Redemption

Rock Solid #4

by Karina Bliss

From rock icon to house husband.
From academic historian to tell-all memoirist.
They changed their lives for each other.
Now they need to change them back.

What follows happily-ever-after? Love gets real.
Like every woman emphatically in love, academic Elizabeth Winston figured she’d fix her rockstar lover’s emotional problems with her shiny, all-encompassing acceptance.
Oh boy.
Even though she’d heard her minister father counsel couples throughout her childhood, she forgot the take-away. You can’t force someone to heal before they’re ready.
Now she’s five thousand miles from the man she loves and hawking intimate details of their relationship to salvage his iconic legacy. Struggling to keep her own identity, and increasingly unsure whether Zander’s even on board.
Can she redeem his reputation while holding onto her career, or is she making things worse on all fronts?
And that’s before she makes a mistake that changes everything.

He gave up the world for love. The world isn’t ready to let him go.

Fame is a destroyer.
Which is why Zander Freedman quit music.
These days its moderation in all things, except Elizabeth Winston.
But building an ordinary life with an extraordinary woman isn’t easy.
For one, she’s deep in the snake pit he left behind.
For two, he has a stalker that stops him being by her side.
Loving her is easy. Letting her love him is something he works on every day.
How hard does Elizabeth’s life have to be before she regrets choosing him?

THE ROCK SOLID SERIES
Rise
Fall
Play
Redemption
Resurrection
Shield (coming 2021)
Fall and Play can be read in any order. Redemption continues the story of Zander and Elizabeth (Rise) but can also be read as a standalone.

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Music, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance

340 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 20, 2020

About the author

New Zealander Karina Bliss has written a biography for a rock star, swapped identities with her twin, raised three orphaned children with her ex husband, worn a cow costume to a Bachelor and Spinster ball, considered marriage for the sake of a baby, and been mayor of a small town.

Oh wait, that’s her characters.

Outside her imagination, she’s always been a professional writer, first as a travel journalist and then as a romance author. Her deeply held convictions include: love conquers all; yoga pants are daywear; and what a woman really wants is a man who cleans. Unfortunately, she does not live with one, (nor indeed has raised one). Please buy her books so she can pay for one.

She has also swum with sharks. They were very small. Babies, really. But still count.

Career highlights have included being the first Australasian to win a Golden Heart from the Romance Writers of America. Her debut, Mr Imperfect, won a Romantic Book of the Year Award in Australia, and her first self-published title, RISE, a rock star romance also finaled.
Other books in the Rock Solid series are FALL, PLAY and (coming soon), RESURRECTION.

Find out more and sign up to her newsletter at www.karinabliss.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarinaBlissA...
Twitter @BlissKarina
Email: karina@karinabliss.com

Reviews

[Beatrix · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You make fun of what’s important to me.”
She sat up. “I do not!”
“You laugh whenever I call myself the thrice-voted sexiest man in the world.”
“Oh, that.”

I missed this banter and their flirt-fights!
It is so good to be back in this world!😍 So comforting, like putting on your favorite sweater.
Karina Bliss has a special talent, for making rock stars relatable, the world she has created is so interesting but the characters are at the same time regular people with regular problems. Unless you’re Zander, but he was always the special one hehe

This book is not a standalone, for all the new readers, please read the first book Rise and meet this awesome couple, this book is the continuation of their love story. We get some new developments but my favorite part was probably Zander’s growth, he has matured so much and is constantly trying to be better for Elisabeth.
I was wondering what could happen next for them and I was not disappointed. It was also just nice to return to this world and these characters, this series has one of my favorite female characters ever - Dimity, band’s PA. (It was so cute to see her and Seth again, I love them, he’s the one who melted the ice queen!)

What is important to note if you’re binging the series is that even though this was published after Resurrection, the plot happens before events of that book.

So to all the fans of the series, I would recommend this, don’t miss it.

When you’ve always been the strong one, love was so much easier to give than take.

*ARC received in exchange for an honest review.*

[Iva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take notes all you rock star romance writers! This is how it's done!
I said it all in the review for the first book. Zander and Elizabeth are a true power couple. So many challenges in their way, but they are riding it full of determination because of love and each other. I adored the first book more, just because it was the one that first blew me away, catching me by surprise, but this one was just as special. Would love many more about them.

[Jacquie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confession; I am a Rage groupie!

When Zander Freedman lost his voice and made the colossal mistake of lip-syncing at a benefit concert for veteran soldiers, it destroyed his career as a rock god. Truthfully, he was burning out anyway, so it came as a bit of a mixed blessing, though he didn’t know it at the time. But an exceptional woman steps into his life and shows him true love is even more addictive than adoration.

Fast forward; Elizabeth Winston’s determination to redeem Zander’s reputation in the eyes of his fans has surmounted expectations, forcing her into a world tour even though she’d rather be home with her rock star boyfriend. When doubts rise thanks to outside influences, Elizabeth reevaluates their relationship and what it’s doing to her career. If only Zander could join her and dispel some of her fears.

Zander hates that Elizabeth is out in the spotlight trying to repair his name, yet at the same time he’s fiercely proud of the woman who loves him for himself and not his image. He wishes he could be with her on the tour as moral support, but with a deranged stalker on his back he can’t afford to risk Elizabeth’s safety. Then a secret emerges sending him into a tailspin just as danger comes knocking.


This book had it all, love, romance, suspense, and even a cute dog!

Favorite Lines

“At lunchtime on Friday, Zander Freedman faced death with the realization that the woman he loved would remember his last words as, “Give me space.”

— Redemption- Karina Bliss



“She’d become accustomed to being a blank canvas on which strangers splattered their viewpoints.”

Redemption— Karina Bliss



“Womanly was attitude, not body type. Not sexy clothes but a heady mix of grace and power.”

Redemption— Karina Bliss


I’ve been invested in this series since Zander appeared in one of my all-time favorite books, What the Librarian Did. You seriously can’t go wrong with a Karina Bliss #Romance!

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Except for a sensationalist short-cut to the conclusion, this is a terrific romance: heartfelt, touching. easy to believe these two love each other and confident their love will be long-lasting. If you'd like to read a more detailed review, please follow the link to my review-blog:

https://missbatesreadsromance.com/202...

[Lenna Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based over 3 weeks. From the first couple of chapters is the here and now then its taking place 3 weeks prior the by the time chapter 14 or 15 comes about its back the the present. I’ve read the 1st book but when I read this one I didn’t feel like anything was different besides Dimity and Seth are together, engaged, Seth, Moss and Travis is starting a new band. But nothing else seems off. We got drama with the new book Elizabeth wrote, how the fans are viewing her as an author or as a glorified rock star’s woman seeking to make her man look better then ever and bring his side into the better. Especially after the lip syncing event. Secrets are not alway meant to be hidden especially when one is about a stalker and the other about a big change.
Will there be more to come from these two?? Not sure but I can’t wait.

[Coral · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely gobbled this one up. Not as a good as Rise, but quite an ambitious attempt to do a couple hard things: write a sequel for a couple that already got their HFN, and insert a book out of sequence with the rest of the series. It took me a little while to figure out this took place before Moss’s book, and I guess explains a little more why Zander decided not to return to the stage there.

Anyway I love both Zander and Elizabeth. I only wish they had more time together in this book because their chemistry together is hot hot hot. And while they are certainly mature adults, they also sometimes fuck up in how they handle each other.
I could read like a thousand stories about them.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so good!

OK, so it's been almost six years since I read Rise and with the eleventy-billion books I've read since then, I mostly have vague memories of Elizabeth and Zander's origin story, mainly recalling that I liked it a lot. So as I started reading Redemption, Elizabeth and Zander 2.0, there was a lot of oh, yeah... and hmmm, that seems slightly familiar...s going on. You won't have to have read Rise first, since this is a complete story on its own, but I *do* highly recommend it (plus, right now it's free! So quick, grab it while you can) because 1) it's a fabulous book and 2) this one will have even more meaning to readers who've read the first one. Even if it's been a while.

When done well, I do enjoy reading the "after" part of HEAs for characters I love--and Redemption was done very well. Even though Rise left our characters in a good place, both Elizabeth and Zander have issues to work out, individually and as a couple. Elizabeth is still hoping that Zander's career can be resurrected (he's not too sure that's a good idea) and her book tour and recent fame is bringing up her worries about her own inadequacies. Zander isn't sure what to do with his life if he isn't doing music--though music might actually be a possibility again!--and he's still working on his "be in a committed relationship" skills (OMG, I snort-laughed every time he called his reading pile his "relationsh!t" books).

And then of course life throws a few surprises their way. More than one, actually--and boy, are they huuuuuuge. And life-changing. One of them is even life-threatening...clearly, Ms Bliss enjoys making her characters work for it!

And work for it they do, and after so many white-knuckle moments (who knew reading this book could be so stressful! All I know is this morning I had to stop reading at THE WORST point--it just about killed me. Darn this having to work for a living thing!) we finally get to (another) HEA for Elizabeth and Zander.

And it's glorious!

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

[Rhode PVD · Rating 3 out of 5]

It kept me up past 2am, but I also was skimming a lot. I loved the tv interview chapter, and seeing Elizabeth deal with men who aren’t Zander. Her emotional maturity and interpersonal communication chops also appeal.

However, although her shock at Zander having had a threesome in his past stopped me in my tracks. I think the book sometimes skates a weird middle ground between sex positivity and getting judgy. I get the feeling, for example, this character would look askance at a married couple having a threesome with a stranger. (Which doesn’t happen, to be clear.)

I was also thrown by Zander’s shock and horror when a stranger kisses him while he is unconscious. In a world where women get raped when they are unconscious, it’s hard for me as a reader to sympathize heartily by a man freaked by a single kiss. It mainly made me think how privileged he is.

But these are speed bumps in a fairly entertaining book. Overall, there’s a lot of lovey dovey mixed with soul searching, leavened with sections of action.

[Debbie Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Bookstrand and am voluntarily leaving a review. It starts with a high tension scene before going to the background that led to the moment. Zander had gotten Elizabeth to do his biography and she wrote a book about their relationship hoping to salvage Zander's reputation. She does manage to make some people realize the truth. However a stalker fan has other plans. Luckily changes in plans stop it and Zander is rescued. Zander proposes to Elizabeth in his hospital bed and she accepts before he finishes. The book covers things that celebrities have to face even if I think they deserve to have a private life too.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book four in The Dock Solid Series and it is Zander and Elizabeth's story. This is the first book that I have read by Karina Bliss but definitely not the last as it was so well written and the characters and storyline pulled you in right from the first page and you have to keep reading to see what will happen next and I couldn't put this book down. I loved all the twists and turns that kept you on your toes and you get engrossed in the story. I definitely recommend you read this book and you will not be disappointed.

[Anna M_82 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is part of a series and would probably benefit from reading at least the first book before reading this one, but not necessary. The storyline is so good. Elizabeth and Zander struggle with their own insecurities as well as living a life in the spotlight. Add on a crazy stalker and it makes for a terrific book!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Maja · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first read from this author. Giving the nature of the story, I would have loved if the story was written in the first person point of view. It would have been amazing, to read Zander's point of view like this while he was faced with a stalker in his own home.
Very gripping story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sou · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good to revisit these two and see them still working at their relationship. Refreshing to see that not all problems go away once you fall in love, it isn't suddenly happily ever after, rather its something you work at on a daily basis.

[Karina Bliss]

Just a note from Karina: Rise (Zander and Elizabeth's first book, is currently free on Amazon, Apple, Kobo and Nook.

[Reader03 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A famous musician seeks an ordinary life with a woman but it will not be easy. I voluntarily received this book for an honest review.

[Suz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Elizabeth and Zander are adjusting to their new normal. And it takes work which is surprising them both. Lots of twists and turns.

[Coralee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you haven't read any of the previous books in this series, a brief recap. Zander was the lead singer and front man for one of the world's greatest rock bands, twice. Then his decision to lip-sync at a concert to raise funds for military veterans, to conceal the fact that his voice was failing, caused him to become rock's most loathed man and practically bankrupting himself as a result. While all this was going on, Zander engaged Elizabeth, a military historian, to write a warts-and-all biography of him. When that crashed and burned Elizabeth turned it around and wrote a best-selling memoir called In Bed With A Rock God, somewhere in the middle the egotistical singer and the academic fell in love.

But real life isn't all Happily Ever After, Zander is terrified that Elizabeth will realise that he isn't a very nice person and spends his days reading what he calls relationshit books to try and improve, although TBH most of them end up thrown on the floor in disgust. Meanwhile Elizabeth is thousands of miles away on a book tour, oh, and Zander seems to have picked up a stalker.

I love this series. I laughed (especially at Luther's dry witticism), I cried there's a funeral, there were steamy scenes and cute moppets, and a deranged stalker lest I forget. And who wouldn't want a rock god belting out Hallelujah in the shower?

And guess what? Luther, the ex-special forces bodyguard is getting his own book soon. I can't wait.

I am extremely grateful to Karina Bliss for giving me a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

[Emilye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally!

RockSolid5

Finally we get to focus on Zee and Elizabeth again!

The events of this series make it a challenge to order them (technically this is Book 4, in the events, Resurrection falls after this one)! But this was worth waiting for and Ms Bliss has a diabolical chuckle.

Since this series explores the layers and nuances of family, it’s no real surprise that Zander and Elizabeth find themselves enmeshed in the lives of Jared, Seth and Moss. And though the childish avarice of Madison is presented as cute (!?!), we do spend enough time with Zander and Elizabeth, that this is definitely their story. There should be more coming...

[Alex Hadfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book