4.5 stars
Frigid indeed. Gabriel
“Scottie” Scott, manager of the infamous rock band Kill John, is known for his controlling
nature and icy demeanor. In “Idol”,
book one of the VIP series, he did not give me the warm and fuzzy ‘oh so easy
to fall in love with’ feeling. Regardless, his detached persona totally fascinated
me. When “Managed” popped up on my
kindle, I could not wait to jump into this story to see firstly, if I could
warm up to his character and secondly, meet the heroine that would hopefully unravel
him. As it turned out, Scottie quickly won me over. A few pages in and one
bumpy airplane ride with the vivacious Sophie was all it took for Gabriel to
worm his way into my heart.
"You are my warmth."
“I wasn’t prepared to need you this much. I
don’t know who I am anymore if you aren’t with me.”
Gabriel was totally
swoon-worthy. Honestly, just the way he was described, I had all these
deliciously handsome visuals flooding my mind’s eye. Tall, dark, gorgeous ~ a
body of a Grecian god ~ looks of a runway model… Yeesh, Gabriel made my heart
flutter.
“You are beautiful, Gabriel.” His expression
shutters.
“It’s only veneer. Nothing of what I am on
the inside.”
He proved himself wrong. There
was a loving, beautiful man buried beneath that all that veneer.
Add to that goodness, Gabriel
had an air of mystery. On the surface he was refined, professional, calculating
and meticulous in all ways. Business being the priority, managing the band
consumed his life. But hidden underneath the façade lived a man filled with
secrets and fears. There were times his character was stripped bare to expose both
his anxieties and his fierce, almost savage side. I loved seeing him uninhibited
thanks to Sophie. Being his absolute opposite, she brought Gabriel to life. Through
her love, he opened up his heart to become a lovable and passionate hero that I completely
fell for. And despite his pretentious personality, Gabriel could be down right
funny, especially in his back and forth banter with Sophie and his band mates.
This scene in particular had me giggling out loud.
It
hits me like a fist to the gut: she has been, yet again, fucking with me…
…I
bite the inside of my cheek to keep from grinning. Leaning forward, I crowd her
space, ignoring the scent of lemon tart that floats around her.
She
tenses right up, her head jerking back, her body bolting straight. I love it.
“All
right,” I murmur low in her ear, as she shivers and wiggles to get away. “You
caught me. I do want oral satisfaction. Badly. Be a dear and take the edge off
for me?”
She
gasps, velvety skin going pale. “Are you kidding me?”
“We
already went over this.” I reach beneath my seatbelt to undo my actual belt.
“I’m in need, and it has to be you.”
“Whoa,
wait a minute, buddy.” Her hand presses against my chest and quickly flinches
back, as if the contact burns. Oddly, it was rather warm, and I still feel the
imprint of her hand through the layers of my clothes. I ignore that too and
give her an exaggerated brow wiggle…
…A
strangled sound leaves her. “You…nasty…I don’t believe this…”
“Oh,
come on, love. Give us a suck, eh? Just a little teasing lick of the tip?”
And when confessing his
feelings to the guys, Gabriel managed cracked me up…
I
glance around. The guys are giving me my privacy by watching the TV. But they
are here. For me. They’ll never leave me behind. My mates. My family.
“I
love you too,” I blurt out.
And instantly regret it. My face burns as they all turn my way with varying
degrees of shock in their expressions.
Rye gurgles on a laugh.
“Fuck,”
I mutter. “That’s not… You know what I mean. You’re my mates.”
“‘In
Whoville they say that the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day,’”
Killian drawls.
They
all laugh.
“Sod
off,” I growl, fighting a smile. But I won’t retreat anymore. Sophie was right;
it hurts both me and them when I do that. I look each of them in the eye. “I
mean it.”
Aside from what he believed
himself to be, Gabriel was beyond loving, truly sincere and down right sexy. He's the type of hero who could melt your heart as well as make you tingle.
“Hush
now and spread those lovely thighs wider like a good, chatty girl. I’ve
work to do here.”
Sophie Darling was riotous ~ a likeable
bold and sassy heroine that perfectly complimented the uppity Gabriel. Beyond
chatty and extremely blunt, she was a cyclonic force, leaving Gabriel no choice
but to yield and break all of his rules. From their whacky first encounter on
an airplane ride to London, to becoming part of the bands’ entourage, Sophie
made her way into our hero’s heart, forever changing him. Her lighthearted and whimsical
personality made this a super fun and sexy read.
I freaking adored everything
about this book – the steaminess, the laughs, Sophie’s silliness, Gabriel’s broody
sexiness, the bonds of friendship and the bands’ hijinks. It was an addictive low
angst read that I devoured in just one sitting and it reminded me of all
the reasons why I fell in love with this author’s writing style. Once again, Callihan
penned another trademark slow burning love story, taking the time to develop
her dynamic characters and their friends-to-lovers-opposites-attract
relationship, while weaving in tons of sexual tension. I liked the fact that
Gabriel and Sophie’s romance was unhurried. And once their sexual hunger was
finally unleashed... all I can say is WOW. Gabriel was off the charts scorching
HOT. As their fiery passion
ignited
, I fell deeper in love with this couple. Although “Managed” is book two in the VIP Series,
it can totally be read as a stand-alone. (But I highly recommend reading “Idol”. It too was a fantastic read).
Can’t wait for the next sexy Kill John rocker to fall in love!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book
|
|
|
|
