Rebel Town Reviews [OPEN]

Rock-a-Billie Blues (Chapters 1-5) - @Bioshock2013

Rock-a-Billie Blues (Chapters 1 - 5) by Bioshock2013

Reviewed by ESHurricane

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Overview

Rock-a-Billie Blues is a sheep in wolf's clothing (yes, you read that right!) in the sense that it's a charming romance disguised as a steamy sex romp. Not to say that it isn't steamy, because the sex scenes are delightful, but I was pleasantly surprised to be really connected to the characters on an emotional level so early on. While the author is skilled in spinning a sexy tale, she also managed to sneak in an endearing plot that keeps me invested with my heart instead of just my libido.

So, if you haven't read the book, go do that now and STOP reading my review. Because I'm not holding back on spoilers below and I want you to experience the ups and downs like I did. So go read chapters 1-5, then come back here. I'll wait.

Cover/Title

The title is fitting on so many levels, the fact that the love interest is Billie, she's a musician, and she definitely gives Jeffrey the blues. I adore it, it's classic and easily remembered, something that sticks out in my mind (and my library).

The cover is a perfect example of simple and satisfying. The black and white candid of Jeffrey Dean Morgan sitting backwards on a chair, tattoos hanging out... I am possibly biased because it made me drool a little bit. But from a photography perspective it's a great shot and I like that it's in greyscale. It is a good setup for the beginning of the novel where his world is dark and grey and he's trying to bring colour back to his life.

Which brings me to the title, a nice bright banana yellow for the Rock-a-Billie part, which stands out starkly against the background and is a great metaphor for the vividness of what Billie brings into his life. Blues in blue is a great design choice here too, as it's pleasing to the eye and fits with the word itself.

I'm also a fan of keeping the author name just by itself, chilling out of the way, and with these three elements it makes for a nice clean and simple cover. It's just eye catching enough that I wouldn't scroll past it, but not busy.

Summary/Description

The summary gives just enough backstory to set up Jeffrey's character while also raising a bunch of questions that make me want to read on. It lets me know that his wife died, and he's moving to a new state, and he's going to meet a sexy girl that may or may not be good for him. That 'may or may not', worded as his possible 'final vice destined to sink him?' in the form of a question is just tantalizing. It makes me wonder what is up with this girl that she could be so dangerous to him, and I want to know more.

Hook

The book opens with a simple 'One year.' and while upon first glance it doesn't feel special, on second glance it does the job well. There's a lot of exposition in that first chapter, but there has to be to really set up Jeffrey's character. His wife died a year prior, and the author needs to tell us that right from the get go so that we can get through the tough stuff into the main storyline.

And tough stuff it is. The author does an excellent job describing his grief, in heartbreaking realism. Because the book is in first person POV (more on that later) the exposition comes out in an anecdotal way, which feels less like an info dump and more like the character himself chatting with me about his life over coffee. And the anecdotes are so raw, like when he tells the cleaning lady to get the fuck out for touching Adriane's stuff. It's brutal and connects me to the character right away.