Review - Rock Redemption by Nalini Singh

Title: Rock Redemption

Series: Rock Kiss #3

Author: Nalini Singh

Release Date: October 6, 2015

Kit Devigny could have loved rock guitarist Noah St. John. Their friendship burned with the promise of intense passion and searing tenderness…until the night Noah deliberately shattered her heart.

Noah knows he destroyed something precious the night he chose to betray Kit, but he’d rather she hate him than learn his darkest secret. All he has left is his music. It’s his saving grace, but it doesn’t silence the voices that keep him up at night. Chasing oblivion through endless one-night-stands, he earns a few hours’ sleep and his bad boy reputation.

When a media error sees Noah and Kit dubbed the new “it” couple, Kit discovers her chance at the role of a lifetime hinges on riding the media wave. Wanting—needing—to give Kit this, even if he can’t give her everything, Noah agrees to play the adoring boyfriend. Only the illusion is suddenly too real, too painful, too beautiful…and it may be too late for the redemption of Noah St. John.

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This story…ah, this story. I have been waiting for Kit and Noah’s story since Rock Addiction and yet, despite my strong, overwhelming desire to read it, I let Rock Redemption sit on my Kindle for days before I dared open it. I knew going in that it would be harder, more angst-filled than the other Rock Kiss books—than Nalini Singh’s other books, so many of which I have read and loved—and I was a little bit terrified that my heart wouldn’t survive it. It did…but it was a close call at times. 

Noah St. John may be a world famous rock star, but that doesn’t make him any less broken. He’ll never be the type of man that deserves a woman like Kit Devigny, his beautiful, talented and kind best friend—the woman he intentionally destroyed. 

Kit’s heart knows that Noah could have been the one, until his selfish act ruined everything before it truly began. But now Noah is back in her life, and Kit—and her heart—aren’t sure they can handle it. Especially not when the tabloids turn their fledgling new friendship into so much more.

With Kit’s career on the line, will a fake relationship give Noah the chance to redeem himself to the only woman he’s ever cared about, or simply destroy Kit’s already fragile heart? 

This book is most easily described as a roller coaster. Of epic proportions. I was high and low, I was happy and sad, I felt a deep, physical ache in my chest as Noah and Kit attempted to navigate this minefield of a relationship, I practically swooned as Noah attempted to prove himself worth the fight. I don’t particularly love angst but I do love Ms. Singh, and her words, her gentle but strong way of making Noah’s prickly, sometimes selfish behavior acceptable, made this book an off-the-charts success for me. 

Noah is a bastard. Selfish, blind and sometimes, it could be argued, just plain cruel. He makes no bones about how he needs Kit, seemingly never considering how that need affects and damages her. And still, I couldn’t blame him, I couldn’t hate him. I could feel his desperation, his anguish, his shame in and at himself. It hurt my heart. 

Kit, however, is the opposite. She’s kind, wide-open and loving. Some may say she’s allowing Noah to victimize her, but I prefer to see it as a strong, bright soul caring for someone she loves, deeply. I adored this woman—as I do so many of Ms. Singh’s female characters. Even in danger of having her heart and soul crushed (and, potentially, more), Kit still never gives up. She’s a fighter. How can you not love that?

Rock Redemption felt different from the start. From the makes-your-stomach-drop prologue—which, for those of us that have read book one in this series, is no surprise—to the soaring ending, it had all the hallmarks of this author’s work, but with a darker mood; a shattering undertone that made you want to wreak havoc on whomever it was that broke Noah almost beyond repair. It wasn’t difficult to see the direction that this book was headed in—there are only so many life-changing events that can tear apart a young boy—and yet, Rock Redemption never once felt stale or played-out. It was heart-breaking, cringe-worthy, and filled to the brim with borderline deplorable behavior, but still so addictive, that putting it down was never an option. 

I can’t wait for the continuation of this series. Abe's story gets more of a set-up here, after having been hinted at in previous Rock Kiss books; it’s shaping up to be another angst-ridden, potentially heart-breaking must read for me. And now I have successfully—and lovingly—survived Kit and Noah, I may just have the heart to read it the moment it hits my Kindle… 

~ Review by Beth

When love heals…

Kit Devigny and Noah St. John could have been the darlings of the media world. Too bad it was a lie. Betrayed, Kit is still reeling from the deliberate pain Noah inflicted but also realizes that not having him in her life is even more painful. Damned if she does, damned if she doesn’t, she has to find a way to make things right between them, even if friendship is the most they will ever have. 

They both have demons but Noah’s are never far from the surface and ride him to the brink. Pulling back from that edge, and realizing what he needs to do to repair the friendship he had destroyed, he is willing to put everything on the line...

This author, whether writing paranormal or rock star romance, knows people. How they think, how they feel, and what motivates them, bad or good, to be whom they are. This group of rock stars and their loves are no exception with this third installment focusing on a damaged man and his need to do better, to be better, for the woman who has touched him like no other. 

Opening himself up to Kit is so painful to Noah you can almost feel the reluctance and despair in the telling. He is so lost—in the past, in the pain and in the shame he feels every minute of existence. His music being his solace, and his band his family, Kit is truly the one who makes his world. Kit feels that pain and knows how truly low Noah has been. She fears what could happen if she’s not somehow a part of his life and her compassion to give him another chance truly shows the true meaning of love. Of sacrifice for another.

Famous people who are not famous in their hearts, I love the down-to-earth-ness of all the Boys and the women in their life. An emotional story from start to finish, with twists and revelations galore, Noah and Kit have permanently etched their way into my heart and I can’t wait to make room for Abe and Sarah! 

~ Review by Diane

Nalini Singh is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of the Psy-Changeling, Guild Hunter, and Rock Kiss series. She lives in New Zealand but travels as much as possible (the travel bug bit hard from when she escaped working as a lawyer to run away and teach English in Japan). Nalini loves to write, loves to read, and thinks chocolate is a food group.

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Blog Tour - Rock Hard by Nalini Singh

Title: Rock Hard

Series: Rock Kiss #2

Author: Nalini Singh

Release Date: March 10, 2015 

In New York Times Bestselling author Nalini Singh’s newest contemporary romance, passion ignites between a gorgeous, sinfully sexy man who built himself up from nothing and a shy woman who has a terrible secret in her past…

Wealthy businessman Gabriel Bishop rules the boardroom with the same determination and ruthlessness that made him a rock star on the rugby field. He knows what he wants, and he’ll go after it no-holds-barred.

And what he wants is Charlotte Baird.

Charlotte knows she’s a mouse. Emotionally scarred and painfully shy, she just wants to do her job and remain as invisible as possible. But the new CEO—a brilliant, broad-shouldered T-Rex of a man who growls and storms through the office, leaving carnage in his wake—clearly has other plans. Plans that may be equal parts business and bedroom.

If Charlotte intends to survive this battle of wits and hearts, the mouse will have to learn to wrangle the T-Rex. Game on.

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Okay, I LOVE Nalini Singh -- her PNR Guild Hunter series popped my romance cherry, in actual fact -- and now, after finishing Rock Hard, I love her even more. T-Rex has...and I don't say this lightly...shot awfully close to the top of my list of favorite Singh men. He was, ugh, I can't. He's perfect. 

Charlotte Baird is hiding. Hiding a heartbreaking secret from everyone except her best friend, Molly; hiding in her overly-large, bland clothes, and most definitely trying to hide from her loud, brash and kind of terrifying new boss, Gabriel Bishop. 

But nothing can stop the former rugby star turned sought after CEO, Gabriel from noticing his little mouse of a PA. She's sexy in her brilliance, and all he wants is to get under her skin...and her clothes. 

It's going to be battle - Charlie-mouse vs. T-Rex - but if they can figure it out, they'll both come out on top. 

I couldn't wait to read this book. Could. Not. Wait. I started it as soon as I could, without *gasp* stopping in the middle of another book. That's not to say I wasn't tempted to do exactly that though... And it would have been worth the torment to my orderly mind if I had. 

I know not everyone loved Rock Addiction, the first book in this series, but I did. It was hot, it was sweet and it was an entertaining afternoon of reading. One of the things I loved most about it, though, were the little glimpses of T-Rex and Ms. Baird. I needed their book, because their chemistry spilled over even with only a few paragraphs devoted to them. So you can imagine that with an entire book about them, their chemistry went from noticeably hot to SCORCHING. 

I loved Gabriel's patience, his rock hardness balanced by his gentle desire to take care of his Ms. Baird. I loved that, because of flirty, banter-y foreplay, even a kiss was enough to make me pant. I loved that Charlotte, despite her fears and scars, fought back, fought for what she wanted, and I loved Molly's cameos, giving much-needed, spot-on best friend advice. In short, I LOVED this book. 

I want more, more, more of this series. The secondary characters from this book are just begging for books of their own, so aside from the two remaining boys from Rock Addiction and Rock Courtship's Schoolboy Choir, Abe and Noah, now I'm also going to need books for Gabe's brothers, Jake and Danny. And I don't want to wait for them. 5 stars plus one for every time I smiled, sighed and swooned...

~ Review by Beth

Charlotte arrived at work at seven thirty the next morning to find Gabriel Bishop’s office door open, but no carnivorous predator inside. A fresh suit was hanging on the back of his door, however, which meant he’d been in already.

Deciding to catch up on e-mails that had come in overnight from international suppliers as well as stores involved in a stock take, she was typing a reply when a sweaty Gabriel arrived fifteen minutes later. He was dressed in black running shorts and a faded University of Auckland T-shirt that was currently sticking to his body.

She’d known he was in shape, but now she realized none of it was an illusion created by his well-cut suits. Okay, she’d already known that, but seeing his muscled body in the flesh was a whole different ball game. He was built like a tank, hard and powerful.

Each of his thighs was thicker than both of hers put together, his biceps toned, his shoulders appearing even wider than usual. Everything about him was big. Civilized clothing didn’t make him look better, she realized—it toned down his intense masculinity. Out of his suits, with the ink on the upper part of his left arm exposed, as well as that on his opposing thigh and…

Her skin hot and lower body clenching, she just nodded in response to his “Good morning.”

Disappearing into his office, he returned with his suit pants and a fresh shirt slung over his arm, along with a sports bag. “Push the meeting with Sales to nine, will you, Ms. Baird? I need to talk to HR about something before then.”

“Yes, sir,” Charlotte said almost soundlessly, but he was already gone, heading toward the employee shower one floor down.

The thigh tattoo went all the way around, the design intricate.

Heart rate a rapid stutter, Charlotte got up after he disappeared and decided to go grab him a coffee. He’d bought her one yesterday after all. She was just being nice. “Oh, shut up, Charlotte,” she muttered once she was in the elevator, and slumped her face into an upraised hand.

The truth was she was running away. Only for a few minutes, but that’s what this was: strategic retreat. Gabriel Bishop was overwhelming. Once, before she’d ever met him and under the influence of cocktails, she’d told Molly she wanted to rip off his shirt and sink her teeth into his pecs.

That desire hadn’t waned even now that she knew he was a T-Rex. Of course, the desire was all strictly in her imagination. The idea of actually handling him in real life? So impossible as to be laughable. Charlie-mouse was not about to play with a predator who could eat her alive and not even notice the bones. The good news was that she could admire him in relative safety—there was no chance in hell he’d ever notice her as a woman.

Getting the coffee from a nearby café, she took it back upstairs. He was in his office when she entered, the striped dark gray of his tie hanging around his neck and his damp hair roughly combed. The scent of clean, fresh soap over warm skin permeated the office. Shooting her a smile that turned him from gorgeous to flat-out devastating, he flipped up the collar of his white shirt to get the tie in place. “Thank you, Ms. Baird.”

Nodding, Charlotte escaped, though she really wanted to stay. She’d never realized how erotic it was to watch a man dress until this precise moment. And she shouldn’t be having these thoughts about her boss—especially since she couldn’t keep from quivering like a rabbit in his presence. Sometimes she just annoyed herself.

“Get to work,” she muttered and knuckled down.

Gabriel was fine for the first hour, but then he began barking orders even a six-armed woman with a split personality would have had trouble handling.

Finally, pushed to the edge, Charlotte snapped. “I’m going as fast as I can!” she yelled when he asked her for something a minute after he’d asked her to complete another task.

He scowled and held out a file. “This is a priority.”

Grabbing it from his hand, she said, “Fine,” and slapped it down on her desk.

It was over an hour later that he disappeared for ten minutes. When he returned, it was to put a small bakery box on her desk. “I think you need something to sweeten your mood today, Ms. Baird.”

What she needed was for the T-Rex who was her boss to stop snarling and growling, she thought as he returned to his office. Not opening the box until her curiosity had almost killed her, she found it held a slice of decadent chocolate cake with a white-chocolate ganache topped with curls of both white and milk chocolate. “I cannot be bribed with cake,” she muttered, eating a bite nonetheless.

NEW YORK TIMES AND USA Today bestselling author of the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series Nalini Singh usually writes about hot shapeshifters and dangerous angels. This time around, she decided to write about hot and wickedly tempting rock stars (and one gorgeous ex-rugby player). If you’re seeing a theme here, you’re not wrong.

Nalini lives and works in beautiful New Zealand, and is passionate about writing. If you’d like to explore her other books, you can find lots of excerpts on her website. Slave to Sensation is the first book in the Psy-Changeling series, while Angels’ Blood is the first book in the Guild Hunter series. Also, don't forget to swing by the site to check out the special behind-the-scenes page for the Rock Kiss series, complete with photos of many of the locations used in the books.

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