Title: Play
Author: Kylie Scott
Series: Stage Dive #2
Genre: New Adult, Rock Star Romance
Published: March 25th, 2014
Source: Digital audiobook downloaded from public library
Okay, I am now totally in love with this author. And to think it all started with a cheap/free e-book from back when I tried Kindle Unlimited for a month back in May. The first book, Lick, was good, and very entertaining and sexy, but I didn't LOVE the guy. This book though, I have probably an all-time book boyfriend. In fact, he is in a tie with Nate from Before Jamaica Lane by Samantha Young. He might even have surpassed in how much I love him more than Nate. Malcolm Ericson, or Mal for short, makes me laugh. In fact, as I recently began listening to the next book after Play, and he was a big part of the beginning of the story, I was smiling like an idiot and just in love with the book from that moment on, even though the guy in the next book is really not that lovable to start with. Each book in the Stage Dive series follows one of the guys in the band by the same name as the series. Mal is the drummer. Now, while I am usually interested in the blond guy in a group, they do describe Mal as having hair long enough to put in a pony tail, which I don't like. But the guy on the cover, well, look at him, yeah. Hair doesn't matter.
The main character, besides Mal, is Anne. The story is from her viewpoint, as all of them are I believe from the girl's viewpoint. She just came home to find out her roommate, who already owed her money for rent and bills, has left, taken all the furniture, and just left Anne with no roommate, and no money. Anne's best friend is a guy named Reece. He's a bit of a manwhore, and keeps Anne in the friend zone. Although Anne feels like some day, things will work out for the two of them to get together. The day that Anne loses her roommate, her neighbor, Lauren decides that Anne should go to the party that Lauren is going with her boyfriend to. It takes a bit to convince her, but Anne finally decides that since she is about to be broke and probably have to move to a smaller apartment, she may as well go enjoy a party. Now, the party is Lauren's old roommate, Ev, who we met in the first book, and is now married to David, the lead guitarist of the band Stage Dive.
Once there, Anne doesn't quite feel like she fits in at the party, and so she ends up out on the balcony of the condo apartment, talking on the phone to Reece. She spills the whole story out to Reece. What she doesn't know when she gets off the phone, is that also sitting on the balcony is one of the band members. In fact, it is her favorite member, the one that she had posters of on her wall as a teenager. He heard her conversation, and asks her about her situation, learns that she is out a roommate, and that it may cause her to have to move. He tells her that she is too nice, lets people get away with too much. He pushes her to the point that she yells at him, loud enough that the people inside the party hear her yelling at him. Very embarrassed she heads inside, and ends up sitting on a couch, waiting for Lauren and her boyfriend to be ready to go. Mal has since come in, and is now acting crazy. Dancing on tables with women, being the goofy guy that we come to know pretty well, and that I came to love. He's drunk now, and then out of nowhere he announces that he is moving in with Anne and that she is his girlfriend. All while he's still got this girl dancing all over him. One of the other band members, Ben, calls him on it, and the next thing we know, Mal is down professing his love to Anne, and pulling her off her chair so she ends up rolling on top of him on the floor.
At this point, Ev comes over and tells Mal not to start with her friends. So Anne is able to get away, shocked from her first experience with Mal. She goes into work the next day, and tells Reece about her exciting celebrity encounter from the night before. She ends up going home, only to find something strange, Mal is there. Inside her apartment, shirtless, with all kinds of new furniture. Turns out he has decided to move in to help her out. And in return, he asks her to pretend to be his girlfriend. He won't tell her why, just that he needs them to pretend. And it will only be pretend. There will be no sex, even though he tries to get her to commit to "touching time".
Now, this book takes place over only about a week or so. Their relationship, definitely grows, to the point where they decide they need to give it a try as a real relationship. But still, Mal is holding back, won't let Anne know what the issue is. Until we get to meet his parents, and then, the story gets a little sad, although his parents are so awesome! Anne's parents, not so much awesome. In the end, Mal won't give Anne what she thinks is important, even while wanting her to give him all of her. And it causes our big major conflict at the end.
I cannot tell you how many parts of this book make me laugh. The part when Mal's parents show up unannounced at Anne's apartment, and Mal has left the front door unlocked, so they come right in. Now, this is very awkward, because Mal and Anne just happen to be in the bathtub making out. Their first real time making out, Anne completely naked, while Mal is completely dressed because he just climbed in with her while she was taking a bath. Then at the end, there is a total fight scene reminiscent of the fountain fight scene in the second Bridget Jones's Diary movie between Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. At least reading/listening to it, made me feel that way.
God, I just adore Mal. Writing this review just makes me want to go re-read the book. In fact, I keep it sitting on my coffee table so that I can pick it up and open to any part in the book. This is probably going to be one of my all time favorite books. Mal can be so crass, again with the bathtub scene and the fact that Anne waxes. The first time he gives her oral sex, OMG! Funny, yet still sexy! Probably part of my love, is that some of his silliness reminds me of guys I used to hang out with. I'm pretty sure I could write my own whole book about Mal. But I'll stop now. Whether you read any other book in this series, this one, this one is my favorite.