"Crash Into Me has it all. Heartbreak, romance, sexy times, and those trying times that come with being part of a band." -- Guilty Pleasures Blog
"Crash into Me was an addictive read, one you could
easily burn through in an afternoon. This is part of a series, but Ryder
and Jamison’s story comes to a satisfying and sweet conclusion. I can’t
wait to get my hands on the next in the series, and I’m anxious to find out
which rocker it centers on."
- - Waves of Fiction Reviews
"As a rule, I have very little difficulty picking out which guy is gonna be my series favorite by the end of book one ... I'll admit, though, that I'm having a hard time picking my Shaken Dirty fella. Each of the boys is set to get their own story and I'm equally intrigued by all of them."
--Scandalicious Book Reviews
"What can I say about this book? Oh, my word, where do I start? I've read a lot of rock 'n' roll-themed books lately because, let's face it, rock gods are in right now. But let me tell you, this one just might be one of my favorites. From the characters to the storyline, this book had it all ... Loved this book." -- Examiner.com
Excerpt:
“Hey, what are
you thinking about?” Ryder paused the shopping cart by the bakery section,
studied her carefully.
She almost blew him off. But then
thought, what the hell? He’d asked, after all. “How much everything has changed
in the last few years.”
“Has it?”
Was he messing with her? “Don’t you
think so?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. Picked
up a couple loaves of French bread and placed them in the basket. “It feels
like we’ve been on tour forever. Now we just play bigger venues with more fans.”
“You’re the headliners now instead
of just the opening band.”
“I get to sing. Get to play my music
in front of people. Beyond that, the logistics don’t really matter.”
Oh, but they did. She gestured to
the cart. “There used to be a time you couldn’t walk into a grocery store and afford
whatever you wanted.”
“True.” He added an extra large pack
of cinnamon rolls and a peach pie. “But I don’t think fresh fruit and
vegetables are really that big of a splurge, are they?”
“What is it with you and peaches
today?” She put the peach pie back, then headed for the juice and candy aisle. “If
you want a pie, I’ll make one for you.”
He grinned. “I didn’t want to
assume.”
“I’m the cook. It’s pretty much my
job to make you whatever you want to eat.”
He scowled. “I wish you’d stop
calling yourself that.”
“What?” she asked, mystified.
“You’re not the cook!”
He stepped closer, reached for her. And
pulled her body into the shelter of his. “You’re Jamison! Just…Jamison.”
At first she forced herself to stay
rigid, to stop her muscles from their natural inclination to curve themselves
against him. But when he rested his chin on the top of her head and squeezed
her tight, Jamison couldn’t keep up the distance. Despite her very best intentions,
she found herself going soft against him.
“There you are,” he murmured,
stroking an errant curl behind her ear. “I missed you.”
“I’ve been right here.”
“No. I was an ass and I chased you
away. I promise, I won’t do that again.”
“You didn’t want me here. That’s
your choice. I understand.” She started to pull back.
His arms tightened around her. “No,
you don’t.” He reached over to the Jelly Belly display, snagged a bag of the root
beer jellybeans that had gotten her her nickname so many years ago. Handed them
to her with a grin that made her go all soft inside at the realization that he
remembered that day. She’d been fourteen, and completely jealous that Ryder had
planned a band trip out to the lake with a bunch of older girls and flat out
refused to take her along.
To
get him back, she’d filled the van with the only Jelly Belly flavor he truly
hated—root beer. It had cost her close to fifty dollars but had been totally
worth it to see his face as the brown beans poured out in all directions. Jared
told her it had taken them months to get the smell out of the van—which had
only made her victory sweeter.
“I
always want you around, Jelly Bean.”
“Then why—” She cut herself off
before she could ask the question that had haunted her since she’d stormed out
of his hotel room the morning before.
“Because I didn’t want anything to
change. You’re one of my best friends. I don’t want to lose that and I was
afraid if you came on tour with us I’d fuck everything up like I always do.”
At his words, she felt the last of
her anger melt away. Even though Ryder wasn’t offering her what she wanted—what
she’d always wanted when it came to him—he was giving her the biggest part of
himself he could. Rejecting it because it wasn’t enough would mean rejecting
him.
And that she couldn’t do, not when
she knew how much it took for him to open up even this much.
Not when she knew just how afraid he
was of messing up the few things in his life that he couldn’t help caring
about.
That she was one of those things… It
might not be enough, but in a lot of ways, it was more than she ever could have
hoped for.
Squeezing him just as tightly as he
had squeezed her, she dropped a kiss on Ryder’s heavily stubbled jaw. And
forced herself to let go—once and for all—of all the silly schoolgirl fantasies
she’d harbored for him through the years.
“Come on,” she told him, pulling gently
away when the pain of touching him became too much for her to handle. “First
one to find the pancake mix wins.”
“Wins what?” he demanded, eyes
narrowed in sudden interest.
“You’ll have to win to find out!” And
then she took off running toward the center of the store, the sound of his
laughter ringing out behind her.
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