Series: Rock Kiss #3 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: October 6th 2015
Purchase: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
From New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh comes the next contemporary romance in the Rock Kiss series…
Kit Devigny could have loved rock guitarist Noah St. John. Their friendship burned with the promise of intense passion and searing tenderness…until the night Noah deliberately shattered her heart.
Noah knows he destroyed something precious the night he chose to betray Kit, but he’d rather she hate him than learn his darkest secret. All he has left is his music. It’s his saving grace, but it doesn’t silence the voices that keep him up at night. Chasing oblivion through endless one-night-stands, he earns a few hours’ sleep and his bad boy reputation.
When a media error sees Noah and Kit dubbed the new “it” couple, Kit discovers her chance at the role of a lifetime hinges on riding the media wave. Wanting–needing–to give Kit this, even if he can’t give her everything, Noah agrees to play the adoring boyfriend. Only the illusion is suddenly too real, too painful, too beautiful…and it may be too late for the redemption of Noah St. John.
I struggled a bit with Rock Redemption. I had high hopes for Noah and Kit’s story, after getting to know a little about them in the previous Rock Kiss books, but their story played out differently than I expected. I adore Nalini Singh and love her writing, but I have to admit that the actual romance in this book disappointed me. Not to say I didn’t like the book, because I enjoyed it overall, but I just wanted more.
He adored her, and because he did, he would never touch her. The instant he did, he’d ruin her, ruin everything. He didn’t want their relationship tainted by sex–if they even had any kind of a relationship.
Rock star Noah St. John and actress Kit Devigny were close friends, and almost became something more, until Noah did something awful and broke Kit’s trust and heart. Because of his painful past, Noah doesn’t believe he’s capable of being in love, so he hurts Kit to keep her at arms length and away from himself and the demons of his past. I wouldn’t say that what he did was unforgivable, because they weren’t even together, but I did want to know why he did what he did, and I certainly wanted to know how he was going to make up for the hurt. What I didn’t expect was for Noah to earn his forgiveness by repairing his and Kit’s friendship. A romantic relationship is not in the cards for them until much later, which I was disappointed with. I mean, they’re both so IN LOVE with each other, I just couldn’t understand Noah’s need for friendship only.
“Be with me,” he whispered, knowing it was the most selfish thing he’d ever asked of anyone in his entire life. “Be with me.”
Kit froze against him, a flesh and blood statue.
“I can’t be what you need,” he whispered against the side of her head. “But be with me anyway.”
To help Kit and her blooming acting career, Noah and Kit pretend to be a couple, but being around each other 24/7 only further entangles their emotions for one another. The romance is slow, but when they finally, FINALLY try to make it work, there are a ton of obstacles in the way of their relationship. With trust issues, a heartbreaking past, even a stalker, Kit and Noah have to work and fight for their love and coveted HEA.
God, she loved him.
There, she’d said it, even if it was only in her head. She loved him. Damaged and beautiful and talented, he was the only man she’d ever loved, no matter if he’d stomped on her heart.
Nalini Singh’s writing is flawless as usual. It was certainly the best part about this book – the gorgeous writing was mainly what kept me reading. Rock Redemption was actually quite easy to read – even though the romance was slow, I never really wanted to put this book down. What also kept me reading were the other members of Schoolboy Choir! I loved that we get to see Fox and Molly, David and Thea, and even Abe and his ex-wife Sarah. I’ve noticed that Nalini Singh does an incredible job of setting up the next couple for each book in this series, and even though Noah and Kit’s didn’t quite pan out the way I expected, I still have high hopes for Abe and Sarah’s.
I love Nalini Singh, but this latest book in the Rock Kiss series didn’t impress me very much. I liked it, but I didn’t really FEEL the connection between the main characters. And when I finally got excited about the romance, there just wasn’t enough of it to fully satisfy me by the end. But still, if you’re a fan of the series, you might end up loving this book. Nalini Singh has a wonderful talent at writing and storytelling, so even as I struggled with Rock Redemption, I could still appreciate how well-written it was.
Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.
Reading Order: Rock Kiss series
#1 ~ Rock Addiction: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#1.5 ~ Rock Courtship: My Review • Ebook • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Rock Hard: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Rock Redemption: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#4 ~ Rock Wedding: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (July 19, 2016)
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