When Hailey crashes a Half-Life after party, she expects to find the bastard who knocked up her little sister. Instead she meets the sexy front-man who agrees to give her access to his crew if she gives him access to her body.
All Lock demands in return is three days of complete control over the Sunday School teacher. With a contract, because he’s been burned before. One misstep could send the band—and his tenuous sobriety—up in flames.
Hailey and Lock push each other’s limits… Against the penthouse window. Backstage. In the limo and on the elevator. But as the contract counts down, neither are ready for the party to end.
Hailey forced herself to stand still for his leisurely perusal. Even when he stood and stalked toward her, she managed to hold on to her dignity—whatever dregs she had left after donning these clothes and almost falling on her face. But his smile hit her like a blast of heat, blinding her, scalding her. He looked far too pleased with himself, like a man about to get everything he wanted. And her shaky insides warned she might just give it to him.
“What do you mean?” she asked, proud her voice didn’t quaver too much.
“You want to stay here while we’re in Chicago,” he said. “To stay here for three days, to blend in so that no one questions why you’re here. To ask questions, poke around.”
Yes, that was exactly what she wanted. So why did her nod feel like surrender? As if she’d agreed to his terms before she even knew them. But then maybe she did know what his terms would be. His eyes spoke the words his lips had yet to say. There were volumes of gold-flecked pages filled with all that sensual knowledge. They promised delight and, even better, a hard bite to the exchange. Where the men she had been with were a fresh spring breeze, he stood before her like the calm before the storm, his eyes darkening clouds.
“Can you…” She licked her lips. His gaze tracked the movement, making her feel hunted. “Can you help me?”
His expression softened. Just the slightest degree, but it was enough to slow the hammering of her heart. This was the same kind man she’d met in the lobby. Desire had given him a rough edge, turning his loping gait into a prowl, making his nostrils flare—scenting her. But he was still kind inside.
When he didn’t answer, she searched for whatever strength she might have found. You want… he’d said, listing her terms. Only his terms were left to be stated. A negotiation, then. But even as she thought the words, an image flashed through her mind, a gazelle caught from behind, the vicious beauty of her captor feasting in a National Geographic special.
“What do you want?” she whispered, and somehow the wall was at her back. He was at her front…crowding her…embracing her?
“You,” he snarled. “Under me. Over me. On your knees in front of me. I get full artistic license to your body for three days.”
His words pounded her like hail, leaving dents and then pooling in the hollows left behind. They drowned out the rest of the world and shook the floor. She began to shake too—but her gaze remained locked with his. The shaking was on the inside, fear and a strange longing warring inside her, a battle to the death. She stood frozen, caught in his sights and too terrified to run. Too curious to walk away.
He stepped back, sending a wash of crisp hotel air over her body. She sucked in a breath and immediately missed the earthy scent of him.
“And you,” he continued conversationally, “will have total access to play Nancy Drew in the hotel. That is, whenever I’m not using you.”
Her body lit up when he said the word using. It imploded on you, spoken with such self-assured possession. What was wrong with her that she wanted to be used? Maybe because she wanted to be free to enjoy sex, to really explore it, for the first time in her tame little life. Maybe because he would be the one using her, and he seemed like he would know just what to do with her.
This was a bad idea. For reasons that weren’t quite coming to her at the moment. But she knew it was bad. If she’d said it once, she’d said it a thousand times to her preschoolers: don’t make decisions when you’re angry. Though she wasn’t angry. She was concerned. And frustrated. And…
God, Chloe, why? After I worked so freaking hard so you could start college, why couldn’t you be more careful?
Okay, she might be angry.
She swallowed. So maybe this weekend could be for her too. She would find the baby’s father, but she’d also find something for herself.
With a deep breath, she struggled for levity. A lopsided tilt of her lips was all she could manage. “Where do I sign?” she joked.
His grin widened, revealing an even row of white teeth. The Cheshire cat had just such a smile. “I’m so glad you asked. I have blank copies of my contract in the side table. Right next to the lube.”
Three Nights with a Rock Star by Amber Lin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*
3 “Into the belly of the beast” kisses
I am a hard-core rock star lover. They really don’t have to do much to make me weak in the knees and drooling…what can I say, I’m helpless to their powers. While Three Nights with a Rock Star really had me in a lot of ways there were just a few things that left me…wanting more.
Hailey Miller is the polar opposite to the world she immerses herself in. She’s a teacher at church and has the personality to match. I’m not saying she is naïve but the environment she is walking into isn’t exactly second nature to her…she’s just a good girl. She’s had to give up a lot in her life…she had no choice when her mother abandoned her and Chloe, her sister, it was either step up and become an adult or lose the only other family member in her life. She has been Chloe’s only constant and in her time of need, Hailey is there to do whatever she can to help. It’s very admirable and brave…little does she know she is walking into the belly of the beast.
‘She’d never known a tongue piercing could be sexy. She wasn’t sure why it was sexy now either, except that it just hinted at so much…sensual knowledge. And she’d always had a yearning for knowledge.’
Keaton ‘Lock’ Shaw is…a reformed bad boy…but while he may have tamed his misbehaving ways, he still has an edge to him, he just doesn’t involve drugs or alcohol. Which leaves him with one vice left – sex. Lock is…alpha and controlling and hot. I dug his persona, both on stage and off but I wish we could have gotten to know the real Lock better…I feel like I latched on to him better, but I didn’t get enough. One of the many POV’s we are in is his so we do get his thoughts, but I can’t help but feel he had more to offer. Lock is a complex guy and there seems to be endless potential with his character and we barely scratched the surface. That was one of the things I loved about him…his complexity, I was aching to get more into his head because from the bits that we get, he is just amazing.
‘So she wasn’t here to try and fuck him. Why did that make his dick hard?’
Okay, so clearly, three days is not exactly a huge time frame to be working with to develop a relationship, especially one that is based purely on sex. I am A-Okay with this as long as I feel it emotionally. I felt some things…I felt lust…their carnal passion…the sexual freedom they had with each other – I felt a whole lotta hotness. Unfortunately I did not feel that bond…there were a few brief movements where I got close but there just wasn’t enough to base it on. And that really sucked for me because as a whole…I like Hailey a lot, reeeeally liked Lock, I was feeling their connection but…couldn’t get that last emotional bit. If this was just based on their sexual connection, I felt that and then some…but I’m a romantic to my core and I wanna get those mushy feels! I loved them and while I know Hailey and Lock had that in them…I know part of the reason why I didn’t feel it like I wanted to.
‘He’d hurt her so good she’d give voice to that desire before he was through. She knew it. He knew it. The subtext breathed in the air around them, a living thing, that damned contract came to life. She wants this. She wants the lurid celeb fantasy. The shock, the pulse-pounding vibrancy that only exists on the edge of a bad decision.
He’d take her there.
There is also a lot going on…I’ll say it again, we are in 4 POV’s…Hailey, Lock, Chloe and Tim (I won’t spoil who Tim is but he’s pretty important) – I am fine with multiple POV’s but I am almost positive that that might have been why I wasn’t getting the emotional connection. It’s not that it was confusing, cause it really wasn’t – it’s always very clear whose head we are in, but it was definitely distracting. This was really two stories in one – Hailey’s and Chloe’s and to do them both justice, they really should have been separate. I think both of them could have been developed more, we could have gotten more of each characters back-story, it just would have made a huge huge difference IMO. Chloe’s story is relatively minor, so I get it but I just feel the story was cheated because so many aspects were being covered. I felt pulled in so many different directions and I guess I was just spread too thin to be invested in what was going on with both couples.
‘She brushed her lips over his Adam’s apple. “How are you feeling?”
“Better now,” he rasped.
“I’ll be waiting right here, after the show. Ready for you. Wet for you.”
His breath caught, and she went to find it, licking along the seam of his lips, darting inside to meet his tongue. I want you, she said with her kiss. I believe in you. He responded with a groan of gratitude.’
I think the other thing I struggled a bit with was the writing. There were points when I loved it and it flowed well, it was funny as hell and sexy as fuck. Then there were points that were choppy and staccato and didn’t gel with the rest of the book. I’ve read a few books by two authors and never really been able to tell the difference, their voices blended well, this was the first one where it felt like it was written by two people because things just didn’t mesh. I do have to bring it up again, this was an insanely hot book…I would say bordering on erotica…at least the sex was that level IMO. It was creative and sinful and I never got sick of it. Lock’s alpha Dom thing completely did it for me and it’s not BDSM or Dom/Sub kinda stuff, Hailey and Lock just have that kind of connection and it works. Really well.
‘Because she knew exactly hot it felt to want something you couldn’t have. There was no fair play for love, just for sex. And everyone might get a turn, but no one could keep Lock if he didn’t want to stay.’
I did love the ending…it was a great way to tie up both stories and I was really happy with the outcome…but I’m really excited about Krist’s book…I sincerely hope there is more background and explanation behind his relationship with Lock because Krist does play a significant role in TNwaRS, I found myself as drawn to him as I was to Lock (for all sorts of different reasons too) and I have a lot of unanswered questions. I wish I had loved this more but it was still a sexy intriguing read.
Amber Lin writes erotic romance with damaged souls and deep emotion.
Her debut novel, Giving It Up, received The Romance Review’s Top Pick, Night Owl Top Pick, and 5 Blue Ribbons from Romance Junkies. RT Book Reviews gave it 4.5 stars, calling it “truly extraordinary.” She has been published by Loose Id, Carina Press, and Entangled.
Amber married her high school sweetheart, birthed a kid who’s smarter than she is, and spends her nights writing down her dirty thoughts. In other words, life is good. You can get more info on Amber’s website.
Shari Slade is a snarky optimist. A would-be academic with big dreams and very little means. When she isn’t toiling away in the non-profit sector, she’s writing gritty stories about identity and people who make terrible choices in the name of love (or lust). Somehow, it all works out in the end. If she had a patronus it would be a platypus. Find out more at Sheri’s website.
This is a great review! Thanks for posting.