Sexy Lies and Rock & Roll, by Sawyer Bennett
Publish Date: November 14, 2016
Publisher: Big Dog Books, LLC
Format: e-ARC, provided by the author
Genre: adult contemporary romance
To Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Rating: 4 STARS
(Synopsis) When you’re a rock god, fame and fortune are your two best friends, but they can be fickle bitches. Everyone wants a piece of me and I have no clue how to deal with it all. I’m being sued, pressured to sign contracts, and fending off rabid women who want to steal my virtue.
Well, not that I really have any virtue, but still… my life has turned completely bat-shit crazy.
That’s why I need Emma Peterson. She got me out of a bit of a jam once, and I know she can do it again. The only problem is that sweet, prim and totally straight-laced Emma doesn’t want anything to do with me. Not professionally, and certainly not personally.
It’s not that I want her in that way. Let’s be realistic… it would take a crow bar of epic proportions to get her to spread those legs for me.
No, I only want her legal expertise and for her to make sense of my crazy world. It’s a good thing I have just the leverage to make her do my bidding, because her refusal is not an option.
Sawyer Bennett's books are always a sure thing for me. I know that, no matter what characters or plot she chooses, I'll get a dirty-talking alpha male, a heroine who can stand on her own two feet, and a completely fulfilling HEA. So far, Sawyer has given us books with hockey players, lawyers, writers, surfers and military vets, just to name a few. With Sexy Lies and Rock & Roll, she gives us a rock god to add to the list, and Evan Scott fulfilled all my dirty-talking alpha male needs.
We've seen this trope before - confident, sexy, rich guy takes an interest in the boring, introverted work-a-holic girl and vows to bring her out of her shell. Call it predictable, but man - it does it for me every single time. Evan is indeed all those things. He's the hottest new rock star out there, but he's also being plagued by some legal issues. One of his former band mates was recently murdered, and the others are suing him for royalties and copyright infringement. He needs a good lawyer, and Emma's spitfire of a boss (who we know from Sawyer Bennett's Friction series) taps her for the job.
This takes Emma WAY far out of her comfort zone, which is buried deep in legalese and contracts so thick, it would take a year to read every word. She's not comfortable handling murder raps, copyright law or hotness personified. She's definitely not good with the rock and roll scene of sex, drugs, noise and groupies. And yet, she's backed into a corner by both Evan and her boss, and is forced to see it all through in order to get a position that better suits her.
My favorite part about this book is how Evan pursued Emma. From the first time he met her, and they clashed, he was intrigued by her and wanted to know her better. But, he's a smart guy, and knew that she's not like the women he's used to. He had to give her a purpose to be with him, and slowly use his affections and attention to woo her. And wow - he is good at the wooing. He is patient and kind. But, not too patient and too kind - he pushes Emma when she needs it and doesn't back down. And when he turns that sexiness on her full blast and her panties melted off, I was right there with her.
Even wallflowers can fall victim to expert wooing. I was glad that Emma wasn't so uptight to not recognize her feelings for what they were. I was not, however, thrilled with her reaction to the main conflict in the book, at the dreaded 75-80% mark. I knew what was going to happen long before it did, and until that point, I had really liked Emma. But, her reaction was disappointing. I wanted her to be better than that. But, her reaction caused Evan to go back to the wooing, which is never a bad thing. And that satisfying HEA that I mentioned earlier? It's here in spades.
Sawyer Bennett will continue to be of one my one-click favorites if she keeps writing books like this. And I have every confidence that she will.
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