Review: Lead by Kylie Scott

Title: Lead by Kylie Scott
Stage Dive Series Book Three
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Comedy
Length: 256 pages
Book Rating: A

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Stay up all night with the sexy rockers in Stage Dive, the epic New Adult series from New York Times bestselling author Kylie Scott, author of Lick and Play.

As the lead singer of Stage Dive, Jimmy is used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants it, whether it’s booze, drugs, or women. However, when a PR disaster serves as a wake-up call about his life and lands him in rehab, he finds himself with Lena, a new assistant to keep him out of trouble.

Lena’s not willing to take any crap from the sexy rocker and is determined to keep their relationship completely professional, despite their sizzling chemistry. But when Jimmy pushes her too far and Lena leaves, he realizes that he may just have lost the best thing that ever happened to him.

The Review:

Kylie Scott’s Stage Dive series, is, hands down, my favorite rocker series EVER! It just improves with each novel and the third installment, Lead, completely blew me away. It is an absolutely hilarious and achingly heart wrenching romance and I LOVED every single word of it.

Jimmy Ferris is the resident bad boy of Stage Dive and he has the addictions and out of control behavior to prove it. Having successfully completed another stint in rehab, Jimmy is on his last chance with his fellow band members so when he is in desperate need of yet another sober companion/personal assistant, they decide Lena Morrissey is just the woman for the job. Having recently sworn off men since her luck in the love department is abysmal, Lena pretty much gives up her personal life to keep Jimmy out of trouble, but her unexpected attraction to the sexy rocker puts their professional relationship in jeopardy.

Lena is my absolute favorite female character in the Stage Dive series. She is funny, saucy, sassy and she won’t take any crap off anyone. Not even Jimmy. No matter what he throws her way, she sets him straight and tells him like it is, or more importantly, she tells him how it is going to be. Lena’s inner dialogue is full of self-deprecating humor that is laugh out loud funny but it is also very poignant as she realizes that her feelings for Jimmy go beyond attraction. She tries to protect herself from getting hurt, but resisting Jimmy is virtually impossible.

Jimmy is closed off, brooding and so unbelievably vulnerable that it takes your breath away. He is arrogant and demanding, but with Lena pushing him, Jimmy’s rougher edges begin to smooth over. Jimmy reveals little about his demons, but with an incredible amount of patience and understanding, Lena gets him to open up about his dysfunctional past. Jimmy is slow to recognize what he feels for Lena and relationships are so far out of his comfort zone, he is at a loss at what comes next for him and Lena.

The relationship between Lena and Jimmy is slow growing and they form a somewhat uneasy friendship that Jimmy counts on to keep him on an even keel. He does not do well with change, so when Lena admits her growing attraction to him, Jimmy does everything in his power to help her get over him. Hilarity ensues but so does jealousy when Jimmy encourages Lena to get a personal life.

At this point in the story, there is an amazing amount of sexual tension between them, but Jimmy and Lena stubbornly refuse to give in to their desire. When they finally do act on their passion, their sex scenes are explosive, incendiary and scorching hot. Jimmy is no slouch when it comes to sexually satisfying Lena, but there is still room for improvement in his emotional education and just when their relationship should be turning a corner, they find themselves at another impasse.

Lead is incredibly emotional, laugh out loud funny and almost unbearably poignant at times. The characters are vibrantly developed, easy to relate to, and even when behaving badly (cough, Jimmy, cough), it is impossible not to like them. The plot is refreshing unique and watching Jimmy’s transformation from an emotionally distant and troubled rock star into a loving man willing to risk his heart is wildly entertaining and immensely gratifying. Kylie Scott continues to amaze me with this phenomenal series and I can hardly wait to read the next Stage Dive romance where it is finally Ben’s turn to find his happily ever after.