Title: Release Me
Author: Faith Gibson
Genre: M/M Romance
Release Date: April 30, 2016
Fifteen Years…
For fifteen years, Cade Anderson, drummer for the world-famous rock band 7’s Mistress, has been in love with his best friend, the band’s lead singer. Even though it’s been years since they were lovers, Cade still wants the man. When his best friend falls in love with someone else, life as Cade knows it is over. The band breaks up and Cade has to figure out how to move on.
Ten Years…
For ten years, Mal Wilson has hidden who he really is from the small-minded people of Arlo, Kentucky. The family farm is dwindling down to nothing, and the bar he owns is draining him dry. When it looks like he’s going to lose both, Mal has to figure out where to go from here.
Three Months…
For three months, Cade has been drinking and f*cking his way across the country, trying to forget about his former friend and lover. When he finds himself at a redneck joint in the middle of nowhere, he is drawn to the handsome roughneck tending bar. Something in the man stirs Cade for the first time in years.
One Night…
When Mal ends up in a hotel room with the handsome blond man who sat in his bar for hours, the man asks for one night together. When Mal wakes up, he knows that one night will never be enough, but it has to be.
Two men…
One musician, rich and famous, out and proud of his sexuality. One cowboy, poor as the dirt under his boots, hiding who he is from the world. It’ll never work. Or will it?
“Faith is an amazing author!!! This is not the first book I've read by this author and certainly will not be the last.” ~Ashley (Goodreads Review)
“I really loved this book! It was so much more than I ever dreamed it would be! I love opposites attract book and this one was perfect!!” ~Melissa at Alpha Book Club
The Neurotic Prophets were finishing up their encore, and it was almost time for Cade to take his seat. Never had he been more nervous playing a show than he was tonight. Mal had heard him play guitar and piano and knew how he sounded when he sang. But this was Cade in his element. Cade baring his soul to the world. Mal would probably never see this again, and Cade wanted it to be perfect.
Finally, the sets were swapped out, and it was time. Cade inserted his ear monitors and adjusted the box on the back of his jeans. The guys huddled as they did before every show and wrapped their arms around each other’s shoulders. No words were said; they allowed their combined adrenaline to seep into the person next to him. Reed released his arms first as always, and Cade walked over and took his place behind his massive drum kit. Mal was somewhere in the crowd. Since the floor was standing room general admission, he could be anywhere. Or nowhere. Cade cleared his mind of Mal, and set up the beat for the first song as the others made their way to the stage.
Time crawled, yet at the same time, it flew by. As the band stood on stage after their encore, Cade tossed sticks into the crowd. He didn’t try to find Mal or Bryan in the sea of bodies clambering for a souvenir. He waved at no one in particular and headed to the side of the stage. The men walked to their dressing rooms together with their body guards. Too many crazy fans were able to slip by unnoticed no matter how good security was. Before Cade stepped into the room Carl had secured for him to use privately, he told Reed, “You’re probably not going to see me at the after party.”
“No problem. We’ve all had those nights,” he responded and cupped Cade behind his head. “You do what you have to do.”
Carl opened the door for Cade, and he was immediately accosted by an excited Bryan. “Man, what a fucking show! You were phenomenal. And your drum solo? Oh my god! How do you play for that long without needing a break? Seriously, that was the shit!”
Cade couldn’t help but grin at his friend’s excitement. He considered both Bryan and Andy friends. They had kept in contact these last few weeks even if they wouldn’t elaborate on Mal’s well-being too much. Cade grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from his forehead and neck. “Practice, my man. Lots of practice and gym time. How are you?” Cade asked. He turned toward the sofa in search of the cooler he kept full of Gatorade for after the show. Mal was leaning against the far wall, his arms crossed over his chest.
Cade couldn’t move. Mal was even more handsome than he remembered. Seems like he wasn’t the only one who took extra care with his looks for this moment. Mal’s normally smooth face was scruffy, like he intentionally forgot to shave for a couple of days. His dark hair was cropped close on the sides but longer than it had been on top. His jeans gripped those slim hips snugly, and his Divining the Dark t-shirt stretched taut over his chest and biceps. Cade was pretty sure he was drooling. Mal was picture perfect and would put any cover model to shame. If he’d really wanted to be tormented, Cade would’ve asked him to turn around so he could get a good look at his ass. There was something about his cowboy in a pair of Wranglers.
When he raised his eyes to Mal’s face, the blue orbs staring back at him took him by surprise. This wasn’t a man who looked like he was going to break things off. Mal looked like he was ready to drop to his knees and blow Cade. He looked around to make sure Roarke was nowhere near, and it was then he noticed Bryan and Carl had left the room.
Mal found his voice first and said, “Hi.”
That one word just about knocked Cade to his knees. It was music to his soul. His soul that was soon to be crushed.
“Hi,” he croaked. Cade cleared his throat and tried again. “Hi, Mal. You look good.”
Mal pushed off the wall, and before Cade knew what was happening, Mal had his neck in a vice grip and was crashing their mouths together. Surprise had Cade gasping, and Mal took advantage of the opening to slide his tongue home. Home.
*copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review*
Cade is left heartbroken when his former bandmate and lover, Tag, meets the love of his life and goes off with him to raise his niece, therefore disbanding their band, 7's Mistress. Cade spends three months trying to drown his sorrows with alcohol and random hookups. While visiting Nashville for an audition, he ends up in a hole in the wall bar where he meets owner/bartender, Mal, who offers the too drunk to get himself home, Cade a place to stay for the night. They spend one night together, but will one night be enough?
I'll be honest, at first, it was very hard to connect with either character, but before the story was over I fell in absolute love with Cade. It was harder for me to warm up to Mal, then when I finally came to like him, he turned into a complete ass!! While the book is well written and most of it flowed well, the first few chapters were hard to get into. It felt too forced, and nothing happened naturally at the beginning. I didn't really start getting into the book until about 20-30%. After that, it moved much better.
I really enjoyed seeing Cade interact with his new bandmates. I actually loved most of the secondary characters in the story and would really love to read Andy and Bryan's story, so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that the author writes it. While I didn't care for Mal all that much, I have to say the book was off the charts, smoking hot, and filled with steamy sex!
All in all, this was an enjoyable read. Very recommendable.
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie in exchange for a fair and honest review. ***
Cade is having a hard time coming to terms with losing his old lover to another man, to having been an ass to them as he tried to break them off and on top of that losing his band when he comes across Mal, a handsome bartender/cowboy. After spending a night together, he realizes it might not be enough. When he notices that Mal is having some monetary troubles, he quickly sets things up to help him anonymously, knowing Mal would never accept his help.
I absolutely loved Cade! He was such a fantastic character. Yes, he might have been a jerk in the previous book, but he was aware he messed up and willing to make amends. I just loved how sweet he was to Mal and his family and how he wanted to protect them from everything. He might have gone about some things the wrong way, but his heart was definitely in the right place. My heart broke for Cade so much during the book and I just wanted to cuddle and protect him, which made me dislike Mal. I was ambivalent about him from the start, but after the 50% mark, I just wanted to slap him. I could understand where he was coming from, but really, when everyone was pointing out what was in front of him the whole time and he kept being so stubborn, I wished I could've strangled him. He sort of made up for it in the end, but I think the author made Cade suffer unnecessarily and yes, I might be biased because I loved him, but that's what I felt.
The book was a good read, it's well-written and the sex scenes were very hot. It has compelling characters and a very engaging storyline and really, it's not often that I feel this strongly about a character as I did with Cade, so kudos to Faith Gibson for making me fall for him.
Rating: 4 Stars!
Faith Gibson lives outside Nashville, Tennessee with the love of her life, and her two-legged best friends. She began writing in high school and over the years, penned many stories and poems. When her dreams continued to get crazier than the one before, she decided to keep a dream journal. Many of these night-time escapades have led to a line, a chapter, and even a complete story.
When asked what her purpose in life is, she will say to entertain the masses. Even if it’s one person at a time. When Faith isn’t hard at work on her next story, she can be found playing trivia while enjoying craft beer, reading, or riding her Harley.
HOSTED BY:
No comments:
Post a Comment