Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review for a new rock romance form Tara Leigh. ROCK KING is the first book in the Nothing But Trouble series and features the lead singer of a rock band who’s hiding a terrible secret–and the girl-next-door he hires to be his chaperone/companion on tour.

About the book:
I’m not who you think I am.

Shane Hawthorne has it all. At least, that’s what the headlines say about me. I have millions of fans, awards, more money – and women – than I know what to do with. But what you don’t see is the wreckage I’ve caused. The memories and pain I can’t escape, even when I pour them into music and spin them into gold.

I tried to forget. To lose myself in booze and groupies. It didn’t work. It hurt me and – worse – it hurt my band. That’s the last thing I want to do, so I’m cleaning up my act… starting with Delaney Fraser.

Gorgeous, smart, drama-free, and even nice – Delaney is the perfect “girlfriend.” When I’m with her I don’t have to pretend. It’s like she sees the real me. And I can see a future with her. But that’s dangerous. Because the truth is, Shane Hawthorne doesn’t actually exist. He’s a shield to hide who I really am. Fraud. Runaway. Addict. Murderer.

And it’s impossible to love a lie, right?

My Review:
Shane Hawthorne is a rock star and lead singer of Nothing But Trouble, a headlining rock band. But he’s hiding a dark secret behind his stage name: as a teen he was driving the car when it crashed and his best friend and surrogate brother Caleb died. Having no one to care for him and fearing he would be prosecuted, he ran and adopted this persona.

As the years have passed, he’s made good in the rock world but his guilt eats him alive and he’s been fighting addictions to alcohol and drugs. His agent devised a plan a few years back to keep Shane from chasing his demons into oblivion: hire beautiful chaperones who will stay by Shane’s side and keep him sober. If the girl happens to be down for sexytimes, that’s cool, too, but she’s not being hired as an escort. Nominally.

Delaney fled her Long Island upbringing after a tragic accident killed her mother and landed her father in jail. Unable to cope with her role in the situation, she’s aimless and wishing she could do something to help her dad. Running into an old schoolmate while waiting tables in LA, Delaney is stunned to get an invite to an exclusive party. It’s clear her pal isn’t really interested in reconnecting; unassuming but beautiful Delaney is the kind of gal who might fit the role Shane needs filled.

Shane and Delaney meet at the party, and it leads to the kind of “relationship” Shane most wants: contractual. Delaney doesn’t want to do it, but part of the contract involves getting her father moved to a minimum security prison once her six-month commitment to Shane ends. With this new mission to help her dad firmly in her mind, Delaney vows to be the perfect public companion to Shane–and nothing more. But, the more time they spend together, the more their attraction makes saying “no” impossible.

It’s a cute romance, but there’s plenty of deeper issues. Delaney’s big secret is nearly as catastrophic as Shane’s, but she stands by him as his world crumbles under some investigative reporting. And, while the press is rabid, the amends made do fill in the gap created by guilt. I liked how it turned out, with Shane building strong relationships with his estranged brother and Caleb’s grieving parents. Delaney’s situation turns out to be really complicated, and Shane’s a jerk about it, though I wasn’t really mad at him. I got his pain–and he does fix things in the end. For me, there was a little too much back and forth with the romance–and the mooning over past mistakes seemed excessive. That slowed the pace a bit, and I wished it wouldn’t have.

Interested? You can find ROCK KING on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes and Kobo.

ROCK LEGEND, the second book in the Nothing But Trouble series, comes out July 17th. It’s open for pre-order on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and Kobo.

About the Author:
Tara Leigh writes steamy contemporary romance featuring tortured heroes worth lusting after and the women they didn’t know they needed. She attended Washington University in St. Louis and Columbia Business School in New York, and worked on Wall Street and Main Street before “retiring” to become a wife and mother. When the people in her head became just as real as the people in her life, she decided to put their stories on paper. Tara currently lives in Fairfield County, Connecticut with her husband, children and fur-baby, Pixie.

Catch up with Tara on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, BookBub, or sign up for her newsletter.

Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!