Play by Kylie Scott Book Review

Play by Kylie Scott Book ReviewPlay by Kylie Scott
Series: Stage Dive #2
Published by St. Martin's Griffin on March 25th 2014
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Erotica, New Adult, Romantic Comedy, Contemporary, Coming of Age
Pages: 304
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
four-stars
four-flames
Also by this author: Lick, Lead, Deep, Dirty

Kylie Scott returns with the highly anticipated follow-up to international bestseller Lick.Mal Ericson, drummer for the world famous rock band Stage Dive, needs to clean up his image fast-at least for a little while. Having a good girl on his arm should do the job just fine. Mal doesn't plan on this temporary fix becoming permanent, but he didn't count on finding the one right girl. Anne Rollins never thought she'd ever meet the rock god who plastered her teenage bedroom walls-especially not under these circumstances. Anne has money problems. Big ones. But being paid to play the pretend girlfriend to a wild life-of-the-party drummer couldn't end well. No matter how hot he is. Or could it?

The Stage Dive series includes four books about the four members of the rock band Stage Dive. In Lick, we met guitarist David, and the girl he wed in Vegas, Ev. In the second book, Play, we follow the love misadventures of bookstore employee/Stage Dive superfan Anne and her teen crush, drummer Mal. I read this spicy book over spring break and it is total escapist fun, perfect for New Adult fans of rockstar romance.

Play by Play:

What’s on the set list – This series centers on the rock band Stage Dive. They are wildly successful in their careers but have never been monogamous types. In each book, one of the guys meets a regular girl/ fan that makes them want to settle down.

Drummer Boy – Malcolm (Mal) Ericson is the drummer of Stage Dive, and the comic relief from the first book, Lick. He is over the top, confident, funny, impulsive, and a big fan of the rock star lifestyle. Behind the facade there’s some drama that’s eating away at him though. The other members of Stage Dive worry that Mal is headed to rehab if something doesn’t change fast. Enter Anne…

A Bookish Girl – Anne Rollins is a responsible mother hen type. She’s the one everyone relies on, to the extreme. She needs to learn to let go and take care of herself instead of everyone else, and Mal calls her out on it and encourages her to set boundaries. Anne’s been obsessed with Stage Dive, and especially their drummer since she was a teen. Is she setting herself up for heartbreak with her teen obsession?

Love Drunk – Like in Lick, Anne and Mal have a drunk and impulsive first meeting. Not a wake up in Vegas married type of impulsive, but still life-changing. Mal needs a pretend girlfriend, and sees Anne as the perfect candidate. This arrangement works for Anne as well since she’s close to being kicked out of her apartment, and Mal wants to bail her out in exchange for her help. The two have instant chemistry- and Mal calls Anne “crazy eyes” for the looks she gives him and only him. (I can only think of Orange is the New Black when I hear “crazy eyes” so this term of endearment amused me to no end) Anne can read Mal like a book and sees that there’s more to him than meets the eye. Mal’s motto is, “Life’s a song, Anne, let’s play” so Anne gets to cut loose for a change.

I’m on the Guest List – Making appearances in Play are Lick power couple David and Ev.  Ev is friendly with Anne so it’s nice to see them interact and see Ev share advice about dating a rock star. We also get to see Jimmy, the lead singer, and his handler/babysitter Lena.  There’s also Anne’s boss, Reece, a man-whore type she had eyes for (and who Mal doesn’t like one bit.) Also appearing are Anne’s younger sister (who perhaps will take a leading role in a future book?) and Anne and Ev’s friend Lauren.

Hello from Portland – This book is set in Portland. I have never been there, but it seems like the Australian author Scott did her homework and got the pulse of the city.

The Rock Show – Find all of Kylie Scott’s book playlists on her website here. Check out the Play playlist on Spotify:

The Lyrics – Kylie Scott’s writing is engaging and this is a book I didn’t want to stop reading, but at the same time wanted it to last. Mal’s story is probably going to be the lightest and funniest of the four-book series, and Scott delivers a likeable pairing in Anne and Mal with just the right blend of humor, drama, and romance.

Tour Dates – The next installment is called Lead, and it’s Jimmy and Lena’s story. Jimmy is the tortured lead singer type- pretty much the opposite of life of the party Mal. Look for Lead July 29th.

I received a review copy of Play from St. Martin’s Griffin via Netgalley, and no bribes of Stage Dive backstage passes, dogs named Killer, or love songs written by David Ferris were exchanged.

Ornament

One thought on “Play by Kylie Scott Book Review

  1. […] will probably work as a standalone book, but I recommend reading them in order: Lick | Play | […]

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