The Duet
   by: R.S. Grey

Publication Date: Nov. 7, 2014
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Page Count: 326 pages
Order Links: Amazon
My Rating: 3/5 stars

When 27-year-old pop sensation Brooklyn Heart steps in front of a microphone, her love songs enchant audiences worldwide. But when it comes to her own love life, the only spell she’s under is a dry one.

So when her label slots her for a Grammy performance with the sexy and soulful Jason Monroe, she can’t help but entertain certain fantasies... those in which her G-string gets more play than her guitars'.

Only one problem. Jason is a lyrical lone wolf that isn’t happy about sharing the stage—nor his ranch — with the sassy singer. But while it may seem like a song entitled ‘Jason Monroe Is an Arrogant Ho’ basically writes itself, their label and their millions of fans are expecting recording gold…

They’re expecting The Duet.

 

 

After reading and loving R.S. Grey's Scoring Wilder, I definitely wanted to give her newest book a try! I LOVED the premise- Brooklyn being a pop singer and Jason being the soulful, brooding folk star. The two's music couldn't be more night and day and yet their record label STILL forces them to collaborate together! I love all things music, so this book was right up my alley! I didn't like it as well as Scoring Wilder, but I think that had to do with the love interest here. Jason didn't quite do it for me like Liam did. Still, the chemistry and tension are as delicious as ever and Grey yet again employs her witty, humorous tone that just makes Brooklyn such a fun lead.

Brooklyn is just a great character. I absolutely love her relationship with her sister, Cammie. Grey does such a good job of developing female friendships. Cammie and Brooklyn are all each other has, having lost their parents when they were younger, so the two are practically inseparable. Cammie is usually the one to talk Brooklyn down, but is still a bucket of fun herself. She is getting ready to graduate with an architecture degree and has worked hard to do so. I am really excited that Grey is going to write Cammie's story because there is quite a lot of unspoken tension between her and Brooklyn's friend, Grayson.

As I said, the story revolves around Brooklyn and Jason coming together to write a duet to perform at the upcoming Grammy's. However, these two do NOT get off on the right foot at all. Having had a bit too much fun the night before, Brooklyn isn't exactly the epitome of professionalism, arriving late to their meeting wearing a less than appropriate shirt that never should have remained in her closet in the first place! I love that Brooklyn doesn't take his crap though. She throws it right back at him and stands up for herself, at least in the beginning. I was a little upset with her towards the end because of how she let him treat her. He does redeem himself, but I'm never a fan of when guys make girls feel like they are just being used for sex. Granted, Jason is not completely to blame. Brooklyn should have spoken up or at least put an end to it once she realized her heart was involved.

Jason isn't a bad guy though. He is a very private person and bringing Brooklyn up to his ranch in Montana to write is deeply personal for him. He is not very welcoming of her in the beginning, merely tolerating her presence for a job they've been forced to do. Thankfully, she isn't completely isolated there. She easily befriends LuAnne and Derek, both of whom are good friends of Jason and work on the ranch.

I don't know much about writing music and certainly don't know the work that goes in to collaborating with another person, but watching two people try to come together and develop a song when they don't even know each other seems pretty complicated to me. Music is such an expression of thoughts and very personal, so of course Jason and Brooklyn would have trouble working together. Brooklyn tries to make an effort, but Jason is determined to keep her at arm's length. We do start to see his tough exterior start to crack though, as we catch glimpses of the actual man he really is. The two have chemistry together and they decide to explore it in hopes afterwards they can actually begin to write a song now that the awkward sexual tension is out of the room. However, Jason makes it clear he isn't in the right place for a relationship and Brooklyn quickly agrees. As their song starts to come together, it's very clear that walking away when it's all said and done is not going to be as easy as they originally thought....

I missed Jason and Brooklyn actually falling in love and that is something that really irked me. I am assuming it happened during their writing sessions, but we as readers don't experience that, so when they did admit their feelings to one another, I was a little like, really? Where is this coming from? Not witnessing their romance happen is what really brought this one down for me.  I did love going to the ranch with Brooklyn though because Derek and LuAnne are such great secondary characters. There were definitely a few tearjerker moments, but a lot of ones that also made me smile. Overall, this wasn't one to rave and write home about, but I'm not unhappy I gave it a shot.

Scoring Wilder
    by: R.S. Grey

Publication Date: June 15, 2014
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Page Count: 402 pages
Order Links: Amazon
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

What started out as a joke— seduce Coach Wilder—soon became a goal she had to score.

With Olympic tryouts on the horizon, the last thing nineteen-year-old Kinsley Bryant needs to add to her plate is Liam Wilder. He's a professional soccer player, America's favorite bad-boy, and has all the qualities of a skilled panty-dropper.

• A face that makes girls weep – check.
• Abs that can shred Parmesan cheese (the expensive kind) – check.
• Enough confidence to shift the earth’s gravitational pull – double check.

Not to mention Liam is strictly off limits . Forbidden. Her coaches have made that perfectly clear. (i.e. “Score with Coach Wilder anywhere other than the field and you’ll be cut from the team faster than you can count his tattoos.”) But that just makes him all the more enticing…Besides, Kinsley's already counted the visible ones, and she is not one to leave a project unfinished.

Kinsley tries to play the game her way as they navigate through forbidden territory, but Liam is determined to teach her a whole new definition for the term “team bonding.”

 

 

Oh man. You know those books you read and afterwards you just think, 'Wow, I really needed that in my life?' Yeah, Scoring Wilder was that book for me. It was such a fun read! Our main character Kinsley is absolutely hilarious- her wit and inner monologue were cracking me up! And then of course, who can forget the incredibly sexy Liam Wilder? That man should have come with a warning label! So a big thank you especially to Danielle, as she had used this book on one of her Top Ten lists, thus putting it on my radar!

 

As I said, this book really worked for me because it was fun. I really liked getting to know Kinsley and seeing her let loose and actually act like a 19 year old girl. She may be dedicated to playing soccer and as one of the most sought out young recruits in the country, but she still lets her hair down and have some fun. Of course, being one of the best new players is going to cause some friction with some of the older girls on her team, so there is definitely some mean girl action going on there. Kinsley doesn't sink to Tara's level though, hoping instead the hazing would eventually die down. Kinsley was such a great narrator. I loved her humor! Case in point:

 

"I needed him to step back. His cologne was practically hijacking my ovulation cycle and I had to fight the urge to let my face collapse into his shirt and inhale."

 

"If only we actually were in Harry Potter. I'd totally Crucio her ass. Yeah, that's right, I'd use one of the Unforgivable Curses. Come at me, Ministry of Magic."

 

And my personal favorite:

 

"Dear Mr. Klein or should I call you Calv,

It's me again, Kinsley. Thanks so much for designing your underwear line. If you ever need a focus group for future designs, I'd like to be included. I'm a very good package inspector with excellent attention to detail. Attached you will find my list of references."

 

I mean, seriously! The girl gets cheated on twice by two different guys and she still has this rockin' sense of humor? I love it! Don't let her fool you though. She does have her own fears when it comes to starting something with Liam. He's incredibly sexy, a famous soccer player who has hordes of women vying for his attentions, and he is known for being a bit of a playboy. What started out as a fun crush is turning into something that could eventually crush her should it all come falling down. Oh, and there's the slight problem of him being her assistant coach and personal relations are a big no-no. Whoops.

 

I am such a fan of forbidden romances. Add in Kinsley's humor and it's a great time, watching her and Liam play with fire in order to be with one another. Ah, Liam. I kept waiting for the ball to drop with him. I was really very pleasantly surprised that he wasn't anything like her exes. He is a good guy, who has been raised by two loving parents who have been together for 30 years. He knows that love is a very real thing and has seen it work through them. He may have been with other women in the past, but he is NOT a cheater.

 

This book wasn't overly heavy with the angst- in fact the most drama seemed to come from Kinsley's best friend, Becca and Liam's best friend, Penn. Two characters I also really loved getting to know, by the way. Becca is sweet and I loved her and Kinsley's friendship. Grey did such a great job of developing a bond that was genuine and realistic. In fact, I thought of my own best friend several times during this book when Kinsley and Becca would be with one another acting crazy.

 

I love sports related books. Soccer is a very prevalent part of this book and I liked having that setting, seeing Kinsley at practice and pushing herself to be the best. The romance was fun and scorchingly hot too. There is a lot of foreplay and build up to Kinsley and Liam's relationship and it was just a fun ride to be on with those two! Add in a delusional ex, a crazy, jealous mean girl, paparazzi and scandal, and you've got yourself quite the story! Definitely pick up Scoring Wilder if you're in the need of a great book to make you smile, laugh, and swoon!