As a reader addicted to rock star romances I've found Ms. Shaw's sweet and sexy heroes one of my vices which is why I'm excited to introduce others to this tale of friends to lovers. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of Havoc by Jamie Shaw and its heartwarming journey of two people meant to be together and the obstacles keeping them from HEA. You'll also get my impressions of this sentimental romance, along with getting to know more about the delicious drummer looking for true love, and can learn even more about this book by visiting the other sites hosting this tour. In honor of this fourth installment in the Mayhem series make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win the first three books in this series in digital format too!
MEET THE HERO—MIKE MADDEN
Readers fell in love with drummer Mike Madden from the very first book in this series, MAYHEM, when it became clear that he wasn’t like the rest of the guys in the band: Mike never took advantage of the fact that groupies were throwing themselves at his feet; instead, he was always waiting for “the one.” Mike had his heart broken back in high school, when his band was just starting to pave their way in the music industry, but that never damaged his belief in true love. He was never looking for a one-night stand—he was looking for his future wife, the woman he would spend the rest of his life with. He waited for her through RIOT, he waited for her through CHAOS, and he finally meets her in HAVOC, when he finds Hailey Harper waiting with her cousin outside of his tour bus.
The fact that her cousin is his ex-girlfriend—the same one who broke his heart in high school and now wants him back—complicates things... a lot. But no one ever said Happily Ever Afters came easy...
When Hailey Harper left her family farm to enroll in veterinary school, she had a plan: keep her head down, ace her classes, and most importantly... don't upset the uncle paying her tuition. Translation? Don't piss off his dramatic, self-absorbed daughter, Danica, even if she's a nightmare to live with.
Falling in love with her cousin's rock star ex-boyfriend was definitely not part of the plan.
As the drummer of a now-famous rock band, Mike Madden could have any girl he wants. He's sweet, funny, romantic, talented--and the only guy that's ever made Hailey's heart do cartwheels in her chest. The more she gets to know him, the harder she falls, but Hailey knows they can never be more than friends… because Danica wants him back, and she'll fight dirty to win.
Mike is falling for Hailey too, but Danica's threats and his rock star life-music video shoots, international tours, obsessed fans-could tear them apart before they've even begun. Hailey isn't sure she's the one for him, but Mike's waited years for a girl like her… and he'll do anything to prove it.
EXCERPT:
At a door near the back corner of the room, my fun-loving cousin marches right up to the first security guard she sees, who also happens to be approximately five zillion times her size, with muscles made of stone and a face to match. “Who do I need to talk to to get backstage?"
At her bossy tone, Muscle-man lifts an eyebrow. “The Easter Bunny?"
“Excuse me?"
“No one’s allowed backstage.” The arms he crosses over his chest warn that he isn’t messing around.
“I’m with Mike,” Danica lies, and after studying her for a moment, Muscle-man laughs.
“Sure you are."
“I am!"
When Muscle-man just smiles at her like she’s a petulant child, Danica resorts to acting like one. She demands to see his boss and threatens to get him fired. When that doesn’t work, she resorts to curse words. And when those have no effect, all hell breaks loose.
She’s torpedoing her finger into his chest and shouting something about his inbred gene pool when I try to pull her away from him. But Danica is on a rampage, and all my efforts get me is a hard shove that nearly knocks me on my ass. At five-feet tall, one hundred and three pounds, I’m not exactly in a position to throw my weight around, and I don’t make a second attempt to try. I’m rubbing my tender collarbone when the security guy picks my assailant up off her feet, and I helplessly follow as he carries her outside.
After serving as an armrest for a sweaty gigantor inside the club, after obliterating my eardrums in front of the world’s biggest speakers, after getting knocked around like a bratty child’s toy all night, all I want is to take a hot shower and crawl into my own bed to sleep for a week straight. Instead, I stand on the sidewalk outside of Mayhem, frowning at the furious look on Danica’s face as she glares at the big metal door the security guard just shut behind him.
She came here for one thing, and I know she’s not leaving until she gets it.
“You didn’t have to push me,” I mutter, and her eyes flare.
“You should’ve had my back!"
“And done what? Bite his ankles?"
In her four-inch wedge boots, Danica towers above me. I stare way up at her, trying to remember the girl who played dolls with me up in my parents’ hay loft. But she’s lost somewhere behind fake lashes and fifteen years of getting everything she's wanted.
“You’ve been nothing but a bitch this whole time,” she snaps, and I sigh and pull my shirt away from my skin again, letting the cool night air dry the sweat beaded on my lower back. There’s no point in trying to defend myself. In Danica’s mind, she’s always simultaneously the victim and the hero, and as her non-rent-paying roommate, I’ve learned to just accept that.
I appreciate everything she’s done for me. I do. If she hadn’t been the little voice in her father’s ear, persuading him to fund my schooling and begging him to make some calls to get us enrolled, I’d be home mucking stalls, not following my dreams. Her dad pays all of my bills—my tuition, my insurance, my living expenses, all of them. And while I suspect that Danica’s sudden interest in my life wasn’t entirely genuine—she’d flunked out of college before, and I think her dad was only open to the idea of her going back if she was living off-campus with a responsible roommate, AKA her boring farm-girl cousin—I owe her. I owe her the roof over my head and the massive student loan debt I don’t have.
When her phone rings, she wastes no time dismissing me to answer it. “Katie?” she says. “Guess who just got kicked out of the fucking club. Yes! Because this asshole bouncer wouldn’t let me backstage.” She gives me a dirty look. “Just stood there doing nothing. I know! No, she didn’t even try. Getting a place with her was stupid."
An icy chill slithers up the back of my neck, and I chew the inside of my lip. Because of my uncle’s insistence that I focus all of my energy on school right now instead of also finding a part-time job, I have no income. My only “job” is not pissing off his daughter. And it’s a job that I’m learning I am very, very bad at.
With my mouth shut, I slink away before my mere presence can enrage Danica further, and when she asks where I’m going, I make up the lamest excuse ever. “To read this flyer over here.”
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MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
From the moment I saw Mike Madden in the first installment in this series I fell in love. Though his band's on the cusp of fame, he's still a down-to-earth guy with a heart of gold, waiting to find the woman meant for him. In this book he finds her, but it's a rocky road to get her to see it as self-doubts and distance get in the way.
Mike's always been drumming and as a young man he dreamed of seeing the world as drummer for a famous rock band. It wasn't the only dream he had back then as he fell for the head cheerleader only to have her dump him once he moved to go after his dream. She's back on the scene now though, with his band ready to start a world tour, focused on getting him back. It's clear though that her reasons for returning have nothing to do with love but her presence weighs heavily on the burgeoning relationship between Mike and the woman he's really meant to be with. Meeting Hailey changes his life irrevocably, it's simple and sunny as opposed to Danica's overbearing and highly critical nature. For too long he's lived in the past of Danica but being with Hailey gives him a glimpse of a future that's truly HEA if only he can convince Hailey of what she means to him. Mike's a truly delicious hero, the quintessential book boyfriend who charmed me from the first page to the last. His feelings might've been in turmoil once Danica returned but once he commits to Hailey it's clear he's devoted as each sweet and sexy deed he does and every sensual word he utters to her drenches me in warm fuzzies and leaves me drooling.
Hailey's a character I can easily relate to as she comes from a farm and a hard working family where money was tight. They're a loving family though and make due the best they can. Despite the loving connection with her family she's always felt second best but strove to become more far away from the farm. Getting to college though means selling her soul to her uncle, as he's paying her tuition, in exchange for keeping Danica in line. Being with Danica though becomes increasingly difficult as Danica's petty put-downs, vile words, and constant battering of her self-esteem wear her down and make it ever more difficult to reach her goal of becoming a veterinarian. Add in the fact that she's fallen for Mike and it's clear that she's being torn in two...torn between her love for Mike and her desire to be more than just an average country girl. With him professing his love to her at every turn, and her letting Danica tear her down every chance she gets, it's a rocky road to HEA that left me frustrated. Hailey's immensely likable but has VERY low self-esteem which disappointed me at times. She doesn't think she's good enough for him, not pretty enough, and not as picture perfect as Danica which has her making bad decisions and saying regretful things. She allows Danica to walk all over her and blackmail her for far too long which led to way too much angst that had me screaming once or twice. It's ultimately a long wait for her showdown with Danica but once it happens I was left cheering and renewed by the fact that the smart, nice girl won over the rich and pretty one.
This was a satisfying story for the most part though a bit drawn out. Danica's antics further drew this story out and had me cringing as she's truly nasty. She's a spoiled little rich girl who spouts venom and I dreaded every scene she was in and wish she'd gotten her comeuppance much sooner. Despite those negatives there was much to like in this sweet and sexy romance as Mike and Hailey evolved from friends to lovers over video games and heartfelt talks. Once they connected though steamy interludes resulted in scenes full of dirty talk and playfulness that had me blushing. Hailey's easy to relate to despite her flaws, which were self-induced, but once she found her backbone I couldn't have been prouder. The highlight of this story though was Mike...dreamy, sweet-natured, who says and does everything you want a boyfriend to say and with each turn of the page I too fell in love with him. This whole series has been entertaining, with each rocker a decadent delight, but with Mike taking center stage this series ends on a perfect note.
Mike's always been drumming and as a young man he dreamed of seeing the world as drummer for a famous rock band. It wasn't the only dream he had back then as he fell for the head cheerleader only to have her dump him once he moved to go after his dream. She's back on the scene now though, with his band ready to start a world tour, focused on getting him back. It's clear though that her reasons for returning have nothing to do with love but her presence weighs heavily on the burgeoning relationship between Mike and the woman he's really meant to be with. Meeting Hailey changes his life irrevocably, it's simple and sunny as opposed to Danica's overbearing and highly critical nature. For too long he's lived in the past of Danica but being with Hailey gives him a glimpse of a future that's truly HEA if only he can convince Hailey of what she means to him. Mike's a truly delicious hero, the quintessential book boyfriend who charmed me from the first page to the last. His feelings might've been in turmoil once Danica returned but once he commits to Hailey it's clear he's devoted as each sweet and sexy deed he does and every sensual word he utters to her drenches me in warm fuzzies and leaves me drooling.
Hailey's a character I can easily relate to as she comes from a farm and a hard working family where money was tight. They're a loving family though and make due the best they can. Despite the loving connection with her family she's always felt second best but strove to become more far away from the farm. Getting to college though means selling her soul to her uncle, as he's paying her tuition, in exchange for keeping Danica in line. Being with Danica though becomes increasingly difficult as Danica's petty put-downs, vile words, and constant battering of her self-esteem wear her down and make it ever more difficult to reach her goal of becoming a veterinarian. Add in the fact that she's fallen for Mike and it's clear that she's being torn in two...torn between her love for Mike and her desire to be more than just an average country girl. With him professing his love to her at every turn, and her letting Danica tear her down every chance she gets, it's a rocky road to HEA that left me frustrated. Hailey's immensely likable but has VERY low self-esteem which disappointed me at times. She doesn't think she's good enough for him, not pretty enough, and not as picture perfect as Danica which has her making bad decisions and saying regretful things. She allows Danica to walk all over her and blackmail her for far too long which led to way too much angst that had me screaming once or twice. It's ultimately a long wait for her showdown with Danica but once it happens I was left cheering and renewed by the fact that the smart, nice girl won over the rich and pretty one.
This was a satisfying story for the most part though a bit drawn out. Danica's antics further drew this story out and had me cringing as she's truly nasty. She's a spoiled little rich girl who spouts venom and I dreaded every scene she was in and wish she'd gotten her comeuppance much sooner. Despite those negatives there was much to like in this sweet and sexy romance as Mike and Hailey evolved from friends to lovers over video games and heartfelt talks. Once they connected though steamy interludes resulted in scenes full of dirty talk and playfulness that had me blushing. Hailey's easy to relate to despite her flaws, which were self-induced, but once she found her backbone I couldn't have been prouder. The highlight of this story though was Mike...dreamy, sweet-natured, who says and does everything you want a boyfriend to say and with each turn of the page I too fell in love with him. This whole series has been entertaining, with each rocker a decadent delight, but with Mike taking center stage this series ends on a perfect note.
My rating for this is an A-
*I got this book from Edelweiss for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
AUTHOR INFO:
A resident of South Central Pennsylvania, JAMIE SHAW's two biggest dreams in life were to be a published author and to be a mom. Now, she's living both of those dreams and loving every minute of it. When she's not spending time with her husband and their young son, she's writing novels with relatable heroines and swoon-worthy leading men. With her MS in Professional Writing and a passion for all things romance, her goal is always to make readers laugh, cry, squirm, curse, and swoon their pants off, all within the span of a single story. She loves interacting with readers, and she always aims to add new names to their book boyfriend lists.
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