Reviewer: Tracy Rise by Karina Bliss
Series: Rock Solid #1
Also in this series: Fall
Publication Date: January 17th 2015
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Even rock stars deserve redemption... Acclaimed literary biographer Elizabeth Winston writes about long-dead heroes. So bad-boy rock icon Zander Freedman couldn't possibly tempt her to write his memoir. Except the man is a mass of fascinating contradictions-manipulative, honest, gifted, charismatic and morally ambiguous. In short, everything she seeks in a biography subject. When in her life will she get another chance to work with a living legend? But saying yes to one temptation soon leads to another. Suddenly she's having heated fantasies about her subject, fantasies this blue-eyed devil is only too willing to stoke. She thought self-control was in her DNA; after all, she grew up a minister's daughter. She thought wrong. Rock star Zander Freedman has been an outlier-many would say an outcast-for most of his life. But there's no disaster he can't overcome, from the breakup of his band to the inevitable damage to his reputation. His Resurrection Tour is shaping up to be his greatest triumph-if his golden voice holds out. Contracting a respected biographer is simply about creating more buzz. Elizabeth's integrity is the key to consolidating his legacy as one of rock's greats. All the damn woman has to do is write down what he tells her. Not force him to think. Or encourage the good guy struggling to get out. And certainly not make him fall in love for the first time in his life. Turns out he "is" scared of something: being known.
Tracy’s review of Rise (Rock Solid #1) by Karina Bliss
Zander Freedman has one person he wants to be the writer of his memoir – Elizabeth Winston. He will do and say anything to get her on the project because he not only loves her work but she has integrity and he feels that’s what he needs to back this project. The problem is that he promises her a lot and then doesn’t come through on most of it. He certainly doesn’t tell her everything about his life that needs to be told and doesn’t plan on changing that. Elizabeth starts to get under his skin, however, and he finds himself falling for her. This causes him to want to protect her even more from what he feels are his dark secrets.
Elizabeth meets Zander before a show and she’s practically mesmerized by his charm and charisma. She agrees the project but makes sure that she keeps it professional at all times. That doesn’t stop her from lusting after him in private. Once Zander makes a move on Elizabeth it’s all she can do to keep her head around him and work on the book. Of course life isn’t easy and things in Elizabeth’s personal life back home cause her to have to leave the tour temporarily. With Elizabeth gone Zander has to make some decisions about his life, his future in the music business and some decisions about Elizabeth as well.
This wasn’t the book I thought it would be when I read the blurb as I thought we’d see more of Zander’s asshole-ishness throughout the book. While he wasn’t exactly perfect I didn’t seem him as someone who needed complete redemption. He did prove himself quite a vocal and mean drunk later in the book but by that time I’d definitely warmed up to him. He cared deeply for those in his employ and didn’t want to see anyone truly hurt by his actions.
Elizabeth wasn’t a prude but wasn’t anyone I would have picked for Zander in the long run. She was brilliant and saw through his bullshit, sure, but she just didn’t strike me as the woman for him. That being said I thought the author did a good job of trying to convince me that these two were meant for each other. Though I didn’t feel the attraction between them I did see the love at the end of the book.
The story follows not only Zander and Elizabeth but the other band members as well as Zander’s ex-girlfriend, Stormy, and his PA, Dimity. I loved that these secondary characters played a major roll in the story as it gave it all more substance in the end.
Overall a good story. I didn’t read the books that Bliss wrote that previously included Zander but I didn’t feel that I needed to to enjoy this book.
Rating: 3.75/4 out of 5
GIVEAWAY: 1 Digital Copy of Rise by Karina Bliss
This title is self-published. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I am having a sad…the prompt says, “answer the question Karina Bliss asked at the end of her guest post,” but I cannot find any guest post with Ms Bliss.
🙁
See?
azteclady – not sure why it says that as there’s no guest post! Go ahead and leave your info on rafflecopter and you’ll be entered. 🙂
Thank you, Tracy, done.
This looks really good, and I have been meaning to try a Karina Bliss book!
You absolutely should! Some are better than others, but all her books are good.
(Okay, I’ve only read five so far, but hey, five of five is still a hundred percent, right?)
Any book that features a character named Dimity must be cool. 🙂