metal band around. It’s the best thing to ever happen to Ty.
Until he meets Hale.
“We’re real. We’re part of a movement. You’re just a boy band playing dress-up.”
Hale Tahmid, vocalist of the staggeringly-popular Funeral Kiss, is everything Ty’s Showy, flirty, openly gay. Hale’s the quintessential rock star from his staggering good looks to his attention-craving love of social media.
The two bands couldn’t be more different, and their vocalists are opposites. They clash from the moment they meet, a constant verbal sparring and battle of personalities.
But they can't ignore their extreme attraction. Hale’s passionate and ruthlessly dedicated, facing Ty in a way the ex-fighter never imagined. The temptation is too right to resist.
"I'm nobody's dirty secret."
Ty lives in a castle of lies that would come crashing down if he came out. He’d risk losing his band, his family, and everything he’s worked for.
How can Ty choose between his love and the music he’s built his world around?
Integrity is a standalone MM romance with a HEA (happily ever after ending) and no cliffhangers.
140 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 12, 2016
11 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Willow Scarlett
15 books65 followersWillow Scarlett is a queer romance writer from New Zealand.
Willow's greatest joy is in creating holistic romances, bringing characters through friendship and lust to consuming, eye-opening, world-fulfilling love. Willow's stories often feature punks, rebels and misfits.
When not writing or reading compulsively, Willow drums in a queer-friendly metal band, works at a call center, and skateboards.
Willow's greatest joy is in creating holistic romances, bringing characters through friendship and lust to consuming, eye-opening, world-fulfilling love. Willow's stories often feature punks, rebels and misfits.
When not writing or reading compulsively, Willow drums in a queer-friendly metal band, works at a call center, and skateboards.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 28, 2019
This read a little longer than a novella. It was really good... I mean, the author's writing style is so up my alley.
Like, yeah. I really ripped through this.
Possibly needed to be a bit longer developing from sex to love, but... But whatever. I really enjoyed this.
The sex scenes were hot and with the right tension and underlying emotion.
I think this author is immensely talented and I hope they write more stories for us in future. <3
4.5
Like, yeah. I really ripped through this.
Possibly needed to be a bit longer developing from sex to love, but... But whatever. I really enjoyed this.
The sex scenes were hot and with the right tension and underlying emotion.
I think this author is immensely talented and I hope they write more stories for us in future. <3
4.5
August 17, 2021
One of the things that Tyler was so hung up with is that ‘some gay people aren’t gay enough because they aren’t showing it’ – I was like, “dude, move on already. You keep on repeating yourself.” I find him very irritating initially, but he kind of grew on me. Hale, meanwhile, is one fantastic character! He’s fun, flashy, and very much relatable. I loved the diversity of the author’s characters in her books (so far, I’ve only read this and Coin Tricks), and I loved learning so much about their culture – this time, a bit of Bangladeshi culture. I think it’s essential that authors explore diversity with their characters because it makes their stories more interesting, realistic, and getting the feeling of inclusiveness.
A very well-written story and a definite must-read if you’ve enjoyed Coin Tricks.
A very well-written story and a definite must-read if you’ve enjoyed Coin Tricks.
July 11, 2016
I loved Willow Scarlett's first book: Coin Tricks, and when I found out she published a new book I was really excited... But the book couldn't quite live up to her first work. I thought Hale was annoying as all get out (and not very charming) he was better the further the book progressed, but still not a very likeable character -IMO.
Next there were quite a few errors in form of random numbers, unfinished sentences and sentences that didn't make ANY sense. I bought the book from Amazon, and I could return it since the quality of the finished book was quite bad (not the story), but I want to support the author, I just hope her next book has a better editor.
Next there were quite a few errors in form of random numbers, unfinished sentences and sentences that didn't make ANY sense. I bought the book from Amazon, and I could return it since the quality of the finished book was quite bad (not the story), but I want to support the author, I just hope her next book has a better editor.
December 14, 2016
I was given a copy of this book free by the author in exchange for an unbiased review.
Once again I was blown away by Willow's ability to reach out and drag you very willingly into the pages of their novels. This story focuses on how everybody has their own kind of prejudice and how sometimes ignoring that lets you get to know some really awesome people.
Both the main character Ty and the love interest Hale have preconceived ideas of what each other are like due to the band and genre of music they play. Forced to play together on tour for a few months they start out as enemies but as the lust gets higher they start to see each other in different lights and become friends.
I loved every part of it, even as I screamed at the characters to just TALK. Definitely an author to follow and keep buying books from!
Once again I was blown away by Willow's ability to reach out and drag you very willingly into the pages of their novels. This story focuses on how everybody has their own kind of prejudice and how sometimes ignoring that lets you get to know some really awesome people.
Both the main character Ty and the love interest Hale have preconceived ideas of what each other are like due to the band and genre of music they play. Forced to play together on tour for a few months they start out as enemies but as the lust gets higher they start to see each other in different lights and become friends.
I loved every part of it, even as I screamed at the characters to just TALK. Definitely an author to follow and keep buying books from!
September 23, 2016
A free copy was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
What can I say about Integrity? Integrity was a wonderful read and I was invested in all twenty-six of it's chapters. Ty and his band Proletarian Yell are a hardcore band. They have standards and advocate being true to themselves. Hale is part of a post hardcore band, Funeral Kiss. He glams himself up for his fans and his beliefs and it acts as a symbolism. The two are signed to the same record studio and so they end up touring together. Much to the dislike of Ty and his band mates who show disdain for Funeral Kiss. When things come to head for the two bands Ty tries to talk it out with Hale. Things don't exactly go to plan with Hale provoking Ty, and Ty giving it to Hale. But Ty's been known for his personality, his integrity, his honesty and being a good guy.
Loved love the chemistry between Ty and Hale even when there was animosity between them. It was even better when they weren't at each others throats. Seeing the bands interaction go from bad to great was quite a sight. Hale's talk about Ty and his sexuality and what he's known for felt like just the push Ty needed. I really enjoyed this story.
What can I say about Integrity? Integrity was a wonderful read and I was invested in all twenty-six of it's chapters. Ty and his band Proletarian Yell are a hardcore band. They have standards and advocate being true to themselves. Hale is part of a post hardcore band, Funeral Kiss. He glams himself up for his fans and his beliefs and it acts as a symbolism. The two are signed to the same record studio and so they end up touring together. Much to the dislike of Ty and his band mates who show disdain for Funeral Kiss. When things come to head for the two bands Ty tries to talk it out with Hale. Things don't exactly go to plan with Hale provoking Ty, and Ty giving it to Hale. But Ty's been known for his personality, his integrity, his honesty and being a good guy.
Loved love the chemistry between Ty and Hale even when there was animosity between them. It was even better when they weren't at each others throats. Seeing the bands interaction go from bad to great was quite a sight. Hale's talk about Ty and his sexuality and what he's known for felt like just the push Ty needed. I really enjoyed this story.
September 18, 2016
I was given a copy of this book free by the author in exchange for an unbiased review.
Ty and Hale are members of 2 different bands who are on the same tour.
When the tour starts off Ty and his band are opening for the other but part way through, the record company decides that Ty band should actually be the headliners.
This book is I guess a true enemies to lovers book.
The 2 singers start of hating each other, with Ty poking fun at Hales band. However, after a quickie one evening the 2 men get to knew each other and embark on a relationship of sorts.
I liked this book but I didn't love it. Yes, there was lots of hot sex but I felt somethig was missing. I can't put my finger on what that was but it was a feeling.
Ty and Hale are members of 2 different bands who are on the same tour.
When the tour starts off Ty and his band are opening for the other but part way through, the record company decides that Ty band should actually be the headliners.
This book is I guess a true enemies to lovers book.
The 2 singers start of hating each other, with Ty poking fun at Hales band. However, after a quickie one evening the 2 men get to knew each other and embark on a relationship of sorts.
I liked this book but I didn't love it. Yes, there was lots of hot sex but I felt somethig was missing. I can't put my finger on what that was but it was a feeling.
July 10, 2016
Loved this book, great flowing style had me reading right thru the book in one sitting. Loved the story and the characters, highly recommend this book to all, thanks Willow!
June 11, 2019
DNF ~20%
After really enjoying Coin Tricks by this author, this book was a MASSIVE disappointment, and if I'd started with this one, I probably would have written this author off completely as not for me. To be fair, music-related books are already not really my jam, and the metal/punk scene is extra not my jam, so we've already started off on the wrong foot. But what really made me DNF was that the characters and the dynamic SO did not work for me. The author was obviously trying to go for an enemies-to-lovers type thing, but I thought the antagonism was too mean and the sexual chemistry felt forced and completely inorganic.
After really enjoying Coin Tricks by this author, this book was a MASSIVE disappointment, and if I'd started with this one, I probably would have written this author off completely as not for me. To be fair, music-related books are already not really my jam, and the metal/punk scene is extra not my jam, so we've already started off on the wrong foot. But what really made me DNF was that the characters and the dynamic SO did not work for me. The author was obviously trying to go for an enemies-to-lovers type thing, but I thought the antagonism was too mean and the sexual chemistry felt forced and completely inorganic.
September 23, 2016
I received this book from the author through the GoodReads M/M Romance group's, Don't Buy Me Love program, in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I really dislike having to rate this a one star because I have liked the other books that I've read by Ms Scarlett. However, the sad fact of the matter is that there was nothing that I liked about this particular book.
From the very beginning I disliked Ty and sadly that never changed and unfortunately I was stuck in his POV. He's a smug, egotistical, judgmental jacka**, who obviously doesn't understand marketing or much about how the music industry works. Furthermore, he bashes all other genres of music over and over again. He thinks and says that other genres and bands are posers; fakes; and not authentic music. He accuses the other band of being sell outs.
Here are a couple of examples....
"We're not a rock band, we're true hardcore."
WTF does he think hardcore or metal are if not a rock band? They are sub genres of rock!
"Mostly clean vocals -singing- with just a touch of raw screaming in the chorus. Fake."
.....and complaining about the other bands that they're on tour with and having to put up with their fans.
..... making fun of the other band for interacting with their fans and for their stage make-up and stage clothes.
Welcome to the big time, a**hole! That's how they fill a venue! And no two bands are exactly alike! Everyone has their own sound. Just because they're different than you doesn't make them "Fake"! I can't even begin to start on the issue of stage persona vs the real life person because I'd never stop. It's called marketing and appreciating your fans! Without the fans support you'd be flipping burgers somewhere or digging ditches! If anyone is a poser it's you not Hale! He's doing his job correctly!"
Ugh! I just wanted to scream! I know the music industry. Not only from being a fan and attending tons of concerts but from the edges of the inside. I've hung out with some well known bands in their down time. My daughter has managed a band for several years helping them make it out of just the local level. I also worked for a man who was one of the first true hardcore punk rockers of the early eighties. I know the business and I know the people. I would never for one minute insult their authentic, artistic talent and it perturbed me greatly hearing this character do it over and over again. I cannot believe that anyone could make it to the level that his band is supposedly at with that type of attitude.
As far as his excuse of being in the closet. I've got one thing to say to that....
Judas Priest's, Rob Halford. No one can say that he's not masculine and no one can deny that he's an iconic rockstar yet he is gay! There are also many other current rockers in many genres that are openly gay and bi. That excuse just didn't ring true for me.
Over and beyond my dislike of Ty, I also had problems with the many non-American things said in this book.... "taking the piss"; "mate"; "you bum whoever you like"; "crisps"; "cheers"; "Queuing up", etc.etc. plus grammar errors, spelling errors, one sentence bisected with another sentence, etc. *sigh*
On top of all of that were all of the social issues that apprently just had to be mentioned in the story for some reason.... bullying; mental health; coming out/being in; unfair treatment of women in the workforce; and of course the need for protection and never believing someone when they say that they are healthy;race issues;
Then the outrageous comment... "All we hear on the radio is white men from the states or the UK." Which I call total BullS*** on! While yes many in the industry are white men they are from all over the world and they are NOT all white NOR all men.
Despite all of the problems I had with this book, I did finish it and Ty at least did show some growth. However very little of it was shown and way too much of the ending was just quickly summarized and done. As for the supposed romance, I certainly never felt it.
I really dislike having to rate this a one star because I have liked the other books that I've read by Ms Scarlett. However, the sad fact of the matter is that there was nothing that I liked about this particular book.
From the very beginning I disliked Ty and sadly that never changed and unfortunately I was stuck in his POV. He's a smug, egotistical, judgmental jacka**, who obviously doesn't understand marketing or much about how the music industry works. Furthermore, he bashes all other genres of music over and over again. He thinks and says that other genres and bands are posers; fakes; and not authentic music. He accuses the other band of being sell outs.
Here are a couple of examples....
"We're not a rock band, we're true hardcore."
WTF does he think hardcore or metal are if not a rock band? They are sub genres of rock!
"Mostly clean vocals -singing- with just a touch of raw screaming in the chorus. Fake."
.....and complaining about the other bands that they're on tour with and having to put up with their fans.
..... making fun of the other band for interacting with their fans and for their stage make-up and stage clothes.
Welcome to the big time, a**hole! That's how they fill a venue! And no two bands are exactly alike! Everyone has their own sound. Just because they're different than you doesn't make them "Fake"! I can't even begin to start on the issue of stage persona vs the real life person because I'd never stop. It's called marketing and appreciating your fans! Without the fans support you'd be flipping burgers somewhere or digging ditches! If anyone is a poser it's you not Hale! He's doing his job correctly!"
Ugh! I just wanted to scream! I know the music industry. Not only from being a fan and attending tons of concerts but from the edges of the inside. I've hung out with some well known bands in their down time. My daughter has managed a band for several years helping them make it out of just the local level. I also worked for a man who was one of the first true hardcore punk rockers of the early eighties. I know the business and I know the people. I would never for one minute insult their authentic, artistic talent and it perturbed me greatly hearing this character do it over and over again. I cannot believe that anyone could make it to the level that his band is supposedly at with that type of attitude.
As far as his excuse of being in the closet. I've got one thing to say to that....
Judas Priest's, Rob Halford. No one can say that he's not masculine and no one can deny that he's an iconic rockstar yet he is gay! There are also many other current rockers in many genres that are openly gay and bi. That excuse just didn't ring true for me.
Over and beyond my dislike of Ty, I also had problems with the many non-American things said in this book.... "taking the piss"; "mate"; "you bum whoever you like"; "crisps"; "cheers"; "Queuing up", etc.etc. plus grammar errors, spelling errors, one sentence bisected with another sentence, etc. *sigh*
On top of all of that were all of the social issues that apprently just had to be mentioned in the story for some reason.... bullying; mental health; coming out/being in; unfair treatment of women in the workforce; and of course the need for protection and never believing someone when they say that they are healthy;race issues;
Then the outrageous comment... "All we hear on the radio is white men from the states or the UK." Which I call total BullS*** on! While yes many in the industry are white men they are from all over the world and they are NOT all white NOR all men.
Despite all of the problems I had with this book, I did finish it and Ty at least did show some growth. However very little of it was shown and way too much of the ending was just quickly summarized and done. As for the supposed romance, I certainly never felt it.
February 24, 2025
This book is a prime example of how much of a story's potential depends on good editing, because I wholeheartedly believe that it could've been a five-star read for me if it'd gotten a round of polishing. On the one hand, the premise is interesting enough, particularly considering that the book came out in 2016. We meet Ty and Hale, two musicians whose bands are touring together despite the fact that they can't seem to stand each other. Although Ty originally holds a lot of contempt towards Hale and the performance he and his bandmates give onstage, his prejudiced view of them comes to be challenged by his growing attraction to Hale. But there's a problem standing between Ty and a loving relationship with the ever-charming Hale, because Tyler doesn't think he can afford to come out as gay if he wants to keep making music with his mates. But Hale isn't willing to be his dirty little secret, and Ty ends up needing to decide where his priorities lie.
As I said, and actually guessed within the first 20% of the book from the writing and the way the characters' queerness was handled, this book came out in 2016. It might not sound like that was too long ago, but there has been a huge shift in the way LGBTQIA+ identities are depicted in fiction that has left certain narratives and stereotypes behind. Which is why, although I was able to guess the year this novel came out correctly, I still couldn't completely ignored issues with the discourse around queerness. Mind you, this is my personal and 100% subjective take on this matter as a White person whose country is amongst the most queer-friendly nations in the entire world, but Hale's entire discourse rubbed me the wrong way. Although I can completely understand the need to not be "hidden" by a partner, particularly as someone with such a colourful gender non-conforming attitude and a hard-earned confidence in their identity as a queer person, I cannot understand why this is framed as the "right" way to do things. Tyler is unsure about coming out because of the very real fear that he will ruin his band's success, or maybe even be rejected by the older brother he's always looked up to. As of right now, not only is homosexuality still illegal in 64 countries - we've witnessed a terrifying surge in homophobic, transphobic and likewise queerphobic hatred, discrimination and violence. It just didn't sit right with me to read a story in which someone is pressured into coming out by the person they've developed feelings for, let alone a man who's under public scrutiny as a famous musician.
There were also some homophobic assumptions by Hale that failed to be challenged, which also irked me due to how harmful some stereotypes have traditionally been. Someone's height and build doesn't predict the role they prefer to take on in bed, and it was just really uncomfortable to have Hale make fun of Tyler more than once over how masculine he looked and behaved. At one point he was openly making fun of the fact that Tyler had developed feelings for someone like him, with a more feminine gender expression, and he never really backtracked on these outdated stereotypes or thought twice about whether it was wrong (spoiler alert, yES IT WAS) to force Tyler to choose between losing Hale or coming out publicly and potentially killing any chances his band might have had of becoming a renowned group.
In terms of plot flow, I did feel like there were some continuity issues. Although I was happy to read about the developments regarding Hale and Ty's bond, it felt a little like that was all the book would talk about, which left me awkwardly wondering about the actual plot. Some more world building might have done wonders, because at first it was hard to figure out why these two bands are touring together if they despise each other and have such different styles. There were also little to no fleshed-out personalities for anyone, save for Tyler and Hale, which made it feel like the book was more of a sketch than a finished work.
Still, I did appreciate a number of things. As of 2016, gayness was still not something you talked about much outside of Tumblr with anyone who wasn't as chronically online as yourself, and there was little to no social awareness of what queerphobic systemic violences look like and how they hurt people. In that sense, it was really exciting to realise that Willow Scarlett chose to speak up about the internalised stigma that many LGBTQIA+ people grow up with, and that the main character was under the additional pressure of being a celebrity in the making. Nowadays it's still hard for queer artists to make it without facing horrifying waves of hatred and mockery from Ye Olde Conservatives, and although we've seen queer people succeed in the music industry, there is still a lot of prejudice and suspicion towards them. If Lil Nas X, Roan Chappell or Cavetown are still frowned upon for being openly queer, and get told oftentimes that their existence puts children at risk of being preyed upon by people like them - it's dreadful to think about how much more hate was openly thrown at queer celebrities 10 years ago. In that sense, I could appreciate Willow Scarlett's novel as a work ahead of its time. Lucky though we might have been to come far enough that these narratives feel outdated now, this is nonetheless a piece of fiction through which we can and should examine our shared history as a community, and just how recent respect for our rights and dignity still is.
Additionally, it was quite lovely to have a character as proud to be flamboyant as Hale. There is always a very special type of joy that comes from seeing cis men who are unapologetically colourful, loud about their queerness, and proud to be their own authentic selves. Back then, non-binary identities weren't a thing outside of online sites, but nowadays Hale might have been able to identify as a non-binary person. In that sense, it was refreshing to find a character who was so beautifully gender non-conforming within his identity as a man, since it challenged the sometimes unconscious belief that there is no such thing as a gender non-conforming cis man.
This novel carries a lot of potential, and I do sincerely hope that Willow Scarlett will someday give it another go. With the help of developmental edits and a round or two of copy edits, this book could become any LGBTQIA+ fiction lover's next obsession.
As I said, and actually guessed within the first 20% of the book from the writing and the way the characters' queerness was handled, this book came out in 2016. It might not sound like that was too long ago, but there has been a huge shift in the way LGBTQIA+ identities are depicted in fiction that has left certain narratives and stereotypes behind. Which is why, although I was able to guess the year this novel came out correctly, I still couldn't completely ignored issues with the discourse around queerness. Mind you, this is my personal and 100% subjective take on this matter as a White person whose country is amongst the most queer-friendly nations in the entire world, but Hale's entire discourse rubbed me the wrong way. Although I can completely understand the need to not be "hidden" by a partner, particularly as someone with such a colourful gender non-conforming attitude and a hard-earned confidence in their identity as a queer person, I cannot understand why this is framed as the "right" way to do things. Tyler is unsure about coming out because of the very real fear that he will ruin his band's success, or maybe even be rejected by the older brother he's always looked up to. As of right now, not only is homosexuality still illegal in 64 countries - we've witnessed a terrifying surge in homophobic, transphobic and likewise queerphobic hatred, discrimination and violence. It just didn't sit right with me to read a story in which someone is pressured into coming out by the person they've developed feelings for, let alone a man who's under public scrutiny as a famous musician.
There were also some homophobic assumptions by Hale that failed to be challenged, which also irked me due to how harmful some stereotypes have traditionally been. Someone's height and build doesn't predict the role they prefer to take on in bed, and it was just really uncomfortable to have Hale make fun of Tyler more than once over how masculine he looked and behaved. At one point he was openly making fun of the fact that Tyler had developed feelings for someone like him, with a more feminine gender expression, and he never really backtracked on these outdated stereotypes or thought twice about whether it was wrong (spoiler alert, yES IT WAS) to force Tyler to choose between losing Hale or coming out publicly and potentially killing any chances his band might have had of becoming a renowned group.
In terms of plot flow, I did feel like there were some continuity issues. Although I was happy to read about the developments regarding Hale and Ty's bond, it felt a little like that was all the book would talk about, which left me awkwardly wondering about the actual plot. Some more world building might have done wonders, because at first it was hard to figure out why these two bands are touring together if they despise each other and have such different styles. There were also little to no fleshed-out personalities for anyone, save for Tyler and Hale, which made it feel like the book was more of a sketch than a finished work.
Still, I did appreciate a number of things. As of 2016, gayness was still not something you talked about much outside of Tumblr with anyone who wasn't as chronically online as yourself, and there was little to no social awareness of what queerphobic systemic violences look like and how they hurt people. In that sense, it was really exciting to realise that Willow Scarlett chose to speak up about the internalised stigma that many LGBTQIA+ people grow up with, and that the main character was under the additional pressure of being a celebrity in the making. Nowadays it's still hard for queer artists to make it without facing horrifying waves of hatred and mockery from Ye Olde Conservatives, and although we've seen queer people succeed in the music industry, there is still a lot of prejudice and suspicion towards them. If Lil Nas X, Roan Chappell or Cavetown are still frowned upon for being openly queer, and get told oftentimes that their existence puts children at risk of being preyed upon by people like them - it's dreadful to think about how much more hate was openly thrown at queer celebrities 10 years ago. In that sense, I could appreciate Willow Scarlett's novel as a work ahead of its time. Lucky though we might have been to come far enough that these narratives feel outdated now, this is nonetheless a piece of fiction through which we can and should examine our shared history as a community, and just how recent respect for our rights and dignity still is.
Additionally, it was quite lovely to have a character as proud to be flamboyant as Hale. There is always a very special type of joy that comes from seeing cis men who are unapologetically colourful, loud about their queerness, and proud to be their own authentic selves. Back then, non-binary identities weren't a thing outside of online sites, but nowadays Hale might have been able to identify as a non-binary person. In that sense, it was refreshing to find a character who was so beautifully gender non-conforming within his identity as a man, since it challenged the sometimes unconscious belief that there is no such thing as a gender non-conforming cis man.
This novel carries a lot of potential, and I do sincerely hope that Willow Scarlett will someday give it another go. With the help of developmental edits and a round or two of copy edits, this book could become any LGBTQIA+ fiction lover's next obsession.
May 8, 2022
It took me way longer than it should have to realize that the main character sucked on purpose. I just kept getting mad at everything he said, but once I figured it out and he got his ass handed to him a few times, I was with it.
Pretty cute! Heavy on the hardcore music vibe.
Pretty cute! Heavy on the hardcore music vibe.
October 9, 2016
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
I quite liked Willow Scarlett's last offering to the Don't Buy My Love program, Coin Tricks and have previously enjoyed her freebie Wrong Side of the Bridge, however Integrity was a disapointment.
The closeted rocker trope has been done many times, but in this case the setting wasn't your typical jet set lifestyle that is often portrayed in those books, but rather touring, which I believe is closer to the truth when it comes to the life of many musicians. Also the type of music the MCs played was differents, as they were in the hard rock scene.
While in this respect the story was off to a good start, the introducrion of both MCs sort of killed it. Ty was childish and narrow-minded to the point of ridiculousness. Hale on the other hand was unlikeable with his smart-ass persona. He was so crafted that he lacked reality. In fact, the entire stroy was too crafted. Ty was closeted, a jerk, a former fighter and didn't appreciate Hales talent, whereas Hale was out, proud, androgynous and open to all kinds of music. And he was pro women's rights so much that calling him a female wasn't an insult. They were very Disney in that sense.
The story moved along briskly and the writing was controlled. The secpndary character's had some depth without being too prominent. And I appreciate that Willow Scarlett writes about people that have working class backrounds, that makes the very relateable. So, there was plenty of good in this book, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
My thanks to the author as well as the program for the opportunity to read this story.
I quite liked Willow Scarlett's last offering to the Don't Buy My Love program, Coin Tricks and have previously enjoyed her freebie Wrong Side of the Bridge, however Integrity was a disapointment.
The closeted rocker trope has been done many times, but in this case the setting wasn't your typical jet set lifestyle that is often portrayed in those books, but rather touring, which I believe is closer to the truth when it comes to the life of many musicians. Also the type of music the MCs played was differents, as they were in the hard rock scene.
While in this respect the story was off to a good start, the introducrion of both MCs sort of killed it. Ty was childish and narrow-minded to the point of ridiculousness. Hale on the other hand was unlikeable with his smart-ass persona. He was so crafted that he lacked reality. In fact, the entire stroy was too crafted. Ty was closeted, a jerk, a former fighter and didn't appreciate Hales talent, whereas Hale was out, proud, androgynous and open to all kinds of music. And he was pro women's rights so much that calling him a female wasn't an insult. They were very Disney in that sense.
The story moved along briskly and the writing was controlled. The secpndary character's had some depth without being too prominent. And I appreciate that Willow Scarlett writes about people that have working class backrounds, that makes the very relateable. So, there was plenty of good in this book, it just wasn't my cup of tea.
My thanks to the author as well as the program for the opportunity to read this story.
October 6, 2016
*A copy of this book was provided for free by the author in exchange for an honest review.*
I'm not quite sure where I fall on this book. I enjoyed parts, and I hated parts. I thought the whole "hardcore vs post-hardcore" thing was kind of ridiculous, maybe you have to be familiar with that "scene" to get it. I liked the dynamic between the MCs and I hated the dynamic between the MCs. I liked Tyler, I liked Hale, I liked them together at points. The banter was great in spots. But other parts left me annoyed. Tyler being so afraid to come out didn't feel real. It felt like fake angst. Hale was kind of a jerk too, he acted like Tyler was such a repressed closet-case who jumped to conclusions about who Hale was, but he did the exact same to Tyler. That's where the dynamic started to feel skewed in one direction. It felt like Tyler couldn't do anything right. And Hale was an innocent bystander who played no role in it. But he gave as good as he got, and antagonized just as much. Still it was entertaining and there were some parts that made me smile. There was a huge editing error right in the middle of an important scene that kind of killed the flow and ruined the moment. Hopefully that's just a review copy thing and is fixed in the book.
I'm not quite sure where I fall on this book. I enjoyed parts, and I hated parts. I thought the whole "hardcore vs post-hardcore" thing was kind of ridiculous, maybe you have to be familiar with that "scene" to get it. I liked the dynamic between the MCs and I hated the dynamic between the MCs. I liked Tyler, I liked Hale, I liked them together at points. The banter was great in spots. But other parts left me annoyed. Tyler being so afraid to come out didn't feel real. It felt like fake angst. Hale was kind of a jerk too, he acted like Tyler was such a repressed closet-case who jumped to conclusions about who Hale was, but he did the exact same to Tyler. That's where the dynamic started to feel skewed in one direction. It felt like Tyler couldn't do anything right. And Hale was an innocent bystander who played no role in it. But he gave as good as he got, and antagonized just as much. Still it was entertaining and there were some parts that made me smile. There was a huge editing error right in the middle of an important scene that kind of killed the flow and ruined the moment. Hopefully that's just a review copy thing and is fixed in the book.
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