Surrender absolutely FLEW BY! It has the kind of 5-star banter that makes you forget things like instalove and settle into the story. You won’t have any trouble reading this in one sitting (I devoured it very quickly), and those who haven’t read the rest of the Seaside Pictures series won’t have any problem reading this as a standalone, though there are appearances from past heroes. I will openly admit that you’re going to need to be openminded about the timeline on this one – if I sit and think about how quickly everything happened, I might second-guess my rating, but it really just worked for the story. Our hero has an addictive personality, so once he’s in, he is ALL IN. I loved all of the quick-witted dialogue, the playfulness, and the outrageous yet vulnerable personality of the hero. If you’re looking for a quick, smile-inducing read and are open to instalove, then this is definitely worth your time.
The story follows Drew, an aging rockstar who has battled his demons and now wants what all of his friends have – someone who loves him despite his troubled past. Drew’s had a crush on his protégé’s mom for awhile now (she’s 39 to his 36), but hasn’t pursued Bronte because he knows it would lead to trouble. She’s never been anything but good; a mom from a young age whose kids no longer need her around as often. When Drew suggests that he spend one week with Bronte to help her get her groove back and discover what it means to be bad, neither has any idea what they’re in store for.
This storyline definitely did not follow the path that I expected it to, and I’m 100% okay with that. Drew’s got a very strong personality (you’re either going to love him or hate him), and once he’s got his mind set on something, there’s no stopping him. Honestly, the relationship goes from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye, but the connection is obvious. Drew is shameless, infuriating, and sometimes outlandish but I loved all of that. He sees the potential for a family and grabs onto it with both hands. And for a book that moves at such a rapid pace, it really is a slow burn. It’s funny and light with some heartfelt moments and an underlying level of angst that’s only touched upon. Please keep in mind that Drew has struggled with the rockstar lifestyle in the past, including drug addiction, but that the topic is only touched upon in small moments. With such an accelerated timeline, this doesn’t have the depth that you’d get from some of Van Dyken’s other books, but it reads very quickly and will definitely make you smile. I feel like I probably SHOULD rate this as 4 stars because of the level of instalove, but… I enjoyed it way too much for that. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC via Valentine PR (then purchased it for my collection), and am voluntarily leaving a review of this rockstar romance.
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken comes the next standalone rockstar romance in her Seaside Pictures series…
I had his posters on my wall when I was sixteen and when I accidentally got pregnant in high school—his was the face I dreamt of when I closed my eyes at night.
Now, over twenty years later, that dream’s turned into a reality.
Not only is Drew Amhurst in my tiny town of Seaside, live and in the flesh…
But he’s mentoring my rockstar son.
Drew says he’s mine for a week.
And he made me three promises.
“No strings attached.”
“No falling in love.”
“It’s only seven days.”
He’s confident that he can help me rediscover myself both in and out of the bedroom, and I’m confident that he’s too arrogant for his own good.
And at the end of seven days, he swears he’ll walk out of my life the way he came into it.
The only problem is, the more I get to know him, the more I want to surrender the last pieces of my heart and beg him to stay.
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2CqziNS
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/SurrenderSPRVD
Apple Books: https://apple.co/3cWe0oI
Nook: https://bit.ly/3bZyfRb
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3eeIin2
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2WWnFWV
Excerpt:
He rested his chin on my head as his arms slid around the front of mine, and then he slowly turned me toward the shoreline. The sun had painted the sky in streaks of purples, pinks and oranges as it slid toward the ocean. I’d never paid much attention to sunsets, but the combination of brilliant color in the sky above and intoxicating male behind was showing me what I’d been missing. His body was hot against mine.
“Thought you might want a minute after digging so hard.”
With the sun setting, it should have been growing cooler, right? But here I was, my entire body on fire. “Are you mocking my hyperfocus?” I asked, unable to keep the wobble out of my voice.
Pressed against my back, his chest rumbled with a laugh. “No, actually, you just looked so damn cute and were concentrating so hard that I felt guilty for staring at your ass and decided, rather than staring, I was going to do something about it.”
I frowned. “And what did you do?”
“I’m doing it now,” he rasped, his lips next to my left ear. “I’m holding you and watching the sunset.”
Stiffening, I swallowed hard. “Oh.”
“Don’t get tense.” He continued his assault on my senses as his lips roamed down my neck. “I just want you to enjoy yourself. No pressure. I’m not going to suddenly strip you naked against the sand and propose, all right?”
Though my emotions still churned, I exhaled.
“Plus, I mean, I left the ring at home so—”
I drove my elbow back, connecting with his stomach. He let out a grunt and then laughed again.
His teasing made me smile, but it was his warmth that had me feeling safe, as if maybe, just maybe, I could let loose a little bit and simply enjoy the wind on my face, the way his body wrapped around mine protectively — something I’d never once in my life experienced, not even when I had been married. Maybe I could enjoy the laughter around me and not constantly wonder where it all had gone wrong in my life, how I’d been brought to this moment in time — almost forty, with kids nearly grown — wishing I could have at least once experienced the sort of romantic love people wrote songs about, fought for, maybe even died for.
The sun finally disappeared below the horizon, blanketing us in dusk, and the temperature immediately dropped a few degrees.
I didn’t want to move, but I knew we needed to build a fire, so I reluctantly started pulling away only to have Drew keep me locked in place. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t finished watching.”
Huh? Confusion clouded my mind, and I shifted to get a look at him, but he held me in place. “But… the sun set already…”
“You think I was watching the sun the whole time? How adorably wrong.” His nose trailed down my neck up and down, and then his teeth nipped my ear, causing shivers to erupt all over my skin. “I was watching you watch it, and I’ve never seen anything so awe-inspiring as a gorgeous woman watching the sunset for what seems like the first time.”
About Rachel:
Rachel Van Dyken is the #1 New York Times Bestselling, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over 90 books ranging from contemporary romance to paranormal. With over four million copies sold, she’s been featured in Forbes, US Weekly, and USA Today. Her books have been translated in more than 15 countries. She was one of the first romance authors to have a Kindle in Motion book through Amazon publishing and continues to strive to be on the cutting edge of the reader experience. She keeps her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, adorable son, naked cat, and two dogs. For more information about her books and upcoming events, visit www.RachelVanDykenauthor.com.
Connect with Rachel:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelVanDyken
Website: http://rachelvandykenauthor.com
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/RVDNewsletter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachvd
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachVD
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/rachelvandyken/
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2cNVwL9
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/RVDGR
Bookbub: http://bit.ly/RVDBookbub
Rachel’s Rockin’ Readers: http://bit.ly/RachelsRockinReaders
Jeeves Reads Romance 