Lead: Stage Dive, Book 3

☆☆☆☆☆ 5 Lena & Jimmy Leading Stars ☆☆☆☆☆HOLY SH&*… There is something about those Ferris brothers that can melt your panties and leave you totally hot and bothered. As a big fan of Lick and it being one of my favorites, I was totally smitten with David but holy hell, Jimmy Ferris stole my heart in Lead. Kylie Scott is the real deal because she has made me love STAGE DIVE even more. Ms. Scott is one of those authors for me that is an automatically must read and one-click. What can I say but I love Kylie Scott and her writing. And Lead was a prime example of why I love her books. I cannot express my LOVE for this book because I absolutely devoured this book in one sitting. Who am I kidding after reading this book, I wanted to re-read this book again. #TeamJimmyKylie Scott will bewitched you with her writing in Lead. She will suck you into this beautiful, sexy, humorous and touching storyline of Jimmy and Lena. You will not want to put this book down. My love for Lena and Jimmy is endless. Hands down LEAD has earned a spot on my top favorites of 2014. Lead was more than a typical rocker romance. Ms. Scott took Lead to a whole new level. She allowed readers to see what real love is about. It is not always perfect. It isn’t a fairytale and it doesn’t always come easy. Love is overcoming obstacles, facing challenges, fighting to be together, and never giving up on hope. It’s about family, friends, forgiveness. letting go, acceptance and loving yourself. And most importantly its about opening up your heart to let LOVE IN. And for Lena and Jimmy they showed us that you can’t help who you fall in love with. Sometimes, love can be found in the least place you expect. For Lena and Jimmy, they showed us that their love was consuming, beautiful, sexy, raw and pure.We all knew bits and pieces of Jimmy from the first two book of the Stage Dive Series and now we finally get to know the real JIMMY FERRIS. Behind the good looks, hot body, and rock and roll persona, Jimmy Ferris is a beautiful mess. He is a man who knew what rock bottom and hell was from drugs, alcohols, parties, and random one night stands. And this new and improved Jimmy in Lead is now sober, healthier and clean. With Jimmy healthier, the band wants to make sure it stays that way so they want Jimmy to get a companion to help him stay clean. Well luckily for Jimmy, his new assistant/companion is Lena Morrissey.Lena is not your shy meek heroine. She is smart, sassy, beautiful inside and out. Lena is your take charge kind of girl who doesn’t take bullsh#t from anyone even from rock superstar like Jimmy Ferris. She is the only girl who can take Jimmy’s hot and cold personality.“F3&k he was beautiful, inside and out, and he would never be mine. That information sat sure and safe inside of me, turning me to stone because it was utterly undeniable. But I was still expected to stay here, be with him, and support him, the job I both did and didn’t want with all of my heart.”As Jimmy and Lena continues to work together, a budding friendship begins. Slowly walls of Jimmy Ferris cold personality begins to thaw. And with that Lena begins to see what a beautiful man Jimmy is inside. She sees a man who loves his brother and his band mates hardcore. She sees a broken man who needs love, friendship, care and support. Lena exposes and learns the deep rooted hurt and scars Jimmy’s mother inflicted on him emotionally and physically. Through time, Lena finds herself falling head over in heels in love with Jimmy. An unrequited love begins.When Lena finally tells Jimmy how she feels about him. The love is unreciprocated. Jimmy cares for her deeply but he can’t return and admit to the same feelings she has for him since he doesn’t think he’s capable of love. So Lena’s unrequited love is one that pulls and tugs major heartstrings. Your heart will ache as you continue to see the connection and bond Jimmy and Lena has. As the walls Jimmy built around his heart begins to crumble, will he finally be able to admit his true feelings for Lena? Or will he be stubborn and let his first love walk away? Or will Lena finally lose hope and leave with a broken heart? They say to follow your heart and it will always lead you home. So where will Jimmy and Lena's heart LEAD to?Honestly, I didn’t want LEAD to come to an end...I could never get tired of reading of Jimmy and Lena. Those two captured my heart and were my favorite leading couple. This book was such a fun, heartfelt, humorous, touching and loving story. Lena and Jimmy’s journey from friendship to a couple tugged some major heartstrings. I felt Lena’s hurt and pain when she tried her hardest to control her unrequited love for Jimmy.The emotional rollercoaster, Jimmy and Lena took readers on is one ride that I didn’t want to end. I loved that their relationship highlighted that the ability to let someone in and see the REAL you is what made their story truly memorable and special. I love how Ms. Scott was able to add depth to this storyline by intertwining layers of friendship and family. She showcased that beyond the music, Stage Dive is about friendship, loyalty, brotherhood, and family. Ms. Scott made unrequited love beautiful, raw and emotional. What I truly love about this book she made her readers FEEL. Feel the hurt, vulnerability, insecurities, sadness, happiness, and love that blossomed between Jimmy and Lena. I also enjoyed that Ms. Scott didn’t have Lena to be a skinny brunette. She made a woman with curves sexy. Kylie Scott showcased what a real woman is all about. It is about appreciating your body. So if you got hips, butt and curves...then own it. Ms. Scott brought sexy back in her characters and storyline. So if you are looking for a book that will make you laugh out loud, cry, and have you swooning then I HIGHLY suggest you go read LEAD. This book will not disappoint you. You will FEEL. You will FALL IN LOVE WITH JIMMY FERRIS and LENA MORRISSEY. And you will LOVE Lead!“The truth is, I’m all about you, Lena. You’re my best friend. You’re my girl.”

"I don't know why the f*** I put up with you."I shrugged. "No, me neither. But you keep paying me so I keep hanging around."She's done it again! Kylie Scott has given us another absolutely flawless instalment in the Stage Dive series and this one just might be my new favourite. It's a story that made me laugh as many times as it made my heart clench, and every part of it, every single word was just perfect. There are scenes I have read so many times, I could recite them by heart, and on every single re-read I experienced a new emotion, saw a new side of the characters' multifaceted personalities. This is in essence a story of unrequited love, of two people falling for one another very differently--with different perceptions of their own rapidly growing feelings for each other and with different emotional capacities to deal with those feelings. I loved being in these characters' heads, loved dissecting their strengths and weaknesses, and I absolutely adored how much attention was paid to the natural progression of their relationship. This book is the very best example of the kind of story that leaves me breathless and makes me never want to stop reading."Fancy falling for someone you didn't even particularly like half the damn time. Who did something so stupid?"Lena Morrissey stopped believing in love when her heart could no longer bear the constant disappointment from always falling for the wrong kind of man. She is sarcastic, strong-willed, and she does not let others walk all over her, even if her stubbornness ends up costing her her job. But when her outspoken, sassy personality is the very reason she is offered to become a live-in assistant for the lead singer of Stage Dive, she is not sure whether this is a joke or the best thing that has ever happened to her. Shortly after meeting the grumpy and yet utterly irresistible rocker, however, she fears she might be in more trouble than she ever bargained for."Verbally sparring with Jimmy was fast becoming more fun than I'd had with most other men naked."Jimmy Ferris' perfectly groomed appearance might give him an air of poise and self-control, but behind closed doors Jimmy is moody, hot-tempered, hard to live with on the best of days. His poor emotional coping skills have resulted in addictions that cost him dearly and almost made him lose everything he has ever valued in life. Unable to work with any of his past sobriety companions, he is coerced by his bandmates into hiring Lena into that role, knowing all too well that he has met his match. His dynamic with Lena is one of constant bickering, both personally as well as professionally, but when faced with his first meltdown while in his employ, she proves to be the only person he trusts to see his deepest fears and triggers. He lets his defences down with her, showing her the man very few people in his life get to see, and their bond grows."Don't hate me, Lena," he whispered. "You want to be mad at me when I do dumb things, that's fine. But don't ever hate me. I couldn't take that, not from you."As their relationship changes over time and Jimmy begins to depend on her strength in his darkest moments, so does Lena's growing infatuation with her boss. She falls in love with him silently, reluctantly, fully aware that she should not be feeling that way, but incapable of fighting it. She knows that he would not return those feelings, so she hides them, pines after him secretly and pretends that nothing has changed between them. But when her secret is no longer that and their working arrangement is at risk of ending, the only solution to their predicament is to find ways to make Lena `get over' her crush... even when the only thing that remains to try is to sleep with one another."Lena, focus. What was the frown for?"I stared at his c***, mesmerized. Even incased in rubber it remained a thing of true beauty. Had I any talent with a pen, I'd have written in poems. A haiku perhaps."Lena?"I was hypnotized, helpless. C***-struck.One of the main strengths of this story is the way the author shaped these characters, subtly but impeccably, and the way she made their differences the very thing that makes them so perfect for each other. She gave us a plus-sized heroine whose physical appearance in no way defines her as a sexual woman or diminishes her fearless personality. And then she gave us a hero who is physically flawless, but a complete mess inside, unable to cope with emotional closeness and harbouring unresolved abandonment issues. Their every interaction is explosive, hilarious, unforgettable. As a couple, they clash at every turn and yet they make complete sense. The dialogues in this story, as in all the previous books in the series, are simply fantastic, carrying Ms Scott's signature humour in almost every character interaction. They are clever, unforced, and always fresh. I simply couldn't get enough of them.I rarely find myself loving and connecting with every layer of a given story, but in this case, I truly adored every last word. This series keeps getting better and better, which is rather scary since it was perfect from the very beginning. An absolute, super enjoyable must-read."You okay?" I asked.A nod."Feeling a little emotional, huh?" I petted his hair. "That's okay. It was an emotional blow job."

I loved this one. I don't always enjoy stories where the girl is doing the chasing and the guy doesn't seem interested, but it really worked in this because their chemistry simmered and grew until when the finally got it together, the payoff was incredible. I also wondered how a recovering addict could ever be a great romantic prospect when his back story is filled with deception, lies and selfish behaviour, but somehow, I was totally convinced.Jimmy is a pampered rock star and a recovering addict. Lena is a straight talking, ordinary gal whom the band employs as Jimmy s sobriety companion. So she lives with him and gives him lots of sass and vinegar. She's crazy for him, he doesn't return her feelings but doesn't want her to leave, so he sets up a four point plan for her to follow, designed to convince her he's not all that great. That was a great, original twist on the friends to lovers style story.Just like in previous books in this series, the banter is lively and witty and laugh out loud funny, but balanced with his very real struggle to stay sober and rebuild his self respect, so it's not just a fluffy read. Plenty of times I was reading with my heart in my mouth too, this story really delivered on the angst..This could be read as a standalone, but with recurring characters. We also got lots of time with the rest of the band including Mal who's as hilarious as ever. This was a fab read in spite of its unpromising set up. Highly recommended.

Sheer obstinance meets sheer determination when Jimmy Ferris meets Lena Morrissey; his new live-in assistant who is faced with the near impossible task of keeping him out of trouble.Fresh out of rehab, Jimmy must keep his nose clean and sassy Lena is just the woman for the job. After an impromptu meeting with Stage Dive, Lena is offered the job of keeping an eye on Jimmy. There's only one problem though, Jimmy doesn't want anyone's help and takes pleasure in breaking the will of assistant after assistant.Lena doesn't take Jimmy's crap though and seeing through his tough guy image, Lena soon finds a vulnerable and deeply private man underneath all of his outer, brusque, personality.It's not long before Lena is adopted by the rest of Stage Dive and wishing for her to find happiness in the arms of Jimmy, they push the two together and towards a mutual happiness.Needless to say, as is normal in "book land", everything doesn't exactly go smoothly and the inevitable fall out happens but will Jimmy and Lena find their happy ever after?I loved this book. Jimmy and his multiple personalities were a treat to witness as was Lena's quick witted banter, tender sensitivity and the way she dealt with Jimmy.If you've not started the Stage Dive series then you really should. It's an amazing series that is brilliantly written and fast paced with characters that you can't help but fall in love with. Who will be your favourite?Reviewed on behalf of Jezabell Girl & Friends...

I love these rockers, like actually love them. Well, maybe not Ben. I think Ben is an arse, but I LOVE the others.Up until now I can say that I liked the women in these stories but that changed in Lead. I LOVED Lena. She made me laugh with her wit and sarcasm. I loved how she wasn't a stick and I loved how Jimmy loved the curves she was rocking. I loved how Lena's personality clashed and complimented Jimmy's with downright hilarious results.Both Jimmy and Lena are vulnerable in their own ways. They are both lonely and they fit together like the pieces of a two-piece puzzle. The chemistry between them was smokin' hot and their relationship was un-necessarily complicated, which could've been annoying but I loved the feels the drama it caused...I laughed, I squirmed, I cried (not literally but my heart squeezed and kinda wanted to) and I just loved them.I wanted to smack some sense into Jimmy and I wanted to hug the poor damaged creature who just didn't know what love was.I wanted to go down the pub with Lena and shoot the breeze cause she is awesome.I've used the word love a lot in this review and that's because I love this story, I love this series and I can't wait for the next one (even though it's Ben!)

Another great book in the Stage Dive series! Each time Kylie manages to give us something entirely different to the previous. We get so much depth into the characters that I feel like I really know them! I love that they're all quite different because it adds so much to the story and gives it a sense of real!Kylie writes in the point of view of the heroine. Her heroines are strong, kick ass women and that is particularly true in the case of Lena who really stood out in Lead. She has to deal with Jimmy who has major a**hole tendencies. Some of the scenes between these two were really funny and others were tender and sad. They have quite a complicated relationship!Jimmy has been pretty misunderstood. That's not to say he hasn't been an a**hole - he has! But he's pretty screwed up with a past that still haunts him. He's made some pretty big mistakes. The sad thing is he seems to actually think he doesn't deserve anything, that he's not worth anything.Lena is assigned to be his personal assistant, with Jimmy that also means keeping him on the straight and narrow and away from the drinks cabinet. She stands up to him when most would cower and kicks his a** when its needed. But most importantly she becomes a friend and a confidante.We also get to catch up with the other characters within the series and some of my favourite scenes involved the rest of the gang! A great mix of funny, sweet and sad scenes between these characters.Very much looking forward to Ben's story next.

I was so excited waiting for this book, stalked Kylie Scott's Facebook page, read every excerpt I could get, all the early reviews - and then it fell flat for me. Maybe my expectations were just a bit too high, I don't know. The problem I had was that it lacked intensity. When Scott said it was more serious, I took that to mean 'deeper', due to the addiction issues. Actually, I think she meant it was less laugh out-loud hilarious.I didn't find Jimmy particularly awful, he seemed like a nice guy who had some issues. Lena was funny, but I would have preferred her to have stayed professional a bit longer. I suppose I was spoiled by having read Under Locke - which is a fantastic book, and deals with a similar employee/employer 'potential' romance. That book really does have a slow burn.I adored Lick and Play. Lick really does have an intensity to it, whilst remaining amusing. Play was a laugh fest, but dealt with an emotive issue very compassionately. Lead - well I still liked it - 4 stars, but I did not fall in love with it. That's always the problem with a series, there is always one book you like less than the others.On another note, I have an issue with poor editing in books by major publishers. This book is published by Pan Macmillan and has several, very obvious editing errors. They employ professional copy-editors to remove any poor phrasing and typo's etc. Errors like Threat instead of Throat, or "He kicked his scuffed his foot against the floor", which makes no sense to me, should not be acceptable. As readers, we deserve to have Ebooks edited to the same standard you would expect in a print book.