Reviewer: Holly Deep by Kylie Scott
Series: Stage Dive #4
Also in this series: Lick: Stage Dive 1, Lead: Stage Dive 3, Lick (Stage Dive #1), Play, Lick
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Publication Date: March 31st 2015
Genres: Fiction
Pages: 231
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Series Rating:
Don't miss a beat with the fourth and final novel in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Stage Dive series from Kylie Scott.
Positive. With two little lines on a pregnancy test, everything in Lizzy Rollins' ordinary life is about to change forever. And all because of one big mistake in Vegas with Ben Nicholson, the irresistibly sexy bass player for Stage Dive. So what if Ben's the only man she's ever met who can make her feel completely safe, cherished, and out of control with desire at the same time? Lizzy knows the gorgeous rock star isn't looking for anything more permanent than a good time, no matter how much she wishes differently.
Ben knows Lizzy is off limits. Completely and utterly. She's his best friend's little sister now, and no matter how hot the chemistry is between them, no matter how sweet and sexy she is, he's not going to go there. But when Ben is forced to keep the one girl he's always had a weakness for out of trouble in Sin City, he quickly learns that what happens in Vegas, doesn't always stay there. Now he and Lizzie are connected in the deepest way possible . . . but will it lead to a connection of the heart?
I was really looking forward to Ben and Liz’s story after all the buildup in the previous books.
We first met Lizzie in Play, book two. Her sister, Anne, got into a relationship with Stage Dive’s drummer, Mal. Lizzie was immediately drawn to bass player Ben, but Mal warned Ben off her right away. Anne was worried about Ben’s reputation and didn’t want him anywhere near her sister. Ben tried to stay away from her, but Liz made it nearly impossible. She started texting him right away, and despite everything they formed a friendship. But still, he made it clear it couldn’t be anything else…until the night of her sister’s wedding, when he took her back to her hotel room and did delicious, dirty things to her.
After months of pushing, Liz was thrilled when Ben finally took her up on her offer. She’d come to know him quite well, and her feelings had deepened from a causal crush to something more. She thought he was finally ready to commit to being with her, to bring their relationship out in the open, until he disabused her of that notion first thing the next morning. So she does what any self-respecting woman who’s spent the last few months throwing herself at a man only to get rejected does – she threw him out of her room, sans pants, then proceeded to avoid him like the plague. Until a few months later, when they can’t avoid each other anymore. Amid tension from the band and a world tour, Liz and Ben need to work on finding a way to navigate the future together.
Liz’s crush on Ben and his avoidance made me think there was going to be a lot of tension in this book, and I was right. Unfortunately the buildup worked against it in a lot of ways. Ben’s fear of commitment and constant push/pull with Liz was frustrating. The final resolution especially worked against the story. Liz did all the giving, while Ben spent the majority of the book pushing her away. I wish their issues had been addressed in the end, rather than him making a grand gesture and her caving. They had a lot to work out between each other, yet we were to believe “I love you” made everything all right? I didn’t buy it.
That aside, there was quite a bit I liked. Liz was a fun, irreverent character who was easy to sympathize with. Though she was young (she turned 21 in the book), she knew what she wanted and didn’t let anyone treat her like a child.
His hands tensed on my shoulders, fingers rubbing. “I told you not to come in here.”
“I know.” I sniffed, then set my chin on his chest and gazed up adoringly at him. “But have you noticed how I actually make my own choices like a real live adult?”
Her relationship with her sister was well written. Their mother wasn’t much on being maternal, so they basically raised each other. Anne sacrificed a lot for Liz, and Liz took care of Anne as much as she could. They had a strong sibling bond that came across not just in their heart-to-hearts, but in their every day conversations.
“Huh.” The whites of Anne’s eyes were showing. “Good. This makes me think better of the bearded wonder.”
“Mm.” It was a step up from her calling him the Sperminator, at least.
I liked how she connected with other members of the band and their significant others. I didn’t like how she spent the majority of the book sitting in her room, watching t.v.. She needed to get out more and make friends outside the ladies of the band. Actually, I would have liked to see her have a life outside the band, period.
When Ben let his guard down, he was actually pretty funny and sweet. Unfortunately we didn’t see enough of that. It doesn’t help that the story is told in first-person from Liz’s POV. His relationship with his bandmates came across well and I liked how quick they were to call him out, and how quick he was to admit they were right, when he was being an ass.
Though I had some issues, I fell right into the story. Humor, angst, romance…this had it all. I wish it hadn’t ended the way it did, but I can’t deny it was an engrossing read.
3.5 out of 5
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