RELEASE DAY REVIEW: Rock

Rock, by JA Huss
Publish Date: March 7, 2016
Publisher: self-published
Format: ARC, provided by the author
Genre: adult romantic suspense
To Buy: Amazon

Rating: 5 STARS

(Synopsis) My American Dream just shattered and they think I did it on purpose. They have sentenced me to hell by sending me back to the last place I want to be. They have people watching me twenty-four-seven. They want the truth about how my band mates died, and they’re going to get it, no matter what.

No matter how hard I fight. No matter how many times I deny it. No matter what it takes, the truth is going to catch up with me.

I am Rowan Kyle Saber. I am RK. I am Rock. Ex-lead-singer for Son of a Jack. Ex-addict, ex-friend, ex-boyfriend, ex-brother… and presently in denial.

Welcome to Grand Lake, Colorado, where all my nightmares started. Welcome to the past. Welcome to the present. Welcome to RK’s fucked up life.

The only thing holding me together is her. But even that might be a lie.

Oh what a twisted web JA Huss weaves. Judging by the cover, you might think ROCK is one type of story. But, I promise you, the twisted road it takes will lead you someplace very different. And, that's the beauty of this book. Every chapter brings a new question and a new assumption of what's going on with our hero, Rowan Kyle, and I promise you will be surprised when you get to the end. 

It's rare that a book truly surprises me anymore. I can usually see the twist coming a long way off. I can usually predict who the bad guy is and how he did it before hitting the 50% mark. JA Huss has honed her skills of fictional deception, though, to a fine point. I swear, I didn't know who was who until RK did too, and that was freaking awesome. I loved that I was constantly guessing and wondering what was really going on. 

Rock was fast paced and exciting. There wasn't always action, but that didn't diminish the hum of excitement that stayed with me the whole way through. The excitement came in the form of the desire to figure out the mystery - the desire to see just a little bit of happiness in RK's life. 

You will see early on that RK has not had a good couple of years. Starting prom night, it's been one horrendous event after the other. RK is not happy. He's lost friends, family and loved ones. And, how his livelihood - his band - is gone as well. RK's life is falling apart, and now he has to go home and face the demons of his past too. I wanted nothing more than for something good to happen to this guy, because he totally deserves it after going through so much crap. 

But, with the picture that JA Huss paints, even when something good happens to RK, you wonder if it's real. So does he. And for good reason. It's very clear that things are not as they seem.

Despite the title and the cover art, there is not a ton of music in Rock. There's no band action. No concerts or the usual scenes you get in rock star books. That's because this is not your typical rock star book. The focus is more on RK's past, how it's affected his present and how his present is coming back to bite him in the ass. 

I can't give you many more details without giving away serious spoilers. The only details you need to know are these. 1.) Rock is a twisty, suspenseful ride that will keep you guessing every step of the way. 2.) There is a really incredible romance threaded through that will keep all you romantics very happy. 3.) The action is actiony and the sexy times are sexy. 

JA Huss is the mistress of the twistiness. There's always some moment in her books where things take a left turn, but in Rock, those moments come almost at the end of every chapter. You will root for RK to get to the bottom of things and to find that slice of happiness with the one person who can give it to him. And, when you finish, you will want to read it again right away with your newfound perspective on board.