Blindsided (With the Band)
Here’s another little treasure I found in my mad-search for rock star books, that kept me reading non-stop. No book reviews out there for it as of yet, but it deserves one, and bargain-priced for a good length e-read, it was well worth it. I loved it. Okay, maybe not “Rock Me” loved it, or even “Falling Star” loved it, but I was not disappointed. Oh and… is that a dimple I see in her cover rocker? *sigh*
Chelsea (a worldly, but young) travel writer is back in the United States (Seattle, to be exact) for two weeks to visit with her brother, before heading off to another far away land again. Living with the bare minimum (and loving it that way), her poor excuse of a car (a badly neglected ancient VW Bug) leaves her stranded on the side of a road on the outskirts of the city. To top it off, her cell phone has no signal. She grudgingly leaves her vehicle to look for the nearest house (in the rain), so she can call her brother to pick her up.
Eureka! A beautiful house, with lush flower gardens, so invitingly safe looking. She’s certain she is saved! That is, until a brooding, long-haired, tattooed behemoth of male glares at her as she comes up his walkway. Breathtakingly gorgeous, but scary as all get-out with that scowl on his face. Not the friendly little grandma she was hoping for, is he?
He was shirtless, nearly completely tattooed and surly looking. Jet black hair tousled in unruly waves around his head and muscles rippled beneath his inked skin. He was tall, well over six feet, and broad across the shoulders. Haunted grey eyes, well defined cheekbones and a shadow of stubble made him nearly perfect looking, if you went for the delectable dangerous type. The decidedly angry set of his mouth told her he wasn’t happy to see her.
Hrmmm… he sounds wonderful 😉 ‘Cept for the angry-looking part. But then again… that’s part of the allure, isn’t it? And what’s his problem anyway? She’s just a little thing, soaking wet, and obviously meaning no harm.
Nate though, has had his share of *harmless* females. And any female for that matter. Singer of the famous rock band “Blindside” his life has been open for constant public consumption. One of relentless tours, chaos, and exhausting mayhem. And he’s on a break!! This is his private lair, his moment of well-deserved peace. The one place where he can be a recluse, be himself, and one that NOBODY knows about. Especially not the usual stalking groupies and fans. But here’s another one, boldly walking to his door, as if he has the time for more of that nonsense. He’s gonna give her a what-for! Cute she may be, but he’s over it.
Except he’s the one to get the surprise of his life, when her “likely” story proves to be true. She has no clue who he is, no interest in his autograph, and really just wants to use his phone.
“What do you do?” Chelsea asked.
“You really don’t know who I am, do you?” Nate asked.
He looked at Chelsea in disbelief. Either he was crazy, or Nate was famous enough to expect everyone would recognize him.
Abashed at his obvious arrogance, Chelsea is still at his mercy when her brother doesn’t answer his phone. That’s okay. Now that Nate knows she’s not there to steal his magic rock star essence, he relents, and let’s her hang out for the day, and even relaxes enough to enjoy her company.
But the more he has her in his midst, the longer he wants to keep her there. He offers to help her fix the car himself (cause he’s nice like that). And, he has a little trick up his sleeve. Her car needs some new parts, and it might be a day or so before he can “get” them. Uh huh. *giggle*
A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do, and there’s just something about the two of ’em that feels right to him. So soon? He just met her! Well, ya gotta remember, he’s already sowed his wild oats and then some. He’s in the mood for a real connection, and she’s just his type (redheaded, honest and refreshing. Real. Just what he’s been looking for).
She wasn’t a groupie, he reminded himself. She was interesting, she was funny and she had no preconceived ideas about him. There was no reason this even had to be a one night stand, no reason he had to be alone at the end.
But she wants nothing of it. Okay, maybe his body. Just a little. But he can keep his heart. And she tries to make this very clear to him.
“Chelsea, I don’t know what you have in mind here,” he said through gritted teeth, “But I don’t do one night stands anymore.”
and her reaction…
“Bad boys aren’t relationship material, Nate, and guess what? You’re the bad boy all the rest of them look up to. I used to fool myself into thinking it was all worth it, but it’s not. Not for me. I’ve been down that road, and it sucks. So it’s one night stands and that’s it. Okay?”
There’s no possible way you can break my heart in just one night, she thought but didn’t say.
Oh yes. This is one of those books. His intense efforts to convince her they are perfect for each other, and her adamant resistance of that very fact. She feels it too, but has a secret from her past that she’s still running from (literally). She also quickly discovers that he has his own insecurities he needs to deal with. And she’s not sure she’s strong enough for the both of them. And I gotta admit. She’s got some pretty valid arguments for guarding her heart from this rock star bad boy. I found her reasoning… her internal thought process (at least most of the time) to be eloquent, yet very raw. And real.
A heroine who continues to battle her overbearing mother, struggles personally with a difficult and harsh emotional past, and a hero rock star who appears to have a huge ego but deep down thinks he’s not good enough. Will they get over themselves, and truly find each other, or will they let their perceptions of the world, and of themselves, eat them alive?
No real physical danger or villainous threat in this one, but my heart was in danger of being torn in two, so the adrenaline rush was there nonetheless. My only complaint? The *end* was a bit drawn out for my liking (I was getting a little impatient), but overall, I recommend this read for those who enjoy angsty, SUPER STEAMY romance with tattooed bad boys who are all attitude on the outside, but all heart on the inside.
Oh one more thing!! My favorite definition of the rock star bad boy was found right here in this book. The allure, what they represent… I couldn’t have said it any better myself:
King of all bad boys, outranking the bikers, the fighters, and all the other subgenres. Musicians were doubly dangerous. Besides the alluring danger of the tough guy image, they had the whole tortured artist thing going for them. Their art gave you a glimpse of a sensitive side that never quite materialized in real life. What woman could resist a hurt, broken man who probably just needed a little love?
