Title: Kneel
Series: God of Rock #1
Author: Eden Butler
Genre: Erotic Rockstar Romance
Release: November 28, 2017
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36246129-kneel
Dash Justice wrote the songs everyone sings.
His face hangs on every girl’s wall. But Dash wasn’t always a rock God.
Once, he was just Jamie, the boy I loved.
But when my name, sung from his lips promises I was good for only one thing, all sweet thoughts of him die.
Now his excuses mean nothing. His promises are weak and I’m about to show the world that even rock Gods can be brought to their knees.
I always have to prepare myself when I’m about to read an Eden Butler romance because I know that my emotions are going to be all over the place due to the amount of angst that is usually infused into her storylines and the dumbass decisions that her hero and heroine make without truly thinking about the consequences of their actions.
And this is exactly what readers must process as they read the first book in Butler’s new God of Rock series because Iris and Jamie/Dash embrace the disdain and hatred they feel for one another when they come face to face after many years of zero communication. And, let me tell you, as much as they adored each other during their teen years is as much as they loathe one another now; even after all the time that has passed, the bitterness is still present…the anger is still active, and the need to make each other pay for their parts in what occurred all those years ago is always at the forefront of their minds, which means that any hope for a reconciliation or a cease fire will more than likely be short-lived because there’s just too much pain to process in such a short amount of time when they reconnect all those years later.
It’s amazing to witness Jamie/Dash’s transformation from awkward teen to infamous rock god. In the flashbacks, Jamie’s an ordinary guy who’s a bit squirrely but incredibly sweet and he sees Iris for who she is and what she brings to his life. But then events occur that destroy the bond that Jamie and Iris had forged and everything seems to spiral out of control, fracturing their relationship and ensuring that the only feelings they have left for each other are ones of hatred and regret.
Because Kneel is told solely in Iris’ point of view, readers understand Iris’ decisions and the thought process behind each and every action she takes and word she says, which makes her an extremely likeable heroine – one who is driven and feisty and unafraid to fight for what she wants and for what is right. But because the scope of Iris’ perspective is a bit skewed, at least when it comes to her feelings for present-day Dash, I feel like the only way readers can truly assess the situation as a whole is by looking at his actions and words spoken aloud, which is not always a true representation of who a character is at his core.
Iris and Jamie/Dash’s story has just begun in Kneel and now that Butler has provided readers with much needed insight into the past they shared as well as the choices they made while apart, it’s clear that their unfinished business is still influx and for either of them to move on, whether it be separately, as friends, or as a second chance to be lovers, it’s hard to say how everything is going to turn out, especially with what goes down at the end of book 1.
I have to admit that I’m not the biggest fan of angst, but I never turn down an ARC by Eden Butler because she’s an amazing storyteller whose words create dynamically flawed characters as well as plot lines that cohesively transition between the characters’ past and present as she tries to truly capture the feelings of her heroes and heroines as they proceed to break and mend their hearts as well as those they love because they can’t quite get it right the first time they get the chance.
I’m so ready for Butler and Iris to bring this rock god down to his knees, and if I was Iris, I’d make him work for every inch he gains to be a part of her life and perhaps her bed after the events of their past and the illogical decisions that got him into this mess in the first place.
4.5 Poison Apples
Eden Butler is an editor and writer of Mystery, Suspense and Contemporary Romance novels and the nine-times great-granddaughter of an honest-to-God English pirate. This could explain her affinity for rule breaking and rum.
When she’s not writing or wondering about her possibly Jack Sparrowesque ancestor, Eden patiently waits for her Hogwarts letter, edits, reads and spends way too much time watching rugby, Doctor Who and New Orleans Saints football.
She is currently living under teenage rule alongside her husband in southeast Louisiana.
Please send help!
HOSTED BY:
From the creators of Master Bits and Mercenary Bites, New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake and Southern food expert and USA Today bestselling author Suzanne Johnson, comes a new look at the Masters and Mercenaries world—Girls Night.
Fairest Of All Book Reviews 