4.5 stars
In Stand, Max is the sole remaining bachelor out of the 3 Black Addiction men, but his world is about to be rocked by the one who got away.
In their college days, Max and Beth were a constant. No matter how many times they got together and drifted apart, they somehow always found their way back to each other. Once Black Addiction was signed by Power Station, Beth knew that Max was on the brink of achieving his dream, but if they stayed together she was afraid neither one of them would truly realize the future they were hoping for. Max was destined to be a famous rock star, and as much as she loved him, she just wanted to pursue her dream of being a teacher. Her future didn't fit with fame and popularity, so she walked away.
Now years later, Black Addiction has become the hit she always knew they would be, and Max is looking for a new place to live since Joey has vacated the home they formerly shared. Joey's little sister Ivy is also a realtor, so when she finds him the perfect apartment in Manhattan, she basically strong-arms him into making the decision to buy it and it doesn't take him long to find out why. It seems Ivy remained friends with Beth over the years but the guys were too busy to realize it, so when Max goes to find Ivy's "friend" in the building thinking that he is going to have a little fun shaking up her new boyfriend, he is floored to find his former girlfriend standing on the other side of the door.
Both of them feign anger at Ivy for her manipulation but neither is truly upset to have the other back in their lives again. They effortlessly fall back into a friendship, but Max doesn't want it to end there. In the years that have passed since they lost contact, no other woman has come close to living up to Beth in his eyes and he won't let her get away twice. He pulls out all the romantic stops with a little help along the way from Beth's firecracker roommate Jules. All does not go smoothly though as Beth manages to almost kill him twice on their first date- YIKES! OK, kill may be a slight exaggeration but it was definitely no fun for Max. Fortunately he is a laid back kind of guy and rolls with the allergic reaction and subsequent near overdose of antihistamines that put a quick stop to the evening.
Unfortunately, Max comes with a pretty big spotlight that follows him around incessantly, so it doesn't take long until Beth is thrust before the lens of the paparazzi. She is able to roll with it easily until a shunned one date wonder decides he can use her for 15 minutes of fame and almost destroys her career in the process. In true Black Addiction form, they close ranks around anyone they consider family to neutralize the problem, and Mike of the micro manhood is creatively sent packing.
Stand is a great second chance romance filled with the trademark humor I have come to expect from this author. Max and Beth were fun, sexy, sweet and hot, and the chemistry between them was clear from the start. Their relationship was based on friendship first which morphed into a love that lasted over the years and only strengthened once they found their way back to each other. There were some great relationship progression moments for the other band couples, and although the whole Black Addiction gang has found their HEA, I am hoping a spinoff series may feature cameos from some of these characters in the future. Dom, a friend and musician from another band who played a role in both Sticks and Stand, would be an excellent choice for a spinoff in my opinion! All in all, I loved Stand and the Black Addiction series as a whole. I highly recommend 1-clicking all 3 books for some quality rock star romance fun!