24/02/2021
Book Review #1. Read at Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3838373705?book_show_action=false Or... right here.
Plus, you can pick up a copy: https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Heart-Love-Hate-Rock-n-Roll-ebook/dp/B07K1Q7PZM/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=playing+by+heart&qid=1614127164&sr=8-4
Quintessentially rock star romance, mostly. By that, I mean all the tent posts are there. And by that I mean everything you'd expect that makes a rock star romance a rock star romance are there. And by that I mean you have the perfectly average, normal, unpeculiar, rather mundane, every day, garden variety good girl being thrown into a spectacular, rare, unexpected, shock to the groin type of situation centered around the average, normal, unpeculiar, rather mundane, every day, garden variety bad boy rock star... which is to say a hethenistic, stellar-looking, heart-eating, smolder pit of a rich rock god. Please, don't ask me to repeat that. Now, the only thing left to do is decide whether it was a good book or not. Well, if one is looking for a book that is quintessentially rock star romance, then this is definitely one with all the fence posts, mostly. You won't be disappointed. You probably won't be bored. What you might be, though, is a little surprised, which is where the "mostly" part comes into play. What I found so interesting about Playing by Heart is that though you have all the necessary tropes, they don't all play together in the same scripted or formulaic ways as I've seen in the past. They come about in creatively odd ways. For instance, the signed contract... a full on trope of the genre... was signed with the rock star as an indirect benefactor and not as the one pulling the trigger. In Bethany's case (she's our normal, every day girl) it's more of a non-disclosure clause that works against her in an external fashion more than the usual internal. In english, please! Okay. She signs a paper that forces her to keep her mouth shut about her involvement in Jesse the rock star's life as opposed to the usual girlfriend clause. Also, he didn't even know about it. Okay, a refreshing twist to the trope. Kudo's. What's more? She's a church girl. But not only is she a church girl, she's a regular Sunday fixture at the church. So, she's a moral believer and practitioner of the whole Christian thing. Whaaaat? So, yeah, you can imagine where lines might get crossed in a reader's head about who this girl is based on some of her decisions, and ensuing actions. But, as her leanings are central to a few of the book's obstacles, I guess it then becomes a necessary element to the story therefor milking a reader for a few drops of sympathetic extension of disbelief. Never the less, it's a good book. The only thing I found discouraging about the read—and I find this with most rock star romances—is once a girl reveals herself to be waaay more than what's worth the price of admission, the guy still hangs on with an obsessive cling. I mean, Jesse did apologize. He did pursue her. He even went as far as to make public his love for her and need to be with her. Okay, so that part backfired, but so what? When does a guy's intentions outweigh his actions? Especially in Jesse's case, who did absolutely nothing, nothing, NOTHING! to earn her ire in the first place. Oh well, just the throws of a good rock star romance. Hey, look, it's a fun read. Pick up a copy.
Playing by Heart (Love, Hate, Rock-n-Roll Book 1)
