5 stars!
Oh Lordy be! I’m still wiping away my happy tears as I write this… This probably is the darkest and emotionally deepest of the Rock Chick books but it also had some of the happiest and most beautiful moments of the series as well as an INCREDIBLE epilogue!
Kai “Mace” Mason. The insanely hot, dark, broody and emotionally broken member of Nightingale Investigations. From the beginning of the series, we’ve always known that Mace’s back story was going to be tragic and heart breaking. Whatever could have made such an unflappable, badass man live under the constant shadow of haunting memories just had to be really bad and in this book, we finally learn his story…. and yes, it broke my heart. I still just want to find him and give him a big huge hug…. and I mean that sincerely, lol, not just cuz he’s a smokin’ hot, utterly drool-worthy badass Alpha 😛
“What I’m sayin’ is shit happens to couples, In any relationship, there’s ebbs and there’s flows. You want that relationship to work you put on your life jacket and ride it out.”
Mace and Stella used to be an item. They dated for five months and when he broke up with her, Stella was utterly broken-hearted and, as the lead singer of the Gypsies, threw herself back into her music. She misses him badly but is too stubborn to tell him (duh, she’s a Rock Chick lol). And unbeknownst to her, ever since their HOT little moment in the last book where she sung to him on stage, he still considers her his woman. He knows it, and unfortunately, so do his enemies. When the Hot Bunch’s women are all targeted by a criminal overlord intent on bringing war to the Nightingale Investigations turf, things quickly get out of hand. And, when Stella is targeted as well,Mace’s natural solution to him needing to protecting her, as per the Hot Bunch law, is to move in with her. Under fire from their enemies, Stella and Mace begin to work through their issues, figure out their feelings, deal with their misunderstandings and realize that throughout it all, they are both utterly in love with each other.
“You two solid?” Vance asked.
“I’m workin’ on it,” Mace told Vance.
Vance grinned. “By my count, it takes about 2 weeks to really wear ’em down.”
I just LOVE a guy who has no problem admitting he made a mistake, apologizing, and who is willing to go out of his way to prove himself.
“I fucked up and hurt you. It won’t happen again.” His fingers tensed around my head and his deep voice dropped low. “I promise you, Kitten, it won’t happen again.”
That being said, Stella doesn’t make it easy for him at first, as per Rock Chick law.
“I’m not going there again. Not with you.”
“You’re already there,” he informed me.
“I am not!” I snapped back.
The amusement returned. “Babe, you’re sitting naked in my lap on the morning after a night where you begged to suck my –”
I put a hand over his mouth to stop his words and drowned out the muddled words…
Shit.“
But can I just say how much I love a book that is able to poke fun at it’s own character’s flaws 😛
“Bullets flyin’, Hot Bunch boys puttin’ their asses on the line, threats against all you all…” Shirleen whirled her finger around to take in all the Rock Chicks. “Still, you all act like getting a booty call from one of the Hot Bunch was like being tortured. I just don’t get it.” …
“You don’t understand,” Roxie put in.
“Nope. That’s right, girl, Shirleen does not understand. So what trauma are we up against now?” Shirleen’s eyes moved to me. “You havin’ too many orgasms or what?”
LOL!!! The humor in this book is just brilliant and so well placed – perfectly offsetting the heavy emotional drama and action packed scenes that saturate the book. And I’m not kidding about the action – it starts off with an execution and drive-by shooting, and pretty much reads like the most kick ass, adrenaline-packed movie imaginable – complete with turf wars, grenade launching, exploding buildings, evil villans (and the Supreme Asshole of All Time), snipers, shoot-outs at concerts and more.
But somehow, throughout it all, KA weaves this absolutely beauuuutiful, deeply emotional story about healing, camaraderie, and love…. oh *swoon* …. this author is freaking brilliant!!! How her books aren’t just everywhere lining the shelves of every major bookstore is an honest-to-God mystery to me.
Stella and Mace were just wonderful together. Both of them have have really big emotional demons they have to deal with – Mace especially. And it was just SO sweet to see them figure each other out and help each other heal. <3
For some reason, the emotional tug on Mace and Stella’s stories really hit a lot deeper than some of the past books and brought me to tears several times. But at the same time, they have, hands down, the most brilliant rapid-fire, toe-to-toe banter of any of the couples yet!
And I loved that KA blended music into this story. She has a list of songs at the beginning that she suggests listening to at certain parts of the story and let me tell you, those parts are beeeauuuuuutifull!! *Swooooon* What is it about PDA on a huge stage that just makes your heart flutter uncontrollably? *Sigh* LOVED it!
Here are the songs:
Pearl Jam’s “Black”
Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes”
Journey’s “Open Arms”
Blink-182’s “All the Small Things.”
One more thing which made me ridiculously happy was the alternative POVs (!!!). Although Stella’s POV is by far the main one and her and Mace’s story is the focus of this book, we also get absolutely GORGEOUS scenes from Jet, Indy, Roxie, Jules and Ava’s POVs as well as a few special scenes from Mace’s and the Hot Bunch’s side. … In so many big series, the couples from previous books just fade into the background and while still there, are no longer the focus. But I just LOVED how refreshing it was to read the different POV’s in the middle of this story and to be able to reconnect with each of the Rock Chick/Hot Bunch couples. Completely and utterly squee-worthy!! 🙂
And I gotta say for the last 12% of the book I literally did nothing but wipe happy tears, grin and squee!! We finally get to see the wedding that we’ve been waiting for for several books now (yes, it was absolutely PERFECT) and the absolutely EPIC epilogue set 5 years into the future featuring all the couples’ swoony HEA’s…. *sigh* *grin* … There is something just so deeply, heart achingly beautiful about watching characters you have come to know and love for the last 6 books get everything they deserve. And also just to see all of them heal, grow together, and live their lives…… just absolute Rock Chick perfection <3
If you haven’t started reading this series yet, you should bump it way up on your to-read pile. You are seriously missing out!
CASTING:
Buy ROCK CHICK RECKONING (Kindle)
** SERIES READING ORDER **
Book #1 — ROCK CHICK (Lee & Indy)
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Book #2 — ROCK CHICK RESCUE (Eddie & Jet)
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Book #3 — ROCK CHICK REDEMPTION (Hank & Roxie)
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Book #4 — ROCK CHICK RENEGADE (Vance & Jules)
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Book #5 — ROCK CHICK REVENGE (Luke & Ava)
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Book #6 — ROCK CHICK RECKONING (Mace & Stella)
Buy for Kindle | Buy in Paperback | Read my Review
Book #7 — ROCK CHICK REGRET (Hector & Sadie)
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Book #8 — ROCK CHICK REVOLUTION (Ally & Ren)
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Hiragari says
This book is amazingg!!!!! If the previous RCs are like cool and badass…. then this one is sweetness overload…!!!
Seriously, Mace and Stella are just sweet and those final scenes are very touching!! I love this book!
Crystal Cordova says
I loved the Rock Chick books! My favorite series by far!
Debbie Gabrielson says
i TOTALLY AGREE. i LOVED AND ENJOYED THIS bOOK ALSO.