Take a Stage Dive with Lick

“Lick (Stage Dive #1)”
By Kylie Scott

Published by: Momentum
Date Published: July 1, 2013

Review by Wendy Dawn

“In Summation”:
       Evelyn Thomas’ plans for celebrating her twenty-first birthday in Las Vegas were big. Huge. Like everything else in her life, she had carefully laid out plans.
     So, when she wakes up on the bathroom floor with a hangover of the century, a very attractive half-naked tattooed man, and a diamond ring on her finger that rivaled an ice skating rink: all she wants to do is remember how it all happened.
     After deciding annulment is the best plan, she heads home to Portland. As she exits the airplane, she is bombarded with paparazzi. That’s when she discovers her new husband is one of rock and roll’s favorite sons, the lead guitarist for the band Stage Dive, David Ferris.
     From Portland to LA to Monterrey, it’s one crazy wild ride for the girl who is used to control and having a plan. Being a country music fan in a sea of rock and roll insanity is quite a shock for the shy Evelyn.
     Will David and Evelyn annul their marriage? Or will they try to make a go of the Vegas nuptials? What will happen to Evelyn’s plans for her future? Can Evelyn fit into David’s world?

“The Reviews are in”:
     What can I say I am a sucker for a rock star romance; and I love Vegas! The fact that Evelyn woke up on the bathroom floor after being ‘sick’ with no memory of the previous evenings escapades is one of those cautionary tales. However, I felt sorry for David, the whole night of courtship and wedding meant something to him; and he really was hurt that she didn’t remember it.

     “What did we do last night?”
     “We got fucking married,” he growled.
     This time, I didn’t make it to the toilet.

     The ring seemed like it was it’s own character. She kept giving or trying to give it back to him at every bump in the road.

     “You bought me this?” I asked.
     He nodded. “Last night at Cartier.”
     “What is that even? Two, three carats?”
     “Five.”

     His band was a mix of interesting people. His brother, Jimmy, he was horrible to Evelyn. Ben, the bassist, kept his distance. And Mal (Malcolm), the drummer, instantly liked her and befriended her.
     Mal was the most interesting to me. He was funny and full of life. He was a true ladies man that you could never take seriously, but he was a good friend to David and in turn to Evelyn.

     “Face it, child bride. You got married in Vegas by an Elvis impersonator to one of rock ’n’ roll’s favorite sons. It was always bound to cause a shit storm.”

     It was very endearing to read as David attempted to recreate some of their courtship and wedding, to jog Evelyn’s memory. Many of the recreations were hilarious and had me laughing.

     “We were both topless. Topless cuddles are best.” He watched as I absorbed the information, his face close to mine.

     I would have loved David to have more depth; he had issues that were just skimmed over. Maybe in the next books Ms. Scott can flesh out some more of his past. Or even do some kind of back tracking of before Stage Dive made it, some things just need to be glazed over and others need more explanation…David’s insecurity issues got some light shed on them but not the depth they deserved. They made him the man/husband he was to Evelyn.
     I do look forward to more of this series, just to see where the rest of the band ends up. Do they get a happy ever after?

The Ratings*:
Hero: 3.75
Heroine: 4

Story/Plot/HEA: 4.5

*The rating system is based on 1-5, 5 being the best and 1 the worst.

Hero

- The main male character of the story. Heroine - The main female character of the story. Story/Plot/HEA (Happy Ever After) - The over all story line and culmination of the main plot or theme.