SERIES: Luminescent Juliet
SERIES PLACEMENT: #4
AUTHOR: Jean Haus
AGE GROUP: New Adult
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE: June 6, 2015
FORMAT: eBook and Paperback
PAGES: Approx. 333
COPY PROVIDED BY: Author
MY GOODREADS REVIEW LINK
RATING: 5 Stars!
CLIFFHANGER: No
BOOK BLURB:
This story can be read as a standalone.
Raised in poverty and violence, Gabe Reed wears a could-care-less attitude like a shield. He expects life to suck. It always has, and he is usually the one to screw it up even more. Drumming for the college band Luminescent Juliet started as a way to release the built up rage inside of him. But when the band signs with a label, Gabe begins to envision a different life. He just needs to stay out of trouble and follow the court orders of his probation.
April Tanner knows most people view her as perfect. From her icy looks to her college four point, she cultivates the persona since it helps keep people at a distance. Because behind her perfection, April constantly struggles with a past that she is trying to atone for but can’t face.
Though Gabe and April seem worlds apart, fate throws them together and forces them to see beyond the fronts they each present. But even an emerging friendship mixed with a growing lust might not be able to overcome the walls built of guilt and insecurity and abuse that stand between them.
*New Adult for language and sexual situations.
REVIEWERS NOTE: I received this eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
5 “Rock My Heart” Stars!
Wonderfully Intense and Filled With Addictive Tension That Made My Heart Melt!
The Review:
Rock My Heart is the fourth book in the Luminescent Juliet series. This is Gabe's story!
We met Gabe in book one and you could tell right away he had a chip on his shoulder. He’s silent and intense but also combative and angry. But he joins the band and though he’s a background figure throughout the series, he’s the guy you keep your eye on because there’s just something about him that screams “look at me”. He’s hot, he’s built, he pounds the drums like he’s beating the world's problems away and when he looks at you, your mouth waters and you beg for your mind to escape the fog before you do something stupid.
Which is exactly what April does her first time alone with Gabe. We met April in book one as well and she came off as snooty and aloof and we weren’t sure where her loyalties lie when it came to Romeo and Riley. I wasn’t sure I was going to like her. But Jean Haus spins magic and immediately I found myself cheering in April’s corner.
In the beginning, Gabe and April can’t stand each other and I loved the slow, agonizing build to something more. This book had everything I love in a romance.
First, it had broken, damaged characters, two opposites who were betrayed by life, just trying to find their way. April and Gabe are both in a vicious cycle. April is drowning in blame and guilt. Gabe is consumed by violence and fear. Neither think they are worthy of the other and this book had a perfect balance of push-pull along with some swoon-worthy, butterfly inducing, sweet, sexy scenes. Gabe and April were brilliant together, even when they weren't getting along because the sexual tension was Right. There!
April and Gabe have some real struggles ahead of them and they have a lot to overcome. For both of them, their present is riddled with a painful past. But together they find redemption it in each other. They find love, they find acceptance, and they find understanding. With Gabe's acceptance and love April is able to find her music again and with April’s understanding and patience Gabe is able to find some semblance of peace.
I absolutely love this couple. I loved their story and I loved how their connection felt real and how I could connect with them on a personal level.
It also had recurring characters from the previous books, specifically my favorites. There is plenty of Romeo and Riley, who were, up until this book, my favorites from the series. Now April and Gabe are running in a tie with them.
I was thrilled to see the band get along. In the last book, they were fighting and bumping heads over everything. I honestly could not foresee how they were going to make it with the upcoming fame and success headed their way, which comes with its own stress. But they found a way to get along and work together and that made me very happy.
Side note about Romeo and Riley... I was ecstatic we got to see how their lives were progressing. In the first book, their story felt incomplete to me. But in this book we see Riley moving forward, doing what she loves and working at her own pace. She's just enjoying life with Romeo at her side. Romeo seems to have found his center and has loosened up some. The other couples are happy and drama free. Things are good and life is happening for all of them and the author did a phenomenal job tying up loose ends and giving them all there HEA... with room to grow if she chooses.
The Wrap Up:
This book was brilliant and I wish I could give it more than five stars! I loved every minute of it and stayed up all night just to finish it. In short, it was perfect!
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