Havoc - Review

Havoc (Mayhem, # 4)

By: Jamie Shaw

Published: February 21st 2017 by Avon Impulse

384 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--When Hailey Harper left her family farm to enroll in veterinary school, she had a plan: keep her head down, ace her classes, and most importantly… don’t upset the uncle paying her tuition. Translation? Don’t piss off his dramatic, self-absorbed daughter, Danica, even if she’s a nightmare to live with.

Falling in love with her cousin’s rock star ex-boyfriend was definitely not part of the plan.

As the drummer of a now-famous rock band, Mike Madden could have any girl he wants. He’s sweet, funny, romantic, talented—and the only guy that’s ever made Hailey’s heart do cartwheels in her chest. The more she gets to know him, the harder she falls, but Hailey knows they can never be more than friends… because Danica wants him back, and she’ll fight dirty to win.

Mike is falling for Hailey too, but Danica’s threats and his rock star life—music video shoots, international tours, obsessed fans—could tear them apart before they’ve even begun. Hailey isn’t sure she’s the one for him, but Mike’s waited years for a girl like her… and he’ll do anything to prove it.

Ok so Mike Madden is the guy from the band that I was most looking forward to reading about. He's not like the other guys. He's never been one to hop from chick to chick like the others. He had his heart broken in high school, and he's not quite recovered. Even still, he never wanted to hook up with random people. He's wanted a relationship, commitment, from the beginning. So he spends his time playing video games instead of sleeping with strangers. I respect that. I mean...to me...that's hot. That's attractive. Not the guy who will sleep with anything that moves. So imagine how Mike feels when the girl who broke his heart shows up wanting a second chance.

Hailey happens to be Danica's (Mike's high school sweetheart) cousin. Hailey grew up on a farm, whereas Danica grew up a spoiled princess. Where Hailey developed a love for animals and family, Danica developed a love for getting her way at whatever cost. These two couldn't be more different. Danica's only interest in Mike because his band, The Last Ones to Know, has recently signed a record contract and is blowing up. Yet Hailey comes to know Mike playing online video games together. They talk and she knows that Danica isn't worthy of his love.

I read Havoc quickly and was impressed with the overall lack of physical scenes. The latter half of the book has a few scenes, but nothing like some of the previous books in the series. Language was still pretty present with f-bombs throughout the book.

Sometimes I find that contemporary romance books have conflict that just makes me roll my eyes. This tends to be especially present in new adult books. And well that's kind of the case with Havoc. I felt like Hailey's issues were so simple. Had she been willing to have a conversation with her uncle up front might have prevented her from having a lot of stress. Also, I totally understand her struggle with the groupies that Mike's inundated with night after night while he's on tour. I would be the same way in real life I'm sure. But it was more of a struggle for me reading this book because I know that Mike's never been interested in groupies, and if he was going to seek them out he would have done it before getting into a serious relationship, not after. These conflicts and issues definitely left me rolling my eyes more than once.

I still like Mike the best of the guys in the band, I think. But I don't know that this was my favorite story in the series or not. Issues and all, I read Havoc really quickly and I'd give it 3.5 Stars. Have you read Havoc? What did you think? Let me know!

Chaos - Review

Chaos (Mayhem, # 3)

By: Jamie Shaw

Published: July 21st 2015 by Avon Impulse

432 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--From the moment she saw Shawn Scarlett perform at a school talent show, Kit Larson has loved two things: the guitar, and the gorgeous, green-eyed boy who inspired her to play. But one careless night in high school shatters her hope of ever being more than a notch on his bedpost.

Six years, two bands, and one mostly-mended heart later, Kit’s about to make her rock star dreams a reality as the new guitarist for Shawn’s band, The Last Ones to Know. He may not remember their reckless night together, but Kit has never forgotten… and she’s determined to make him eat his heart out.

The release of their new album means a month cooped up on a tour bus, sleeping inches away from the ridiculously sexy musician she’s never quite gotten over. And as Kit gets to know the real Shawn—not Shawn Scarlett, the rock god, the player—their attraction becomes too hot to resist. But the past is paved with secrets, and when they finally surface, Kit could lose everything: the band, the music, her dreams… and Shawn.

Shawn has been one of my favorite characters of the Mayhem series from the beginning so I was excited to finally get to read his book. (Although I'm probably most interested in Mike's story.) I enjoyed how Riot really set up things for Shawn and Kit. We're introduced to Kit in Riot and we even find out about how she and Shawn shared a night back in high school. Yet I feel like Riot and the description of Chaos made it seem like Kit had some plan to win Shawn's affections only to make him "eat his heart out" by revealing that she was only in it for revenge, but that's just not how things go.

As the description says, Kit did basically fall in love with Shawn when she was fifteen, but in that obsessive, love-you-from-a-distance kind of way you do at that age. She started playing the guitar because of him also, but he broke her heart. She thinks she's moved on, but the pull she feels toward him is even more genuine the more she gets to know the real Shawn.

Shawn's been around over the last two books, but it was nice to see that he didn't take that same approach once Kit appeared on the scene. I'm not entirely sure if that's because he was attracted to her from the beginning or because he was trying to be respectful of having a girl in the band, but either way, it was nice to see him control himself. We learn a good bit more about him with seeing how much he organizes things for the band. It's almost like he's the manager as well as a member of the band. Plus he writes songs as much as Adam. Very attractive. And I have to give him props for not rushing things with Kit even when there were a couple of times that he probably could have.

From a logistical standpoint, Chaos has a lot of f-bombs. They are a rock band. And Kit is surrounded by older, domineering brothers. So be aware of that. Although, I did feel like the physical scenes were toned down from what I expected. Or maybe just coming off Joel and Dee it felt like Shawn and Kit's story didn't revolve around the physical as much. I will say that although I liked Kit's twin relationship with Kale and even her relationship with all of her brothers, I wish we didn't have to delve so much into what was going on with Kale.

The only quotes I highlighted were about Mike, but I'll share my absolute favorite one:

-"Look...when I meet my wife, I don't want to have to explain to her why I slept with a hundred chicks before I met her, okay?"

Amen, Mike! Amen! I can't wait to read his story.

I picked Chaos up when I did because I needed to follow up a more weighty book with something that I could read quickly without too much heaviness. Chaos fit the bill. It was exactly what I needed at the time. Chaos gets 4 Stars. Have you read Chaos? What did you think? Let me know!

Waiting on Havoc

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Havoc (Mayhem, # 4)

By: Jamie Shaw

Expected Publication: February 21st 2017 by Avon Impulse

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--When Hailey Harper left her family farm to enroll in veterinary school, she had a plan: keep her head down, ace her classes, and most importantly… don’t upset the uncle paying her tuition. Translation? Don’t piss off his dramatic, self-absorbed daughter, Danica, even if she’s a nightmare to live with.

Falling in love with her cousin’s rock star ex-boyfriend was definitely not part of the plan.

As the drummer of a now-famous rock band, Mike Madden could have any girl he wants. He’s sweet, funny, romantic, talented—and the only guy that’s ever made Hailey’s heart do cartwheels in her chest. The more she gets to know him, the harder she falls, but Hailey knows they can never be more than friends… because Danica wants him back, and she’ll fight dirty to win.

Mike is falling for Hailey too, but Danica’s threats and his rock star life—music video shoots, international tours, obsessed fans—could tear them apart before they’ve even begun. Hailey isn’t sure she’s the one for him, but Mike’s waited years for a girl like her… and he’ll do anything to prove it.

I've really enjoyed this series, and Mike is my favorite of all of the guys I think. I'm so glad to finally get his story. What are oyu waiting on this week? Let me know!

Top Ten 2015 Releases I Meant to Read

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten 2015 Releases I Meant to Read.

1. Their Fractured Light (Starbound, # 3) by Aime Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
2. Winter (Lunar Chronicles, # 4) by Marissa Meyer
3. Tricky Twenty-Two (Stephanie Plum, # 22) by Janet Evanovich
4. Six of Crows (The Dregs, # 1) by Leigh Bardugo
5. Legacy of Kings (Blood of Gods and Royals, # 1) by Eleanor Hermon
6. Chaos (Mayhem, # 3) by Jamie Shaw
7. Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan
8. End of Days (Penryn and the End of Days, # 3) by Susan Ee
9. Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger

Which 2015 releases did you not get around to reading? Let me know!

Top Ten New to Me Authors I Read in 2015

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten New to Me Authors I Read in 2015.

1. Jamie Shaw
2. Pierce Brown
3. Cora Carmack
4. Susan Ee
5. Rebecca Shea
6. Huntley Fitzpatrick
7. Courtney C Stevens
8. Jennifer Anne Davis
9. Jen Hatmaker
10. Miranda Kenneally

Who are your top ten new to you authors that you've read this year? Let me know!

Waiting on Chaos

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Chaos (Mayhem, # 3)

By: Jamie Shaw

Expected Publication: July 21st 2015 by Avon Impulse

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--From the moment she saw Shawn Scarlett perform at a school talent show, Kit Larson has loved two things: the guitar, and the gorgeous, green-eyed boy who inspired her to play. But one careless night in high school shatters her hope of ever being more than a notch on his bedpost.

Six years, two bands, and one mostly-mended heart later, Kit’s about to make her rock star dreams a reality as the new guitarist for Shawn’s band, The Last Ones to Know. He may not remember their reckless night together, but Kit has never forgotten… and she’s determined to make him eat his heart out.

The release of their new album means a month cooped up on a tour bus, sleeping inches away from the ridiculously sexy musician she’s never quite gotten over. And as Kit gets to know the real Shawn—not Shawn Scarlett, the rock god, the player—their attraction becomes too hot to resist. But the past is paved with secrets, and when they finally surface, Kit could lose everything: the band, the music, her dreams… and Shawn.

What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Riot - Review

Riot (Mayhem, # 2)

By: Jamie Shaw

Published: February 10th 2015 by Avon Impulse

384 pages

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--When Dee Dawson meets sexy mohawked guitarist Joel Gibbon, she knows it won’t be long before she has him wrapped around her finger. No guy has ever been able to resist her… but Dee’s met her match in a player like Joel.

Dee’s not the relationship type—not after seeing the pain “love” has caused her friends and family—yet she’s desperate to make Joel want her more than anyone else. He quickly becomes an obsession, and when a reckless attempt to make him jealous ends in disaster, Dee turns into the damsel in distress she never wanted to be. With her carefree world crashing down around her, the last thing she needs is Joel’s pity.

But Joel is suddenly determined to prove he cares, and no matter how hard Dee tries to push him away, he refuses to let her shut him out. Now the girl who swore she’d never say those three little words must choose between guarding her heart and losing Joel forever… or falling head-over-heels for the tattooed rock star of her dreams.

I was so pleasantly surprised by Mayhem. I knew I would want to continue this series. I was beginning to think that my review request wouldn’t get approved because release day for Riot was coming closer and closer. Finally I was approved. I had to wait a couple of days before I could start it because I was finishing up another review book, but that just made me even more excited to finally dive in once I was able.

The basis of Riot was established within Mayhem. Dee is Rowan’s best friend, and so Rowan introduced us to Dee’s background. We also see Dee and Joel hook up for the first time in Mayhem so the stage was set. Dee’s been in the habit of making guys fall in love with her and then dropping them to prove that she’s not going to end up broken and alone when they inevitably leave—just like her mother did to her father when she was eleven. While she’s trying so hard not to turn out like her father—broken and alone—she doesn’t realize that she’s essentially turned into her mother—crushing and insensitive. All of that being said, I think it was obvious what the conflict for Riot was going to be before I even went into this book. It was basically spelled out from Mayhem and even from the description above. Anyone remotely versed in human behavior could guess what would happen in Riot.

This book was like watching a train wreck. I couldn’t do anything to stop the wreck from happening, but I couldn’t look away at the same time. And I mean that in the best and worst ways possible. Yes it was predictable. Yes it was painful and frustrating at times. Yes it was even very similar to several other books that I’ve read in the past. (See my post about Repetitive Themes where Riot is included in several categories.) But at the same time, given Dee’s background, how could anything different have happened and been authentic?

I was torn on these characters. Joel’s apathy in the beginning was difficult to read at times. It was like he didn’t care if he was with Dee or any other girl. He did seem to have a particular fondness for her, but "meh any old girl will do." Of course, there’s a catalyst that causes Joel to wisen up on how he truly feels about Dee. Yet coming at Dee full force is like running up to a wild animal--it doesn’t work. You must approach with caution and strategy. Dee, too, was a difficult character to read. Sure we’re all different, but I don’t always relate to people who are vastly different from me. Dee’s casual attitude toward sex was just something that was hard to wrap my head around. Sure there are plenty of women and girls out there who look at sex the same way that Dee does, but that’s just not me.

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been noticing repetitive themes in books for quite some time—I even did a post about it last week--specifically the theme I want to mention is where relationships begin with the physical and them move into more. This happens often in NA books, and I hate the impression that it gives about romance and relationships.

The conflict for Riot was obvious, and the solution to overcoming this conflict was SO EASY. It’s almost frustrating to even have this considered conflict. I want to say more, but I'm trying to avoid spoilers.

Favorite quotes:

-“Joel is a game.” “And what’s the prize if you win?”

-In a war of social combat, there’s one key to victory: Act like you’ve already won.

-“No one’s breaking your heart here but you.”

Of course, the setting has been laid for book 3, Chaos, which will finally feature Shawn’s story. Thankfully, unlike Riot even though the conflict is already established, I don’t know how Chaos will play out—well not entirely anyway. There are a few things that are a given.

All in all, I devoured Riot. Where I normally find myself saying that a book wasn’t what I expected it to be, Riot was exactly what I was expecting. There really weren’t any surprises. I was frustrated with the conflict and the resolution, but I was sucked in anyway. Riot gets 3.5 Stars from me. Have you read Riot? What did you think? Let me know!

Waiting on Riot

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Riot (Mayhem, # 2)

By: Jamie Shaw

Expected Publication: February 10th 2015 by Avon Impulse

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--When Dee Dawson meets sexy mohawked guitarist Joel Gibbon, she knows it won’t be long before she has him wrapped around her finger. No guy has ever been able to resist her… but Dee’s met her match in a player like Joel.

Dee’s not the relationship type—not after seeing the pain “love” has caused her friends and family—yet she’s desperate to make Joel want her more than anyone else. He quickly becomes an obsession, and when a reckless attempt to make him jealous ends in disaster, Dee turns into the damsel in distress she never wanted to be. With her carefree world crashing down around her, the last thing she needs is Joel’s pity.

But Joel is suddenly determined to prove he cares, and no matter how hard Dee tries to push him away, he refuses to let her shut him out. Now the girl who swore she’d never say those three little words must choose between guarding her heart and losing Joel forever… or falling head-over-heels for the tattooed rock star of her dreams.

I was pleasantly surprised with Mayhem and can't wait to continue the series. What are you waiting on this week? Let me know!

Mayhem - Review

Mayhem (Mayhem, # 1)

By: Jamie Shaw

Expected Publication: January 20th 2015 by Avon Impulse

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--When college freshman Rowan Michaels meets gorgeous, up-and-coming rock star Adam Everest, she knows a player like him is the last thing she needs after her ex-boyfriend shattered her heart. But she can't stop thinking about the kiss they shared on his tour bus.

On the first day of school, Rowan is stunned when Adam saunters into her French class. He's soon failing miserably, and, on a whim, she offers to tutor him. But Adam doesn't recognize her as a makeup-free, glasses-clad college student—a far cry from the beautiful, mysterious "Peach" he met at his concert.

During a wild weekend on tour with the band, Rowan can't help falling for the sweet guy buried beneath Adam's rocker persona. Yet she knows she could never compete with the girls constantly throwing themselves at his feet. She'd just end up hurt … again.

Peach is all Adam thinks about, though, and when Rowan realizes this, she has a decision to make: stay just friends to protect her fragile heart … or reveal the truth about the night they met and admit she's fallen completely, hopelessly in love with him.

Mayhem is another book that I took a risk on. There weren’t many Goodreads reviews when I requested it, but the description pulled me in. I was reading Red Rising more out of obligation than being in the mood for it, and I was feeling bogged down with all the description of the dystopian setting, so I wanted something that I could read quickly. Contemporaries usually fall into that category for me because I get sucked in and don’t come up for air until they are over. And that’s exactly what happened. Husband took a three hour nap one Sunday afternoon (he had a bad headache), and so I sat in the bed with him reading the whole time. Next thing I knew I was 60% finished with Mayhem.

Mayhem doesn’t feel entirely original to me. It reminds me of a combination of the Marked Men series by Jay Crownover and the Stage Dive series by Kylie Scott. But I guess more Stage Dive than Marked Men.

Rowan is in a long-term relationship with a guy who doesn’t deserve her. He breaks her heart and Adam from this rock band shows some concern for the girl crying outside of one of his shows on the curb. I never really quite understood why Rowan wanted to keep it a secret that she’s the girl Adam affectionately nicknamed Peach. Well I can understand her keeping it from Dee (at first), but only because Dee seems a bit over-the-top and Rowan doesn’t seem the type to like a big deal being made out of anything. I can definitely understand Rowan’s resistance to letting her guard down with Adam though. He shows very little indication that he wants anything more from her than a physical relationship, so she works hard to keep their relationship in the friend-zone.

Adam is easily likeable. He has a laidback vibe to everything he does. You can tell that he obviously treats Rowan differently than any of the other females he’s around, but I wish he were a little more obvious about his intentions. However, that makes sense since Adam doesn’t even understand his own intentions. I had been hoping to have a dual narrative, but Adam only has one narration—the epilogue.

The side characters were all fun even if some were a bit cliché. Dee should be interesting to read about as she’s more of a partier, she’s more casual in her relationships, and she has some baggage with her mom that Rowan conveniently set up in Mayhem. (The next book, Riot, is supposed to be about her.) I started to say that Shawn is probably the other character that I’m most interested in getting a story about. While I definitely want his story, I remembered Mike about halfway through typing that statement. Mike isn’t like the other guys. He doesn’t seem to care one lick about the groupies that follow the band around and that I respect.

Obviously, there are some sexual situations and there is language. Just throwing that out there as always.

Favorite quotes:

-“Say something to me in French.” “Adam thinks about it for a moment, and then with a big smile, he looks up at her and says, “Tu parles trop.”” [translation- “You talk too much.”]

-“Promise?” He shakes his head. “I don’t make promises. But I’ll show you.”

-“You’re my favorite…That’s why.”

-I thought I had loved Brady, but that was the love of a girl who barely knew herself.

Mayhem was a pleasant surprise. It sucked me in. Despite not being an entirely original concept for my reading life, I enjoyed almost every minute of it. There were a few small things that made me roll my eyes, but nothing that had me too frustrated. More than anything, I was trying to keep the smile off my face so that I didn’t look like a lunatic. I told Husband that Mayhem was cheesy….BUT the GOOD kind of cheesy—as in, I can’t stop smiling cheesy. Mayhem gets 4 Stars from me. Have you read Mayhem? What did you think? Let me know!