Rock Chick Reckoning - Rock Chick #6 - Kristen Ashley
Sum up: (Goodreads)
Stella’s the lead singer and lead guitarist of The Blue Moon Gypsies and Stella used to be Mace’s girl. Mace broke up with her, though, and the loss of him rocked her world. But Stella gets a call, late at night (again) from one of the members of her crazy band. She has to go play clean up (again) and runs into Mace and a shed load of police, and ends up getting shot.
Mace finds he doesn’t like it much that his ex-girlfriend got shot right in front of him but it’s worse. A very bad man has thrown down the gauntlet and all the Rock Chicks are in the firing line. Stella doesn’t want Mace to be the one to keep her alive, but she has no choice. Mainly because Mace isn’t giving her one.
Some scenes contain sexual and violent contents that may offend sensibilities of readers.
Plot:
Stella Michelle is the lead singer and guitarist of the Blue Moon Gypsies. She is also one of the very first Rock Chicks. A year ago, she dated Kai "Mace" Mason for a few months before he broke up with her without giving any real explanation, leaving her heartbroken. Even though she misses him like crazy, she decides now that her music will be the only real fixture in her life.
One night, a friend of hers overdosed. When she arrives on the scene, she finds Luke and Mace. What looked like an overdose was actually an execution. Then all Hell breaks lose! Stella is getting shot at but she is not the only one. All the Rock Chicks have been targeted.
Sidney Carter - a man crazy enough - just declared war to the Hot Bunch. They all gathered at the Castle - Daisy and Marcus place - while they recover and so they can come up with a plan. Unfortunately, in the shooting, Stella got wounded.
The Hot Bunch decide then they have to give up. They refuse that their wives or girlfriends to be in danger. But the Rock Chicks do not want it that way. We witness here the first real argument between Rock Chicks and the Hot Bunch. But as always, the Rock Chicks know how to use wisely words and they decide it's time for war, no matter what.
Mace also decides that this is the perfect moment to get back with Stella. He may have broken up with her a year ago but he always considered her as his woman.
"You're under my skin," he shared.
But several problems are on their paths and it may not be that simple to get back together, especially not when they have such a critical situation.
Opinion:
Be prepared guys because this is a very intense and dark book. Probably the darkest of the series!
Kai "Mace" Mason is probably the darkest member of the whole Nightingale Investigations. In the previous books we knew that something bad happened that was related to his sister. In this book, we finally have the whole version and this is really, really, really bad! The poor lives a nightmare and he's the shadow of his own guilt.
The two characters have known what it is like to struggle with family problems. They both have demons and they are both stubborn. They make mistakes - sometimes very bad - but they always get back to each other by the end of the day.
"You're new to this so I'll tell you, been' tangled up with a Rock Chick means makin' certain sacrifices and livin' with your decisions. The time to make yours is now."
They are just perfect for each other. And this time, I felt like it took less time to wear her out about this I-am-moving-in situation :D
"I can't be the star in your sky when you're the only star left shining in mine."
Be prepared for some serious actions: war, snipers, shootings... Action non-stop. Even better than the previous books but this time, the Rock Chicks are not part of it because this is way too dangerous and out of their league. This time they have to rely on their husbands / boyfriends.
Just like always, Kristen Ashley's writing is amazing. It was a very intense book but the humour was still brilliantly used. Heavy scene, humorous scene. Emotional scene, humorous scene. She just knew how to perfectly place the scenes and how to use the dialogue.
"Make room for my shit in your closet."
I carefully pulled up my panties as I twisted to look at him.
"Not fine."
His eyes were warm, soft and smiling which made me feel warm, soft and smiley (luckily, I kept this on the inside).
Damn his fucking eyes.
"Make lotsa room, babe, even after this is over, I'm staying' awhile."
"Piss off," I number and turned back around.
I absolutely adored when Kristen Ashley used the POV. It is Stella and Mace story but we also had intervention from Indy, Jet, Hank, Eric, Roxie, Jules, Jane and Ava. I loved how she used it at different moments throughout the story. I would have loved the use of different POV at the beginning when all the Rock Chicks were getting shot at. That would have been marvelous.
I like how all the Rock Chicks have another soulmate in a way.
Jet:
"I had to soften him up because, for whatever reason, all the Rock Chicks had an alternate Hot Bunch guy. Indy's was Eddie. Roxie's was Vance. Jules's was Luke. Ava's was Lee.
Mine was Mace."
One character that has been a permanent fixture in this series but very discreet is taking more and more importance and I am impatient to know what Kristen Ashley will do with her.
And this epilogue... Damn! It almost brought me to tears. We get a glimpse of the Rock Chicks' future, five years later. And trust me, some things never change.
Excerpts:
Then a black man strolled in. He scanned the room and his eyes hit me. Then he looked at Shirleen and stated, "You owe me fifty bucks. I told you it would be the Hawaiian."
My eyes went to Ava.
"They had a bet to see which Hot Bunch would get picked off next by a Rock Chick," Ava explained.
Mace was there, onstage, right in front of me, right in front of five hundred people.
I stayed frozen as his hand wrapped around the neck of my guitar; he yanked it over my head and then jerked me forward so that my body slammed against his.
His free arm sliced at a slant around my back, crushing me to him. His head came down, his mouth finding mine and he kissed me, right there, right onstage, right in front of five hundred people, open-mouthed, hard, wet and full of everything.
Mace looked at me with still angry eyes and announced, "Time for your last set and, Stella, if theres one fuckin' song about death and guns, I'm gonna shoot you."
Lee walked toward the customer and his eyes skittered to Lee.
“Wow, I know you. Saw your picture in the paper. You scored the redhead and you own Nightingale Investigations,” the customer said, wide eyes on Lee and I couldn’t help it, I had to laugh a little because he was looking at Lee like he was an honest to goodness movie star. “Are you gonna, like, throw me out?” he asked Lee as if he wanted him to do it.
“No, you’re gonna walk out, like, right now.” Lee answered.
The customer’s mouth dropped open at Lee’s deep voice and threatening tone then he whispered, “Have you ever kil ed anyone?”
Lee leaned in threateningly. “Do you mean today?” At that, the customer took the hint, did another store swipe with his eyes then he took off.
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