Book Review for Bedded Bliss by Cari Quinn & Taryn Elliott

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...

until someone ends up married.

Michael Shawcross is living the dream, opening up for his idols, Oblivion, on his band Warning Sign’s first tour. Until an overzealous fan goes too far and his hard-partying ways catch up to him in the form of an ultimatum from his manager, Lila Crandall.

Clean up your image—or else.

Single mom Chloe Adams is in Vegas for a rare girls’ night out. She wasn’t ever supposed to be attracted to another rockstar. In fact, she’s in rockstar rehab, and the cure for her addiction definitely isn't a sexy, smart-assed guitarist with wicked fingers.

She never expects to accidentally end up his wife. Or to have her new husband suddenly decide that she’s the solution to all his problems. And surprise…he’s happy to show his appreciation in a number of interesting, inventive ways.

Pretending their marriage is real might just be the hottest proposition she’s ever been given.

But what happens when a lie becomes the truth?

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As a reader obsessed with rockstar romances I was thrilled by this spin-off that again takes us into the gritty and sexy world of rock music and the struggle to find HEA under the weight of stereotypes and expectations.  After getting to know Michael Shawcross and his parental issues throughout the Lost in Oblivion series we see here a young man on edge, lost and alone, and slowly starting to self-destruct with alcohol and meaningless sexual encounters.  With his sexual excapades overshadowing his band's talent it's clear he needs to settle down, but a wild weekend in Vegas leads to a bigger lifestyle change than he ever thought possible.  It's a change though that he soon embraces wholeheartedly.  His new wife has always been in the background of his world but that weekend their connection became scorching with feelings that soon became addicting.  She might not want to be married but he was willing to do whatever it took to keep her and her son by his side.  Michael might've thought himself incapable of being a good husband and father but time and again he proved himself.  He was supportive of Chloe financially and emotionally, never taking away her independence, but always making sure she knew that he was serious about his commitment to her.  Their interactions were crackling with numerous sexual encounters that steamed up my glasses.  His interactions with baby Axl were charming and brought a smile to my face as Axl slowly morphed into a mini version of Michael.  As I don't normally care for children in romance books, it's a testament to how well the authors incorporated these sweet moments into the overall sexy narrative.  From start to finish Michael showed a greater sense of maturity than he started off with, embracing the feelings of closeness and stability that his marriage has brought him.  He proved himself loyal and honest and didn't judge Chloe for any of the choices she made which is why I was so frustrated by her at times.  He's everything you'd want in a husband, never scrimping on his time or money when it came to his new found family and deserved someone equally as committed.

Chloe Adams has been a part of the rockstar world since she was a teen.  Her relationship with a former member of the band Oblivion has left her leery of rockstars and doubting their ability to commit.  Her previous relationship with Snake, and all the ensuing paparazzi craziness, also has her wanting to stay out of the limelight.  Though she gets some financial help from Axl's godfather, Nick Crandall of Oblivion, she's still left struggling.  She works numerous jobs and spends all her free time with Axl which leaves her no time for herself.  A weekend in Vegas gave her the chance to finally pamper herself and the opportunity to act like a carefree woman.  A night of drinking and a glimpse of a hot rockstar on stage though leads to an erotic night and a morning full of regret.  Chloe might want to pretend her marriage never happened but Michael's hard to forget and even harder to ignore as he's always there when she needs him as her sudden notoriety upends her carefully constructed life and leaves her without a home or job.  Chloe's a strong-willed woman bruised by her past with a cheating and drug addicted rockstar.  It's left her very untrusting and unable to graciously accept help when it's offered.  Her dedication to Axl is admirable but in some ways she used him as an excuse not to commit or better her situation.  While Michael tried to prove himself at every turn she shut him down by ignoring his phone calls or throwing his past in his face.  He saw possibilities in their unorthodox wedding while she saw doubts and fears, along with a lot of scorching sex.  Throughout the story Chloe left me frustrated as she constantly pushed her obvious chance at HEA away which made her Grand Gesture at the end necessary and immensely satisfying.

With the Lost in Oblivion series ending I feared we'd never hear from those compelling characters again but this dynamic duo has crafted two other rockstar series that allows all the characters to interact and therefore are never to be forgotten.  With this first installment in the Found in Oblivion series readers are introduced to another engaging and colorful cast of musicians on the cusp of fame.  From the sporty and carefree Ryan to the dreamy lead singer Juliet, to the rest of the members Warning Sign, readers can expect lots of sexy and snarky fun ahead.  As Michael's dealing with issues surrounding his marriage he's also dealing with reuniting with his long lost brother Malachi.  Malachi's the exact opposite of Michael as he's covered in tats and is referred to as a Beast, not only for his size but his powerful drumming.  He wants no part of fame but his talent is desperately needed and it's an opportunity to bring the brothers back together after years of hurt courtesy of their nasty father.  I found myself drawn to Malachi with all his rough edges, and intrigued by the electric connection that flared for an instant between him and Elle from Warning Sign, and look forward to finding out more about him and their obvious sparks.  This story started out a bit slow and dragged a bit in the middle but overall I enjoyed the journey to HEA that Michael worked so hard to make happen.  While Chloe wasn't my favorite heroine I appreciated her strong will and ability to pick herself up and dust herself off.  They're an unlikely couple who brought something to the other that was missing.  Their interactions were sweet when they were in parent mode and intensely erotic once Axl went to bed with scenes nicely paced throughout the story.  This talented duo, who are one of my go-tos when it comes to rockstar romances, have crafted yet another decadently delightful series with characters that leave me wanting more set amidst a vividly depicted, highly sexualized, and exhilarating world.  With naughty thoughts of Malachi running through my head I'm counting down the days until the next installment in this series!

My rating for this is a B+

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