Avid readers of rocker romances are beyond familiar with what goes on behind the scenes on a tour, and whether it be backstage, a bar’s bathroom, or one of the bunks on the tour bus, musicians definitely know how to take advantage of the endless buffet of busty women.
But in Michelle Mankin’s Rock F*ck Club series, the focus isn’t really on the rockers who get off but rather the girls who proudly take on the role of RFC Chick, leaving their inhibitions behind and feeling empowered to choose who and what they want because this journey is all about taking back control, learning from past mistakes, and paving one’s own way.
After reading Raven Winter’s wild ride as the original RFC, I didn’t think I could be shocked, in awe, or aghast by anything another RFC Chick could be, but boy was I wrong because when Raven’s best friend, Marsha West, goes from someone watching from the sidelines to the star vixen, everything gets turned upside down, once again, and when Marsha’s time is up, there’s no telling what she’ll learn about herself and the men she chooses to spend time with on this new adventure.
It’s amazing how different a secondary character appears/becomes when s/he takes the spotlight, and Marsha is a heroine. When she was in the background of Raven’s story, making sure Raven went all in and experienced everything there was to as the star of the tour. But this go around, Marsha is the ‘It Girl,’ and even though she witnessed Raven’s experience as a RFC, her 10 minutes of fame as the second RFC forces Marsha to face her past, to face the demons that still haunt her, and to face her brokenness in a way that will not only heal old wounds but will also allow her to accept herself for the woman she is not the one that other people think she should be.
I don’t think Marsha truly understood how her life would change when she and Raven made the decision to have no strings sex with multiple partners because it’s made abundantly clear that as much as Marsha doesn’t want her heart to be a factor in these new experiences and opportunities, it’s almost impossible for it not to be, not only because she’s still figuring out thinks about herself throughout the course of season two, but also because there’s a lot of pushing and pulling between Marsha and a particular rocker and how he’s been portrayed and how she feels about herself make for dicey situations and force her to make more than one difficult decision.
What I found most interesting about Rock F*ck Club #3 is who Marsha truly is behind the mask that she’s spent quite a long time perfecting because when she’s stripped bare and forced to look inward, she comes to quite a few realizations, making her season of RFC about so much more than rocking out with a plethora of rockers all in the name of getting off and having a good time.
4 Poison Apples (The Fairest of All Book Reviews)