Ready To Rock

By Cara Connelly

Release Date: December 1, 2015

Buy: Amazon

Synopsis

His name is on everyone’s lips–sexy rock star Jack McCabe

Jack’s gritty New York City band is red hot, almost as hot as his fiery romance with college student Lil Marchone, the girl from his past, now the woman he loves.

The problem is, Lil’s controlling ex wants her back. Rich, powerful, and ruthless, he’ll stop at nothing–including murder–to get Jack out of her life.

But Jack’s a badass himself, always up for a fight. And with the stakes this high, he’ll risk everything for Lil, even his band. Even his life.

Excerpt

“Honey, you have to get help.” Mama’s tone was calm but urgent.

“Me? How?” I was frozen in place. I needed her to tell me what to do.

“Just open the door,” she said quietly, “and climb up to the road. Wave at the first car you see and tell them to call an ambulance.”

It sounded simple, but I was trapped in one of those dreams where you desperately want to run but your legs won’t move.

Then flames licked out from under the hood. Mama quit feigning calm. “Get out of the car!”

Galvanized, I yanked on the door handle. But the frame had bent. The door wouldn’t budge. “Mama, help me!”

“I can’t!” she shouted. And that’s when I noticed the dashboard sitting in her lap. Her legs were crushed, she was pinned to her seat. It was up to me to help her.

Unlocking my seatbelt, I leaned across to the other door. The car was tilted that way, so the door swung open when I touched the handle. But before I could bring my legs around, fire belched up from underneath. I leapt back, singed. Flames curled into the car. Mama was yelling. “Get out the back! Go! Go!” I yanked down the seat. The trunk was jammed with suitcases. I clawed at them. But Daddy had loaded the largest first, wedging it tight against the seat, braced by the smaller bags.

“I can’t,” I wailed. “I can’t move them!” And it was too late anyway. The flames were all around the car, the air inside so hot it seared my lungs. Reaching forward, I wrapped my arms around Mama’s neck; she clawed at my shoulders, trying to pull me between the seats, into her lap, to shield me with her body.

And then my door flew open, and a man thrust his shoulders right into that furnace. Mama saw him, and with all the strength she’d been using to pull me forward, she pushed me back toward him. “Take her! Take my daughter!” His arms locked around my waist and he hauled me backwards. Insanely, I clung to Mama, trying to bring her with me. She batted at my grasping hands. “Go with him!” And though I struggled at first, I had no choice. He was big and strong. He threw me over his shoulder and ran.

At the roadside, he set me down in the grass. The car was a fireball, the cottonwood jutting above it, burning like a torch against the dusky sky. “Mama!” I screamed, trying to get up.

The man pushed me down. Holding my face between his hands, he forced me to look into his eyes. “I’ll get them out, but you have to wait here. Promise me.” He seemed so steady and sure. I didn’t know what else to do, so I nodded. And without another word, he stood up and ran straight toward the car.

Tracey’s Review

The last person that Liliane Marchone expects to see in the middle of New York City is the guardian angel that saved her life years ago. But when she and Jack McCabe meet up again, neither one could have known that they were meeting their other half.

Jack is not your typical rock god. Drawn to sing as an artistic escape, he’d rather do a hard day’s work at his day job than go ‘big’ with his band, the Devils. He’s a very complex character, and it doesn’t take Lil long to see that there is much more to him than meets the eye. For her part, Lil has suffered a lot of loss in her life, so finding Jack, who understands what she’s been through, answers a need that she didn’t realize she had. They truly are like two halves of a whole, and it isn’t long before these two are everything to each other. But their growing relationship doesn’t please everyone, and the road to happiness is not without its detours.

I love it when a book becomes one of those happy surprises, giving me more than I was expecting. READY TO ROCK by author Cara Connelly is one of these reads. I went in expecting a hot rocker story, and it is, but it’s much more, as well. Cara has crafted a story around the hot relationship between Jack and Lil, and woven in intrigue, jealousy, and a healthy dose of political drama to round things out. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and raced through, because it was just that engrossing.

Creative plot line aside, the characters really make READY TO ROCK the read that it is. Family plays a big part in this book, and the supporting characters add so much to the story, especially Isabelle and Ty, and I really look forward to seeing more of them. 4.5 compelling, easy to read, totally sucked me in stars for this one. Add it to your TBR, and enjoy.

***ARC generously provided by the publisher for an honest review.***

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Cara Connelly is the author of the Save the Date series of contemporary romances published by Avon Romance. The latest book in the series, The Wedding Gift, was released in May 2015. Cara’s smart and sexy stories have won several awards, including the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart, the Valley Forge Romance Writers’ Sheila, and the Music City Romance Writers’ Melody of Love. A former attorney and law professor, she lives with her husband Billy in the woods of upstate New York.

Connect with Cara at: Website | Facebook | Twitter| GoodReads |