Book Spotlight on Jane's Surrender by V.F. Mason (Review)

As a reader who loves rock star romances I was drawn to the premise of this story and by its last page I felt like I'd been put through the wringer.  Keep reading to get a glimpse of Jane's Surrender by V.F. Mason, the second installment in the Hard World Tour series, along with my impressions of it.  Get my impressions of the previous book in this series here then add both of these titles to your bookshelf too!

Sometimes love is our greatest fear...

Jane

I never really believed that love could heal until my parents adopted me. They showered me with love and attention, and through them I met my three best friends.

Our mutual talents allowed us to create a band that became one of the most popular rock bands in our generations.

We had everything, yet my heart longed for one thing.

Love.

I dreamed about the Knight in shining armor who would come and sweep me off my feet.

One day, I finally met him.

Only to be crushed when he fell in love with my best friend.

I gave up on love, deciding that happily ever after wasn't for everyone.

Until Drake came into my life and made my head spin.

Drake

I always knew that I’d recognize the girl who is supposed to be mine from the first moment of meeting her.

Jane came into my life spontaneously, and we spend one amazing night filled with passion, laughter, and fun.

On the next day, she was gone.

My girl wanted nothing to do with me.

However, I was there to show her that no matter what a man never gives up on the woman he wants and some things are worth fighting for. 

********************

The ladies of the rock band Hard World thought that the drug addiction their lead singer was recovering from was the worst that would ever happen to them, but it soon becomes clear that it's just the opening salvo in an emotionally intense journey to their individual HEAs. In this second installment in the Hard World series the action picks up shortly after their lead singer's (Bella) recovery with the bombshell dropped by drummer Jane's acknowledgement of her Las Vegas quickie wedding that she's desperate to forget. With his unexpected connection to Bella's new man though, Jane's fiancee Drake isn't going anywhere as he sets out to woo her into a sensual haze that keeps her by his side. Readers soon become part of their steamy battle of wills that takes melodramatic twists and turns that results in big ramifications for the band's future.

Jane's always been considered "Plain Jane" by the media with her average looks and being buried behind a drum kit. She's heard it for so long that she's come to accept it, letting her bandmates be the center of attention. When it comes to the hot guy she met in Las Vegas a year ago though she's utterly perfect and no matter how hard she's tried to ignore him and push him away...he won't give her a divorce. From a childhood where she was abandoned by her birth mother to being shuffled from one foster family to the next Jane's been taught to doubt that true love exists, except in romance novels. Her heart never felt full until the day she met their band's manager, Jeremy, but her dream wasn't meant to be as he's fallen for her bandmate Sam despite his seemingly being the quintessential romance book hero. With her abandonment issues and fear of loss she's willing to live as friends with her dream man instead of embracing the love freely offered by Drake which leads to tons of frustration and angst. While she's happy to use his body to slake her increasing desires, as he was the first to introduce her to pleasure, she continually refuses to admit her growing attraction to him which made me want to smack her. Just when it seems that they're finally heading towards HEA disaster strikes and has her turning him away when they need each other most. In the previous book Jane seemed sweet yet quiet, a supportive friend who was a peacemaker amongst the girls. In this book though she's not as forgiving and a bit whiny. Drake's immensely supportive and Jane threw it in his face repeatedly which had me seeing her in a more negative light. When she chooses to prove her love though, she does it in grand style in front of everyone.

Drake seems opposite of Jane in many ways. He's someone who believes in romantic tales, as his parents are an example of it, so it has him embracing his immediate attraction to Jane and believing that their quickie marriage can become more. In many obvious and subtle ways he shows his love for her. From waiting months to see her again to supporting her through tragedy he unwaveringly stays by her side. Though she can't say those three little words he lets her get away with it and continues to treat her like a queen, praising her beauty and talent repeatedly while engaging in numerous scorching encounters. Even he reaches his breaking point though and at that point I applauded him as he was the one constantly fighting for their HEA with not much help from her. Drake's an amazing hero, overly forgiving and supportive, and there were times I wished Jane had been more worthy of his devotion. She needs him though, to heal from her past she needs his unwavering love and support, and it's for that reason that I was cheering them on every step of the way despite my frustrations.

This book started out a bit slow with lots of angst and an emotional tug of war between Drake and Jane. I enjoyed the seamlessly incorporated flashbacks to her childhood as they spoke volumes about her fears, doubts, and inability to love and be loved. Drake's attempts to woo Jane were full of sweetness and lots of erotic encounters and almost overtook their relationship's introspective moments, but Drake's charm kept me immersed in their burgeoning connection. The bond between the girls is put to the test in this book, a test full of tragedy and tears, and while it leaves them bruised they're not ALL broken. There's a bit of head-hopping in this book too to give us insight into the rest of the band, as well as Jeremy, and it shows a group of people who are hurting and who have hurt each other through all the heart-wrenching twists and turns that befall them. Late in the book a very melodramatic event occurs that leaves a marriage in jeopardy, a rocky relationship even rockier, and a guitarist with life-altering disabilities. Some of the fall-out from this event gets wrapped up here but some is left dangling to set-up future installments which has me counting down the days until we revisit these ladies of rock. On a whole I found myself frustrated at times with Jane's attitude but Drake's devotion is the epitome of a romance hero and I enjoyed their sweet and steamy moments. I enjoyed seeing the rest of the band too and am intrigued to see where fate takes them next as Ms. Mason has left them in precarious predicaments. There was a lot of emotional and character juggling in this tale and Ms. Mason handled it beautifully. Fans of rock star romances won't want to miss this series as things are getting steamier and more emotional with each installment!

My rating for this is a B-

*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.