Lane Hart

3.5 stars but I'm rounding up because this was a pleasant surprise!

Going into this book, I wasn't super impressed by the first few chapters. It seemed like it was going to be a fine but unsurprising romance. As it went on, I ended up liking it more and more, with an exception of one twist.

I really enjoyed the dynamics between the whole group. Two of the male characters are bisexual, which you don't see much of in reverse harem stories. I didn't love how Graham, the third guy, reacted to show more them being bisexual but there wasn't anything I read as specifically biphobic. I liked how they all treated Skyler, but particularly Tyson and Charlie. It seemed like a really good relationship.

I liked Skyler as a character though she was a bit underdeveloped. She had trauma based phobias that she got over unrealistically quickly but it added to the story so I won't fault it too much. I would like to see more of her relationship between her and her father. It seemed like she only complained about him the whole time, even though he mostly raised her as a single parent. I also didn't love what happened to her at the very end. she gets pregnant after only having unprotected sex with Graham once. It's just something I don't like in my romances because I do not find it romantic but the book doesn't linger on it for long and it only comes up at the very end so it didn't bother me too much.

This was a surprisingly book for me because of the dynamic between Tyson and Charlie and how the relationship turned out in the end. I would definitely read more from this author in the future. I know she has other reverse harem books so I may read one soon! show less

4

2.5 stars. I read this because I had read Lane Harts other reverse harem and really enjoyed it so this was a bit of a let down by this. I just found it to be a lot more disjointed than the other book by this author and I didn't feel like I really got what I was looking for in a reverse harem romance.

I was excited for this because a rock star romance with reverse harem seemed like it would be super fun. This book is about Tessa who is helping to manage the band made up of Ford, Clarke, Ben, show more and Davis. There were parts of this relationship I really liked but Tessa's relationships with all the guys felt very separate and I didn't feel like they each got equal time. I liked Davis and it seemed like he had an interesting backstory but we barely got to see any of him because for most of the book he's living somewhere else and we only see him when he has sex with Tessa. I also didn't like that he called Tessa a slut after he found out she was sleeping with the other band members. It made it hard for me to see him as a good love interest. I would have liked to have learned a little more about the characters backgrounds. We see a little from everyone but it is really just a trickle and I wanted to learn more.

Ostensibly the plot is about Tessa helping this band write new songs but that's barely present in this story. I would have enjoyed seeing more musicianship throughout the book rather than just at the very end. I also wish we had learned more about Tessa's job, especially since she says she loves it. When we did get song lyrics they weren't... great. the last song has the line "You’re my addiction. You’re a dick…you’re an addiction." which is really a laughable bad song lyric. I don't really like reading song lyrics in books and it's usually because they're silly, just like they were in this book. also this book ends with Tessa telling them she's pregnant through song, which is very similar to how Hart's other RH romance ended. It's a personal preference of mine to not have the romance end with a pregnancy but I know this probably won't be an issue for most people. Overall, I just wanted a little more out of this. I did like the sex scenes (and there were a lot of them) but it just never felt like the plot was moving forward.

I definitely preferred the other book I had read by this author but I'm not opposed to reading more from her in the future. This one was a miss for me but there were still things I really liked about her writing and characters. show less

4 "Skirting the Rules for Love" Stars for the story & 5 stars for the narration!

Jax is a sexy romance that brings to the forefront the ethical dilemma that arises when an attorney and his or her client become interested in one another for more than just legal representation. Furthermore, Jax also drives home the message that appearances can often be deceiving bringing us a story that reminds us that when judging a character you should always look beneath the surface, not just base your show more impression based on societal stereotypes or biases.

A few words of caution are in order though. As I know cheating is sometimes a trigger for romance readers, this story does involve cheating (even if the character that is being cheated on is definitely one that readers will not feel sorry for). Additionally, a number of the interactions between the hero and heroine most definitely violate legal ethical rules, and therefore would be unlikely to happen in the real world (for example, I can't imagine an attorney would go on vacation with a client with a pending case). Nonetheless this is romance fiction which frequently includes events that are unlikely to happen in the real world--and in my book that's ok, because most readers read to escape the real world for a little while and for entertainment and sometimes dramatic, nonplausible events are the most entertaining.

Page Davenport is a newly admitted attorney who in addition to proving her worth the normal way that every young associate must do, also has to prove her worth to her family, who have always seen her as second best. But Page is up to the challenge, and when the other attorneys at the firm she works for (which include her father and brother) are too busy for a criminal case involving an alleged rape by an MMA Middleweight World Champion (Jackson "Jax" Malone), Page jumps at the chance to prove her worth, even if she suspects she might be in a little over her head.

Jax, in turn, is not troubled by having this young, beautiful attorney defending him in this fight which could mean the difference between an acquittal and many years in jail. However, what does trouble him is her insistence that she can't entertain their mutual attraction due to ethical rules (rules which, by the way, may mean she loses her license to practice law even before her career has really begun). But when Page's existing relationship with the perfect man on paper (a man with White House ambitions) turns violent, it's Jax who is there for her. Under these circumstances, will Jax and Page be able to resist their mutual attraction? Moreover, can Page adequately defend Jax and ensure he's not convicted?

Having listened to and thoroughly enjoyed Aaron Shedlock's sexy, baritone renditions in the past, I knew I was in for a treat from a narration perspective from the start. And boy does Mr. Shedlock deliver! Nailing the voice of a cocky, MMA fighter to a T while at the same time being able to heighten his voice sufficiently to convincingly portray Page, Mr. Shedlock does a fantastic job of rendering distinguishable genuine voices for each of the characters in this story.

Mr. Shedlock's pacing is also perfectly suited towards maximum enjoyment by the listener. From his adjustment of the speed to adequately convey the mood of the scene to his ability to import emotion into his voice, everything about Mr. Shedlock's narration is tailored towards allowing the listener to sit back and enjoy the story.

All in all, while the story line is Jax is somewhat predictable, it is a fun, sexy listen with some angst to keep a romance listener entertained. Moreover, if you're going to give this title a try, I highly recommend that you listen to it as Mr. Shedlock's sexy rendition makes the story that much more alluring.

Source: Review copy provided for review purposes. show less