Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Tour and Review: Play Your Heart Out - Crystal Kaswell


Play Your Heart Out by Crystal Kaswell
(Sinful Serenade #4)
Publication date: May 24th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

He parties like a rockstar.
She's there to make sure no one finds out...

Jess James has her eye on the prize. She is finding the money to pay for law school. Period. She is starting a new life on her own. Period. And she's absolutely staying in Los Angeles, three thousand miles away from the people who expect her to lie for them. It doesn't matter how lonely she gets on her own, how exhausted she is from working overtime as a cocktail waitress, or how deep the knife wound in her back cuts. She is going to be a lawyer, whatever it takes.

Only she doesn't have what it takes. She can barely afford to pay her rent.

Sinful Serenade bassist Pete Steele has enough to pay Jess's rent and buy her a small island in the Caribbean. The famous, talented rock star has everything... except the one thing his manager wants. Pete rose to fame as a devoted boyfriend. Doesn't matter that his ex slept with his best friend, he needs to stop screwing his way through Los Angeles to keep his reputation clean. Pete works hard, and parties harder... and the sweet, blond waitress is exactly the girl he needs on his arm if he wants to keep the record company happy.

Their arrangement is simple: he pays her tuition, she plays his girlfriend. They'll lie to the world, but not to each other. Especially not when they're alone, in his bed, him figuring out exactly which buttons to push to get her moaning his name.

Jess is good at keeping up appearances. She can play the enigmatic rock star's girlfriend. But Pete shouldn't play games with a girl who's been broken before...


Purchase book 3: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CRD1XFS

Review
4 stars

Everyone is happy and honest and real. I'm still a liar.

I have heard a lot about the men of Sinful Serenade, but hadn't yet read the books yet, so when the opportunity came to read Play Your Heart Out I couldn't pass it up. Let's just say I was definitely not disappointed. I wish I had read the entire series first though, even though they are can technically be read as standalones. Just take my word for it, you'll want to read about all the men of Sinful Serenade.

Told from the POV of Jess, Play Your Heart Out follows her making an agreement with Pete Steele that goes against all her rules for herself, but could help her in the long run. With a heavy past behind her, Jess is determined, mature, and very in tune with herself. She's the kind of main character I really enjoy, because inner monologues can make or break a story and hers makes it. She was incredibly insightful, pays attention to the little things, and recognizes faults in herself. Then there's Pete, swoon! He's definitely brooding, definitely hot, and definitely impossible to not develop feelings for. He breaks all your first impressions of him and that kept me all the more interested. As the plot develops and the two spend more time together it is easy to place yourself in Jess' mind and get caught up in all that Pete is. There was also a lot more to the book that just a basic rich guy, poor girl, play my girlfriend story line. The development is executed so well. Crystal Kaswell provides rich detail and extensive history for both characters, as well as for the supporting characters we meet through out the book. While it seems like there is a lot going on, Kaswell successfully combines the various story lines and wraps them up with nothing hanging by the end.

But I want him to know me, to know where I hurt. And I want to know him. I want to know every single place he hurts. If he'll ever reveal them to me.

 I definitely wish I had read the previous three books prior to picking up Play Your Heart Out, for me it didn't real like a standalone though it is billed as one. The characters from the previous three books play quite an important role in the book and though Kaswell introduces them like they're fresh new characters it is easy to tell you are missing their histories in the band and a bit like you've spoiled the previous three books for yourself. I love myself a good band series though, so I am going back and starting at book one right now. My heart will probably stay stuck on Pete though, the guy is it for me!

His moans blur together. It really is beautiful music. Much better than anything I've heard on the radio.

 Play Your Heart Out was a fantastic pretend to be my girlfriend type of novel, I love the development from start to finish and how much each character grew. I really felt like this was a well rounded novel that told a perfect, cute, and sexy love story that you won't want to miss.


AUTHOR BIO:

Crystal Kaswell writes steamy new adult and erotic romance books. She loves when flawed characters fall head over heels for each other. Especially if they fall into bed first. She loves police procedurals, tea, and The Hunger Games series. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband.


Author links:




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2 comments

  1. Great review, Carlene! This sounds like a great series and very character driven, too, which is right up my alley!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sounds like a great read, hope I'll have a chance to read it soon!

    ReplyDelete

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