{"id":3481,"date":"2014-04-21T20:49:40","date_gmt":"2014-04-22T00:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=3481"},"modified":"2016-12-26T06:15:28","modified_gmt":"2016-12-26T11:15:28","slug":"review-play-stage-dive-2-by-kylie-scott","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=3481","title":{"rendered":"Review: Play (Stage Dive, #2) by Kylie Scott"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buy:\u00a0\u00a0Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n

\r\n <\/div><\/div>\n
\n

Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

4 \u2018Pumpkin-lovin\u2019 stars<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is such a fun read! Anne and Mal are such a cute \/ hot couple, and I laughed a lot while reading this book.<\/p>\n

\u201cLife\u2019s a song, Anne. Let\u2019s play.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Anne has lived a difficult life \u2013 caring for her mother and younger sister since the age of 13, she has lived her life for others, is a bit of a doormat, and has just been screwed over by her roommate. In an effort to cheer her up, her neighbour invites her along to a party at her best friend\u2019s house \u2013 her best friend Ev, who just happens to be married to rock star David Ferris, guitarist for hot band Stage Dive, and the couple who featured in the first book of this series,\u00a0Lick<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I absolutely adored\u00a0Lick<\/em>, and while reading it I totally fell for Mal, the drummer for Stage Dive. He was utterly hilarious, and Kylie Scott has thrown in a healthy dose of craziness in his own book. Mal is like a hyperactive puppy, and is all-in, full throttle all the way.<\/p>\n

At his and Anne\u2019s first meeting, he thrusts himself upon her, offering her advice, getting up close and personal and deciding that they need to be in a relationship.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour cheeks have gone all rosy. Are you thinking rude thoughts about me, Anne?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cLiar,\u201d he taunted in a soft voice. \u201cYou\u2019re totally thinking of me with no pants on.\u201d
\nI totally was.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s just gross, dude. A massive invasion of my privacy.\u201d He leaned in closer, his breath warming my ear. \u201cWhatever you\u2019re imagining, it\u2019s bigger.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m not imagining anything.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m serious. It\u2019s basically a monster. I cannot control it.\u201d
\n\u201cMalcolm\u2013\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019re pretty much going to need a whip and chair to tame it, Anne.\u201d
\n\u201cStop it.\u201d
\n\u201cThat okay with you?\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Anne is taken aback, but having fantastised about the famous drummer for years, and being wildly attracted to him, she is happy to go with the flow. And when Malcolm moves himself into her apartment, suggesting they enter into a fake relationship in order to make their lives easier, once again she accepts and they begin a relationship which blurs the boundaries between real and fake. But with the completely outrageous Malcolm butting himself into Anne\u2019s life and making all sorts of declarations, it\u2019s a very strange, but highly entertaining situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cRestrained?\u201d Mal laughed softly. \u201cYeah. Why don\u2019t you go check out her bed, then tell me how restrained she is.\u201d
\nFootsteps followed by a gasp. \u201cFuck me. It\u2019s totaled.\u201d
\n\u201cMy pumpkin\u2019s an animal when she gets going.\u201d
\n\u201cYou call her pumpkin?\u201d My sister\u2019s voice was filled with awe. \u201cDoes she actually answer?\u201d
\n\u201cWell, she pretends to hate it. But secretly , I know she loves it. Her face goes all soft and everything.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I was a bit confused about the state of their relationship at times, but so was Anne! And with Mal being Mal, I think that\u2019s exactly how we were meant to be feeling! He is all over the place, and it\u2019s hard to tell when he\u2019s being serious amidst all of the joking and teasing, but there\u2019s no denying the chemistry, and their steamy time is both hot and hilarious.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, man,\u201d he sighed, shaking his head slowly, mournfully. \u201cI\u2019m not sure I can stick my dick in a woman who doesn\u2019t even know who John Bonham is.\u201d
\n\u201c\u2018Stick your dick in\u2019?\u201d I asked, my brows probably touching. \u201cDid you actually just say that?\u201d
\n\u201cMake love. I meant make love \u2026 of course. I would never just stick my dick in you. I would make mad, passionate love to this sweet, sweet body of yours for days, no, weeks. It would be beautiful, pumpkin. There\u2019d be little angels, and birdies, and you know \u2026 all just hanging around, watching. Perverts.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHello, Anne\u2019s clitoris. It\u2019s me, Malcolm, your lord and master.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But it\u2019s not all hotness and sexual innuendos, Mal is a positive presence in Anne\u2019s life \u2013 he encourages her to be stronger and to set some much needed boundaries, while bringing fun back to her life, and in return Anne is like a touchstone for Mal, calming him and being a steadying presence. And when they both open up to each other about their personal lives and the secrets they have been keeping, the moment is beautifully tender, and I just wanted to give Mal a hug. And with all of the sharing come the feels, and they start to realise exactly what they mean to each other, and while it’s not uber-swoony or romantic, it’s very them, and it\u2019s gorgeous.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like we should touch base about this relationship stuff. And I should probably say something profound here. But I\u2019m not really up to it. Especially not this morning.\u201d He exhaled hard. \u201cYou\u2019re an awesome lay, a great girl, I fucking hate it when you\u2019re sad, and I don\u2019t like it when you\u2019re not around. I\u2019m even getting used to the fighting and drama now and then, because the make-up sex is rockin\u2019. And besides, you\u2019re worth it to me.\u201d
\nThe tip of his tongue rubbed over his top lip. \u201cThat\u2019s basically it. Not necessarily in that order, though. Okay?\u201d
\n\u201cOkay.\u201d I laughed, but only a little. He was, after all, being sincere.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re my girl. You gotta know that.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fate, Anne. Written in the stars. Leave it the fuck alone.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yep, he may be bat-shit crazy, but you\u2019ve gotta love him!<\/p>\n

We get to see a bit of David and Ev from the first book, and there is some beautifully swoony story progression for them. There is also some time spent with the rest of the band, and I enjoyed getting to know Jimmy and Ben and I\u2019m looking forward to their stories.<\/p>\n

I really enjoyed it \u2013 4 stars.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Stage Dive\u00a0series<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"Lick\"<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\"Play\"<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\"Lead\"<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\"Deep\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0 \"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Lick (#1)<\/strong> (David & Evelyn)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon \u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Play (#2)<\/strong> (Mal & Anne)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon \u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Lead (#3)<\/strong> (Jimmy & Lena)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon \u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Deep (#4)<\/strong> (Ben & Lizzy)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy: \u00a0Amazon \u00a0<\/a>| \u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Strong (#4.5)<\/strong> (Sam & Martha) – spin off
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Closer (#4.6)<\/strong> (Ziggy & Mae) – spin off
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon \u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Love Song (#4.7) <\/strong>(Adam & Jil) – spin off
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

The Rhythm Method (#4.8)<\/strong> (David & Evelyn)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Just What I Needed (#4.9)<\/strong> (Dean & Jude)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Stage Dive: Short Stories & Novellas
\n<\/strong>A compilation of previously released short stories and novellas<\/em>
\nContains short stories \u201cCocky\u201d<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cMal and Anne + 1\u201d\u00a0<\/span>and the 5 novellas listed above<\/em>
\n<\/strong>Buy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

See our Contemporary Romance Recommendations<\/a> page for more great reads.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Buy:\u00a0\u00a0Kindle Ebook\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Paperback Review 4 \u2018Pumpkin-lovin\u2019 stars This is such a fun read! Anne and Mal are such a cute \/ hot couple, and I laughed a lot while reading this book. \u201cLife\u2019s a song, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[454,94,9,29],"tags":[212,48,213],"class_list":["post-3481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-audio-recommendation","category-rockers","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-kylie-scott","tag-review","tag-stage-dive"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Play.jpg?fit=150%2C234&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-U9","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3481"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3481\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}