West of Mars\' Rocks \'n Reads

When author Melody Lane sent me her book, Rock Me, it came with a caveat. It seems she had gotten zinged in other reviews by critics who felt the main character, Jenny Page, was too innocent to be believable.

As someone who was once an innocent spending a lot of time around the Pittsburgh heavy metal scene, I can relate. I was there once. And so, to me, Jenny was just fine. I liked her innocence, even. It fit her age, it fit her character. After all, Jenny is a woman who never dared to believe her fantasies concerning rocker Ian McAllister could ever possibly come true. She thought she’d forever be that girl in the front row, watching, flirting, and dreaming. And she was fine with it.

She’s able to make her dreams come true when the object of her lust winds up in the very hospital — on the very floor — that Jenny works in. She’s a nurse and it turns out that our bad boy rocker has a nurse fetish. The fact that he finds Jenny horribly attractive only makes the situation more perfect for them both.

Chemistry flares. Jenny is a champ at trying to stay professional, and the scenes in the hospital where Jenny is fighting Ian and her own temptation are some of the best in the book. At times, they are laugh out loud funny — and that’s a compliment. By the time Jenny was done helping Ian in the shower, I was thoroughly charmed by this couple, this scenario, and this book.

Of course, there’s a but. There are two, actually. One is that some of the prose feels like it was written by what I’ve heard called a “young writer.” This means the writer is still finding her voice. The narrative and the dialogue seems stilted, like it’s there for information only; once the writer is more seasoned, this will go away. I do believe this; Melody Lane can imagine a great story. All she needs is more chances to do it and this rough spot will go away.

The other isn’t so easy to deal with. It’s the subplot featuring the roadie and the unbalanced fan who is out to get Ian. Having worked crew, I find it hard to believe this Bill guy would have been hired in the first place. And then to sabotage the band the way he does? That’s hard to swallow, and then when we find out he’s doing on behalf of this deranged fan…

Yeah. It strains credibility too much. Bill is too much of a creep. There’s nothing redeeming about him; he’s 100% jerk. You can’t even like hating him.

Again, I’d write this off to being a young writer. As Ms. Lane grows and writes and firms up some respectable chops, this sort of quibble will vanish. She’ll dream up better bad guys, better conflict scenarios.

You know I can’t mention an Ellora’s Cave book without talking about the sex. It’s not as hot as Lex Valentine’s Rock My World, but it wouldn’t be believeable if that was the case. Instead, the sex has an innocence and newness to it. Given Jenny’s young age and relative inexperience, and given that Ian is opening himself up for the first time to sex with emotion, it works. And yep, it’s enough to rev the engines quite nicely.

All in all, Rock Me was a fun read. This book is, pure and simple, utterly charming.

I’d have to call this one a West of Mars recommended read — with a caveat. It’s not perfect. But, it doesn’t really have to be.

It was a pleasant surprise to see Lex Valentine drop into my inbox. Lex and I had fallen out of touch, but she’s a special lady in my world. Her presence in my inbox is always welcome.

Best of all, this time, she came with presents! Well, okay, only one. But one is better than none, especially when that one is Lex’s first Ellora’s Cave Release, Rock My World.

Yep, Lex was kind enough to send me a copy. So I thought I’d return the favor by posting some reviews of the book. After all, the only thing an author likes better than having someone love their work is when that reader loves their work publically, so others can see and agree. (Or not. Such is the nature of opinion.)

First off, let me say that Lex is known for explicit, hot sex. If that’s not your thing, walk away now. Even if you, like me, love books about rockers, if you’re not into watching Gia and Sin have all sorts of sex in all sorts of positions, places, and involving toys and various body parts, this isn’t the book for you. Lex almost rivals my friend Colette Gale, who promises at least one orgasm every chapter.

So, yeah. Let me say up front that Lex can write a sex scene. I’ve known that about her from before her days as a published writer, so it’s nice to see others getting to experience her skills.

I hate to say it, but in her quest to bring us such great sex, she sacrifices some character development. And that’s my biggest (and only) quibble with Rock My World.

The story is about rocker Gia Santora. She’s at the top of her game, surrounded by body guards, and badly scarred by an event with a stalker. She’s also tired of the rock star one-night stand life. And did I mention she’s in lust with the frontman of her opening act, Sinclair Carstens? Sin’s young enough to have grown up with posters of Gia on his walls and more fantasies than a guy can remember. But the ones he does remember…

He gets to act them out, and then some, when Gia and he crash into each other in the wings. Their first meeting, as they’d been studiously avoiding each other, is properly rushed, but not so fast that the sparks can’t begin flying. These two have chemistry, all right. They’re also in a position where they’re willing and able to commit to each other.

I love this part of the story. These two are at opposite ends of the spectrum — Gia’s on top and has been there awhile. She gets this world she lives in. It’s jaded her a bit, but not so bad that she has to give it up. Nope. She’s a rocker, all right. It’s in her blood.

Sin, on the other hand, is a youngster — not just in age, but experience. Opening for Gia is his band’s big break. When Gia allows him into her rarefied air, he learns much.

Or, he should. This is where the shallow character development comes in. I’d have liked to see more of the impact on Sin. Through his relationship with Gia, he’s experiencing the difference between being an opening act and a headliner. He takes it in stride — but then, he seems to take everything but Gia in stride. She runs off, trying to protect him from her stalker? Okay, fine. He’ll roll with that, too.

It’s kind of frustrating. I want to see his passion for more than her. For his music. For the commitment he’s making to her. I want to see him struggle with how different their worlds are, how difficult the age barrier can be. He mentions Gia’s got a more mature body than she did when she was younger, but we don’t get to see him really process that too much. This was a missed opportunity for some real older-woman appreciation here. Let him lick a hipbone that’s not bony like a twenty-some chick’s hipbone would be. Let him realize how much better that is.

Gia, too, could have used more depth, especially where her stalker’s scars are so evident. This guy terrorized her; I’d have loved to see her be truly vulnerable. To struggle with her memories and her fears. We see a bit of her with her fear of flying, but I want more. I want to connect with her, understand her, empathize with her. I want to feel as though I can change places with her and be her for the length of this book.

Ahh, and there’s the problem. It’s not that Lex can’t develop a good, deep character who transcends the page and comes alive. I’ve read some of her unpublished stuff. I know darn well she can do this.

Rather, the issue is that an Ellora’s Cave book can only be so long. And when you’re busy packing all that delicious sex into it, something’s got to be sacrificed. It can’t be plot; if it is, we wind up in the areas where people talk in terms of soft-core and hard-core. So… it’s a bit of characterization that suffers.

Too bad, because this book could have been one of my top reads of the year. I wish it was, and not just because Lex is a friend. I like the concept.

Good news for me — and for you guys, too. Lex is working on a follow-up, featuring one of the characters from Rock My World, James the guitarist. I’ll be on the lookout for it. Once you read this one, I suspect you will be, too.