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The first time I met Jax Blackwood things went a little sideways.<\/p>\n
In my defense, I didn\u2019t know he was Jax Blackwood\u2014who expects a legendary rock star to be shopping for groceries? More importantly, a blizzard was coming and he was about to grab the last carton of mint-chocolate chip.<\/p>\n
Still, I might have walked away, but then he smugly dared me to try and take the coveted ice cream. So I kissed him. And distracted that mint-chip right out of his hands.<\/p>\n
Okay, it was a dirty move, but desperate times and all that. Besides, I never expected he\u2019d be my new neighbor.<\/p>\n
An annoying neighbor who takes great pleasure in reminding me that I owe him ice cream but would happily accept more kisses as payment. An irresistible neighbor who keeps me up while playing guitar naked\u2013spectacularly naked\u2013in his living room.<\/p>\n
Clearly, avoidance is key. Except nothing about Jax is easy to ignore\u2014not the way he makes me laugh, or that his particular brand of darkness matches mine, or how one look from him melts me faster than butter under a hot sun.<\/p>\n
Neither of us believes in love or forever. Yet we\u2019re quickly becoming each other\u2019s addiction. But wecould be more. We could be everything.<\/p>\n
All we have to do is trust enough to fall.<\/p>\n
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Add to Goodreads<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBe with me. Let\u2019s fall together.\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n 5 stars!<\/strong><\/p>\n Oh, I loved this book! A fun, emotional, passionate and slow burning romance that is full of chemistry and emotion, and that completely captured my heart. Fans of the VIP <\/i>series will remember John \u2018Jax\u2019 Blackwood \u2013 co-lead singer\/guitarist of rock band Kill John. When Jax was introduced in the series, it was following a failed suicide attempt which threw the band into emotional turmoil. I couldn\u2019t wait to dive into his story, and it was everything that I was hoping for and more!<\/p>\n It\u2019s been years since the night that still haunts Jax. He\u2019s glad that his attempt failed, and though he still struggles with the guilt of what he almost did, as well as depression, anxiety and feelings of loneliness, he is in therapy and is generally doing ok with his family of bandmates around him.<\/p>\n Stella is all alone in the world. After the death of her mother and being abandoned by her father, she\u2019s lived a solitary life with no real friends, but she has a huge heart and she makes an effort to make life better for those around her. She\u2019s sweet, funny and relatable, and I loved her instantly.<\/p>\n Jax and Stella \u2018meet\u2019 one night in the supermarket when they are stocking up before a blizzard. Their shopping habits are shockingly similar, and when they both reach for the last tub of chock-mint ice-cream, they end up fighting over it, only for the fight to be broken up when Stella kisses Jax and walks off with the prize. Jax is stunned stupid by the whole thing, and then the two of them are even more stunned when they discover that they are neighbors, with Stella moving in next door to Jax for a pet-sitting job.<\/p>\n These two are unique and beautifully vulnerable characters. They have both been through a lot, and they still have things happening in their personal lives that they are dealing with. Though Jax is a celebrity with a long list of conquests, he\u2019s actually quite private, just like Stella, and both of them have difficulty trusting others, but there is something about each other that just sparks.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n There\u2019s a definite attraction with fun and flirty teasing and banter that develops into a tentative friendship \u2013 still with the flirting and banter \u2013 and OMG I couldn\u2019t get enough! The setup for this love story is just too good, and the more time they spend together, the more their friendship bends and changes, with their attraction to each other building by the day and a developing emotional connection that is beautiful and all-consuming, and I felt it all!<\/p>\n \u201cThere isn\u2019t anyone I want to be around more than you. You occupy my thoughts, haunt my dreams. I can no more stay away from you than I can try to keep my heart from beating.\u201d <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n And as they slowly, naturally and finally<\/i> open up to each other and give in to everything that is between them, I was lost in a world of romantic bliss.<\/p>\n I fell straight into the abyss. My want of her isn\u2019t just physical; it is soul deep.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n OMG, the feels! While I love romances with flirting, banter and fun, I also love the slow, tentative, soul-deep emotional love stories between two broken people who are finding their way together. With this book, I got both, and it\u2019s so, so beautiful!<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know where this will go, or if I\u2019ll be any good at it, but I want to be on this road with you.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n These two understand each other on such a deep level, and those moments where they lay themselves bare are just gorgeous. And I love the way that they stand by each other, fully and openly accepting each other just as they are.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an endurance race. You endure. You keep moving forward. But some days, Stella\u2026Some days I get so fucking tired.\u201d And then there\u2019s the moments of the ridiculous fun and playfulness where they tease and joke. There\u2019s a wonderful sense of fun and freeness about these two, and it\u2019s just as meaningful as all of the emotional stuff.<\/p>\n \u201cUtter another word and I will bite you like a rabid ferret.\u201d Though it\u2019s natural and effortless, there are some ups and downs. There are issues and heartaches to overcome, but it\u2019s realistic and meaningful to the story, bringing depth and so many feels without becoming overwhelming. There are moments that had me tearing up, but OMG it\u2019s worth it as we experience everything with them as they figure it all out.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d I say when I can find my voice. \u201cFor trusting me. For falling for me. I promise \u2026 I\u2019ll always be there to catch you.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The boys from Kill John are all a part of the story, and I loved seeing them together. Again, there\u2019s a fantastic mix of fun, banter and complete inappropriateness that is pure gold, as well as moments of emotion that pull at the heartstrings. They are such a great group, they have each other\u2019s backs unquestionably, and their scenes together are a real highlight of the book.<\/p>\n This is such a great story. The characters are amazing, the build-up is fantastic, and the feels are intense, and I fell in mad love with John, Stella, and their beautiful romance.<\/p>\n 5 stars!<\/p>\n An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Idol (#1)<\/strong>\u00a0(Killian) Managed (#2)<\/strong>\u00a0(Scottie) Fall (#3)\u00a0<\/strong>(Jax) Exposed (#4)<\/strong> (Rye) <\/p>\n The air between us shifts. I\u2019m filled with a strange giddiness, wanting to laugh for the fun of it, but I\u2019m also too warm, my limbs oddly heavy as if simple movements might be too much for me.<\/p>\n His tone turns soft and cajoling, teasing the truth out of me. \u201cAre you going to tell me what you do?\u201d When I say nothing, the corners of his eyes crinkle. \u201cI see. You\u2019re going to torture me a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n The warm, fuzzy feeling grows as I shrug. \u201cTorture feels apropos in this scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n He hums again, taking another step toward me. \u201cWhat makes you think I won\u2019t like being tortured by you?\u201d<\/p>\n The heat of his body and the scent of his skin makes my head light and my pulse pound. How did it get to this point where the highlight of my day is flirting with Jax Blackwood? Despite the thrill, I know I\u2019m in over my head. I haven\u2019t gone out on a date in months because I form attachments, I get emotional, and then I hurt when they inevitably leave. And this man will leave. He is as bright and fleeting as a camera flash. I\u2019ll be left with the image of him seared into my memory and nothing more.<\/p>\n I tell myself all of this, the voice in my head as stern as possible. But it doesn\u2019t make me back away. It doesn\u2019t stop my body from somehow straining toward his without even moving. Because it might be stupid of me, but I want to feel something that isn\u2019t planned. Something, for however briefly, that\u2019s real.<\/p>\n He\u2019s too attuned to me not to notice. John\u2019s lids lower as his attention slides down my body before easing back up to my face. Slowly, he rests his forearm on the wall beside my head. \u201cTell me, Stella,\u201d he murmurs.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d I whisper back, flirting, even though I shouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n His biceps bunch as he leans in, a smile dancing on his lips. \u201cTell.\u201d<\/p>\n My breasts graze his chest, and I feel it in my toes.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re crowding me.\u201d I hate how breathy I sound.<\/p>\n \u201cCan\u2019t help it.\u201d His voice is a rumble, the heat of his breath playing over my skin. He ducks his head, drawing close until our lips nearly brush, and when he speaks again, his tone is almost conversational, except for the husky quality that touches deep within my core. \u201cYou smell like strawberries. Fucking delicious.\u201d<\/p>\n My lids flutter, and I swallow hard. \u201cOrdinarily, I\u2019d call you out on that clich\u00e9 but since I\u2019ve been eating strawberries, you aren\u2019t exactly wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n His chuckle is slow and easy, as he eases back and his gaze slowly travels over my face. \u201cWere they sweet, Stella Button?\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s looking at my mouth like he might try to find out. My lips tremble in response, and John tracks the movement, his breathing getting deeper, faster. \u201cYou have two freckles on your lips. One on the top lip and one on the bottom corner.\u201d<\/p>\n Those damn freckles. They were the bane of my adolescence. I hid them with lipstick and silently cursed whenever someone mentioned them.<\/p>\n Freckles don\u2019t have any feelings, but I swear it\u2019s as if he\u2019s touching them.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re just noticing this?\u201d I try to make it sound like a joke, but it comes out weak and thready.<\/p>\n His own lips quirk. \u201cOh, I noticed. It\u2019s distracting as hell. They\u2019re like two little dots of butter toffee. Makes me want to lick them, get a taste.\u201d<\/p>\n Oh, God. Lick them, please. I can almost feel it. I want to feel it.<\/p>\n No. Bad Stella. Behave.<\/em><\/p>\n John\u2019s lips part a fraction like he just might take that taste.<\/p>\n \u201cBack off,\u201d I whisper. And yet somehow my traitorous hands find their way to his sides, running over the waistband of his jeans, holding him there.<\/p>\n John makes a sound deep in his throat and tilts his hips, pressing them against mine. A distinctly thick bulge nudges my belly. Both of us lose a breath, and then he\u2019s closer, his cheek touching my temple. \u201cYou\u2019ll have to let me go first.\u201d<\/p>\n My thumbs slide under the edge of his shirt and find smooth, taut skin. A tremor goes through his body. I try to think, search for what the hell we\u2019ve been talking about.<\/p>\n His lips brush the crest of my cheek as he murmurs against my skin. \u201cTell me what you do, Stella. You know you want to.\u201d<\/p>\n My smile feels illicit. Somehow the action is directly tied to all my happy parts, making them draw hot and tight. \u201cI don\u2019t think I do.\u201d<\/p>\n Another hum. \u201cLiar. You\u2019re dying to.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n WEBSITE<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0FACEBOOK<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0TWITTER<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Amazon\u00a0 |\u00a0 Apple Books\u00a0 |\u00a0 B&N Blurb The first time I met Jax Blackwood things went a little sideways. In my defense, I didn\u2019t know he was Jax Blackwood\u2014who expects a legendary rock […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1548,52,49,94,9,29],"tags":[59,400,48,399],"class_list":["post-37810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-age-gap","category-drama","category-feeeeeeels","category-rockers","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-kristen-callihan","tag-review","tag-vip"],"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\/2018\/09\/Fall_Amazon-small.jpg?fit=150%2C234&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-9PQ","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37810","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=37810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37810\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37810"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37810"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nReview<\/b><\/h4>\n
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\n\u201cThen rest,\u201d I whisper. \u201cRest with me. Let me be where you lay your head for a while.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nJohn gapes at me for a second, then bursts out laughing \u2013 full, shoulder-shaking laughing that cause tears to well in his eyes.
\nI huff out an annoyed breath. \u201cI\u2019m serious. Fear my wrath, rocker boy.\u201d
\nHe laughs harder. \u201cMake it stop,\u201d he rasps through his tears. \u201cMy stomach hurts.\u201d
\n\u201cAss-nugget,\u201d I mutter, which makes him hunch over.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\nVIP Series<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0\u00a0Amazon \u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n
\nReview
\n<\/a>Buy : Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n
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\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n
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\nExcerpt<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\nAbout the Author<\/strong><\/h4>\n
![\"Kristen](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/KCauthor.jpg?resize=182%2C261&ssl=1\")
Kristen Callihan is an author because there is nothing else she\u2019d rather be. She is a three-time RITA nominee and winner of two RT Reviewer\u2019s Choice awards. Her novels have garnered starred reviews from Publisher\u2019s Weekly and the Library Journal, as well as being awarded top picks by many reviewers. Her debut book FIRELIGHT received RT Magazine\u2019s Seal of Excellence, was named a best book of the year by Library Journal , best book of Spring 2012 by Publisher\u2019s Weekly, and was named the best romance book of 2012 by ALA RUSA. When she is not writing, she is reading.<\/p>\n![\"inkslinger-blogger-final\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/InkSlinger-Blogger-Final.jpg?resize=296%2C123&ssl=1\")
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