Review: Sweet As Sin by J.T. Geissinger

Title: Sweet As Sin by J.T. Geissinger
Bad Habit Series Book One
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 386 pages
Book Rating: C

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Inside a drop-dead sexy, hard-partying rock star lies a good heart…and a dark secret.

Twenty-something Kat Reid is loving life as an in-demand Hollywood makeup artist. She has absolutely no interest in rock ‘n’ roll, but in order to pay the mortgage, she agrees to work on the set of a rock video for the world-famous rockers known as Bad Habit…which brings her face-to-face with Nico Nyx, lead singer of Bad Habit and Adonis in the flesh.

However, the fiercely independent Kat isn’t impressed by the hard-living, womanizing rock star. But when Nico’s model girlfriend shows up to the set drunk and Kat is tapped to replace her as the video’s sexy bride, her combustible chemistry with Nico suddenly threatens to consume the set. Nico feels it, too–and becomes determined to win Kat over, body and soul. Yet behind his rock god swagger, Nico hides a dark secret. Can he rock Kat’s world forever, or will he just break her heart?

Review:

Sweet As Sin is the first installment in J.T. Geissinger’s rock star series, Bad Habit. This first novel starring lead singer Nico Nyx and makeup artist Kat Reid is quite steamy and full of drama.

Kat Reid is a successful makeup artist whose an ironclad rule against dating celebrities is pretty hard to remember once she meets über sexy musician Nico Nyx, the lead singer of Bad Habit. The two are instantly attracted to one another and he persistently pursues her until she agrees to consider going out with him. After careful consideration, Kat decides to give Nico a chance and the two are soon embroiled in a scorching hot relationship.

In the beginning, Kat and Nico are wonderful characters that are easy to like. Kat is feisty, independent and speaks her mind. Nico is charismatic and he is charmed by Kat’s candor and feistiness. Kat is hesitant to date Nico but he patiently waits until she is sure she wants to go out with him. She has been in abusive and controlling relationships in the past and she is upfront about what she wants (and does not want) in a relationship. Nico is also honest about his expectations and their romance is off to a very sweet beginning.

However, things go downhill very quickly after they begin dating. Nico has a lot of emotional baggage and he is very possessive and a little too over protective. He also has a few violent outbursts that scare Kat but he easily convinces her he will control his temper in the future. Nico is big on trust but he is not forthcoming about his issues. These secrets endanger Kat, but instead of giving her the information she needs that will keep her out of harm’s way, he becomes even more possessive and controlling.

Although the story starts out rather light-hearted and fun, it quickly turns dark and brooding. Kat becomes very insecure and jealous while Nico comes across as obsessive and domineering. Kat’s unease with some of Nico’s actions is overshadowed by her desire for him and she becomes so passive it is very frustrating. Their sex scenes are very sensual early on but then they take a light BDSM turn towards the end of the novel when out of left field Nico begins spanking Kat during sex.

Despite a few troubling issues, Sweet As Sin is an enjoyable read. Kat’s friendships with her besties Grace and Chloe are the best part of the story, but some of their jokes are a little insensitive. The other band members are intriguing and it will be interesting to see what J.T. Geissinger has in store for them in future installments of the Bad Habit series.