Glass Paper Ink Bookblog: Wicked White (Wicked White #1) Michelle A. Valentine

Blurb:

After his mother dies, rock star Ace White—lead singer of the red-hot band Wicked White—is done with the celebrity game. The phony people, the meaningless one-night stands: he doesn’t want any of it anymore. Quitting in the middle of a sold-out tour, Ace sets out to find some place—any place—where he can be alone.

Aspiring singer Iris Easton’s life has never been easy. First, her mother walked out on her when she was a kid. Now she’s buried in debt, weeks after losing her beloved grandmother. When a mysterious and sexy new guy moves in next door, Iris can’t help but be drawn to his soulful gaze. She can tell there’s something from his past haunting him—something he’s not telling her.

Just as Ace starts falling for Iris, the media go on a worldwide hunt to find the missing rocker. Will true love conquer all, or will the truth be the very thing that tears the couple apart?

Goodreads Link

Kristine's Review:

Reviewed: April 2015.

So many rock star books focus on a band of brothers who grew up playing together, bonds of mateship forged through years of friendship, going from playing in garages, to small bars to international stardom, but what I love so much about Michelle Valentine is that she always strays from the stereotype, her hero's are never quite what you expect, sure you think you have her leading men pegged, you're almost sure you already know these characters from reading the blurb, but in reality she always veers so far off the beaten path, taking you somewhere you never expected.

Ace White is exactly that man, in a social media and marketing age that has seen produced and synthesised stars like One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer made, super groups are becoming far more prevalent, Wicked White is one the biggest bands to hit the big time, to their adoring public they may seem like the quint essential band, but in reality they were manufactured to a tee. When Ace's is alerted to a family emergency, he walks off stage and doesn't look back, resulting in a media hunt for his whereabouts.

Iris Easton always had a plan, get out of her middle of nowhere small town, make it to New York and hit it big on Broadway, a talented singer, Iris dreams of greatness, but after her grandmother's sudden death she's back home, buried in debt with a trailer park, and no foreseeable way to fix it.

Wicked White is a slow burn of sorts, while the attraction between Ace and Iris is palpable, it is not a story if insta love. Iris is intrigued by the beautiful stranger who wants to rent a trailer, and Axe knows the last thing he should do is strike up a connection with his new land lady but neither can dispute the mounting tension and chemistry simmering beneath the surface whenever they are in close proximity to one another.

Their connection tenuous at times, Axe is desperate to hide who he is, changing his appearance from anyone who might be able to recognise him, hiding himself away both figuratively and emotionally so he can't be used by anyone again, the dichotomy of his personality showing through, both fragile and strong. Axe is the kind of leading man who equal parts sensitive and alpha male, Valentine flawlessly showed the warring sides of his mind, as a reader I FELT his need to guard his heart and protect himself while desperately wanting the connection that was quickly building between himself and Iris.

Valentine's story of love and rock stars deviates so far from what I expected, I expected a story of hot sex, groupies, rock and roll, and angst filled tension, but what I found instead was so much more. Wicked White shows us that perceptions aren't always correct, that sometimes the dream is nothing like the reality, that finding your voice in the cookie cutter world of over produced music can sometimes be even more difficult than you ever imagined. But more than any of that, Wicked White is about love, about self acceptance, it's about standing and fighting for what you know is right. Valentine stripped back the curtain to give us a glimpse of what life on the road, on stage can truly be like, giving us two beautifully enigmatic characters, both flawed in their own way, the story she weaves so effortlessly had me swooning, watching Iris and Axe come into their own, finding one another, and in the process finding themselves, transporting me to not only being a bystander, but feeling as though I was living this journey with them.

Pre Order/Purchase Links: 23rd June 2015

Amazon UK
Amazon US
Amazon AUS

About Michelle Valentine:

Michelle A. Valentine is a Central Ohio nurse turned New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of erotic and New Adult r...omance. Her love of hard-rock music, tattoos, and sexy musicians inspired her erotic BLACK FALCON series.
http://www.michelleavalentine.com/

Or email her at michellevalentineauthor@gmail.com