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Give Me #1
Give Me Love
Evie Jamieson, a former wild child, is not only a headstrong, smart-mouthed trouble magnet, she is also a lead singer with a plan. That plan involves relocating her band, including her two best friends guitarist Henry and band manager Mac, to Sydney to kick off their dreams of hitting the big time.
Jared Valentine is the older brother of Evie's best friend Mac and also the man determined to make Evie his. They strike up a long distance friendship which suits Evie because she's determined to avoid the distraction of love, not only because it doesn't fit in with her plan but because twice in the past it has left her for dead. Moving to Sydney however, has put her directly in Jared's path and he has decided it's the perfect opportunity to make his play.
Unfortunately Jared, co-owner in a business that 'consults' in dangerous hostage and kidnapping situations, makes an enemy who's determined to enact revenge. When this enemy puts Evie in his sights, Jared not only has a fight on his hands to make her his own, but also to keep her alive.
Is accepting the love he's so desperate to give worth the risk to both her heart...and her life?
Jared Valentine is the older brother of Evie's best friend Mac and also the man determined to make Evie his. They strike up a long distance friendship which suits Evie because she's determined to avoid the distraction of love, not only because it doesn't fit in with her plan but because twice in the past it has left her for dead. Moving to Sydney however, has put her directly in Jared's path and he has decided it's the perfect opportunity to make his play.
Unfortunately Jared, co-owner in a business that 'consults' in dangerous hostage and kidnapping situations, makes an enemy who's determined to enact revenge. When this enemy puts Evie in his sights, Jared not only has a fight on his hands to make her his own, but also to keep her alive.
Is accepting the love he's so desperate to give worth the risk to both her heart...and her life?
328 pages, ebook
First published March 15, 2013
About the author
Kate McCarthy
14 books2,316 followersKate McCarthy grew up in a small town outside of Port Macquarie, Australia. Raised in a house just a short walk to the beach, Kate enjoyed the peaceful, relaxed atmosphere and friendships that come from being raised in a friendly, small town area.
She now resides in Brisbane, Australia, a city in the state of Queensland where she works as an accountant, along with a sideline wedding cake business and her writing.
She is married with two children, has two dogs and house in the suburbs, and a pile of friends and family dotted all over the country that help keep her sane.
When she’s not busy running after naughty kids, filthy dogs, crunching numbers, piping buttercream and writing books, you can find her curled up in bed in the early hours of the morning reading new books and re-reading old favourites. Her favourite books are the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward in which she longs to eventually join the brotherhood and change her name to Phierce Mutha.
Please feel free to friend request Kate on Goodreads :D
She now resides in Brisbane, Australia, a city in the state of Queensland where she works as an accountant, along with a sideline wedding cake business and her writing.
She is married with two children, has two dogs and house in the suburbs, and a pile of friends and family dotted all over the country that help keep her sane.
When she’s not busy running after naughty kids, filthy dogs, crunching numbers, piping buttercream and writing books, you can find her curled up in bed in the early hours of the morning reading new books and re-reading old favourites. Her favourite books are the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward in which she longs to eventually join the brotherhood and change her name to Phierce Mutha.
Please feel free to friend request Kate on Goodreads :D
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June 1, 2015
FREE on Amazon US today (6/1/2015)
BLURB:
Evie Jamieson, a former wild child, is not only a headstrong, smart-mouthed trouble magnet, she is also a lead singer with a plan. That plan involves relocating her band, including her two best friends guitarist Henry and band manager Mac, to Sydney to kick off their dreams of hitting the big time.
Jared Valentine is the older brother of Evie's best friend Mac and also the man determined to make Evie his. They strike up a long distance friendship which suits Evie because she's determined to avoid the distraction of love, not only because it doesn't fit in with her plan but because twice in the past it has left her for dead. Moving to Sydney however, has put her directly in Jared's path and he has decided it's the perfect opportunity to make his play.
Unfortunately Jared, co-owner in a business that 'consults' in dangerous hostage and kidnapping situations, makes an enemy who's determined to enact revenge. When this enemy puts Evie in his sights, Jared not only has a fight on his hands to make her his own, but also to keep her alive.
Is accepting the love he's so desperate to give worth the risk to both her heart...and her life?
http://www.amazon.com/Give-Me-Love-Ka...
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April 29, 2013
What a spectacular debut novel! I absolutely loved Give Me Love.
I was asked to review this book, by the author, and it was such a lovely surprise. It has been one of those tiresome weekends, where every time you try to grab a bit of reading time, someone wants something from you. So I found myself very frustrated, because all I wanted to do, all weekend, was curl up with Jared and Evie.
"One day you'll belong to me, Evie, and I'll know everything about you."
Let's start with Evie. She has suffered a huge amount of loss and disruption in her short, twenty four years. Going off the rails, in her teenage years, as a means of coping, she is now back on track and ready to launch her career in music with her band, Jamieson.
I loved Evie. She was fabulous to read and I really felt like I connected to her quickly. She had a fantastic sense of humour and her internal monologue was witty and relateable.
They were part of the Awesome Hot Guy Society. Instead of Jamieson and Valentine: Badass Brigade, maybe it should be Jamieson and Valentine: Bootylicious Boys, or Jamieson and Valentine: Bootylicious Brigade of Badass Boys.
And then there is Jared. Jared is one of three older brothers of Mac, Evie's BFF. He is a hot, ripped, professional badass. One of the crime solving, baddie killing, shirt-stretchingly-muscle-bound team, better known as 'Jamieson and Valentine Consulting', working with his other brother, and Evie's brother to chase the psychos around Sydney.
"The first rule of being a badass is that you don't talk about being a badass. Period."
And from the moment he meets Evie, he wants her. He's so completely adorable. I swooned every time he called her 'Baby', even before they were an item, and his protective, jealous, talk-with-your-fists, totally alpha-male attitude quickly became my guilty pleasure.
"Evie. Up there? Wow. I already knew you were the hottest thing I'd ever seen in my life, but that voice of yours..." he leaned in close until the warmth of his breath tickled my ear "...makes me want to fuck you."
Evie and Jared conduct a brilliant, long distance, text message relationship, before Evie, Mac and the band finally move to Sydney, closer to Jared. The text message are great and I really enjoyed reading those. Again, they are funny and quick witted. I love that Jared and Evie's relationship, supposedly, takes a long time to develop, yet it's done so well that isn't drawn out and boring, yet there is a great amount of sexual tension and build up.
The odds are heavily stacked against Jared and Evie. Everything seems to stand in their way, yet nothing feels more right than when they are together. My heart broke for both of them at various points in the book and I was rooting for them to make it all work.
"You just make it work, Evie. It's that hard and that simple."
I have to delve into the surrounding characters of this book, briefly, because Kate McCarthy has written an absolute fabulous cast of loveable personalities. There is Mac, of course, who is hilariously ballsy and the ever loyal best friend. There are the Jared's sexy badass colleagues (Travis, Mac and Jared's bother), Coby (Evie's brother) and Casey (friend and Jensen Ackles lookalike). Then there is policeman Mitch (Mac's other brother) and his partner, Tate. And, if that weren't enough hotness, there's the band... Henry, (Evie's closest, life long, male friend and gorgeous guitar player) Jake, (sexy, ripped drummer) and Frog and Cooper (who have some cute non-sexual bromance going on).
Now, that sounds mind blowing, but the book is so well written that you get to know each character individually, without it frazzling your brain and causing confusion. It made me want friends like these. The banter, the nicknames, the support for one another... I can't wait to read more. I assume that other characters will get their own books and I can't wait to read Coby's and Henry's!
So, back to the main story... there really is a bit of everything in this book. It has a real KA's Rock Chick feel about it. There are hot men, as we have already covered, with badass, criminal hunting day jobs. There's the rock star lifestyle that we all love to read about. There is romance, tonnes of humour, a bit of steam, a whole load of action, a side dish of angst, gun shots, stab wounds, sex, drugs and rock and roll (literally), car chases and one very cute Dachshund puppy, called Peter. Phew!
"You're the light I can't live without and the only one that has ever held my heart. I want to be the man standing beside you, laughing with you, crying with you, holding you, and loving you."
I really did immerse myself in the book entirely and would thoroughly recommend taking a chance on it. I think this is going to be a great series. And, if all that doesn't persuade you, it's Australian! So all those sexy muscled men... yeh, they've got delicious Ozzy accents too!
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May 13, 2013
If you are seriously looking for a page turner well look no more ladies ~ Give Me Love has EVERYTHING I love in a book ~ I cannot believe it took me this long to read this one and now I'm surely chomping at the bit for me. This is the kind of book that had me ....
but there were parts of the book where I was ...................
I'm just going to let you read the book and figure out those parts for yourself! Evie is the only female and lead singer in her band Jamieson ~ Along with her best friends Mac & Henry I guarantee you will spend a good portion of this book...........................................
Well little Evie's been "burned" in the past when it comes to relationships so she had a brief out of her mind period where she dated what I would term "safe" men ~ Not that she wouldn't care for them but she wouldn't necessarily lose her heart to them either but you see Jared, Mac's older brother, enters the picture long ago and re-enters when the gang moves to Sydney and let's just say the book get's really interesting. Jared is a man who knows what he wants ~ a security consultant with his own business with his brother Travis and Evie's brother Colby and you have three "hot" men that can surely leave you .....................................................
Well sit back folks and watch Evie's band explode into stardom......
and watch Jared and Evie heat up ....................................
and then watch the utter devastation that will have you in ..........
and just when you think your heart can't take anymore, cause that's just between Evie & Jared, picture the ultimate evil that is lurking around and wants revenge on Jared and that revenge will mean getting to Evie. Oh yes, this book has it all and believe me it WORKS well.
There were times where I wanted to..................................
at Evie and tell her to pull her head out of her arse and just grab it, go for it, take it heck OWN it even if I understood her hesitation and there were times where I wanted to..............................
Jared for something's said, assumed, done and for really trying my patience and giving me a near heart attack! When you hear both Evie & Jared's back stories be prepared you will............................
grab tissues!!!! Between the laughs this book has plenty of times where you felt things................................................
I could almost relate to what Mac had to deal with daily! Oh yes, there were parts of this book where I was down right ...............
and of course there were parts, many of them, where I was ...........
and the Epilogue OMG OMG OMG well ladies I was totally...............
Give Me Love is a story of giving love a second chance, taking the plunge putting all your fears aside and in the midst of all that having a FANTASTIC case of friends to see you through it.
This was a super awesome 5 ++++ star read for me ~ heck yes I got a little rock star in there ~ I have this crush for Henry ;) along with some badass security consultants who are beyond FINE ~ Seriously loved the Australian slang and had to look up a thing or two ~ Thank God for Men At Work cause I knew what vegemite was ;) I loved that Kate stayed true to her roots and used the slang and her home country as the setting for the book ~ It totally worked although I can't imagine a hot/humid Christmas I certainly want to visit down under so I can experience some of what Kate mentioned in the book and perhaps find a hot Australian man or two ;) Kidding I have the hubby but I'd totally love to go to Australia ~ So Kate for your first book out of the gates I just have to say...................................................
It ROCKED and totally FANFREAKINGTASTIC ~ I can't wait for Give Me Strength, yes this is a series but not one that leaves you hanging so next book I hear is Travis' story and I cannot freaking wait for that!
but there were parts of the book where I was ...................
I'm just going to let you read the book and figure out those parts for yourself! Evie is the only female and lead singer in her band Jamieson ~ Along with her best friends Mac & Henry I guarantee you will spend a good portion of this book...........................................
Well little Evie's been "burned" in the past when it comes to relationships so she had a brief out of her mind period where she dated what I would term "safe" men ~ Not that she wouldn't care for them but she wouldn't necessarily lose her heart to them either but you see Jared, Mac's older brother, enters the picture long ago and re-enters when the gang moves to Sydney and let's just say the book get's really interesting. Jared is a man who knows what he wants ~ a security consultant with his own business with his brother Travis and Evie's brother Colby and you have three "hot" men that can surely leave you .....................................................
Well sit back folks and watch Evie's band explode into stardom......
and watch Jared and Evie heat up ....................................
and then watch the utter devastation that will have you in ..........
and just when you think your heart can't take anymore, cause that's just between Evie & Jared, picture the ultimate evil that is lurking around and wants revenge on Jared and that revenge will mean getting to Evie. Oh yes, this book has it all and believe me it WORKS well.
There were times where I wanted to..................................
at Evie and tell her to pull her head out of her arse and just grab it, go for it, take it heck OWN it even if I understood her hesitation and there were times where I wanted to..............................
Jared for something's said, assumed, done and for really trying my patience and giving me a near heart attack! When you hear both Evie & Jared's back stories be prepared you will............................
grab tissues!!!! Between the laughs this book has plenty of times where you felt things................................................
I could almost relate to what Mac had to deal with daily! Oh yes, there were parts of this book where I was down right ...............
and of course there were parts, many of them, where I was ...........
and the Epilogue OMG OMG OMG well ladies I was totally...............
Give Me Love is a story of giving love a second chance, taking the plunge putting all your fears aside and in the midst of all that having a FANTASTIC case of friends to see you through it.
This was a super awesome 5 ++++ star read for me ~ heck yes I got a little rock star in there ~ I have this crush for Henry ;) along with some badass security consultants who are beyond FINE ~ Seriously loved the Australian slang and had to look up a thing or two ~ Thank God for Men At Work cause I knew what vegemite was ;) I loved that Kate stayed true to her roots and used the slang and her home country as the setting for the book ~ It totally worked although I can't imagine a hot/humid Christmas I certainly want to visit down under so I can experience some of what Kate mentioned in the book and perhaps find a hot Australian man or two ;) Kidding I have the hubby but I'd totally love to go to Australia ~ So Kate for your first book out of the gates I just have to say...................................................
It ROCKED and totally FANFREAKINGTASTIC ~ I can't wait for Give Me Strength, yes this is a series but not one that leaves you hanging so next book I hear is Travis' story and I cannot freaking wait for that!
September 8, 2016
I can't believe I missed this one. I love the books in this series and I definitely love this author...so why I never read book 1, is mystery to me. At least I have corrected my mistake, especially with book 4 being on the way (at least that's what I heard).
I already knew all the characters going in, so I already liked everyone :)
Evie is the lead singer for the band Jamieson. They are at the point of getting really famous. Her bandbrothers are Frog, Cooper, Jake and pretty Henry. All of them were awesome. Her best friend and their manager is Mac. I really loved Mac in all the books and I can't wait to read her story (book 4).
Evie and Mac's brothers own a security firm, which is how Evie and Jared meet. Both have been seriously burned in the past, so both have them have some trust-issues they have to deal with. This story is a slow burn, especially because Evie is bit hardheaded, so it takes some time for her to give in.
Ofcourse she can't resist all that is Jared and these two are really sweet together, once she get's her head out of her ass. However, when someone from Jared's job starts stalking Evie, things get a bit tense and mistakes are made.
I really loved this one, but I have to say that book 2 and 3 are still my favorite, especially Casey's book (3). I also had a feeling that the steam was a bit less in this book...more fade to black. I don't remember any of that from the other books. It was however very funny and I had more than one LOL moment. I love all of the Badd-ass Brigade !
I'm very glad that I'm now caught up with this series and I'm seriously fangirling over book 4, which will be Mac and Jake's book !! Please hurry Kate, I'm so curious to know what's gonna happen ;)
If you're looking for books with badd-ass alpha's and feisty independend women, you should definitely give this series a try. In my opinion, each books just get's better and better.
Now I'm gonna do a re-read of the other books ;)
September 12, 2013
“I feel like everything is so much brighter when I’m with you. When you’re not there it’s like someone turned out the lights.”
I really enjoyed this. If you enjoyed Kristen Ashley’s Rock Chick series, I really think this one would work well for you. It’s a sexy and funny romance with a great host of characters to get to know and love and there’s a suspense plot bubbling along in the background.
Evie is our heroine – she lost her Mother in an accident as a teen and went off the rails for a while and, after a couple of dangerous experiences with some badass boyfriends, she’s decided now to settle for safe and boring and only dates guys she considers to be nerdy. Evie is also the lead singer with her band, Jamieson, who are on the cusp of rock stardom and with her manager, Mackenzie,her bandmates and hers and Mack’s brothers we have a whole group of characters who will keep this series going for several books yet.
Jared, Mack’s brother, is our hero. He and Evie’s brother Coby have started an investigations company together and they are badass alpha heroes that you are all going to love and adore. Jared has a big thing for Evie but he’s aware that she’s only dating safe, nerdy types and he is about as far removed from safe and nerdy as it is possible to get. There was a scene early on in the book when he looked down at Evie, brushed the back of his knuckles gently across her cheek and stared at her lips, desperate to kiss her and yet walked away that really got to me and I knew that I was going to love this story! If an author can make me feel the emotions that the characters are experiencing then I know I’m on to a winner and that definitely worked for me! Jared really wants to be with Evie and he knows that, deep down, she feels the same way but the girl is badly in denial and he knows he has to be patient. Sigh!! I loved him!
This was a real page turned as Jared and Evie turn up the heat as they succumb to the incendiary attraction they share and they walk a tortuous path together. Both are slow to trust, both burned by experiences in the past and there will be misunderstandings and screaming rows left, right and centre. All the time this is going on, Evie’s safety is seriously compromised by an investigation that doesn’t go as planned that Jared and Coby have been working on and will fire up all the protective instincts of all the guys around her.
This all sets us up for a compelling suspense story with a beautiful yet really quite funny romance. Jared is a sexy, possessive, protective alpha hero – just the way I like ‘em!! Evie is a quirky and very endearing heroine and I really came to love the whole gang and absolutely couldn’t put this down as the suspense plot builds towards its pulsating conclusion. It’s really hard to believe that this is a debut novel but a bit of research shows that it actually is – it’s very accomplished and I was sucked right in from the very beginning and completely absorbed right through to the very gorgeous epilogue. I love epilogues – I really need that closure and you definitely get your money’s worth here!
My only complaint would be was that the sex scenes were a little too brief and I would have liked to spend a little more time with Jared and Evie getting down and dirty but that’s just me!
So, a great debut, a fantastic introduction to a whole gang of guys and gals that I already love, a thumping good suspense with a gorgeous romance and I can’t wait to move right on to the second book, Give Me Strength.
4 suspenseful stars
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September 7, 2017
If I was giving out stars for potential, I would give this a 4, BUT I'm not so this gets a 2.
This is me:
I give the author props for an extremely original idea. The whole aspiring rockstar meets Blackwater badass thing had the potential to go very poorly or be very exciting. Unfortunately, the author didn't execute it very well. This book is a fracking mess.
But there were a couple of things I liked about it:
1. The description of Jared at the beginning was super hot. Jared was a tolerable hero. He could be kind of an idiot, but at the beginning he had me swooning.
2. Henry. He was a good friend and the ONLY memorable supporting character.
That's all. That's all I liked.
I HATED the way this was written. Here is a gigantic list of everything I hated about this book.
1. The random asides and foreshadowing. This book spoiled itself CONSTANTLY. It was infuriating. Reading this book was like having this conversation:
Person 1: Have you seen The Sixth Sense?
Person 2: No. Is it good?
Person 1: Yeah. Really good. The kids sees dead people. Bruce Willis's character is dead the whole movie! Do you want to watch it?
Seriously. The author would flat out state that something major happened and then have Evie "flashback" in her mind to fill us in. Why couldn't we experience everything as it was happening?
2. The way time passed in this book was bizarre. Sometimes entire weeks would pass with no warning at all. A major event would occur and then 3 weeks would pass and it was all better, but the reader has no idea what happened and why it's better. We're just told that it is.
3. There was moments where I was extremely confused. Sometimes I just did not understand what was happening in the book at all. There was an entire chapter that was total nonsense to me. Additionally, things would happen that were never explained and did nothing to progress the plot. For example: Evie gets sick. For no reason. She's just randomly ill and goes to the doctor. There are pages written about Evie being sick for no apparent reason. She doesn't miss any shows, nothing bad happens, etc. Evie is just sick... to add to the word count? Then some guy from the record label requests to meet with Evie alone. He INSISTS that no one else comes with her, but it's never explained why. No reason given.
4. A lot of times it felt like this was 2 books smashed together. It felt like the author couldn't decide if she wanted this to be a thriller or a romance so she just mashed the two together and half-assed both. There was no development of Jared's job or company. The subplot involving the search for the bad guy was extremely underdeveloped and was only mentioned whenever it was convenient for the main character. It was almost as if the author should have just cut this entire arch. Plenty of conflict could have been created without involving the heroine in the drama. Honestly, this aspect of the book was incredibly boring.
5. The random switch to Mac's POV at 80% for one chapter gave me hives. I cannot express the depths of my fury over this.
6. Every single outfit that Evie wore was described in EXCRUCIATING detail. Here's the thing: I DON'T CARE! I don't care how her aqua shorts elongate her legs or how her tank top highlights her chest. I don't care at all. You've already described her. I know what she looks like. It was like the author thinks the reader is so stupid that they can't assume Evie changes her clothes every day. We need a play by play every time the woman gets dressed.
7. I am usually the first person to defend unlikeable characters. I don't think authors are obligated to deliver likeable or even redeemable characters. There are awful people in the world so it makes sense that they're represented in literature. That being said, I found the casual homophobia in this book unacceptable. The characters repeatedly say things like "You're not turning twink are you?" and "If they could turn gay for each other, they would." Not okay with me. The universe doesn't need anymore of this garbage.
8. This book has about 8,000 characters. I couldn't keep everyone straight. Who are: Cam, Casey, Dean, Tim, Frog, Travis, Mitch, Steve, Peter, Jake, Gary? The number of minor, male characters- who are all incredibly hot, of course- is astronomical. I felt like I needed a flow chart.
Yeahhhhh. So this book is free on Amazon right now if you want to torture yourself.
This is me:
I give the author props for an extremely original idea. The whole aspiring rockstar meets Blackwater badass thing had the potential to go very poorly or be very exciting. Unfortunately, the author didn't execute it very well. This book is a fracking mess.
But there were a couple of things I liked about it:
1. The description of Jared at the beginning was super hot. Jared was a tolerable hero. He could be kind of an idiot, but at the beginning he had me swooning.
2. Henry. He was a good friend and the ONLY memorable supporting character.
That's all. That's all I liked.
I HATED the way this was written. Here is a gigantic list of everything I hated about this book.
1. The random asides and foreshadowing. This book spoiled itself CONSTANTLY. It was infuriating. Reading this book was like having this conversation:
Person 1: Have you seen The Sixth Sense?
Person 2: No. Is it good?
Person 1: Yeah. Really good. The kids sees dead people. Bruce Willis's character is dead the whole movie! Do you want to watch it?
Seriously. The author would flat out state that something major happened and then have Evie "flashback" in her mind to fill us in. Why couldn't we experience everything as it was happening?
2. The way time passed in this book was bizarre. Sometimes entire weeks would pass with no warning at all. A major event would occur and then 3 weeks would pass and it was all better, but the reader has no idea what happened and why it's better. We're just told that it is.
3. There was moments where I was extremely confused. Sometimes I just did not understand what was happening in the book at all. There was an entire chapter that was total nonsense to me. Additionally, things would happen that were never explained and did nothing to progress the plot. For example: Evie gets sick. For no reason. She's just randomly ill and goes to the doctor. There are pages written about Evie being sick for no apparent reason. She doesn't miss any shows, nothing bad happens, etc. Evie is just sick... to add to the word count? Then some guy from the record label requests to meet with Evie alone. He INSISTS that no one else comes with her, but it's never explained why. No reason given.
4. A lot of times it felt like this was 2 books smashed together. It felt like the author couldn't decide if she wanted this to be a thriller or a romance so she just mashed the two together and half-assed both. There was no development of Jared's job or company. The subplot involving the search for the bad guy was extremely underdeveloped and was only mentioned whenever it was convenient for the main character. It was almost as if the author should have just cut this entire arch. Plenty of conflict could have been created without involving the heroine in the drama. Honestly, this aspect of the book was incredibly boring.
5. The random switch to Mac's POV at 80% for one chapter gave me hives. I cannot express the depths of my fury over this.
6. Every single outfit that Evie wore was described in EXCRUCIATING detail. Here's the thing: I DON'T CARE! I don't care how her aqua shorts elongate her legs or how her tank top highlights her chest. I don't care at all. You've already described her. I know what she looks like. It was like the author thinks the reader is so stupid that they can't assume Evie changes her clothes every day. We need a play by play every time the woman gets dressed.
7. I am usually the first person to defend unlikeable characters. I don't think authors are obligated to deliver likeable or even redeemable characters. There are awful people in the world so it makes sense that they're represented in literature. That being said, I found the casual homophobia in this book unacceptable. The characters repeatedly say things like "You're not turning twink are you?" and "If they could turn gay for each other, they would." Not okay with me. The universe doesn't need anymore of this garbage.
8. This book has about 8,000 characters. I couldn't keep everyone straight. Who are: Cam, Casey, Dean, Tim, Frog, Travis, Mitch, Steve, Peter, Jake, Gary? The number of minor, male characters- who are all incredibly hot, of course- is astronomical. I felt like I needed a flow chart.
Yeahhhhh. So this book is free on Amazon right now if you want to torture yourself.
March 21, 2013
Let me start by saying that I loved this book!! I read straight through and stayed up till the wee hours in the morning to finish it. Just could NOT put it down. I believe I finished at 3 a.m. and then took a 4 hour nap before work. It was worth it ;)
Things I loved:
-This book reminded me a LOT of Rock Chick by Kristen Ashley. Some people might not like to read a book that has as many similarities to another book as this one did, but to me it all depends on the book. Seeing how Rock Chick is one of my FAVORITE books, I was very happy to see so many similarities in this one. However, let me assure you that this is NOT the exact same. It just has a lot of similarities: Hot Guy Bunch, Two Best friends who are like Betty & Veronica, Alpha Male, High Speed Car Chase, Shoot Outs, Jealousy and lots of crazy ass characters in between!
-Jared! Oh he was so swoon worthy *sigh* Total alpha and I just loved him! He only pissed me off with one dumbass decision but he fixed things and I was happy again :)
-Evie was a great female lead. Although there were a few times I wanted to throttle her, 95% of the time I was happy with her and didn’t want to punch her in the face. Lol
-Mac was the most bad ass best friend! I loved her and I REALLY hope she gets a book. She was such a spitfire! She really reminded me of Ally (Rock Chick) who happens to be one of my favorite female characters.
-Lots of humor!
-Loved the Aussie slang!(And there is a LOT)
-Book takes off immediately and you’re hooked!
-AMAZING supporting characters!
-Has an Epilogue! (LOVE when a book have an Epilogue)
Bottom line, Great book and will now be added to my favorites shelf! Highly recommend it and can NOT wait for book 2!!
Things I loved:
-This book reminded me a LOT of Rock Chick by Kristen Ashley. Some people might not like to read a book that has as many similarities to another book as this one did, but to me it all depends on the book. Seeing how Rock Chick is one of my FAVORITE books, I was very happy to see so many similarities in this one. However, let me assure you that this is NOT the exact same. It just has a lot of similarities: Hot Guy Bunch, Two Best friends who are like Betty & Veronica, Alpha Male, High Speed Car Chase, Shoot Outs, Jealousy and lots of crazy ass characters in between!
-Jared! Oh he was so swoon worthy *sigh* Total alpha and I just loved him! He only pissed me off with one dumbass decision but he fixed things and I was happy again :)
-Evie was a great female lead. Although there were a few times I wanted to throttle her, 95% of the time I was happy with her and didn’t want to punch her in the face. Lol
-Mac was the most bad ass best friend! I loved her and I REALLY hope she gets a book. She was such a spitfire! She really reminded me of Ally (Rock Chick) who happens to be one of my favorite female characters.
-Lots of humor!
-Loved the Aussie slang!(And there is a LOT)
-Book takes off immediately and you’re hooked!
-AMAZING supporting characters!
-Has an Epilogue! (LOVE when a book have an Epilogue)
Bottom line, Great book and will now be added to my favorites shelf! Highly recommend it and can NOT wait for book 2!!
March 1, 2016
FREE on Amazon US at the moment (March 01 2016)
September 7, 2013
I've had this book on my kindle for awhile and having just finished it in a day, I'm kicking myself for leaving it so long. Its hot, its funny, its badass and its full of action, drama, and music. What more could you ask for. Book 1 of the series and I'm already counting down the days for the books about Travis, Henry, Casey and Mac. Get writing Kate.
March 12, 2013
I didn't have the time or the inclination for a man in my life for important reasons. The first of which was that I had a career in the music industry as a lead singer in a band that was going places...Besides music being my world, my heart had already been broken twice in the past, and I had no intention of revisiting that pain.
I have to say that I was a little bit overwhelmed in the first couple of chapters. I had to wrap my brain around the Aussie terminology, get a lot of characters and their nick names straight, and get used to the fast paced witty style. The characters have such a playful rapport with each other and it was fast moving so I needed time to catch up. But partway through, that all faded into the background as I fell in love with the characters and got interested in the story lines going on. And there are several story lines all wrapped up in this book. We have emerging rock stars, a "Bad Ass Brigade" of special consultants(think Commando types) and romance. I ended up staying up until almost 3 am finishing this book. I got sucked in and could not put it down!
Jared: He was a swoony, hot, charismatic alpha man who was not afraid to show his feelings and go after what he wanted. He is flirty, sweet, protective, but also a bit guarded due to trust issues. He likes his sister's room mate Evie. They have fun in texts but have not been around each other that much in person.
Evie: An emerging Rock Goddess who lives in denial so she will not get hurt again. Her past has shaped her present and she is afraid to face her own feelings. She likes Jared, but is also terrified of being near him.
Jared and Evie had a fun witty rapport, chemistry, and intense feelings. It is obvious to everyone that they are meant to be together, but Jared is afraid to push her too far and Evie is a runner. Evie's denial could get grating at times, but I still liked her overall and could understand how she came to be so untrusting. I adored Jared even though he had issues too.
"Because one day you'll belong to me, Evie, and I'll know everything about you."
"I feel like everything is so much brighter when I'm with you. When you're not there it's like someone turned out the lights."
And when I say I loved the characters, I do not just mean Jared (though sigh...swoon!) and Evie. I adored all of their crazy motley crew. Her room mate and Jared's sister Mac is feisty, controlling, bossy, outspoken, nosy, and funny. Henry, her band member and their other room mate is sweet, protective, but like a brother to them. The other band members Frog, Cooper and Jake. The "Bad Ass brigade" that includes her brother Coby and his brothers Travis and Mitch, and the super hot Casey. All of these characters lives intersect and they have such bonds of friendship and loyalty. Even though there were a lot of characters, many of them were developed enough so you can get a real feel for them and still want to know more. I can see these other characters getting their own stories in this series. The next book is supposed to be Give me Strength in December and will be his brother Travis' story.
This book has rock stars, black ops, and romance all rolled into one. There was a great love story, danger, action, and suspense. It also had angst, drama, misunderstandings, relationship fear, trust issues, separations, and reunions. There were many factors keeping these two people apart and it was hard to watch all they had to go through.
I saw it all, the highest of our highs and the lowest of our lows, and as much as every piece was a part of me, I wanted to howl for never getting a chance to live in the middle.
"We'll have our middle, Jared, and it's going to be perfect."
I was totally invested in this couple and loved that she gave us an epilogue. I look forward to more books in this series with more of the lovable characters. I really want to see books for Casey, Mac, and Henry. Travis is next and looking forward to that. A great debut by Kate McCarthy.
Thanks to Kate McCarthy for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Will be posted at Reviews by Tammy and Kim
I have to say that I was a little bit overwhelmed in the first couple of chapters. I had to wrap my brain around the Aussie terminology, get a lot of characters and their nick names straight, and get used to the fast paced witty style. The characters have such a playful rapport with each other and it was fast moving so I needed time to catch up. But partway through, that all faded into the background as I fell in love with the characters and got interested in the story lines going on. And there are several story lines all wrapped up in this book. We have emerging rock stars, a "Bad Ass Brigade" of special consultants(think Commando types) and romance. I ended up staying up until almost 3 am finishing this book. I got sucked in and could not put it down!
Jared: He was a swoony, hot, charismatic alpha man who was not afraid to show his feelings and go after what he wanted. He is flirty, sweet, protective, but also a bit guarded due to trust issues. He likes his sister's room mate Evie. They have fun in texts but have not been around each other that much in person.
Evie: An emerging Rock Goddess who lives in denial so she will not get hurt again. Her past has shaped her present and she is afraid to face her own feelings. She likes Jared, but is also terrified of being near him.
Jared and Evie had a fun witty rapport, chemistry, and intense feelings. It is obvious to everyone that they are meant to be together, but Jared is afraid to push her too far and Evie is a runner. Evie's denial could get grating at times, but I still liked her overall and could understand how she came to be so untrusting. I adored Jared even though he had issues too.
"Because one day you'll belong to me, Evie, and I'll know everything about you."
"I feel like everything is so much brighter when I'm with you. When you're not there it's like someone turned out the lights."
And when I say I loved the characters, I do not just mean Jared (though sigh...swoon!) and Evie. I adored all of their crazy motley crew. Her room mate and Jared's sister Mac is feisty, controlling, bossy, outspoken, nosy, and funny. Henry, her band member and their other room mate is sweet, protective, but like a brother to them. The other band members Frog, Cooper and Jake. The "Bad Ass brigade" that includes her brother Coby and his brothers Travis and Mitch, and the super hot Casey. All of these characters lives intersect and they have such bonds of friendship and loyalty. Even though there were a lot of characters, many of them were developed enough so you can get a real feel for them and still want to know more. I can see these other characters getting their own stories in this series. The next book is supposed to be Give me Strength in December and will be his brother Travis' story.
This book has rock stars, black ops, and romance all rolled into one. There was a great love story, danger, action, and suspense. It also had angst, drama, misunderstandings, relationship fear, trust issues, separations, and reunions. There were many factors keeping these two people apart and it was hard to watch all they had to go through.
I saw it all, the highest of our highs and the lowest of our lows, and as much as every piece was a part of me, I wanted to howl for never getting a chance to live in the middle.
"We'll have our middle, Jared, and it's going to be perfect."
I was totally invested in this couple and loved that she gave us an epilogue. I look forward to more books in this series with more of the lovable characters. I really want to see books for Casey, Mac, and Henry. Travis is next and looking forward to that. A great debut by Kate McCarthy.
Thanks to Kate McCarthy for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Will be posted at Reviews by Tammy and Kim
March 13, 2013
I am sorry Kate, I usually have quotes, but I was so engrossed in your story that I forgot to get cozy with my highlighter. Give Me Love has made it to my FAVES shelf, definite reread for me! You have a new huge fan Kate, it took me a chapter or two to get past the Aussie slang, but once I did, I was hooked!
Oh my gosh, Kate rocked this story and her characters! I was so invested in Jared and Evie. I rooted for them, I yelled at them, and I shed some big fat tears (dang you for that Kate!). Those two had me cursing at my tablet a few times, but over all I could not get enough. Jared and Evie were angsty, they were funny, and they were so not instant love. A HUGE PLUS there. I am not a fan of instant love so I loved reading about their relationship growing over the years as friends. Their journey was not an easy one, it was filled with broken communication, jealousy, and sometimes so much anger that I did not think they would make it. Their past screwed them both up emotionally and mentally and the pain and scars from that was front and center through 90% of the book.
Another reason I adored this book was hands down her intriguing characters. I fell in love with each and every one of them! They were all so well developed and fit perfectly together. To spend a day with them would be a fricken blast! Oh, and our heroine was the rocker and NOT the hero! Now mix this gang with some drama, some twists and turns, some black ops, some rocking music and you have the perfect ingredients for a story in my opinion.
I am not ashamed to admit that I am not beyond begging or throwing a tantrum so...Kate...I am in desperate need of Casey! You got me hooked girl and I need more of him like stat. Pretty please with cherries on top!! You teased us with his character right at the end and that little section had me panting for more...yes I said panting. Damn that man is super fine. While I loved Jared, Henry, Travis and Jakie (I even loved Coby), but my heart skipped a beat at the airport. I really just need Casey and his HEA!
Thanks to Kate McCarthy for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review
You can see this review as well as others at: Reviews by Tammy & Kim
Oh my gosh, Kate rocked this story and her characters! I was so invested in Jared and Evie. I rooted for them, I yelled at them, and I shed some big fat tears (dang you for that Kate!). Those two had me cursing at my tablet a few times, but over all I could not get enough. Jared and Evie were angsty, they were funny, and they were so not instant love. A HUGE PLUS there. I am not a fan of instant love so I loved reading about their relationship growing over the years as friends. Their journey was not an easy one, it was filled with broken communication, jealousy, and sometimes so much anger that I did not think they would make it. Their past screwed them both up emotionally and mentally and the pain and scars from that was front and center through 90% of the book.
Another reason I adored this book was hands down her intriguing characters. I fell in love with each and every one of them! They were all so well developed and fit perfectly together. To spend a day with them would be a fricken blast! Oh, and our heroine was the rocker and NOT the hero! Now mix this gang with some drama, some twists and turns, some black ops, some rocking music and you have the perfect ingredients for a story in my opinion.
I am not ashamed to admit that I am not beyond begging or throwing a tantrum so...Kate...I am in desperate need of Casey! You got me hooked girl and I need more of him like stat. Pretty please with cherries on top!! You teased us with his character right at the end and that little section had me panting for more...yes I said panting. Damn that man is super fine. While I loved Jared, Henry, Travis and Jakie (I even loved Coby), but my heart skipped a beat at the airport. I really just need Casey and his HEA!
Thanks to Kate McCarthy for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review
You can see this review as well as others at: Reviews by Tammy & Kim
June 2, 2017
Just didn't have it in me to really carry on and grasp this story. So it's a DNF
March 21, 2013
I loved this!!!
It wasn't your typical boy meets girl and falls in love. It's the first book in a while that has had me up till the early hours of the morning.
Evie is the lead singer of a band that is on the verge of making it big, she's had a crush on her best friends brother since she first saw him and living miles away from each other exchange texts everyday for 2 years till her and the band move to his home town. Jared is a bad ass hot as hell hostage consultant who is determined to make Evie his.
This book is full of action and just felt so different to what I've been reading recently, the supporting characters were great I loved Mac's take no prisoners attitude and the relationship Evie had with her band especially Henry.
Really looking forward to reading Travis' s book!!
It wasn't your typical boy meets girl and falls in love. It's the first book in a while that has had me up till the early hours of the morning.
Evie is the lead singer of a band that is on the verge of making it big, she's had a crush on her best friends brother since she first saw him and living miles away from each other exchange texts everyday for 2 years till her and the band move to his home town. Jared is a bad ass hot as hell hostage consultant who is determined to make Evie his.
This book is full of action and just felt so different to what I've been reading recently, the supporting characters were great I loved Mac's take no prisoners attitude and the relationship Evie had with her band especially Henry.
Really looking forward to reading Travis' s book!!
August 12, 2022
Not for me.
It's a case of they like each other but she sees other people, this wouldn't have worked as they live too far apart and live completely different lives so it's not very practical to get together. It had a lot of potential as they are texting each other and getting to know each other as 'friends'.
Things change, he moves near her with work but he has said he doesn't do relationships so why would she think he is interested. Why should she understand he is angry when she goes on a date with someone else.
A plus is the group of friends but I felt there were too many, may have been better to introduce them as the series advanced rather than so many people all at once.
It's a case of they like each other but she sees other people, this wouldn't have worked as they live too far apart and live completely different lives so it's not very practical to get together. It had a lot of potential as they are texting each other and getting to know each other as 'friends'.
Things change, he moves near her with work but he has said he doesn't do relationships so why would she think he is interested. Why should she understand he is angry when she goes on a date with someone else.
A plus is the group of friends but I felt there were too many, may have been better to introduce them as the series advanced rather than so many people all at once.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2014
I love it when a great cover can suck you into buying a book that you might have overlooked. This cover grabbed me and I think I ended up having in on my list to read even before checking out what it was about. It was a great story and just so amazing that this was the authors first book.
Normally when a book has a ton of characters they can get lost in the story or just are too in your face that you lose sight of who the story is about. But every single one of these characters were just right. I love that the next in the series will be one of their stories - I am hoping that we will eventually get down to all of them having a book. There were times when I felt like smacking Henry, Evie and Mac out of frustration - but it was due to their ADHD conversations. I was like get to the point a few times, but mostly just so I could get to more Evie & Jared time! But the banter in this was well put together between the band, you really felt like they were all one big happy family of misfits.
Add in a bunch of bad ass dudes and I am a happy camper. Each one of the guys seemed like giant teddy bears, but bad ass ones that carry guns and have car chases.
Evie's attempts at hiding herself away from any chance at a real relationship and Jared's 'not giving up' attitude allowed for great chemistry. After her share of dirt bags that led her to bad places she was on the nerd train but that spark with Jared could not be denied for long. But when his job makes her the target of Mr. Looney Tunes Jared starts to think that maybe he is just like the other assholes.
Although this is told from Evie's POV she seemed very guarded with her emotions, you knew how she felt but she wasn't offering up too much. But what I loved is that you could see how much Jared loved her how he was conveyed through her eyes. That is not an easy thing to do - too often you are left wondering what they guys are thinking.
"We'd been together all of one night, had sex twice, and already there was smashed glassware, mayhem and fisticuffs, and now a potential pregnancy scare."
"Because one day you'll belong to me, Evie, and I'll know everything about you."
"I feel like everything is so much brighter when I'm with you. When you're not there it's like someone turned out the lights."
"Evie, Up there? Wow. I already knew you were the hottest fucking thing I'd ever seen in my life, but that voice of yours..." he leaned in close until the warmth of his breath tickled my ear "...makes me want to fuck you."
"I feel like I've loved you before I even showed up on your doorstep that day."
Who I pictured for Jared & Evie:
April 22, 2013
4 stars!!
For a debut book, Kate McCarthy did an amazing job. It was so refreshing that the lead character was a woman who was a lead singer in a rock band…whilst most write about men that are lets face it manwhore horndogs!!
The book is set in Australia, Evie (Genevieve Jamieson) is the lead singer of a rock group that are trying to make it big. Evie’s best friend is Mac (Mackenzie Valentine) who is also the bands manager, she is one bossy, sassy woman and keeps Evie and her band mates in check. All the other band mates are male and the relationship that they have with each other is fab and hilarious, especially Henry he has earned a special little place in my heart.
Evie is emotionally scarred, she has had two serious relationships in the past that have not ended well, so now she just dates “safe geeks” ones that she can have sex with and know that they could never hurt her emotionally or physically. Mac introduced Evie to her brother years ago, Evie had to get away quick as Jared (Jared Valentine) was super scrummy and had Evie’s panties melting at first sight but she knew that he had the power to hurt her bad emotionally. However, they did strike up a great friendship but always communicated by text, it was safe, if she had to see him she could not be held responsible for her actions. The text banter between these two had me in hysterics. You could tell that they had a great friendship but you could also tell that Jared wished it was more. Jared and Evie’s families had been inter woven for years Evie’s brother Coby and Jared are business partners too in a top security firm and investigators and when Evie and Coby’s parents died Coby had custody of Evie and Mac’s parents became sort of surrogate parents to them both.
This story basically covers the band “Jamieson” and their rise to the top and the developing relationship between Evie and Jared. Jared and Evie have fantastic chemistry, Jared has no problem in sharing his feelings but Evie always pulls back, she is scared. When one of Coby and Jared’s operations goes bad Jared gets shot but not before he shot dead one of his assailants , this near death experience gets Evie thinking and she realises that she needs to let Jared in but the other assailant in the case seeks revenge, will he use Evie as his ammunition??
Just as Jared and Evie embark on a relationship much to Mac and her parents delight, Evie’s career takes off and they get signed and become a support act for a big band around Australia. Realising the threat against Evie security accompany them at every turn but is this enough to protect her from Jimmy who is hell bent on revenge! Is Evie enough of a target or will they try their hand at anything to get revenge on Jared??
This book has it all, chemistry, great supporting characters, a fab plot and is a real page turner. I could not put it down. Jared is super yummy and Evie feisty which makes for some great dialogue between the two. Sometimes I could have bashed their heads together, especially when Jared took off for 4 months, that seriously peed me off..although I could understand why, it was just really bad timing. Absolutely loved the epilogue, so glad it was included and I cannot wait for the next instalment, so glad that other characters are getting their stories told and hopefully wecan continue to read about how Jared and Evie develop going forward.
My favourite quote from the book is Jared to Evie…. “I feel like everything is so much brighter when I’m with you. When you are not here it’s like someone turned out the lights” awwwwwwww.
Highly recommended for a fab romantic read with some action, some fun and a bit of rock!!
www.theromancecover.com
For a debut book, Kate McCarthy did an amazing job. It was so refreshing that the lead character was a woman who was a lead singer in a rock band…whilst most write about men that are lets face it manwhore horndogs!!
The book is set in Australia, Evie (Genevieve Jamieson) is the lead singer of a rock group that are trying to make it big. Evie’s best friend is Mac (Mackenzie Valentine) who is also the bands manager, she is one bossy, sassy woman and keeps Evie and her band mates in check. All the other band mates are male and the relationship that they have with each other is fab and hilarious, especially Henry he has earned a special little place in my heart.
Evie is emotionally scarred, she has had two serious relationships in the past that have not ended well, so now she just dates “safe geeks” ones that she can have sex with and know that they could never hurt her emotionally or physically. Mac introduced Evie to her brother years ago, Evie had to get away quick as Jared (Jared Valentine) was super scrummy and had Evie’s panties melting at first sight but she knew that he had the power to hurt her bad emotionally. However, they did strike up a great friendship but always communicated by text, it was safe, if she had to see him she could not be held responsible for her actions. The text banter between these two had me in hysterics. You could tell that they had a great friendship but you could also tell that Jared wished it was more. Jared and Evie’s families had been inter woven for years Evie’s brother Coby and Jared are business partners too in a top security firm and investigators and when Evie and Coby’s parents died Coby had custody of Evie and Mac’s parents became sort of surrogate parents to them both.
This story basically covers the band “Jamieson” and their rise to the top and the developing relationship between Evie and Jared. Jared and Evie have fantastic chemistry, Jared has no problem in sharing his feelings but Evie always pulls back, she is scared. When one of Coby and Jared’s operations goes bad Jared gets shot but not before he shot dead one of his assailants , this near death experience gets Evie thinking and she realises that she needs to let Jared in but the other assailant in the case seeks revenge, will he use Evie as his ammunition??
Just as Jared and Evie embark on a relationship much to Mac and her parents delight, Evie’s career takes off and they get signed and become a support act for a big band around Australia. Realising the threat against Evie security accompany them at every turn but is this enough to protect her from Jimmy who is hell bent on revenge! Is Evie enough of a target or will they try their hand at anything to get revenge on Jared??
This book has it all, chemistry, great supporting characters, a fab plot and is a real page turner. I could not put it down. Jared is super yummy and Evie feisty which makes for some great dialogue between the two. Sometimes I could have bashed their heads together, especially when Jared took off for 4 months, that seriously peed me off..although I could understand why, it was just really bad timing. Absolutely loved the epilogue, so glad it was included and I cannot wait for the next instalment, so glad that other characters are getting their stories told and hopefully wecan continue to read about how Jared and Evie develop going forward.
My favourite quote from the book is Jared to Evie…. “I feel like everything is so much brighter when I’m with you. When you are not here it’s like someone turned out the lights” awwwwwwww.
Highly recommended for a fab romantic read with some action, some fun and a bit of rock!!
www.theromancecover.com
May 12, 2013
Warning: major gushfest ahead. This book was the biggest surprise of 2013 so far. It bore down on me like a freight train and knocked me head over ass into Kate McCarthy FAN TERRITORY.
First, I don’t read a lot of Australian authors (a very sad truth) so the Aussie lingo and references to Sydney and Melbourne venues touched my heart. And it wasn’t over the top either so I didn't feel the need to cringe at any of the slang. Phew.
Second, McCarthy is a f'ing stealth bomber, dropping emotional bombs on us when we least expect it. She does this by writing in the present (well in the past tense in the present) but throwing in either flashbacks, or previews or premonitions of future scenes, which colour how you view certain characters/actions etc. This was super effective.
So effective I felt like every time I thought Evie was getting a break, we’d get shown a preview of 'things to come' and I'd just slap my forehead, go 'not again', and then spend the next chapter waiting for the proverbial shit to hit the fan.
I love, loved loved the banter between the absolutely phenomenal cast of characters. I connected to each and every single one, from Frog and Cooper all the way through to Henry and Evie. I loved their bathroom battles (everyone who's ever shared a bathroom knows what this means), their nicknames for each other (Henrietta; Mactard; Sandwich; Asshole Keller and Hairy Parry!); their unwavering loyalty and support for each other and even Henry, the retarded relationship bastard’s advice :D.
The book was more suspenseful than action packed (which was such a nice change). Don’t get me wrong, there were attempts at murder, stab wounds, shoot outs and high speed car chases, but it was a lot more the fear of when the bad guy would attack that had my heart racing. I commend the speed and content and the everythingness of the plot. Truly truly commendable!
And the romance. GOD, it was painful. Torturous. Heartrending. Evie and Jared were a beautiful disaster; a hot mess. When they were good, it was like the stars aligned and heaven shone down on everyone around them. But when they were bad, it was like hell had opened its fiery pits. My heart had to be restarted at least 5 times during this book.
And finally a FINE epilogue. YES YES YES. I feel about epilogues the same way I feel about butter in a peanut butter sandwich. It’s superfluous, unless done well. And McCarthy does it well. My heart is as big as the State of WA right now.
First, I don’t read a lot of Australian authors (a very sad truth) so the Aussie lingo and references to Sydney and Melbourne venues touched my heart. And it wasn’t over the top either so I didn't feel the need to cringe at any of the slang. Phew.
Second, McCarthy is a f'ing stealth bomber, dropping emotional bombs on us when we least expect it. She does this by writing in the present (well in the past tense in the present) but throwing in either flashbacks, or previews or premonitions of future scenes, which colour how you view certain characters/actions etc. This was super effective.
So effective I felt like every time I thought Evie was getting a break, we’d get shown a preview of 'things to come' and I'd just slap my forehead, go 'not again', and then spend the next chapter waiting for the proverbial shit to hit the fan.
I love, loved loved the banter between the absolutely phenomenal cast of characters. I connected to each and every single one, from Frog and Cooper all the way through to Henry and Evie. I loved their bathroom battles (everyone who's ever shared a bathroom knows what this means), their nicknames for each other (Henrietta; Mactard; Sandwich; Asshole Keller and Hairy Parry!); their unwavering loyalty and support for each other and even Henry, the retarded relationship bastard’s advice :D.
The book was more suspenseful than action packed (which was such a nice change). Don’t get me wrong, there were attempts at murder, stab wounds, shoot outs and high speed car chases, but it was a lot more the fear of when the bad guy would attack that had my heart racing. I commend the speed and content and the everythingness of the plot. Truly truly commendable!
And the romance. GOD, it was painful. Torturous. Heartrending. Evie and Jared were a beautiful disaster; a hot mess. When they were good, it was like the stars aligned and heaven shone down on everyone around them. But when they were bad, it was like hell had opened its fiery pits. My heart had to be restarted at least 5 times during this book.
And finally a FINE epilogue. YES YES YES. I feel about epilogues the same way I feel about butter in a peanut butter sandwich. It’s superfluous, unless done well. And McCarthy does it well. My heart is as big as the State of WA right now.
April 19, 2013
Loved this book, had me chuckling and laughing away!!
Different from usual rock star reading material, as it is the heroine, Evie Jamieson who is the lead singer of the band and then you've got the dashing security agent Jared Valentine. Add to this an actioned packed, stalker,kidnapping, walk outs, hospital stays... the list goes on and on!!
Some really great characters introduced through out the book , and am so looking forward to some more books on these Valentine brothers;)
A well written book injected with some humourus jokes and lines. A recommended must read...
Different from usual rock star reading material, as it is the heroine, Evie Jamieson who is the lead singer of the band and then you've got the dashing security agent Jared Valentine. Add to this an actioned packed, stalker,kidnapping, walk outs, hospital stays... the list goes on and on!!
Some really great characters introduced through out the book , and am so looking forward to some more books on these Valentine brothers;)
A well written book injected with some humourus jokes and lines. A recommended must read...
September 18, 2013
3.5 Stars
Kate McCarthy has taken a cast of quirky, lovable characters, put them together in an up and coming Rock Band, added a nice helping of badass, sexy crime fighters and produced an engaging, fun read.
Great debut and I'm excited to read more by this author.
Kate McCarthy has taken a cast of quirky, lovable characters, put them together in an up and coming Rock Band, added a nice helping of badass, sexy crime fighters and produced an engaging, fun read.
Great debut and I'm excited to read more by this author.
October 31, 2018
Jared <3
August 25, 2013
~ "You're the light I can't live without and the only one that has ever held my heart. I want to be the man standing beside you, laughing with you, crying with you, holding you, and loving you."~
Evie and her Band Jamieson is about to hit the big-time. Moving back to Sydney puts her back in the sights of her Bestfriend, Mac's older Brother Jared.
For the last few years Evie has avoided Jared at all costs. One look at the hot badass guy, made Evie run for the hills. After a few messed up teenage years earning her 2 heartbreaks she only plays it safe. And Jared has heartbreak written all over him.
They have a friendship via text messages. But when she moves back to sydney Jared makes it clear that when she is ready, she will be his.
~ “You know what you have to do, Evie,” he whispered in my ear and I shivered. “Just be with me.” ~
Jared co-owns a business that 'consults' in dangerous hostage and kidnapping situations. Ever since he set eyes on his little sisters best friend, he has wanted more. Jared has his own heartbreak that he deals with, but he wants her bad.
~ "Evie, Up there? Wow. I already knew you were the hottest fucking thing I'd ever seen in my life, but that voice of yours..." he leaned in close until the warmth of his breath tickled my ear "...makes me want to fuck you." ~
Evie fights the attraction in her unique crazy ways, making you laugh out loud at the stuff she comes out with. I loved her. I think I might have a little girl crush on her.. Hahaha
~ I am a cool cucumber. No, fuck that. I am Snoop Dogg. You can get no cooler than that.~
Jared is totally swoon worthy…
~ "I feel like everything is so much brighter when I'm with you. When you're not there it's like someone turned out the lights." ~
I loved EVERYONE…
Henry.. Swoon…
Jake… HOT
Casey… OMG GIVE ME HIM!!
Mac.. Hahahah Macface Mactard. Macky Wacky.... Hey I'm Aussie. We love that shit for some reason…
Even Tetris Tate.. Wonder if he is in the second?
Seriously Loved them all. I loved their banter. The Slang comes naturally to me and I freaking loved it.
~ Sandwich was their nickname for me because of my name Jamieson. Jam. Jam Sandwich. Now it was just Sandwich. It wasn't really the best nickname, but you just had to roll with what you got because if you kicked up a fuss, you'd end up with something worse. ~
When Evie and Jared's relationship finally takes off, a psycho determined to enact revenge against Jared, sets his sights on Evie.
There were car chases and shoot outs. Kidnappings and stabbings it was action packed!
~ "Evie, get the fuck OUT OF THE CAR!"
The impact from the Camry had pushed us a full car length into the busy intersection. Cars flew by dangerously. Out of my peripheral vision, I saw the cavalry screech to a stop behind us, defending out of their cars, running for us. I was making a fumbled frantic move for the door when i saw a truck bearing down towards us with nowhere else to go, honking his horn loudly, then everything went black.~
With the band hitting it big time, Jared and the Bad ass Brigade protecting her against a psycho, misunderstandings and trust issues. Can Evie and Jared fight their way through the chaos and be with each other?
Or will it end up in heartbreak for them both of them?
~ I saw it all, the highest of our highs and the lowest of our lows and as much as every piece was a part of me, I wanted to howl for never getting a chance to live in the middle.~
Give me love' is Kate McCarthy's 1st instalment of her Give Me series..
It wasn't an insta love for me.
What Kate does is, give you a wonderful character build up that, by the end you really feel like you know the gang personally.
I don't think I have read a book in a while that takes it's time in getting to really know the characters.
For me I could see where others found it a little slow to get into. Around 30% I was anxiously waiting for my Evie and Jared action...
However…By the time I got to 40-50% I was so invested in EVERYONE I couldn't put it down. The gang is so complex, you do appreciate knowing their background.
And now that I'm finished, I'm itching to get my hands on Give me Strength. Like seriously need it now!!
Favourite Lines
~ “I relaxed back into the couch, wondering why it appeared all men had it in for that movie. My last thought before my eyes drifted closed was that perhaps it was because Ryan Gosling set the bar too high.” ~
~ "The first rule of being a bad ass is that you don't talk about being a bad ass. Period." ~
~ "How did you get so lucky? Not just one, but two of them. Bit greedy, aren't you? she said with a wink.
"You haven't seen the rest of them."
"There's more of those? Honey, I am you new best friend." ~
★ 4 Stars ★
Buy it
Read it
Love it
A is for Alpha B is for Books
March 23, 2013
5+++ huge amazeball stars
•Its gonna take a lot to drag me away from you There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do• Evie's song
Kate McCarthy- this was your first book?! Shut your mouth. Don't ever stop!!! And this is a series! Whoop! [image error]
Seriously, seriously. I LOVED the shit out of this book. So much. It was exactly how I like my books- swoonworthy, hilarious, a heroin with an awesome personality, a sexy bad-ass male that doesn't cause me to want to climb through my kindle and choke-slam him because of infidelity, minimal angst but enough to make the story intriguing, a fantastic supporting cast! I could go on and on and on!
I loved Evie- she was so funny. I highlighted more in this book than I think I ever have.
"We'd been together all of one night, had sex twice, and already there was smashed glassware, mayhem and fisticuffs, and now a potential pregnancy scare."
"Jared and Jessica had a much better ring to it. Their celebrity name would be Jarica, pretty in a sort of ghetto-ugly kinda way"
Jared...drool drool drool
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I feel like everything is so much brighter when I'm with you. When you're not there it's like someone turned out the lights
Buy this book and start reading it yesterday!
•Its gonna take a lot to drag me away from you There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do• Evie's song
Kate McCarthy- this was your first book?! Shut your mouth. Don't ever stop!!! And this is a series! Whoop! [image error]
Seriously, seriously. I LOVED the shit out of this book. So much. It was exactly how I like my books- swoonworthy, hilarious, a heroin with an awesome personality, a sexy bad-ass male that doesn't cause me to want to climb through my kindle and choke-slam him because of infidelity, minimal angst but enough to make the story intriguing, a fantastic supporting cast! I could go on and on and on!
I loved Evie- she was so funny. I highlighted more in this book than I think I ever have.
"We'd been together all of one night, had sex twice, and already there was smashed glassware, mayhem and fisticuffs, and now a potential pregnancy scare."
"Jared and Jessica had a much better ring to it. Their celebrity name would be Jarica, pretty in a sort of ghetto-ugly kinda way"
Jared...drool drool drool
[image error]
I feel like everything is so much brighter when I'm with you. When you're not there it's like someone turned out the lights
Buy this book and start reading it yesterday!
August 12, 2017
This initial installment to the "Give Me" series focuses on Jared Valentine, a no nonsense rule follower who leads a dangerous life as a consultant in hostage and kidnapping negotiations, and Evie Jamieson, wild child extraordinaire and rock star goddess... these long time friends, who secretly desire one another, collide when Evie's rock star lifestyle begins to soar and Jared must find ways to protect her against an unknown enemy... with rock and roll dynamics, action packed sequences, some twists and turns through the storyline, and outrageous personalities this story was an entertaining read that I thoroughly enjoyed.... my only struggle was the constant back and forth in the relationship between Evie and Jared; I feel there is a balance needed in that angst and this storyline pushed hard at that balance for me; some of the character choices at the end of the story also felt forced to create unnecessary drama... however, the majority of the story held my attention and interest leaving me intrigued to the rest of the books in the series... 4 Stars:)
June 16, 2015
3.5 stars!
I really like this book but my goodness, this book is loaded with unnecessary drama. I also didn't like how childish and reckless the heroine could be at times and I struggled with liking her at times. But I love the writing style and this reminded me a bit of the Rock Chick series by KA and I just loved the group of friends they have.
Despite the drama-llama I'm very much interested in reading the rest of the books in this series!
I really like this book but my goodness, this book is loaded with unnecessary drama. I also didn't like how childish and reckless the heroine could be at times and I struggled with liking her at times. But I love the writing style and this reminded me a bit of the Rock Chick series by KA and I just loved the group of friends they have.
Despite the drama-llama I'm very much interested in reading the rest of the books in this series!
March 24, 2013
WOW, officially a 2013 favourite of mine. A romance between former wild child Evie and Jared (Evie's best friends brother). It doesn't come easy, between trust issues, the growing success of Evie's band and an enemy of Jared, will they be able to give each other the love? The pace of the story was spot on, Jared was HOT, Evie and Mac are both so likeable and some parts had me laughing out loud. PERFECT!
"When you're not there, it's like someone turned out the lights"
"When you're not there, it's like someone turned out the lights"
March 18, 2013
Wow, this book is hard to categorise because it had everything but the kitchen sink!
Romance - check
Suspense - check
Best Friend's Brother - check
Rock'n'Roll - check
Smokin Hot Chemistry - check
..........
Honestly the list could go on.
A great debut novel and I can't wait to read more from this author.
Romance - check
Suspense - check
Best Friend's Brother - check
Rock'n'Roll - check
Smokin Hot Chemistry - check
..........
Honestly the list could go on.
A great debut novel and I can't wait to read more from this author.
March 23, 2013
5 stars. Bloody loved it! X
March 31, 2013
Amazing!!!! Sooo good I am loving this book!!!!! Please read this!!!
May 23, 2017
I'm on my 3rd re-read.
That should tell you how good this one is.
That should tell you how good this one is.
August 30, 2013
Give Me Love was the tomato sauce to my chips. The peas to my corn and the milo to my milk. In other words, it was the shit...
Music wasn't just my therapy, it was my life, and as long as I had that, I had everything I needed.
My god, from the first page I was in love. With Rockstar Goddess Evie aka Sandwich. Then Mac aka Mactard/Mackewaine. Then Henry aka Hussy. And the list goes on and on. The nickname thing is just one of bits that alerted me to the fact that this here is pure Aussie gold. The fact it's set in Sydney, has slang I don't need to wiki, mentions Big Brother, Aussie bands, cars and TV shows cemented that this book was going down in history for laugh out loud moments in my book.
This was not good news. In fact, there was only bad and worse news. The bad was I was watching Jared busily fling healthy food into the trolley. The worse was none of us would actually eat any of it, our systems would declare war. Not only that, there would be riots. Without chips and chocolate, we would all turn on each other. It would be like Lord of the Flies.
Panicked at the notion of being flayed with a stick, I started flinging chips and chocolate in the trolley with unprecedented reckless abandon. I watched in horror as Jared kept putting it all back on the shelves, and I literally gagged when he replaced it with bags of brown rice and chickpeas.
You will love the gang. We have a band that would rock your socks off, a consulting company comprising of big bad ass McHotties and over protective big brothers, and friendship that will make you want to hunt down Jamieson until you find and force them into inviting you round for a bbq.
"Bet your sweet ass I am going there. I'm tired of your silly geek parade, Sandwich. You might have no trouble lying to yourself, but I am not lying to you when I tell you that you're being a giant, fat, retarded idiot." ~ Mac
Hot damn, the romance was decidedly swoonworthy. Evie wanted to trust her heart to someone, and Jared wants to be the man for the job. He needs to prove he's worth the risk. I just wanted to lick Jared and tell him I could shine so bright for him. Those 2 were so perfect for each other I could feel their attraction from their first encounter. I was giggling like a school girl alongside Evie. And things just got better. I adored the text messaging and their friendship finally becoming more.
"Evie. Up there? Wow. I already knew you were the hottest fucking thing I'd ever see in my life, but that voice of yours..." he leaned in close until the warmth of his breath tickled my ear "...makes me want to fuck you."
It was chockablock full of action; car ramming, shootouts, roofying, stabbing, water conserving showers, shopping, bickering, wine gizzling and junk food eating and words like snafu, faffed, fucksicles, and vaginacrimination. So much fun, and of course those moments that had my heart skipping beats.
"I feel like everything is so much brighter when I'm with you. When you're not there it's like someone turned out the lights."
You couldn't have smacked the damn smile I had the whole time off my face. There were times I was hysterical. Omg. The grocery shopping was one of those times. The 'pregnancy' scare, when they were discussing white bread and other healthy food alternatives and most definitely at the photo shoot. This book really delivered the goods.
I had no clue what they were doing running around tackling each other for a ball. As much as I could commend them for their athleticism and fiery determination to pound each other to the ground, I just watched it for the little shorts. ~ Evie on Sunday arvo footy
I was anxious at times as both Evie and Jared had been hurt by past relationships and things definitely weren't smooth sailing for the gang, but it was balanced by that grin plastered all over my chops. I could picture everyone, their outfits and surroundings. I just wanted to be there. McCathy did a brilliant job transporting me from the mundaneness of my bedroom to front and centre stage, slammed up against the wall, sipping tea, cooking for the hoards and being on the run from a whacked out psychopath.
I could do this. I could. I am a cool cucumber. No, fuck that. I am Snoop Dogg. You can get no cooler than that.
I couldn't get enough. I wanted to know how it ended, but I didn't want it to finish. I wanted more Casey, and had half a heartbeat where I wished he stayed and fought harder. He was McDreamy.
I decided Casey wasn't real. He simply descended from the heavens to fool us poor woman into believing that the perfect man really did exist and thus continue the eternal chase.
I wanted more more more of Evie, Jared, Mac, Henry, Coby, Casey, Travis and the rest of the crew. I'll never have enough fun and banter with these guys. The Epilogue made my millennium. It was perfect. I was giggling and even shed a few tears. Bring on Give Me Strength...
"You're the light I can't live without and the only one that has ever held my heart. I want to be the man standing beside you, laughing with you, crying with you, holding you, and loving you..."
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