Ready to Rock
by Cara Connelly
Series: Save the Date, #0
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: December 1, 2015
His name's on everyone's lips--sexy rocker Jack McCabe. His gritty New York City band is red hot, almost as hot as his fiery affair with photography student Lil Marchone, the girl from his past, now the woman he loves. The problem is, Lil's controlling ex wants her back. Rich, powerful, and ruthless, he'll stop at nothing--including murder--to get Jack out of her life. But Jack's a badass himself, always up for a fight. And with the stakes this high, he'll risk everything for Lil, even his band. Even his life.
A wolf whistle sliced through the street noise, calling me back to the present. I’d wandered into the crosshairs of a dozen construction workers sitting along the Jersey barriers that separated their work site from the sidewalk. They were eating lunch and checking out the girls, including me. Most of them were grinning. One waggled his fingers in a wave.
Hiding behind my sunglasses, I pretended to ignore them while I checked them out from the corner of my eye. They were the usual assortment of sizes and shapes. A few beer guts, a few shaved heads. But when my gaze hit the last guy in the row, I did a double take. And then I froze in my tracks.
Jesus Christ, it can’t be him!
But it was. I would have known him anywhere.
Slowly, inexorably, I walked toward him. Obviously, he didn’t recognize me. He wasn’t whistling or grinning like the others, just watching me with a calm expression, admiring but not leering.
I stopped directly in front of him. “Jack? Jack McCabe?”
Surprise flickered in his eyes, but he said coolly, “Who’s Jack McCabe?”
I pulled off my sunglasses. “He’s the man who pulled me out of a burning car six years ago.”
His eyes widened. “Well, hell,” he breathed. Then he broke into a smile so dazzling that it literally knocked me back a step.
My God, he’s gorgeous! His face was cut from the finest granite, rugged with two days’ beard. His black hair was straight and glossy, falling loose to his shoulders. And when he stood up, he towered over me, six foot two and built like you dream about, narrow waist rising in a V to wide chest and broad shoulders, his long arms roped with the lean muscle of a man who earns it the hard way—by working, not lifting weights at a gym.
Touching one big hand to the small of my back, he started to walk, drawing me away from the rest of the guys.
A wonderful read that was so much more than a “Rock Star Romance”. This book had so many different facets to it that it was hard to put down and immediately drew me into Jack and Lil’s world. This was a love story with edge, suspense, drama, heat, and a totally sexy dirty-talking rocker who wanted so much more from his life.
From the moment Jack and Lil reconnect you can feel that they are destined for one another, and once they cross that line from friends to lovers there is no doubt that these two belong to one another. Unfortunately Claude, Lil’s ex-boyfriend, isn’t one to give up what is his…and he is determined to get Lil back, or make sure no one else can have her. And boy is Claude one nasty SOB!
I just loved the twists and turns this book took, not only with the plot, but also with the characters. Cara Connelly has truly developed multi-dimensional characters, and I can’t believe the number of times I found myself seeing her characters in a new light as scenes unfolded and more information about the characters was shared. She has definitely hit the nail on the head with character development and I loved the way the story unfolded and where she took us.
Jack was everything a rock star should be, and so much more. I loved that there was a side to himself that you just didn’t expect, especially seeing him with his cousin Wyatt and hearing stories of his relationship with his grandmother. And even though I understood why Lil had a bit of a concern about him being able to commit to her knowing that he is known for his one night stands, it was easy to see that once he committed to Lil that was it for him. There was no doubt that Jack “felt” everything around him. From his painting to his poetry and of course his music, there was no doubt that Jack poured 110% of himself and his emotions into everything he did. And did I mention the dirty talk? Oh yes, Jack had quite the delicious dirty-talking mouth on him!
Lil was great. Her life has been on cruise control – with an emphasis on “control” – and she’s been complacent with the safety she has found from her uncle and boyfriend. Even though she knows that her boyfriend, Claude, is not her future, she just can’t bring herself to end things, liking the safety and security she has in her controlled life. Of course once she finds Jack she realizes that she wants more out of her life…and she wants Jack. I loved watching Lil try to keep their relationship as only friends, but I was so happy to see her push for more. It was also great seeing her come to terms with her doubts and fears and understand just how deep her feelings for Jack were and understand that the issues she was projecting on him were really her issues.
I loved the other characters in the book and seeing how they helped tell Jack and Lil’s story. From Lil’s obsessive, crazy ex-boyfriend Claude, to Jack’s many one night stands, as well as his cousin Wyatt and friend Tyrell, each character helped in really showing just who Jack and Lil were individually as well as a couple. They truly had an epic love story – and that was even before all the drama happened at the end!
This was such a wonderful read and I enjoyed not only the love story but the suspense part of the book. It was a bit longer than most books you find today, but it never failed to keep me turning the pages and wanting to know more. I’m definitely a fan of Cara Connelly and would recommend this book to just about anyone!
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