On the first day of school, Rowan is stunned when Adam saunters into her French class. He's soon failing miserably, and, on a whim, she offers to tutor him. But Adam doesn't recognize her as a makeup-free, glasses-clad college student—a far cry from the beautiful, mysterious "Peach" he met at his concert.
During a wild weekend on tour with the band, Rowan can't help falling for the sweet guy buried beneath Adam's rocker persona. Yet she knows she could never compete with the girls constantly throwing themselves at his feet. She'd just end up hurt … again.
Peach is all Adam thinks about, though, and when Rowan realizes this, she has a decision to make: stay just friends to protect her fragile heart … or reveal the truth about the night they met and admit she's fallen completely, hopelessly in love with him.
4 Star Review by Lisa Kane
Rowen Michaels is out on the town with her best friend Dee. Mayhem is the club to go to and the line to get in is out the door. When it looks like she spots a line jumper, she tells him that they aren't letting anyone in yet. He smirks and the guy at the door tells him he is late. When he goes in, Dee makes sure to tell her that the hot guy was Adam Everest, he's the lead singer of an up coming rock band. She feels like an idiot but shakes it off. Lots of guys hit on her, (Dee has her all glammed up and she looks fantastic) but she makes sure she tells them she has a boyfriend. Brady is out of town on business. They've been dating for 3 years, and just moved in together. His dad is a pastor and he wants them to wait until they're married to have sex. That isn't sitting well with Rowen...
While walking around the club waiting for the band to start, guess who Rowen spots making out with another chick? Yep, Brady the cheater! She gets so upset she runs out of the club crying. Adam comes out for a smoke, they talk and he takes her over to their tour bus for a drink. They laugh and joke and share a couple of passionate kisses and then it's time for him to go on stage.
"Peach! he suddenly yells. And even though he has no idea where I am in the crowd, my skin flushes a fiery shade of pink. "I want you to know that your boyfriend is a goddamed idiot. I can't wait to help you forget about him some more as soon as we're done with this set."
Adam wanted Rowen (Peach his nickname for her) to meet him after the show, but she grabs Dee and tells her about Brady. She goes back to her the apartment she shares with Brady, grabs her things and goes to stay at Dee's dorm. She's starting school and now has nowhere to live.
Turns out Adam is in her French class. He's constantly surrounded by girls all vying for his attention and he laps it up like a cat with cream. Rowen is so depressed she dresses a lot differently than she did at Mayhem that night. Adam gets in a jam, and Rowen steps in offering to tutor him. He doesn't recognize her and he persuades her to come on the road for a weekend with the band. They can study in between gigs.
The bulk of the story takes place that weekend. There are fights and kisses and jealous moments. How can someone as hot as Adam ever want someone like Rowen? Her insecurities sabotage things that could develop between them. And what about Brady? He wants another chance but can she trust him? Does she even want to?
Mayhem is good rocker read. It's told in Rowen's POV. There are a few instances where it reminded me of other stories about characters in similar situations, but it can hold it's own. I did find Adam's failure to recognizer her a little hard to believe. Glasses and no make up can't change someone's voice and mannerisms. It's only been a short while since he saw her at Mayhem. Adam was a player and there is a moment where he was going to go off with another girl even after Rowen and he were getting close (she kept insisting she wanted to be "just friends") and I wondered if he hadn't have gotten stopped would he have spent the night with the other girl...
All in all this is a light read, with a solid story. The next installment is about Dee (Rowen's best friend) and Joel (the hot Mohawk haired guitarist from the band) The last chapter is a bonus for readers as it's told in Adam's POV.
I want him because of his dreams and his goals and his sense of humor and his light. I want him because he made me promises even though he never makes promises, because of the way he looks at me like he looks at no one else. I want him because of the way I feel when I'm not. But all of those are really just one reason waiting to be said, and I'm not afraid to say it anymore, because I know he wants to hear it.
Excerpt:"When the door opens behind me, I sit up straight and hurriedly sniff in my tears as I wipe my shaking fingers across my slippery cheeks. I hear the flick of a lighter, and then someone sits down next to me on the stairs, puffing a cigarette. When I look over at him, I nearly choke.He gazes back at me, starting at my hot-pink heels and then raking his way up, and then he chuckles. “Are they letting people in yet?”Adam. He’s ditched the shades and cap, and now his dark brown hair is framing his gorgeous face, stretching almost to his chin. I look away quickly, hoping he can’t tell I’ve been crying.“Sorry about that,” I say. And I hear the hoarse sadness in my voice, but I couldn’t keep it out.When he reaches over and brushes my tangled hair away from my eyes, I tense.“Is everything okay?” he asks, and I half laugh. No, everything is not okay.“Everything’s fine.”“Then why have you been crying?”“No reason.”“You get all dolled up to sit outside of rock shows crying by yourself?”I lift my gaze to stare into his eyes, and something in them makes me believe he really cares. Or maybe that’s just what I want to see, but I suddenly need to tell someone. “My boyfriend’s in there.”“And?"“With another girl. I just caught him cheating.”Adam takes a deep puff of his cigarette, nodding as he sighs it back out. “Want me to fuck him up?”I laugh, and he smiles at me. “Would you?”“If you want me to.”“Why?”He shrugs. “Because I offered.”“Why’d you offer?”“Who knows why I do anything I do?” He stares at me while I wait for an answer. “I just do.”That’s a good enough explanation for me, so I look back to my knees again, letting out a shaky breath. I can’t believe I just laughed. At a time like this, Adam Everest made me laugh.“Anyway, your boyfriend is a dumbass,” he says out of nowhere.“How do you know?”His gray-green eyes wash over me. “Look at you.”I blush like hell, but I know he’s just trying to make me feel better. “You thought I was an idiot when you first saw me.”Adam chuckles and shakes his head. “I thought you were cute as a peach.” His lips hold the cigarette in his mouth as he stands up, holding a hand down to me. My heart stops; Adam Everest is offering me his hand. In faded denim jeans, all torn up at the knees, and a fit olive-green button-down rolled up to his elbows, he makes my heart race to a nonexistent finish line. “Come on, Peach.”I take his hand, and he lifts me to my feet, leading me away from the building. “Where are we going?”“To get you a drink. I think you need one.”“I’ve had a few,” I think out loud, slowing to a stop.Adam gazes over his shoulder at me, his eyebrow cocked when he asks, “Are you saying you don’t want another?”I take a moment to consider his question.Just a moment, and then I keep walking." --Jamie Shaw, MayhemAbout the Author:Born and raised in South Central Pennsylvania, JAMIE SHAW earned her M.S. in Professional Writing from Towson University before realizing that the creative side of writing was her calling. An incurable night owl, she spends late hours crafting novels with relatable heroines and swoon-worthy leading men. She's a loyal drinker of white mochas, a fierce defender of emo music, and a passionate enthusiast of all things romance. She loves interacting with readers and always aims to add new names to their book-boyfriend lists.
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