Hey y'all! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Nicky Wells' Fallen for Rock. My stop includes all the pertinent details for the book, my review, my interview with Nicky, and a giveaway.
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Fallen for Rock by Nicky Wells
Release Date: June 30, 2014
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: I received an eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Synopsis
‘A thrilling and delicious story of love and self-discovery woven around a broken romance that will make you turn page after page and cheer to the end.’
Love, life, loyalties. Nothing stays the same when Emily gets drawn into the world of rock.
Glossy and sophisticated professional high-flyer Emily has no time for nonsense such as the rock music her ex-boyfriend Nate adored so much. Yet when she unexpectedly comes into possession of VIP
tickets—access all areas—for new rock band phenomenon, MonX, she can’t resist the temptation.
The fateful gig turns into more than one night, and Emily finds herself strangely drawn to this new and unfamiliar glittery world. However, only weeks later, MonX and her own universe fall apart with devastating consequences for all. When MonX lead singer Mike appeals for her help, she reluctantly embraces a new opportunity. But she soon discovers that while she may be a rock chick after all, a groupie she is not... Or is she?
Just exactly where do her loyalties lie? And what direction will her life take now that she’s left behind everything she treasured?
Warning! Fallen for Rock contains some explicit content and strong language that may not be suitable for readers under eighteen years of age.
Fallen for Rock was such an entertaining read. Watching as Emily grew and matured was fascinating. And having a front row seat to witnessing the birth of a band? Awesome!
Emily Trenden is a brilliant career woman. She makes difficult yet smart decisions daily in her job at an investment bank. She didn't, she now realizes, make a smart decision in dumping her boyfriend. And she's also realized her focus on her career has left her rather lonely.
Enter Mike Loud and MonX. Emily - or rather her ex, Nate - won tickets to see the phenomenal new band, MonX. There are only a couple of problems - no Nate and Emily has this little issue of not liking rock 'n roll. At all. She attends the concert in an effort to win back Nate, and ends up meeting Mike. Mike Loud is the lead singer of MonX. He's an incredible musician and a charming, kind man, as Emily soon learns. And that's not all he teaches her. The fallout surrounding events in both their lives causes Emily and Mike to enter into a partnership. It's this partnership and spending much time with Mike that helps Emily learn a lot about herself, about love, and about the value of friendship.
Although Nate isn't actually present for most of the book, Emily really pines for him. He's described as a nice buy but I couldn't help rooting for Mike as I got to know him much better.
The journey Emily embarks on towards love, friendship, and fulfillment was captivating. She learns what's truly important to her. She finds her called. And she finds love. Seeing her blossom into the completely different woman - one who used the skill set she'd honed in a unfulfilling career AND found she adored rock music - was compelling.
Fallen for Rock was fun. But it also touched on some deeper topics. Ms. Wells does an excellent job of creating engaging characters along with a charming story. I don't know that we'll see more from Fallen for Rock but I wouldn't complain about getting more of Mike. ;)
Hi Nicky! Can you tell readers a little bit about yourself?
HI Brandee! Thanks for inviting me on your lovely blog today. My name is Nicky Wells, and I’m addicted to rock stars. I can’t help it. I have an incurable ‘thing’ for rock musicians. They just ‘do it’ for me. Bad boys and golden voices, tough men with long hair and soft hearts.... *swoon* That’s why I write the books I do. Particular faves include Jon Bon Jovi and Joey Tempest. I’ve recently discovered Myles Kennedy too!
What do you do when you're not writing?
When I’m not lusting after rock stars or writing books about young women who lust after rock stars, I’m a wife, a mother of two boys, a lobster eater and pizza lover, a cook, a trained teaching assistant, an occasional knitter, and a radio presenter at Siren 107.3 FM. I’ve got my own show now, too, which is called Books Rock!, and airs at 11 am on every third Saturday. Just saying!
Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either while growing up or as an adult?
Where to start? I usually cite Enid Blyton at this point because she acquainted me with the delights of addictive serial reading. I remember picking up Famous Five books from the bookstore and the library from about Year 2 in primary school. I had to keep it a secret from the teacher because we had been told not to ‘work ahead’ in our official class reading book, but I’d finished the whole thing and got bored, so I started reading ‘proper’ books! I loved the feeling of getting immersed into someone else’s world, into adventures and excitement. Soon I branched out into reading children’s fantasy and sci-fi too and I read everything in my local library. So yes, I’d have to put the fault for my love for reading at Enid Blyton’s feet!
Why are readers going to love Fallen for Rock?
Fallen for Rock has something for (almost) everyone. It has romance and glamour, some hot scenes, and it is gritty and edgy in places and feels very real. I like to write books that are within the realm of the possible even though they feature illustrious, famous men. It’ll appeal to people who love their rock stars, but also to folks who’re not necessarily into rock but attracted to modern romantic fairy tales.
Fallen for Rock is a steamy, dreamy and realistic romance between a rock star and an ordinary mortal. At the same time, it’s a story of complete self transformation, carrying the message that your life can be whatever you want it to be. And last but not least, it’ll make you feel good when it’s finished, and that’s a promise!
Is anything in the book based on real life experiences or is it all purely imagination?
Fallen for Rock is purely a product of my imagination. However, that’s not to say that I didn’t do my research about the rock music industry and, more specifically for this book, about music publicity.
To the extent that my writing was informed by the research, it is based on real-life experience, if not necessarily my own.
Inevitably, the characters may have traits borrowed from real people I know or have observed, and they may experience one or few events that may or may not have happened to me. But nothing and no one is based on any one real life person or event. Rather, I take fragments of reality, re-cast them, repurpose them to suit my need, and mix them all together in a new combination.
Why rock 'n roll? What is it about music that makes you want to write about it?
I’ve already confessed to my ‘thing’ for rock musicians, so let me expand on that a little here. I am endlessly fascinated by the rock music industry. I love the rush of excitement that a rock gig brings, the power of the music to take you out of your everyday life.
Apart from experiencing rock gigs myself—in front of the stage mostly, but a few from behind the scenes—I’ve watched every rock movie—fictional or autobiographical—I could lay my hands on and read a stack of biographies to boot. The rock industry provides a fabulous setting for romantic novels, comedies and suspense thrillers alike, and it helps elevate the excitement of an ‘ordinary’ romance to another level altogether. The rock star injects an element of the fairy tale into the story—you know, the poor girl and the prince, today’s twenty-something single girl and the rock star, there’s a similar magic here. It’s a rich, fabulous and never-ending source of inspiration, and I have many more books up my sleeve yet.
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
That’s a tough question, and I had to go away and have a cup of tea to contemplate it because I enjoyed the entire story from start to finish—from Emily’s initial disdain to her conversion to the tour and everything that happens afterwards. But there’s one scene that sticks out, now that you’ve prompted me. I do remember giving Emily a series of high-fives when she’s out talent scouting with Mike, and she wraps the hot-shot manager around her little finger. I hadn’t actually planned that scene in great detail at all. She was just kind of going to meet him in passing, but Emily had other ideas, and I found her putting in an elaborate subterfuge to arouse Iron Dave’s interest, get him to approach her (as opposed to the other way round), and really ‘own’ the conversation. I didn’t know she had it in her, and I was ever so proud. This was a really, really fun scene to write.
**I really enjoyed watching Emily 'do her thing' in this scene as well!**
What project are you working on now?
Lol, just one? I’ve got three in the queue, and that’s just the ones that have reached the planning stage! But for now, here’s the blurb of my Christmas novella, which is fully written and due for release in October or November 2014. While it is a sequel to last year’s ‘Spirits of Christmas’, it is also very much designed to be read as a standalone.
Fairy Tale in New York
When rock star Jude gets stranded in New York with his family on Christmas Eve, he has no idea that he is setting in motion a chain of events that will turn their Christmas into the most magical one yet...
No good deed goes unpunished, or so it seems to Jude and Carrie on the morning of the twenty-fourth of December. The previous day, they gave up their return flights to London to enable a distressed passenger to make a swift journey home in their stead. Today a spectacular whiteout is grounding all planes, and Jude, Carrie and baby Maya are stuck.
Tired, hungry and just a little panicked, Jude loads his family into a cab and returns to their hotel. But their room has been let, and the hotel is fully booked. Snow is falling heavily, and the family is facing a very bleak night indeed.
How do you celebrate Christmas far from home, with no place to stay, no food, and no presents?
Join Jude, Carrie and Maya and a cast of colourful characters in this fairy tale story of Yuletide in New York.
Thanks again for inviting me to your blog today, Brandee, it’s such a pleasure to be here. I hope your readers enjoyed meeting me, and I’ll pop back again to answer any questions. Meanwhile... rock on!
To celebrate the launch of Fallen for Rock and to spread some joy, I’m giving away the following items:
One Large Signed Poster of “Fallen for Rock”
Three Sets of Signed “Fallen for Rock” Swag
(Postcards and Bookmarks)
Three Sets of Signed “Fallen for Rock SWAG SPECIAL” including 2 bookmarks, 2 postcards and 2 guitar picks
One Set of “The Complete Nicky Wells Swag” (signed): Bookmarks and postcards for Sophie's Turn, Five Sets of Signed Fallen for Rock Guitar Picks (two picks per set)
Sophie's Run, Sophie's Encore, Spirits of Christmas and
Fallen for Rock
One Amazon Gift Certificate for £5/$7 or equivalent
One Audio CD: Bon Jovi "Greatest Hits" (2010)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Nicky’s books offer glitzy, glamorous romance with rock stars—imagine Bridget Jones ROCKS Notting Hill! If you’ve ever had a crush on any kind of celebrity, you’ll connect with Nicky’s heroes and their leading ladies.
Nicky loves listening to rock music, dancing, and eating lobsters. When she’s not writing, she’s a wife, mother, occasional knitter, and regular contributor at Lincoln’s Siren 107.3 FM. Rock on!
Nicky’s books:
Join Nicky:
Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Romantic Novelists’ Association | Sapphire Star Publishing | Amazon | Goodreads | Pinterest
Did you know? There’s a single out now by Nicky’s fictional rock band Tuscq come to life! “Love Me Better” is available for download from Amazon, iTunes and many other places.
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