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Rocking Out
Bevin Stewart and Scott DeMaris may have been surreptitious lovers in high school, but now they have nothing in common. After graduation, Scott took their band, Black Lam, to the top of the charts. Crippled by an anxiety disorder, Bevin stayed home and opened a cafe with the royalties he received for penning lyrics.
When Scott barrels back into Bevin's orderly life, looking for a real friend instead of showbiz phonies, they discover the spark is still flickering. But Bevin is plagued by panic attacks and agoraphobia-he can't possibly handle the chaos of a relationship with a rock star. Even if he could, Scott is inconsiderate and in the closet. Bevin knows love means making compromises, but can he convince Scott-and himself-that it's worth it?
When Scott barrels back into Bevin's orderly life, looking for a real friend instead of showbiz phonies, they discover the spark is still flickering. But Bevin is plagued by panic attacks and agoraphobia-he can't possibly handle the chaos of a relationship with a rock star. Even if he could, Scott is inconsiderate and in the closet. Bevin knows love means making compromises, but can he convince Scott-and himself-that it's worth it?
116 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 21, 2012
1 person is currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Emily Veinglory
52 books53 followersEmily is a writer of erotic romance, dark fantasy and gay fiction. She is also an illustrator, crafter, blogger, poet, reviewer, adventuress and general purpose smart ass.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 7, 2016
Maybe I shouldn't have started the year by reading all those hoarded books...
September 12, 2014
My friend, Monique, wants me to read a crappy book -- well, she gets her wish, in a sense. No, I don't think the book is crappy (that term is reserved for technical stuffs, like badly edited book, for example). However, the rating here in GR is whether or not you
like
the story.
Well, I can firmly say here that NO, I don't like this one.
This novella loses any hope of high rating when in the first chapter, Scott barges into Bevin's life (Scott is the rock star, Bevin is the friend in the home town), and they don't really talk about the things that matter (they've been separated for YEARS), and they have sex ... and Scott doesn't even wear condom. And Bevin is not upset by it?? Man, come on!! Scott is a rock star, he sleeps around, left and right. Doesn't it scare you? For Scott to give his clean bill of health AFTER the sex doesn't make it right.
Then Scott keeps coming and going as he pleases (oh, he says that he has tours), without even communicating with Bevin when he is away (no emails, texts, phones, telephathic communication), and Bevin just keeps welcoming him back, even when Bevin thinks it's not right. While it might not be a physical abusive relationship, I sure think Bevin can get a better man. I just don't feel that Scott genuinely loves Bevin or needs him. I don't believe in their romance, period.
Oh, and since Bevin is described as having agaraphobia (the blurb says Bevin is crippled by anxiety disorder), I wish there are scenes about that. But I don't get that; I mean, I don't feel like Bevin is anywhere "crippled" by his disorder. Because at least that will make this novella slightly more interesting.
As always, liking (or not) a story is a matter of personal taste. I'm sure there will be others who love this. I am just not one of them.
Well, I can firmly say here that NO, I don't like this one.
This novella loses any hope of high rating when in the first chapter, Scott barges into Bevin's life (Scott is the rock star, Bevin is the friend in the home town), and they don't really talk about the things that matter (they've been separated for YEARS), and they have sex ... and Scott doesn't even wear condom. And Bevin is not upset by it?? Man, come on!! Scott is a rock star, he sleeps around, left and right. Doesn't it scare you? For Scott to give his clean bill of health AFTER the sex doesn't make it right.
Then Scott keeps coming and going as he pleases (oh, he says that he has tours), without even communicating with Bevin when he is away (no emails, texts, phones, telephathic communication), and Bevin just keeps welcoming him back, even when Bevin thinks it's not right. While it might not be a physical abusive relationship, I sure think Bevin can get a better man. I just don't feel that Scott genuinely loves Bevin or needs him. I don't believe in their romance, period.
Oh, and since Bevin is described as having agaraphobia (the blurb says Bevin is crippled by anxiety disorder), I wish there are scenes about that. But I don't get that; I mean, I don't feel like Bevin is anywhere "crippled" by his disorder. Because at least that will make this novella slightly more interesting.
As always, liking (or not) a story is a matter of personal taste. I'm sure there will be others who love this. I am just not one of them.
August 24, 2012
Review posted at The Armchair Reader.
Bevin gave up his chance at superstardom eight years ago when his boyfriend and their bandmates moved on and up without him. He tells himself that he never really wanted it anyway, and maybe he really doesn't. His own motives and personality are often at odds with his desires and how he feels about himself. He's always been afraid of most things, and the uncertainty that comes with becoming a successful musician, stage fright, not to mention the lifestyle that Scott (now called "Rebel") now lives doesn't suit him. He has a hard time maintaining his own regular life, and he lives alone and has a small cafe. The arrival of Scott at his door after all these years doesn't seem to be a good omen, no matter how much he loves him and tells himself he doesn't.
Scott, on the other hand, is all carefree buoyancy. Trying to tie him down, keep him tethered to any form of reality seems to be a full time job. They could actually be good at it, if they got over themselves (that's my 2 cents!), but Scott is very good at avoiding responsibility. Still, he can see the way his life is headed, and not having Bevin to tether him to reality all these years has let him drift into the shallow life he hates -- parties, drugs, groupies, and a very scary reality of how far it could end up going.
This is definitely not a typical romance. Bevin and Scott have an atypical relationship, and I'm not sure how it will translate for most readers. At times, I certainly had difficulties with it, even though I really liked some parts of the book as well. They a bit like butterflies, flitting about and only occasionally occupying the same space. This is told in Bevin's POV and most of the book is without Scott. He's often off on tour, or promotion all over the world and there's never a phone call in between. They don't even really have a relationship because Scott doesn't seem to be trying as hard as he thinks he is and Bevin continues to try to push him away when he does while simultaneously wishing he cared more about him when he's away. Frankly, they annoyed me quite a bit through a lot of the book. Well, Bevin. He's got tons of problems, and the solitary nature of the book (with the absence of Scott a lot of the time) suits him in the sense that he really needs to figure out his life himself, even though I doubt Scott could fix it for him.
In this sense, their relationship is incredibly real. This isn't a fairy tale rocker romance about the band member they left behind and their sparkling romantic reunion. If this situation ever happened in real life, this book probably is the most realistic outcome out there in romancelandia of how it would go down. But that still made for some frustrating reading for me, both because Bevin often got on my nerves and also because I never really felt like they worked much out. I kept wanting to have a companion novella of Scott's POV as he traveled the world and thought about Bevin in their hometown while dealing with his own issues, which we don't see a lot of first hand. But then, that would be better done with multiple viewpoints. Honestly, I wish that this book had been twice as long and did have both, because even if they still bugged me by never dealing with their issues until they were compacted beyond all reason, then I think the romance would feel a little more balanced.
So, as a romance I don't think this lived up to my expectations. I think that a lot of readers will not like this book so much. I hate to say that about a book that does have solid writing. But this will appeal to readers who would prefer reality over romance, and I think that for the target audience, this might not be what most readers are looking for.
I had a hard time rating this. I wanted to give it a Pretty Good rating, but the last quarter went quite downhill for me in a long, somewhat random and a bit strange direction. I won't spoil you, but some things happen in Bevin's life that show how his life is quickly spiraling out of control. It led me to wonder about the direction of the story and if it went off the road a little. Taking the book in overall, it lacked some focus. While I thought that Bevin's anxieties and fears were realistically portrayed, in a romance where the other guy is mostly absent, I just couldn't make it all fit together in my mind. Since this is a romance, I had to give it a So So.
I still really like Emily Veinglory's work, and I'm very happy to see her publishing again. I hope there is more to come from this author in the future! And while I admit I'm partial to her fantasy/paranormal work, I'm hoping that there is more contemporary in the future as well.
Bevin gave up his chance at superstardom eight years ago when his boyfriend and their bandmates moved on and up without him. He tells himself that he never really wanted it anyway, and maybe he really doesn't. His own motives and personality are often at odds with his desires and how he feels about himself. He's always been afraid of most things, and the uncertainty that comes with becoming a successful musician, stage fright, not to mention the lifestyle that Scott (now called "Rebel") now lives doesn't suit him. He has a hard time maintaining his own regular life, and he lives alone and has a small cafe. The arrival of Scott at his door after all these years doesn't seem to be a good omen, no matter how much he loves him and tells himself he doesn't.
Scott, on the other hand, is all carefree buoyancy. Trying to tie him down, keep him tethered to any form of reality seems to be a full time job. They could actually be good at it, if they got over themselves (that's my 2 cents!), but Scott is very good at avoiding responsibility. Still, he can see the way his life is headed, and not having Bevin to tether him to reality all these years has let him drift into the shallow life he hates -- parties, drugs, groupies, and a very scary reality of how far it could end up going.
This is definitely not a typical romance. Bevin and Scott have an atypical relationship, and I'm not sure how it will translate for most readers. At times, I certainly had difficulties with it, even though I really liked some parts of the book as well. They a bit like butterflies, flitting about and only occasionally occupying the same space. This is told in Bevin's POV and most of the book is without Scott. He's often off on tour, or promotion all over the world and there's never a phone call in between. They don't even really have a relationship because Scott doesn't seem to be trying as hard as he thinks he is and Bevin continues to try to push him away when he does while simultaneously wishing he cared more about him when he's away. Frankly, they annoyed me quite a bit through a lot of the book. Well, Bevin. He's got tons of problems, and the solitary nature of the book (with the absence of Scott a lot of the time) suits him in the sense that he really needs to figure out his life himself, even though I doubt Scott could fix it for him.
In this sense, their relationship is incredibly real. This isn't a fairy tale rocker romance about the band member they left behind and their sparkling romantic reunion. If this situation ever happened in real life, this book probably is the most realistic outcome out there in romancelandia of how it would go down. But that still made for some frustrating reading for me, both because Bevin often got on my nerves and also because I never really felt like they worked much out. I kept wanting to have a companion novella of Scott's POV as he traveled the world and thought about Bevin in their hometown while dealing with his own issues, which we don't see a lot of first hand. But then, that would be better done with multiple viewpoints. Honestly, I wish that this book had been twice as long and did have both, because even if they still bugged me by never dealing with their issues until they were compacted beyond all reason, then I think the romance would feel a little more balanced.
So, as a romance I don't think this lived up to my expectations. I think that a lot of readers will not like this book so much. I hate to say that about a book that does have solid writing. But this will appeal to readers who would prefer reality over romance, and I think that for the target audience, this might not be what most readers are looking for.
I had a hard time rating this. I wanted to give it a Pretty Good rating, but the last quarter went quite downhill for me in a long, somewhat random and a bit strange direction. I won't spoil you, but some things happen in Bevin's life that show how his life is quickly spiraling out of control. It led me to wonder about the direction of the story and if it went off the road a little. Taking the book in overall, it lacked some focus. While I thought that Bevin's anxieties and fears were realistically portrayed, in a romance where the other guy is mostly absent, I just couldn't make it all fit together in my mind. Since this is a romance, I had to give it a So So.
I still really like Emily Veinglory's work, and I'm very happy to see her publishing again. I hope there is more to come from this author in the future! And while I admit I'm partial to her fantasy/paranormal work, I'm hoping that there is more contemporary in the future as well.
September 7, 2012
This is the first book by Emily Veinglory that I have read. Besides my shifter fixation, I have a thing for rock stars, actors and anyone in the ‘Hollywood’ crowd, so I thought Rocking Out would be right up my alley. While the book is well-written, I just could not get into the plot and characterization as I had hoped and the whole vibe for the novel was kind of blah to me.
For example, while Scott is your typical self-absorbed rock star and I completely adored his characterizations — who doesn’t love a hot, self-centered rock god? I had more trouble with Bevin. At the beginning of the book, Scott walks into Bevin’s house unannounced and calmly proceeds to wiggle himself into Bevin’s bed and life. And while I understood the whole have a fling with your ex, Bevin’s actions made no sense given the characterization (he had huge anxiety and trust issues.) He immediately wants Scott to come out, so they can date openly despite the fact it might kill Scott’s career. Problem is solved when they are accidentally outed and then they begin some sort of long distance romance in which Scott treats Bevin badly never calling him. I’d afraid no matter how hot, Scott would have been thrown to the curb by me at that point. I wasn’t buying their romance.
Another thing was the secondary characters. Bevin had been an original member of the band, so when he sees his old band mates they treat him like Yoko Ono and no real explanation is given. I wanted to know WHY they disliked him so and didn’t want him with Scott. That aspect was not fully developed.
Plus there were some contradictory plot points that made me think of reasons why you never, ever get into cars with strangers that turned the novel from an angsty romance about reunited lovers into a crazy version of Stephen King’s Christine. That made absolutely no sense and completely threw me out of my mind-set.
I really, really wish I could have liked Rocking Out more, it has the potential, but ultimately failed in the execution. The author certainly has talent, but I could just not identify with the main character and so I cannot really recommended this novel.
Reviews by Jessewave
For example, while Scott is your typical self-absorbed rock star and I completely adored his characterizations — who doesn’t love a hot, self-centered rock god? I had more trouble with Bevin. At the beginning of the book, Scott walks into Bevin’s house unannounced and calmly proceeds to wiggle himself into Bevin’s bed and life. And while I understood the whole have a fling with your ex, Bevin’s actions made no sense given the characterization (he had huge anxiety and trust issues.) He immediately wants Scott to come out, so they can date openly despite the fact it might kill Scott’s career. Problem is solved when they are accidentally outed and then they begin some sort of long distance romance in which Scott treats Bevin badly never calling him. I’d afraid no matter how hot, Scott would have been thrown to the curb by me at that point. I wasn’t buying their romance.
Another thing was the secondary characters. Bevin had been an original member of the band, so when he sees his old band mates they treat him like Yoko Ono and no real explanation is given. I wanted to know WHY they disliked him so and didn’t want him with Scott. That aspect was not fully developed.
Plus there were some contradictory plot points that made me think of reasons why you never, ever get into cars with strangers that turned the novel from an angsty romance about reunited lovers into a crazy version of Stephen King’s Christine. That made absolutely no sense and completely threw me out of my mind-set.
I really, really wish I could have liked Rocking Out more, it has the potential, but ultimately failed in the execution. The author certainly has talent, but I could just not identify with the main character and so I cannot really recommended this novel.
Reviews by Jessewave
January 6, 2016
I thought Bevin's characterisation was very real, to the point that I, as a fellow sufferer, felt uncomfortable with the way he was being pushed out of his comfort zone and routine. But the descriptions of his panic attacks and his discomfort at his life being disrupted were very familiar and true.
However, I didn't really sense any chemistry between the MCs. There was no spark, no sense of familiarity and companionship that two former lovers/friends share which made rooting for them difficult. Tbh, I thought Bevin could do a lot better than Scott, who came across as very flighty and self-centred.
However, I didn't really sense any chemistry between the MCs. There was no spark, no sense of familiarity and companionship that two former lovers/friends share which made rooting for them difficult. Tbh, I thought Bevin could do a lot better than Scott, who came across as very flighty and self-centred.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2012
4.5 stars.
It's more a book about a guy overcoming his phobias than about a guy in a relationship with an old friend cum rock star, though that certainly is part of it. The rock star isn't around much, and Bevin doesn't pine. It's a problem typical with long distance relationships--if there's no choice about being apart, why whine about it? I enjoyed this very much, and I would recommend as a character study more than as a romance.
It's more a book about a guy overcoming his phobias than about a guy in a relationship with an old friend cum rock star, though that certainly is part of it. The rock star isn't around much, and Bevin doesn't pine. It's a problem typical with long distance relationships--if there's no choice about being apart, why whine about it? I enjoyed this very much, and I would recommend as a character study more than as a romance.
August 14, 2012
This was an okay story. There was a lot going on, but very little at the same time. Slightly odd to be honest.
September 7, 2012
2.5 at a push....
October 26, 2012
Enjoyable read, different from the run of the mill rock star romance,
January 29, 2013
Далеко не самая удачная книга автора, но все равно мне понравилось :) Эмили Вейнглори люблюнимагу :))
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews