Synopsis
Layla…
…has had a hard life. On her own at a young age, always having to do what needed to be done just to survive. Now she has two other people depending on her and she needs a job fast before they get evicted. A job interview introduces her to Jesse Thornton, the delicious drummer for Demon’s Wings. He reminds her of all the mistakes of her past, but is also her hope for the future.
Jesse…
…has never let anyone in. The only real family he has ever had are his band brothers and Emmie—the only women he has ever loved. But then Layla comes into his life and he would do just about anything to get one taste. Can he move past his own insecurities and allow this woman into his heart?
Three Chicks interview Jessse and Layla
"Kris, you have the baby gift right? Please tell me you didn't forget the gift." Lisa asks in a panic. "Calm down Lisa, she has it. It is sitting in her lap. We are good." Jen states reassuringly.
"I can't believe we are here!" Jen says excitedly. "I really hope we get to see the nursery." Lisa says while locking the door. "I promise to be on my best behavior and I will try not to oogle to much." Lisa and Jen roll their eyes as Kristie smirks at them. Kristie knocks on the door and after a few seconds Jesse in all his gorgeousness answers the door. Surprisingly Kristie keeps her wits. Lisa offers her hand and says "Hello there! We are the Three Chicks. I am Lisa and these two are Kristie and Jen. Thank you so much for meeting with us today and inviting us into your home." Jesse walks us in. We enter the family room where Layla is sitting on the couch looking at a magazine. We walk over and introduce ourselves. "Congratulations on your babies. You must be so excited!" Jen says. "We brought a little something for you two and the babies." Kristie says while handing the gift over to Layla. We all get settled, Lisa clears her throat and asks "Ready to being?" Jesse and Layla nod in agreement....
Layla: Well, our due date is December 16th. Nope, we aren’t moving anytime soon. We have plenty of room since Lana has moved out. For a while we plan on having the twins in the same nursery and then when they are older they can have their own rooms if that is what they want.
Three Chicks: Layla, how surprised were you to find that your mom had Lucy, a sister you never knew anything about?
Layla: It might have been the surprise of my life up to that point. I should have kept in touch with Lana over the years, I’m sure there was a way to have kept our mother from finding out. I hate that she had to take care of Lucy on her own for so long.
Three Chicks: Layla, you certainly experienced some graphic dreams about Jesse when you first met him, did you ever feel that kind of connection for someone before and have you always had such an active nocturnal imagination ?(Kris giggles)
Layla: There have been dreams over the years, sure, but never anything like that! No one has ever had such an effect on me that I actually woke up like…that. But then no one has ever made me fall so hard so quickly.
Three Chicks: Layla, why do you think the man who fathered you is such an asshat? Jesse, do you ever have any contact with him anymore?
Layla: I’m not sure if it is just one thing that makes him an asshat. His inability to feel compassion for his own flesh and blood? His attraction to women who are babies in comparison to his age? Or the fact that he is an all-around prick?
Jesse: Tom nods his head if we see each other at same event, like the Grammys or a movie premier, but we don’t ever talk. He isn’t worth my time, and I would never hurt Layla by trying to be friends with him again.
Three Chicks: Jesse, why was it so important for you to adopt Lucy instead of just being Layla's husband and Lucy's brother-in-law (Jen says, Oh my gods!! That was the sweetest thing!)
Jesse: She’s so young and I wanted to give her what Layla, and yeah Emmie too, never had. A dependable father figure. Sure I could have done that by staying her brother-in-law, but I wanted more for Lucy. She deserves to have it all, and I won’t lie. The first time she called me dad…Yeah, that was a good day.
Three Chicks: Layla, we know that you and Emmie hit it off right away, but were you ever jealous of her relationship with Jesse?
Layla: Of course, for about a minute. But then I saw the full picture. There is a difference in the way Jesse and Nik look at Emmie. If you could see the look in each of their eyes when they do, you would know why I could never be jealous. Jesse looks at her with love, but Nik…There is so much more there. Love, devotion, sexual chemistry that will singe your eyes if you look too long. I guess it is a lot like the way Jesse looks at me.
Three Chicks: Jesse, we love how all of you have taken care of Emmie since she was a young girl, what was it like growing up with your father, trying to take care of yourself and a little girl as well?
Jesse: Until I was about thirteen it was a living hell. I never knew when he was going to start throwing his fists at me. But then I started hitting back and the old man left me alone. It was worse when I met Emmie and knew that the same thing was happening to her. It was easy to step in and take care of her because I never had anyone to do that for me. I worked hard to get her the things that she needed…But it was so hard to let her continue to stay in that trailer day in and day out when all I wanted to do was hold her and protect her.
Three Chicks: Jesse, when you first met Layla there was definitely a physical attraction but what was it about her that you fell in love with the most?
Jesse: I don’t know if it was any one thing. Maybe it was seeing her working her ass off to take such good care of her sisters. Or maybe it was seeing her with Emmie. The way she took care of the only person that had ever really meant anything to me…That really opened my heart.
Three Chicks: Layla, when you told Jesse about your mom and step father you said that your mother found you in bed together. Why didn't you tell Jessie the truth about that night? It seems as if you let him believe you were with your step father?
Layla: I wanted to see if he would actually think I had. I guess it was a test, to see if he would judge me for it. You know, if he would still feel the same way about me if he thought I was seducing older men at sixteen? I asked him once if he thought I had ever slept with the guy and he told me he had but only for a minute. He knew that I would never do anything that would have hurt Lana.
Three Chicks: What do you think about the closeness between Lana and Drake?
Layla: Well, I think it is great. Lana really soothes something in Drake, makes him a better person just by being around. Jesse has his own opinions on that, he is conflicted because of everything that has happened over the last few years, but I think he really likes to see his friend so at peace with Lana.
Jesse: *Shrugs shoulders*
Three Chicks: Jesse, would you say while growing up music was an escape for you and the other band members, considering the childhood you all had?
Jesse: Completely. Music was exactly that, an escape from all the crap that life kept throwing at us. It was maybe more of an escape for Drake than the rest of us, but for the few hours we were playing it was a release.
Three Chicks: Jesse, describe your life right now in one word
Jesse: Amazing
Three Chicks: Layla, same question
Layla: Perfect
Three Chicks: Layla, given your past, you have tried so hard to stay away from rockers. What makes Jesse different?
Layla: Well the first thing that was so different from the other rockers I have come across was how open he was about his need to protect Emmie and his love for her and his band brothers. Plus, he wasn’t into the whole drug scene that can come so easily for some of the rock world. If he had been I wouldn’t have given him a chance.
Three Chicks: Jesse, what are you looking forward to the most about fatherhood?
Jesse: Getting to watch them grow up. I want to see them take their first steps, pray that their first words will be ‘da-da’…But mostly I want that feeling I saw in Nik’s eyes when he was holding Mia the day she was born. I really can’t wait for that.
Three Chicks: Layla, you didn't really have the best role model when it comes your mother.. Are you nervous about becoming a mom? (Lisa smiles and says, "you are going to make the best mother, you have done so well with your sister.")
Layla: Thanks Lisa, I really appreciate that! As for being nervous, no I’m not too nervous. It feels like I’ve been a mother for over twenty years now, because I had to take care of Lana when she was born. I am a little anxious that there are going to be two tiny beings that need me at once, but I know that I will have Jesse right there to help me.
Three Chicks: You both didn't have the best parents, do you look at that as a blessing now that you are becoming parents yourselves? Kind of like a guide in How Not to Parent?
Jesse: *Grins* We probably could write a book on how not to parent. But it is a blessing and a curse at the same time. We know how NOT to do certain things, but we have no experience on how to do the important things.
Layla: *Squeezes Jesse’s hand* We can learn together, baby.
Three Chicks: Jesse, if you could have ONE do-over, what would it be and why? Layla: Same question?
Jesse: The night I found out about Tom being Layla’s father. I will always regret that night and want a do-over. I never should have taken her to that stupid party. Instead I should have just taken her somewhere private and romantic and told Layla how I saw our future together.
Layla: If I had the chance I would want to do-over the day Jesse asked me to marry him. I really ruined that and I would like to go back and let him follow through with all his plans to ask me.
Three Chicks: Layla, do you regret not seeing your mom before she died?
Layla: Yes, it’s something that I will always regret. Even though she wasn’t the best mom, she was still MY mom. I wish I had one more hour with her so that I could tell her “I love you” and ask her a few of the questions I always needed answers too…
Three Chicks: How much are the two of you loving your lives right now-considering you are in such a good place right now?
Layla: We are head-over-heels in love with our life right now. I don’t think it is even legal to be as happy as we are.
Jesse: If I could stop time right now, I would. It’s almost scary how happy we are right now. I don’t ever want this to end.
"You two are pretty amazing people. You have been through so much and have such a positive outlook on everything." Kristie says in awe. Layla offers to show us the nursery and we all jump up in excitement. Jesse shakes his head laughing. After the tour of their beautiful new home and their adorable nursery we say our goodbyes. "Congratulations again. You two are going to make fantastic parents." Jen says while giving Layla a hug goodbye. "Just remember to enjoy every minute, it goes by in the blink of an eye."Lisa states while hugging Jesse goodbye. They walk us to the door, more hugs are exchanged. Once outside Lisa looks over to Kristie and says " You did good today Kris." Kristie rolls her eyes as she opens the door to the car. Jen is cracking up." "They were super sweet and their babies are going to be freaking gorgeous," Kristie says while everyone gets their seat belts on. Lisa starts the car and we head on back to the hotel.
4 star review
Our 4 star review
Jesse plays drums for The Demon’s Wings rock group. He loves to party and he loves women. But most of all, he loves Emmie Jameson and his “brothers”; Nik, Shane and Drake from the band. That’s where his loyalty lies. These are the same characters we met in The Rocker That Holds Me. The Rocker That Savors Me is about Jesse and Layla Daniels and their struggles to be a couple. Layla was thrown out of her home by her drug addict mother who had a preference for bad boy rockers. Two years ago, she learned her mother died and left behind two other children; a seventeen year old Lana and a six year old, Lucy. Lana, she knew about and despite her efforts, her mother denied her access to visitation with her. Lucy, now she was a surprise. Naturally, there is a lack of baby daddies to take on the responsibility and Layla, by her own choice, makes some life altering changes and becomes their guardian.
Layla works for a housecleaning service, which is contracted to work for Emmie, now heavily pregnant with Nik Armstrong’s baby. Managing the band and their new home in Florida is too much for her. The two hit it off, Layla finds herself working directly for Emmie with a huge increase in pay, a guest house on the Demon’s property and health coverage for her and her sisters. Jesse takes one look at Layla and falls completely in lust with her. These two are like smoldering magnets. They dance around each other, give in to their mutual attraction and it’s game on! Jesse admits to himself that Layla is his other half, that she completes his life. Meanwhile, Drake, who is rarely seen without a bottle of Jack in his hand, chasing away the demons in his past, finds that Layla’s sister, Lana brings peace to his life. When he is with her, drinking is not his only escape. Unfortunately, he’s in his early thirties and she is about to turn 18. Shane is still doing his best to live up to his manwhore reputation. Nik and Emmie are nervous expectant parents, fighting about Emmie’s refusal to marry Nik.
There is some angst regarding Layla’s past that roars its ugly head and some health issues that plague Emmie. For the most part, this is an easy read, as delicious as the first book in the series. I am intrigued by the age difference between Drake and Lana and am anxious to see how Ms. Browning works around it. As far as Shane’s story, very little has been revealed, other than he gives players a bad name. Love this series; these characters are truly likeable and interesting.
Buy links
The Rocker That Holds Me - Barnes and Noble
The Rocker That Savors Me - Barnes and Noble
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Great giveaway....can't wait to start this series!
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