REVIEW: In the Band by Jean Haus

When family problems push Riley Middleton into giving up a percussion scholarship in another state and attending college from home, her friends push her to try out for a local rock band. Of course, Riley makes the band. She rules at the drums. 

Riley soon finds out rock bands have a different dynamic than marching bands, especially when each of her male band mates has a major ego and is a major player. Two of them relentlessly flirt with her. The other—a dark, sexy rock god she can’t help being attracted to— is a total jerk and pushes her to quit. She becomes determined to ignore his rudeness and his hotness. Even if she was interested in jerks, a hook up would probably get her booted out of the ego-ridden band, and playing keeps her sane. Behind the drums, the world and its troubles evaporate. 

If she wants to stay in the band, Riley needs to ignore the growing sparks between her and her band enemy. But as she gets to know the man behind the stage persona, ignoring him proves to be more difficult than flowing through a time sig shift.

*New Adult/Mature YA for language and sexual situations

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My Thoughts:

Note to self: When you start a book by Jean Haus, you need to be prepared for the fact that once you have started, you won't be able to put the book down until you have finished, so everything else in your life will become non existent. 

Whenever I open my emails and find an email from Jean asking me to review one of her books, I have this little buzz going on for days and the urge to push it to the very top of my review list is so strong simply because I love the style in which she writes and her books are always full of amazing characters!!

Riley Middleton is such a strong, self sacrificing person. Giving up her college percussion scholarship to stay at home to be the support that her mother and sister need. She has slowly become the cook, cleaner and caregiver. But drumming runs deep within her veins!! Eventually she is convinced by her friends Marcus and Chloe to try out for the spot of drummer in the band Luminescent Juliet. 

While the singer is eye candy, the guitar player is walking lust. Dark hair. Dark eyes. Muscled body in a tight, dark tank top. Everything’s dark about him except the small, silver hoops lining his ears. The girls waiting behind him practically pant.

In the band should have come with a warning... Contains one incredibly hot, inked, guitar playing rock god who you will swoon over, lust after and fall in love with!! Romeo is such a deep character and he is far from being the typical what you see is what you get rock star. I didn't think I could love him more but then he played the fiddle and had a love for Mumford & Sons, which happens to be my favourite band!! So from this point on, it's going to be pretty hard to top the perfection of Romeo in my eyes!!

But this is no love at first sight romance. Riley and Romeo can barely stand to be in the same room as each other and Romeo makes it his mission to get Riley to quit the band. But the attraction and sexual tension between the two of them is pretty hot!!

This book is not all happy romance, make out sessions, music and hot band members!! No, this book deals with some pretty tough issues. Between what Riley is dealing with on a daily basis and what Romeo has clawed his way back from... These are characters who have flaws. Characters who make mistakes and mess up. But they are characters who you will fall in love with!!! 

Reading a Jean Haus book is my happy place! In The Band is another amazingly well written book!! And as with everything else of Jean's that I've read I will be reading In The Band again and again!!! 

5 Fantastic, Amazing Stars!!!