"A rock star doesn't return to his humble beginnings and whisk away the girl he kissed once. Especially if she has a four year old and her relationship status is 'it's complicated'."
Blue Phoenix bass player, Liam Oliver discovers pictures of his fiancée with another man and his world crashes around him. He packs up his humiliation and hurt and flies back to his Welsh family home for Christmas.
Cerys Edwards once had pictures of Liam Oliver covering her bedroom wall. Her best friend’s big brother never gave her the time of day when they were growing up. When she was fifteen, he left town leaving Cerys with her fantasies. Now he’s back. The problem is, she has a daughter and a broken relationship of her own.
In the world of his Christmas past, Cerys and Liam reconnect. Are they two hurt people looking for comfort in a time of heartbreak or does Cerys have a place in Liam’s future too?
Months later and unplugged from his Blue Phoenix lifestyle, Liam reconnects with Cerys. He discovers Cerys’s world is full of complications he never expected – including Ella’s father who isn’t happy about being replaced by a rock star.
Unplugged is more than a rock star romance. Liam isn’t dark and brooding like Dylan, or a bad boy like Jem but a fiercely loyal man with a big heart. This is a story of love, family and unexpected bonds made that can’t be broken.
This is book three of the Blue Phoenix series. It can be read as a standalone but has minor spoilers for books one and two.
I am unable to read/answer GR messages at present. Please feel free to contact me by email at lisa_writes@ymail.com It's unfortunately become difficult to keep up with requests/messages made via various social media sites. Thank you so much for understanding! :)
Lisa is an author of new adult romance and writes both paranormal and contemporary, often with a side of snark. Lisa is originally from the UK but moved to Australia in 2001 and now lives in Perth in Western Australia with her husband, three children and dog.
Liam is a really sweet guy. He falls in love with single Mum Cerys. There are some problems along the way. Although Liam is a rock star, the band are now on a break but I was still surprised there was no paparazzi interest in this couple like with Dylan and Sky from the first two books in the series.
The problems facing Liam and Cerys are more to do with her ex. There is not much angst. It was a sweet love story with a sweet hero and heroine. A nice read. I like this author's writing style.
Liam!!! Ugh I loved him from the start! And now I love him even more!! Cerys and Liam are true soul mates! And Ella's she's just the best! This is definitely 5 stars for me ! Just like every other story I've read from the author I am sucked in and can't stop until I have the whole story!! This one is for the books for sure!! Can't wait to see what is instore for Jem! 10 out of 10 recommend!!!
Supposedly this could be a standalone, but it's kinda not. So if you didn't read the first two books in this series, I strongly urge you to do so. I read the other two and loved them, but it had been so long ago that I forgot some of the plot detail that would have helped in understanding what's going in parts of this book.
This is the story of Liam and Cerys (you learn how to pronounce this later in the book). We met Cerys and her little girl briefly in the previous books when Sky encounters them shopping together, while he may or may not still be engaged to Honey, the Barbie/Groupie/Pink Wedding lover.
These two have their ups and downs, and the drama is caused by her ex boyfriend/baby daddy, his weird relationship with Honey, their own insecurities and dealing with life when one of you is a Rock Star.
For me, this was not as good as the first two books in the series, but then again, I found Cerys to be a weaker kind of woman than I like to read about.
HOWEVER There are some choice swoony romantic quotes from Liam -- one of which comes near the beginning of the book after he comes home for Christmas and reconnects with Cerys by walking in the snow at Christmas:
"Lucky snowflakes... they get to kiss your skin. Your lips.... You deserve to be covered in a snowstorm of kisses by a man who sees the strength and and beauty in you." WHOA BABY.
I can't give this a higher rating because of what happens at the end. Liam and Cerys get their HEA and we get to read it... apparently Dylan and Sky do too... but did that happen in the last book? I don't recall that from the last book, so if it happened and I missed it, I'm sorry. If not, the reveal of their HEA may be appropriate for that couple, but anticlimactic for the reader.
We're also being set up for other books about the two other Blue Phoenix members, so be prepared.
Liam is so different from Dylan I think I enjoyed his story more, Liam's not Dylan's. Liam is a very passionate man, well I think all the boys in Blue Phoenix are but I think Liam shows it more than the others, "eff, Cerys. Teasin me is such a bad idea. Especially when all you have on now is your panties." He sometimes has to change his tune when it comes to his plans with Cerys, "you're a surprise, Cerys," he says and hitches my leg around his hip. "I've change my mind; I think I'll eff you first." The relationship between these two is really amazing, they're very comfortable with each other: Liam runs a finger along my nose. "I forget how you common people live sometimes." "Cheeky!" I slap his chest and grabs my backside, kissing me hard. Sometimes a girl has to be a tease but honestly I think it excites our boy more, "he groans and drags me closer. "You're driving me effing crazy. I need to see what you're wearing under there." From the few scenes that we saw of Jem and Ruby I'm kind of and kind of not looking forward to their story, I think that one is going to be truly more emotional than Dylan and Liam's.
In book 3 of The Blue Phoenix series you finally get to hear about Liam. In the previous books there is a glimpse into his life, but this goes much deeper.
After finding pictures of his fiance with another man, Liam heads home for a quiet holiday with his family. With the intent of of returning to a simple life, Liam plans on surprising his family by returning home, only to find his room is being occupied by his sister's best friend and her little girl.
It does not take long for that little girl or her mother Cerys to creep their way into Liam's thoughts and heart.
There are many trials and tribulations that come with the rock star lifestyle and in the book Liam and Cerys are put to the test.
This book is a great continuation of the Blue Phoenix series and well worth the read!
LOVED this wonderful read!!! After Sky ran into Liam and Cerys in the previous book, i've been really curious about what would happen to him after the Honey debacle. This book was magic! Don't get me wrong, it did come with it's fair share of pain and trauma along the way. After all what's a good love story without having to truly work for it right? However it will definitely get you ALL up in your feels. Prepare now to cheer, cry, and want to smack an ish here or there. Liam and Cerys BOTH deserve all the happiness....and little Ella is such a little cutie pie that steals everyone's hearts. Dive in and prepare for a doozy of an emotional ride filled with angst, heart, family, the past, and more than a few hurdles along the way. But it's definitely worth the ticket for admission 😉💟.
Liam is a wanker. He leaves his bride at the altar though he had realised weeks earlier he didn't want to marry her. Nothing in the rest of the book redeems him. But then he cannot be redeemed in the first place. I didn't like much else about this story either. One of these days I'll learn to avoid rock star romances.
The only thing that kept me engaged while reading this book was the random twists when the plot would pick up a little and get interesting. The beginning is suuuuper slow when it comes to the pacing. Writing wasn’t horrible, but the characters were boring and so was the romance. There wasn’t much chemistry between the two characters. Multiple spelling mistakes.
I feel so fortunate that I was able to beta read this book. I never thought that another member of Blue Phoenix could replace Dylan but wait until you meet Liam. Wow does he have IT! These books are so good. Now I need to know Jem!
Was an okay book but it felt very drawn out and protracted and I got a bit annoyed with the lead characters a few times. As I said an okay read but not a keeper.
This isn't a romance. Well, unless you consider that really angsty high school thing you experienced at 15 a romance. You know, the one where you were on-again, off-again 3x a day, with some kind of maybe resolution by the time you got to Mr. Carter's social studies class 4th period? Yeah, it's that kind of story.
The male lead is mostly directed by his lust, and makes as few decisions as possible outside that driver. His lust for the female lead comes about because of a holiday proximity deal, also because the female lead has an astonishing rack. This is mentioned many times in case you're wondering about the romance part. Insert sarcasm here.
The female lead is trapped in a terrible high school generated relationship due to accidental pregnancy, and is a very young mother to a 4 yr old. She recalls her crush on the ML as a very young girl. She is also convinced the ML won't stick around and constantly professes this to all within ear shot. Cue the proximity trope, the lust, her stellar rack, and apparently, that's the romance.
I can never understand how two people are supposedly in love when it only consists of strained conversations, accusations, declarations of how impossible it will be to stay together, lying, sneaking, shouting, slippery secondary characters who butt in constantly, and occasional sex. There's no fun, no laughing, no heartfelt discussions about shared values or ideas, and not a lighthearted or vaguely character revealing moment. That's all you get in this story. Like I said, it's not a romance. It's a childish replay of your worst drama filled middle school heartache with a slightly older cast. Any elevation of that just includes stereotyped comments from siblings, friends, and exes.
I skimmed through most of the story after about 38% since it was clear at that point what was going on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
We're back in the world of Blue Phoenix, and this time it's Liam's story! Liam Oliver is the bassist with Blue Phoenix, with his happy and chilled out attitude, the sweet guy with the mane of auburn hair isn't generally the face of trouble when it comes to Blue Phoenix's public image. He likes to keep out of the limelight and do what he does best, make music! Yet, in Unplugged that's all about to change.
When we first met Blue Phoenix in Summer Sky, when it was front man Dylan Morgan's story. We knew from the start that Liam was the only attached member of the band. He was engaged to Honey. They had their future all mapped out and planning a massive wedding that would make any top magazine biting the bit to get a spread on. To anyone on the outside, it would seem obvious whom Honey was. Gorgeous blonde, with fake umm appendages and lots of extensions. Her mind was fully on the ball. She knew what she wanted and was on a mission to make sure it happened. She wanted to be the wife of 'the' Blue Phoenix Bassist. Liam was just happy to go along with whatever, he thought he was in love and remembered Honey hadn't always been that way. After a few pictures ended up in a tabloid, it changed everything for Liam. He realised that things weren't right and took off for home.
Wales, where Blue Phoenix were born. Liam has gone home to Wales to stay with his family for the Christmas break and to see what he wants now. Upon arriving home, Liam realises he may have arrived at a bad time. His younger sister Louise has invited her best friend, Cerys and her daughter Ella to stay for a while after they were chucked out by her partner. Liam remembers Cerys from back when they were kids. She was a groupie of his when they were younger and first starting out in the band. Yet back then she was just his little sisters best friend. Now Cerys is all grown up and proving to be quite the distraction to Liam, when he is trying to take a break from everything. Put the gorgeous distraction with a cute and funny 5 year old makes for a very different holiday than Liam was expecting. Although, all this has put everything in to perspective for Liam. Making him realise what he does and doesn't want out of life.
It's fantastic to see such a huge difference between 2 of the members of Blue Phoenix, after Dylan & Sky's tumultuous relationship and the fact that Dylan had quite a distinctive personality. Very feisty and moody. It's really exciting to see such a big difference from that kind of personality to how Liam is. He is far more lighthearted and easy breezy. He doesn't have the intensity that Dylan has. Yet these Blue Phoenix boys tend to have one particular characteristic alike. They are both incredibly passionate and know what they want, and will go to any extremes necessary to get it. There is no mincing of words when they set their minds on what they desire. These poor girls don't stand a chance. ;) Liam has shown that the chilled out and happy go lucky boys are certainly the ones to watch. It would seem that Liam saves his assertive nature for when it counts. We get to see an intriguing and interesting side of him that was quite addictive. Quite the sexy and predatory qualities that seem to work incredibly well on Liam.
"Sweet?" I hold her by the shoulders and stare into her face. "This idea I'm sweet, I don't know who told you, but you're wrong." Cerys' breath rushes out in surprise. "So you keep saying..." "Let's just say I know when to hold a girl's hand, but I also know when to pull her hair." I wind my fingers through her hair and tug her head back, dropping kisses along her collarbone, enjoying the gasp. "I'm more than ready to show you how wrong you are."
After Liam has to return for a band meeting, he finds upon his return to Wales, Cerys has gone. Just when he was starting to realise what he wanted, is it too late? Liam, finds himself lost. Cerys has gone back to her ex so Liam goes back to what he knows. Life with Honey. But it's not long before thoughts of Cerys consume him and he wonders if this is the life he really wants any more. Liam has to make some big decisions and potentially hurt some people badly. From there we see Liam moving on with certain aspects of his life but not others. With some heartfelt scenes that had me welling up over a character, I would never imagine myself feeling sad for.
Time moves on and Liam is trying to reconnect with Cerys. He knows what he wants and is hoping she feels the same. There is again some really sweet scenes where Liam proves how perfect he is. He is fantastic with Ella and wants to show Cerys how great they would be as a family. His dedication made me sigh repeatedly. Whenever I wanted to say "Awww how sweet is he?" He would then go crazy cave man and I couldn't quite manage to call him 'sweet', he was far too sexy for that word. Liam is far from my usual type of book boyfriend, yet he is so full of surprises, he exceeds the norm.
In true Blue Phoenix, crazy-chaotic-world style, things go a little mad for Liam and Cerys. Cerys's nasty ex decides to do a huge number on her and throws everyone's world upside down. The pace kicks up a notch, the suspense is biting, and my breath is held. Lisa Swallow, certainly knows how to keep her readers on the edge of their seats, and I absolutely love these moments. You never know when they are coming, or how they will play out, but each time my nails are bitten lower and everyday tasks are forgotten while glued to the screen. Add the edgy suspense to the panty twisting moments with lascivious Liam and mix it up with the tender and sweet love story stuff and you get another Blue Phoenix boy living out his crazy life!! I swear these Blue Phoenix books are just getting better and better!
The different aspect to Liam's story was that his story concluded in one book. So there is no cliffhanger, no HFN endings. It's all contained in one story and the ending is perfect! It's sigh-worthy, gasp-worthy, even drool-worthy if you feel the need, but it is definitely a fantastic conclusion to Liam and Cerys' wild journey. Liam has been awesome, I'm now ready for Jem, bring him on! :)
In the first 2 books, we very briefly meet the other members of the band Blue Phoenix, but they concentrate on Dylan and Sky, so I wasn't that bothered with reading Liams story but thought why not. When Bass player Liam discovers his fiancee is playing around with someone else he decides to head home to get away from life with Honey. Christmas at home is a might crowded when he discovers his sisters best friend, Cerys, and her daughter staying in his room. Liam is the most down to earth of the Blue Phoenix band but seems to have an issue around being in control of everything, including Cery's life when they get together. I wanted Cery's to be a stringer character but she disappointed me and turned out to be a walkover with every man she seems to have encountered. Not enough excitement for me in this, even with the kidnapping, even that was "lame". But needless to say I still read it all. Not as fgood as the first two but helps fill the gaps if you are reading on to the next 3.
Blue Phoenix reviews Summer Sky ❤❤❤❤ here Falling Sky ❤❤❤ here Unplugged ❤❤❤ See below! Rising ❤❤❤❤❤ here Reverb ❤❤❤❤❤ here Forever Sky ❤❤❤ here
Technically this story is a standalone, but please note that it is part of the Blue Phoenix series, so it does contain spoilers and overlaps with previous books, which should be read first.
Cerys is a normal single mother after her daughter’s (Ella) baby-daddy locked them out of their house. Her BFF is Liam’s sister, who still lives at home. Cerys had Ella really young, doesn’t really have any job qualifications or savings, so when her BFF offers up Liam’s old room, which is unused, Cerys and her daughter moves in, temporarily.
Liam is engaged to Silicon Valley Barbie, Honey. But after finding pictures of his fiancé, with another man, Liam needs a break and decides to go back home to Wales and spend the holiday his family. Apparently, he’s not really close of them, at least not close enough that anyone told him about Cerys and Ella moving in. When Liam is surprised instead of ecstatic his sister has a go at him and accuse him of being selfish (well excuse me for being surprised a stranger is sleeping in my childhood room).
Back in the days, before Blue Phoenix really took off, Cerys was one of Liam’s groupies, so they do know each other. However, back then Liam wasn’t interested in his little sister’s friend. But as they’ve grown up their relationship changes.
I think Liam is a light hearted and nice character, his laid-back personality is miles apart from Dylan’s intensity. However, I still can’t connect with Liam he continues to be very “blah” to me. Cerys on the other hand, she’s just so righteous and with her a moral queen attitude, she acts like she’s part of the Fun Police. Yes, she has Ella and because of that she needs to make responsible decisions, but to me she’s not that responsible. So, her actions don’t match her words, yet, no one is allowed to make a mistake.
Liam and Cerys’ story finishes in this book, and the next one is going to be about Jem. Now that I am excited about!
I loved this book. I was pulled right from the start and couldn't put it down until I had finished it. It I'd a very powerful story, full of emotions that you can feel all the way through. There are twists and turns some I got a bit frustrated with, I actually shout at the kindle once of twice. There are a few surprise's some you may see coming and some you won't, some you might even relate to like did. I would highly recommend this book and I think it is well worth the five stars I gave it. I am really looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Book four in this series. This is Liam and Cerys story. She was and is his sister's best friend. But after being away for awhile she has grown into a beautiful woman. She has a child now. But never married. He was engaged to another woman. But after finding out that she cheated on him he leaves her at the alter. But with Cerys he finds out that she is different. But with his rocker lifestyle and her ex boyfriend there are complications that could break them up.
This is an interesting love story in the way it evolved from a teenage heart throb crush. Marrying, having a child, being turned out by your husband and child's father. Meeting your best friend's brother again, who was your teenage crush. The good story building keeps going from there. You'll have to read the book to find out what happened.
If you like Blue Phoenix books you will love this. I didn't know much about Liam from Dylan and Sky's story. Bit enjoyed seeing another damaged rock star fall in love. Wonderful secondary characters. Will be reading more.
I quite enjoyed this book, mix of emotion, sex and a really sweet storyline however it fell short by one star for me because it felt rushed at the end, it needed more chapters and an epilogue to bring it up to 5 star standard!
A great second chance about two people who met earlier in high school given a chance to rekindle a romance even though they started out on different paths to finding their happily ever after. A rocker and a single mother find true love.
“What do I need to do to show you I am a badass rock star?”
★✩★✩★ 5+ -I do love them Blue Phoenix Boys- Stars ~this review may contain minor spoilers~
“You're a sweet guy” “Do you know how insulting that is? Lollipops are sweet, kittens are sweet...” “No, I think you'll find kittens are cute.” “Badass rock stars aren't sweet!” “No, but you're not a badass rock star, are you?” “Jeez, you dent my ego more every minute!”
Liam Oliver is the laid back, semi-quiet, sweet bassist of Blue Phoenix. After pictures of his fiance, Honey, with another man surface in the tabloids again, Liam decides to head home for Christmas to spend some time with his family; away from the craziness that has become his life, to lick his wounds. Escaping his current reality was his goal, what he wasn't expecting was running into a girl from his past or the effect she would have on his heart and life.
Cerys Edwards has always had a crush on her best friends older brother, but Liam is a rock star now and his world is so far removed from hers; a young mother to a four year old daughter struggling through her relationship with the father. She never expected to run into Liam again, or the feelings he invokes in her. The connection they formed that Christmas takes them both by surprise as they try to figure out if its all about two hurt people looking for comfort, or something much much more.
When months pass and Liam still can't get Cerys outta his head, he decides it's time to test their connection but soon realizes he has no idea what he's getting himself into. Insecurities, trust issues, distance, and the constant media frenzy are only the beginning as Cerys has a custody battle on her hands with an ex out to control her. Is the love they could have worth fighting for with so much working against them? Is the chemistry strong enough for two people who come from such different worlds; a rock star & a single mum?
“You deserve to be covered in a snowstorm of kisses by a man who sees the strength and beauty in you. There's a man who craves the love held in your eyes when you look at your daughter, who wants to pull you into the blizzard and show you how to love yourself by being passionate about everything you are.”
Lisa Swallow proves once again how very good she is at bringing the drama, laying on the angst, and hiking up the sexual tension; leaving me a screaming hott mess. This woman does my head in and I love every damn minute of it. I didn't think it was possible to fall harder for another phoenix after spending the last two books with Dylan, but Liam proved me wrong. When that man falls, he falls hard and fast; he goes out of his way to take care of and protect those he loves, will do anything for them, he is funny and sweet as hell but dominating, demanding and dirty when the time comes. He was the total package. Cerys took a little longer to warm up to, through no fault of her own. She was sweet, funny, caring, and a wonderful mom; it was her need to keep Liam at a distance that frustrated the ever-lovin' hell outta me. I understood her reluctance to giving too much power over her to another man, and I got her trust issues... doesn't change the fact that the girl could be stubborn as hell and definitely made Liam work for it. For a love like theirs though, it's totally worth it. The chemistry between these two was off-the-charts and their sexy times were smokin', but I loved being back in the chaos that is Blue Phoenix; even with the band on a hiatus there is no shortage of crazy. We got to see glimpses of where Dylan and Sky are which was awesome, we get to know Bryn a little bit better and we get a taste of what Jem's story is gonna be like; something tells me his book will be the messiest of them all Lol. PLUS ~ NO CLIFFHANGER!! Unplugged was just another fabulous addition to an already incredible series and proves once again why Lisa Swallow will always be sitting pretty, if not sadistically, on top of my One-Click Addiction list. This woman and these tattooed bad-asses own me and I'm totally okay with that ;)
Liam tore apart my heart and soul then put them together again with a piece of himself inside. He was right. After last night, I'm his.”
“What do I need to do to show you I am a badass rock star?”
★✩★✩★ 5+ -I do love them Blue Phoenix Boys- Stars ~this review may contain minor spoilers~
“You're a sweet guy” “Do you know how insulting that is? Lollipops are sweet, kittens are sweet...” “No, I think you'll find kittens are cute.” “Badass rock stars aren't sweet!” “No, but you're not a badass rock star, are you?” “Jeez, you dent my ego more every minute!”
Liam Oliver is the laid back, semi-quiet, sweet bassist of Blue Phoenix. After pictures of his fiance, Honey, with another man surface in the tabloids again, Liam decides to head home for Christmas to spend some time with his family; away from the craziness that has become his life, to lick his wounds. Escaping his current reality was his goal, what he wasn't expecting was running into a girl from his past or the effect she would have on his heart and life.
Cerys Edwards has always had a crush on her best friends older brother, but Liam is a rock star now and his world is so far removed from hers; a young mother to a four year old daughter struggling through her relationship with the father. She never expected to run into Liam again, or the feelings he invokes in her. The connection they formed that Christmas takes them both by surprise as they try to figure out if its all about two hurt people looking for comfort, or something much much more.
When months pass and Liam still can't get Cerys outta his head, he decides it's time to test their connection but soon realizes he has no idea what he's getting himself into. Insecurities, trust issues, distance, and the constant media frenzy are only the beginning as Cerys has a custody battle on her hands with an ex out to control her. Is the love they could have worth fighting for with so much working against them? Is the chemistry strong enough for two people who come from such different worlds; a rock star & a single mum?
“You deserve to be covered in a snowstorm of kisses by a man who sees the strength and beauty in you. There's a man who craves the love held in your eyes when you look at your daughter, who wants to pull you into the blizzard and show you how to love yourself by being passionate about everything you are.”
Lisa Swallow proves once again how very good she is at bringing the drama, laying on the angst, and hiking up the sexual tension; leaving me a screaming hott mess. This woman does my head in and I love every damn minute of it. I didn't think it was possible to fall harder for another phoenix after spending the last two books with Dylan, but Liam proved me wrong. When that man falls, he falls hard and fast; he goes out of his way to take care of and protect those he loves, will do anything for them, he is funny and sweet as hell but dominating, demanding and dirty when the time comes. He was the total package. Cerys took a little longer to warm up to, through no fault of her own. She was sweet, funny, caring, and a wonderful mom; it was her need to keep Liam at a distance that frustrated the ever-lovin' hell outta me. I understood her reluctance to giving too much power over her to another man, and I got her trust issues... doesn't change the fact that the girl could be stubborn as hell and definitely made Liam work for it. For a love like theirs though, it's totally worth it. The chemistry between these two was off-the-charts and their sexy times were smokin', but I loved being back in the chaos that is Blue Phoenix; even with the band on a hiatus there is no shortage of crazy. We got to see glimpses of where Dylan and Sky are which was awesome, we get to know Bryn a little bit better and we get a taste of what Jem's story is gonna be like; something tells me his book will be the messiest of them all Lol. PLUS ~ NO CLIFFHANGER!! Unplugged was just another fabulous addition to an already incredible series and proves once again why Lisa Swallow will always be sitting pretty, if not sadistically, on top of my One-Click Addiction list. This woman and these tattooed bad-asses own me and I'm totally okay with that ;)
Liam tore apart my heart and soul then put them together again with a piece of himself inside. He was right. After last night, I'm his.”
one click this rock star . Liam is the bass player from Blue Phoenix , finds honey cheated an him and goes home to lick his wounds. Cerys is his sisters best friend and her boyfriend of 6 yrs put her out and she is staying in his family's home. the sparks fly with the two of them, but circumstance keeps getting in the way.
Unplugged is the third book in the Blue Phoenix series by Lisa Swallow and it most definitely does not disappoint.
The first two books in the Blue Phoenix series, Summer Sky and Falling Sky, are about rock star Dylan Morgan (front man and guitarist of Blue Phoenix) and Sky Davis (a sweet, humble girl). These two books were amazing and I didn’t think I’d really want to read about any of the other members of the Blue Phoenix band as I am not a huge fan of spin off books. However, Lisa Swallow rocked it with her latest “Unplugged” and my doubts about spin off books was disintegrated after reading the first paragraph. I will never ever dismiss a book as a spin off again. I absolutely loved this book from the very first page and that love continued throughout the book to the final word.
Blue Phoenix is a very successful rock band and Liam Oliver the bass guitarist in the band is the star of this book. He's a very laid back bloke, and has the typical attitude of a member of a band who’s not the lead singer. He seems to be happy in his relationship with Honey which we saw develop through the first two books of the series. However, Honey, who's very shallow and really only with him for his money and fame, seems to have him under the thumb and has every intention of marrying him. She wants the glitz and glamour of a huge, and I mean huge, celebrity wedding and she does everything she can to achieve that goal. Liam goes along for the ride, but you can see his heart is not in it. He doesn’t really like being in the spotlight much and just tends to enjoy writing and playing his music. When things go south with Honey after she cheats on him, he goes home to Wales to try and get some sense back into his life.
When he arrives home for Christmas, he finds that his bedroom has been invaded by Cerys and her daughter Ella, who are staying there after her partner kicked them out of their home. This is where things start to heat up for Liam, when he realizes that his attraction for Cerys has not dwindled from all those years ago when they stole a kiss. Cerys, when she was younger was a groupie and loved Liam and had his pictures all over her walls.
"When you got famous, I put pictures of you guys all over my bedroom wall. I was such a sad fangirl." "You were fifteen." "I fantasised about one of you coming back and whisking me away for the rock star lifestyle."
Of course, life gets in the way and they both went their separate ways, but as life would have it they reconnect. I absolutely love these quotes from the book.
"Liam tore apart my heart and soul, then put them together again with a piece of himself inside. He was right. After last night, I’m his."
"We knew each other before and we were drawn together again by a shared past and a shared hurt, but this is more. Connecting with Cerys was like plugging into a new energy, a resonance that opened my heart and called it home."
So, I could go on and on and spoil the entire book, but of course I won't. In Unplugged we see a very different side to Liam and I absolutely loved him. You really need to read this series of books because they are without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best “Rock Star” romances I've read and they are in amongst some pretty good company.
I give this book five big golden stars and thoroughly recommend it. Thank you Lisa Swallow for a fabulous series of books and I look forward to reading more from the Blue Phoenix rock band.
*I was offered a copy of this book for an honest opinion and review.*
“Let's just say I know when to hold a girl's hand, but I also know when to pull her hair.”
And just like that, Liam officially became my favorite Blue Phoenix man. *swoon* The bass player of Blue Phoenix caught my eye when he was introduced in the previous books in the series. He came off as a sweet and kind soul, a genuinely nice guy. So the fact that Honey (bleh), an obvious gold-digger was his fiancée, floored me. I had no clue why he was wasting his time with a no good, tramp.
After finding Honey cheating and with the band’s negative press, Liam is in need of a break. Now home for Christmas, Liam comes face to face with his sister’s best friend. And she is certainly not the same girl he remembers hanging around the band’s practice sessions.
Cerys, an old family friend who’s in the middle of a rough patch with her ex is now without a home. Luckily, Liam’s family offers to shelter her and her four year-old daughter for as long they need.
While most men wouldn’t stick around for a woman with a complicated ex, especially one with a child, Liam is too attracted to Cerys to stay away. That attraction goes above and beyond physical and is more within the realm of soul mates. Cerys wants nothing more than to have a happy ever after with Liam, but she has to consider her daughter above all. Bringing her into the wild, rockstar world of Blue Phoenix isn’t something she’s ready to do if Liam isn’t serious about them both.
While she figures out what she should do, she forces Liam to get to the bottom of his true desires and fight for what he truly wants.
“Some soul mates never meet, or their paths cross at the wrong time, and those people will always have an emptiness they’ll never understand.”
I’m a fan of second chance love stories, and in my eyes this story qualified as such. Liam and Cerys may not have had a romantic relationship in the past, but there was potential there. It simply wasn’t the right time for them. I loved the way their romance blossomed over time, slowly forming the building blocks for a solid relationship. Being hurdled through drama storms and other obstacles, it wasn’t an easy journey, but it was meant to be, and for that reason they stuck through all the chaos. This story was such a real and relatable one that it’s impossible not to find a place in your heart for it. Especially with such great, down-to-earth characters like our main protagonists.
I laughed during Liam and Cerys’ cute, awkward moments. I smirked whenever they eyed one another without the other realizing. I Cried whenever things got rough for them. This story both broke my heart and graciously warmed it. If you’re interested in reading a rockstar book without sexually explicit content, but more of a light, realistic read, this is the book for you.
If you’ve followed the series thus far, you’ll be happy to see our Dylan and Sky make an appearance in this book as well as the other band members. While Unplugged can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading the other books in the serious prior to this book.