ARC Review: Lead (Stage Dive, #3) by Kylie Scott

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Review

4.5 ‘God, I love rock stars’ stars

Stage Dive is back, baby! Hell yeah! I love this series. It’s funny, it’s romantic and it’s sexy, and this time around there is a lot of heart as we explore the dark side with lead singer, Jimmy.

Jimmy has a long history of drug and alcohol use. Having been thrust into the spotlight with Stage Dive’s success, it only exacerbated until he became a nightmare to work with. He is now out of rehab, and has gone through a series of ‘companions’(essentially babysitters) to keep him clean and out of trouble. But he’s such a moody ass, nobody has stuck around – until Lena.

Lena has been Jimmy’s live-in sobriety companion and assistant for two months, having been hired on the spot when the rest of the band witnessed her throwing sass and knew she’d be the perfect one to put up with Jimmy’s moods. She is absolutely fantastic! Smart, sassy, and not willing to take crap from anybody – least of all, Jimmy – she fits beautifully into the Stage Dive family and has quickly made herself indispensable. A horrible break up left her determined to remain “sexless and single”, however when Jimmy unexpectedly reveals his softer side and they share some beautifully special moments, her appreciation for the sex God turns into a full blown attraction.

He smiled at me, he actually double dimple smiled at me. Crap. Not only did my knees weaken but my toes curled it was so stunning, star shine and moonbeams couldn’t compare. Unicorns could take a flying fuck.

What happened between my legs was best ignored. I’m certain something in the employment contract outlawed any and all wetness on my part, especially if it pertained to one James Dylan Ferris.

The dynamic between these two is absolutely sensational! Jimmy is an asshole, and a “god damn arrogant tyrannical shithead”, but Lena comes right back at him, and the banter is gold!

“I don’t know why the fuck I put up with you.”
I shrugged. “No, me neither. But you keep paying me so I keep hanging around.”
“Awesome. Go away.”
“You got it, boss.”

And when you add Lena’s all-consuming, slack-jawed attraction, it just gets better.

“Lena!”
“What?”
“Stop it.”
My mouth slammed shut.
“You’re watching me all the time and it’s fucking creepy. I can’t take it anymore.”

Lena knows that Jimmy is bad news. She fights her feelings for him with no intention of acting on them, but as personal moments start happening in between their constant arguing and teasing, they develop an actual friendship, and the more they hang out together, the harder she falls for him until it gets to the point where she can’t take it anymore. In full-on Lena style, she puts her feelings right out there and tells him that she has to leave, and this is Jimmy’s wake up call as he finally realises that he doesn’t want her going anywhere and he comes up with a series of plans to get her past her crush so that she can continue working for him.

The antics that follow are absolutely freaking hilarious! I laughed so many times reading this book. Jimmy and Lena are absolute dynamite together, and what everybody else around them can see that they can’t, is that the harder they fight it, the harder they fall, and it’s a fantastic ride! And through it all their friendship becomes even deeper, and the UST builds higher and higher, always with the arguing and banter, and I loved every minute of it!

“I’m so tempted to just punch you in the junk right now and be done with it. I mean, it has to happen sooner or later, right?”

“So, Lena, darling, tell me, for curiosity’s sake. When do you put out?”
… “Jimmy, my love … I don’t fuck a guy until he has the balls to actually man up and talk to him about his feelings.”

Of course, things develop, and holy hell, it’s HOT!!! Jimmy has some amazing moves and a filthy mouth, and with all of the chemistry between them, the sex is scorching!

He ate me like a man deprived, starved.
He ate me like I was his favorite meal.
Vaguely related, apparently singers had excellent tongue control and strength. Bless them for that, many, many times over.

And all of that hotness forms an important part of the story as it’s tied in closely to the storyline and what is happening between them. The evolution of Jimmy and Lena’s relationship is not a fast thing – it’s slow and realistic, and the pacing of it is absolutely perfect – even if it is frustrating as hell for us poor hapless readers at times!

The book is told entirely from Lena’s POV, and even though at so many points during this book I was desperate to know what Jimmy was thinking, we were just as clueless as Lena, and I like how that added to the overall angst of the situation.

I think I have a girl-crush on Lena. Her sarcastic wit and snappy comebacks are brilliant, but the way she cares for Jimmy is something very special. She believes in him, and is so protective of him. She’s determined to be there for him in any way that she can, and her unrequited love is heartachingly beautiful.

Fuck he was beautiful, inside and out, and he would never be mine. That information sat sure and safe inside of me, turning me to stone because it was utterly undeniable. But I was still expected to stay here, be with him, and support him, the job I both did and didn’t want with all of my heart.

And then there is the man himself *swoooon*. Jimmy is everything we love about a narcissistic rock star – arrogant, entitled, funny and sexy as all hell. The fact that his past has left him beautifully broken on the inside only adds to his appeal, especially when we get to see that vulnerability.

“Don’t hate me, Lena,” he whispered. “You want to be mad at me when I do dumb things, that’s fine. But don’t ever hate me. I couldn’t take that, not from you.”

He goes through a lot in this book, and some of it is heartbreaking. But through it all we get to see the way he loves and cares for the people he considers his family, and his absolute oblivion about his feelings for Lena was both funny and touching and watching his slow fall for her was brilliant.

“The truth is, I’m all about you, Lena. You’re my best friend. You’re my girl.” 

There is a lot of interaction with the rest of the band, and I loved seeing Jimmy together with his brother, Dave. Mal also bought a lot of funny moments and I found him a lot more tolerable in smaller doses. Everybody is paying close attention to the unfolding drama with Jimmy and Lena, all of them knowing exactly what’s going on, and their reactions to it all are absolutely hilarious!

“Imagine if they were actually playing hide the sausage. We’d be spending every holiday listening to them bicker and carry on at the table, making a scene. It’s just not on. … Whatever happens, you two must not bump uglies. I want your word on this … It would make life impossible for us all.”

I love this book! It’s a great story that would stand very strongly on its own, but tied into such a fantastic series, it’s just better. Jimmy and Lena’s story was heartfelt, sexy and great fun from start to finish, I absolutely loved it!

4.5 stars.

An Advanced Reader Copy of this book was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

 

The Stage Dive series

Lick  Play  Lead  Deep

       

Lick (#1) (David & Evelyn)
Review
Buy:  Amazon  Paperback

Play (#2) (Mal & Anne)
Review
Buy:  Amazon  Paperback

Lead (#3) (Jimmy & Lena)
Review
Buy:  Amazon  Paperback

Deep (#4) (Ben & Lizzy)
Review
Buy:  Amazon  |  Paperback

Strong (#4.5) (Sam & Martha) – spin off
Review
Buy:  Amazon

Closer (#4.6) (Ziggy & Mae) – spin off
Review
Buy:  Amazon  Paperback

Love Song (#4.7) (Adam & Jil) – spin off
Review
Buy:  Amazon Paperback

The Rhythm Method (#4.8) (David & Evelyn)
Review
Buy:  Amazon  |  Paperback

Just What I Needed (#4.9) (Dean & Jude)
Review
Buy:  Amazon  |  Paperback

 

See our Contemporary Romance Recommendations page for more great reads.

 

 

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