Review: Lead (Stage Dive, #3) by Kylie Scott (Goodreads Author)

Lead by Kylie Scott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Okay, the secret is out!!!!

I AM A STAGE DIVE GROUPIE!!!!!!

I have an obsessive adoration for these sexy rockers since the time I read Lick, the 1st book in Kylie Scott’s sweet, sexy and funny rockstar romance series. I fell in love with David and Mal……Jimmy Ferris, the lead singer…wait, this guy was so not “nice” when I first met him………but, WOW!!!!! Was I surprised with his story, Lead, the 3rd book.
Never mind falling in love with Jimmy…….I freaking adored him!!!! This is a gorgeous man!!!
I know…..gushing and star-struck and a total crush on Jimmy! Yep, that’s me!!

THE STORYLINE

Jimmy Ferris, Stage Dive’s lead singer’s life has reached rock bottom. Overdosing on booze, drugs, sex…..He has been given an ultimatum…get your act together or you’re out!!! Out of rehab, he’s trying to keep clean and get back on track.

Lena Morrissey is fed up with most things in her life. She’s tired of dating shallow and stupid men and always falling for the wrong guy. She needs a new and fresh start and that could be the new job offer she has been given.
Her responsibility is to be a kind of sobriety companion/live-in assistant/babysitter to Jimmy Ferris….

Soon their working relationship begins to change into something more and we see how these two opposite characters work through all the drama and the emotional baggage they carry and have to overcome if they are ever to get together.

THE HERO & HEROINE

Jimmy FerrisHe’s gorgeous, sexy, talented, difficult, spoilt, always gets his way with anything he wants, vain and a loner who doesn’t allow anyone close to him.

But that’s how he deals with his inner demons.
Abandoned by his parents early in his life, he has closed off any feeling of emotions. He fights getting to close anyone, even those he loves. We see his vulnerability at Mal’s mother’s funeral. She was the person who saved and loved him and David, his brother, when the two were abandoned by their mother. She was a person he loved and her death left a huge hole in his life. The story he tells at her funeral was so heartbreaking and shows us the real Jimmy.

Lena MorrisseyThis is the kind of heroine I adore. She’s attractive and a bit “curvy” but is not obsessed with her looks, she’s cute, caring, funny, sassy, appealing and lovable but takes no shit from anyone. She says what she thinks and feels. I loved the scene where she tells Jimmy of her feelings about men in general…

She’s the kind of woman I could be really good friends with!! There would never be a dull moment in our lives!!! I loved her honesty….telling Jimmy that she’s fallen in love with him and is unsure how their situation will work with him not feeling the same. Boy that took courage!

THE RELATIONSHIP

What worked for me was how Jimmy and Lena’s relationship progressed and grew over time and not an insta-love one. We see the development and the changes from employee/employer to becoming friends to lovers. The sexual tension, the emotional connection and growing to trust each other slowly unfolds filled with the two discovering who they were…………

One of the funniest parts in the story is seeing Jimmy offering to help Lena get over him when he sees Lena reading a magazine article titled Guide to Getting Over Him.
He arranges blind dates for her and the results are a total laugh. Beyond hilarious. Their “debriefings” were a pleasure to read…..

And when the sexual tension becomes unbearable? More than sparks flying!!!

It’s hot, passionate, sexy, sizzling and with some naughty bits thrown in!!!

Lena was really the shining light in Jimmy’s life….she loved him, she cared for him even when Jimmy struggled with opening up to her. She knew he didn’t love her like she did him and that he loved her as a friend…..but regardless, she would not give up on him…

Lena was definitely my favorite character in this book, if not in the series. There was something about her that drew you to her. I know I’ve said it all before….but let me say it again…….she’s an AWESOME person. And thank heavens Jimmy finally opened his eyes and saw the person he wanted to spend his life with.

Watching Lena and Jimmy’s relationship grow and develop was great. I loved how it took time. It wasn’t rushed or instant. You saw the progression and the changes in both of them. They started at an, then became friends, then… the sparks started flying. And once they do… hot damn. Be prepared for some sexy times. Jimmy’s got a bit of a dirty mouth and their time together was a great combination of passionate and naughty.

CHARACTERS
The character development is fantastic. We have seen the changes, the conflicts and the growth that the band has gone through.

One of the things that I love about this series is how the author makes her characters feel so real. These are people who you could be friends with…yes, I know they’re rockstars but they seem like attainable people….like your next door neighbor, like one of your friends. Like…just NORMAL PEOPLE!!

How refreshing to see the kind of the women the band is with. Not the usual vacant and size 000 supermodels but women who are real, down to earth with no pretensions.

The interaction between the characters is nicely done with some of the most humorous banter.
Their connection, their love, their loyalty and their bond with each other is a joy to see.

The depiction of David and Jimmy’s mother was something else!!! What a character! One of those that I just love to hate. Another was Lena’s sister. Wow, talk about an insensitive and stupid woman!

And not forgetting Killer, the puppy!!

“Interesting. I'm going to tell you what I told Killer at puppy training today when he tried to mount a teacup poodle he'd only just met. If she means something to you, you gotta do the woo, son. You can't just be trying to stick it in.

THE WRITING

I love the author’s writing style and voice. It’s unique, smooth and flowing making it easy reading.
The dialogue is absolutely amazing. I could hear it in my mind….it felt as if I was listening in to the characters conversations.


AND FINALLY
If you love rock stars that are endearing, lovable and totally relatable…….READ THIS SERIES!!!!
I can’t wait to get stuck into Ben’s story next in book #4, Deep.

I leave you with this message….never mind that it may be a spoiler….of course everyone knows that in love and romance, this is true……..


View all my reviews