Review - In The Band By: Jean Haus

Title: In the Band (Luminescent Juliet #1)
Author: Jean Haus
Publisher: 306 Pages (October 19th, 2012)
From: purchased on Amazon
Format: eBook
Add to: Goodreads
Order a copy online: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

NOTE: This is a "New Adult" novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 17+

Synopsis: 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 her family’s troubles evaporate.

If she wants to stay in the band, Riley just has 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.

Review: 4 Stars - In the Band by author Jean Haus is the first title in the Luminescent Juliet series which follows college freshman Riley through a rough year as she tries to take on a much larger adult roll to help take care of her younger sister after her parents’ divorce devastates her mother.

Haus does a wonderful job writing a young woman who has given up more than she’d like and it was all to benefit her family. While life is never perfect Riley is trying to deal with more than she can handle. Throughout the story we watch her struggle with life at home, classes and the band she’s joined that allows her to continue to do the one thing she loves most of all – drum.

The band – Luminescent Juliet is made up of three guys who are each so different from the other. Romeo, the lead guitarist is extremely driven by the music and the band means more to him due to his past and his relationship with his grandfather, his present because it’s a way for him to learn more about the business side of things and his future because he’d like to do something in the music industry after college. Justin who is driven but it’s be the female verity that he can conquer because of being the good looking and cocky lead singer of a band and Sam, the quiet bass player who I think will play a larger part in the series to come.

So when Riley joins the band the dynamics change tenfold which was like riding a rollercoaster!

Romeo has so much hidden behind his flirty façade. His one of those characters that has such depth that you feel like it’s never ending and makes him interesting and mysterious. You didn’t know what he’d do next or what his motivations were but the more you continue reading the more the reader understands why he is the way he is.

The relationship between Romeo and Riley was rocky yet had touches of sweet and steamy once they got past the walls each had built around themselves. Riley has two great friends and one – Marcus I just knew was going to cause a problem and I wasn’t wrong! WOW! I felt horrible for Riley that she had to deal with that on top of everything else! I just wish she would have leaned on her friends more. She kept so much in and hidden while everything just continued to pile on her more with every day….

In the end I was extremely entertained with the story, characters’ and the easy flow of the writing made the story one I was quickly absorbed in, which is always a huge plus for any book. Haus has some characters that’ll make the reader feel, fall and care for, characters that you’ll wish you knew in real life and characters that you’ll be pulling for from beginning to end. This was a great title in the “New Adult” category filled with music, romance and issues that people should be able to relate to. I do recommend this one, contemporary fans shouldn’t pass it by! Happy Reading.