Play

Rock Solid #3

by Karina Bliss

Rock star Jared Walker is within reach of career glory...but his marriage is in the pits. Determined to save it, he talks his wife into holiday dates with only one they must pretend they are strangers. But when he discovers what Kayla really wants for Christmas, will he be able to give it to her?

This 30,000 novella was previously published in the You Had Me At Christmas holiday anthology (2016) with Molly O'Keefe, Jennifer Lohmann, Laura Florand and Stephanie Doyle.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Music, Contemporary Romance, Novella

114 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 18, 2017

About the author

New Zealander Karina Bliss has written a biography for a rock star, swapped identities with her twin, raised three orphaned children with her ex husband, worn a cow costume to a Bachelor and Spinster ball, considered marriage for the sake of a baby, and been mayor of a small town.

Oh wait, that’s her characters.

Outside her imagination, she’s always been a professional writer, first as a travel journalist and then as a romance author. Her deeply held convictions include: love conquers all; yoga pants are daywear; and what a woman really wants is a man who cleans. Unfortunately, she does not live with one, (nor indeed has raised one). Please buy her books so she can pay for one.

She has also swum with sharks. They were very small. Babies, really. But still count.

Career highlights have included being the first Australasian to win a Golden Heart from the Romance Writers of America. Her debut, Mr Imperfect, won a Romantic Book of the Year Award in Australia, and her first self-published title, RISE, a rock star romance also finaled.
Other books in the Rock Solid series are FALL, PLAY and (coming soon), RESURRECTION.

Find out more and sign up to her newsletter at www.karinabliss.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarinaBlissA...
Twitter @BlissKarina
Email: karina@karinabliss.com

Reviews

[Lu Bielefeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐⭐⭐ - OK decent reads
=======================
Marriage in trouble

If Simone hadn’t been so hell bent on screwing her husband, Kayla would never have been jealous of their friendship. The Frenchwoman was a homewrecker, willful and selfish. And her frequent hints that Kayla wasn’t woman enough to hold Jared had found fertile ground when Kayla was already feeling insecure—the starter wife—and ignored by her husband.

[*The Angry Reader* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not normally into romances where the couple is already together. But I’ve spent 2 books falling for Jared and Kayla. Their agonies and their glories. This was long-coming and well-deserved.

[Steelwhisper · Rating 3 out of 5]

More chick lit than CR, well-written, but containing too many children and their doings to make it higher up the mark for me. Sweet, though, and erotic in places.

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 2 out of 5]

RTC

[Beatrix · Rating 4 out of 5]

That's a HOT cover!

[Gwen (The Gwendolyn Reading Method) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I typically find novellas too short to have proper story development, but this was a pleasant exception to that! We'd met Jared and Kayla in previous books so it was nice to get a deeper dive into their story! Oftentimes, fixing your marriage storylines can be, frankly, boring, but this balanced the demands of everyday parenting with an engaging love story at the same time. I approve.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kayla and Jared got married young, now he's a rock superstar with women throwing themselves at his feet and Kayla thinks she's not good enough, especially since other women refer to her as the 'starter wife'. Jared always thought he was a bit of a loser, sponging off Kayla waiting for his music career to take off, now he's rich and famous he wants to celebrate being a winner, but Kayla doesn't see it quite the same way.

TBH I've read this novella twice and I still can't really get a handle on what happens at the end as it is all too entangled with the events in the other full-length novels. It's okay but definitely not my favourite.

[Iva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it form the You Had Me At Christmas anthology :9

[Gaufre · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read: 3 stars
Second read: 4 stars

Too many scenes with kids but the point is the struggle balancing career and family. I love how they talked to each other.

[Emilye · Rating 5 out of 5]

RockSolid3

Jared and Kayla had a solid marriage and two children, when Kayla entered Jared into a reality show competition to repopulate Zander Freedman’s band Rage. Jared made the cut (Rise, book 1) and then Rage went on tour. For the first time in his life, Jared was adored for his music; and he let it drive him.

Now, he has to build a bridge to win his bride back; but Kayla isn’t sure she wants to cross it. As high school sweethearts, they know each other quite well. But Jared has his work cut out for him, convincing Kayla that she is all the woman that he needs and wants.

It’s a labor of love, but is love enough? That’s what Play explores.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kayla and Jared are trying to rebalance their marriage while little kids and groupies and past hurts and shapewear keep getting in the way.

What I loved about this was the messiness, emotional and familial. As always Ms Bliss pulls us into the characters' emotional journey and makes us watch as the characters have to work through layers of feelings. They both love each other, but the trust that it is enough and they are enough for each other has been shaken. Realism is Ms Bliss' forte. As a parent with two small children trying to make time and space for her relationship, I empathised.

[Michelle Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jared is a rockstar married to Kayla. When their marriage gets a bit rocky things need to change. I love that instead of giving up they got creative and had fun with bringing happiness back to their marriage. A pretty good book.
*I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book *

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

One word summary: Surprised. So far the best story yet, with a lot more depth in the feels between Moss and Lily. Unfortunately got a bit too saccharine and drawn out towards the end - I’m still undecided as to whether the baby storyline helped or hindered this. In any event, an enjoyable read.

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

La historia de Jared y Kaila es dulce y sensata, muy pegada a la tierra pese a lo que les rodea.

[SouthernAngel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly predictable but an enjoyable one nonetheless.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

[Chanda Norman · Rating 3 out of 5]

What happens to the rock star marriage when the new wears off of the fame and kids enter the picture? Just like any other marriage it takes hard work, dedication and a whole lot of love to keep your marriage on track.

This short story is about Jared, the bass player for Rage (part of the "Rock Solid" series) and his wife Kayla. Now that her husband has made it big, Kayla is feeling the pressure of the kids, being alone while Jared tours and the constant competition she has from other women for her husband's attention. She loves him but she to enough to stay in his world? Jared's love for Kayla is forever and just has to find a way to show her just how much she means to him.

Jared is a dream husband and Kayla his is perfect mate. I truly enjoyed reading this this well written romance.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy provided by the author and Hidden Gems.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

2/3 novella stars

[HatGirl8]

10/18/2016 Reread 7/7/2017 ; 9/23/19. Read it in the You Had Me at Christmas anthology. Bought separate ebook version on 9/18/2021 for convenience.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third book in the Rock Solid series, Play, was a good story with a decent plot. It was a quick read and love that it continues the story with another character from the group - well told and well done.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jared is achieving rock star success, but failing at his marriage. Kayla, who inspired the song which created his rise to stardom, feels more like the frumpy "starter wife" than the sexy, confident woman he married. To help save their marriage, they go on dates where they pretend to be strangers, but really what they needed was some better communication and a little emergency to help bring them back together.

This was a good story that I happily read in one sitting. I received an ARC of this book and voluntarily provided this honest review.

[devil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jared and Kayla were high school sweethearts, and still love each other fiercely. This was an emotional story of two people trying to reconnect and save their marriage. The writing was amazing. Great book!
*I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.*

[Janga · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my second reread of this novella. I loved it as much as I did the first time I read it. I reread the three Rock Solid stories plus What the Librarian Did and now I'm even more eagerly anticipating Resurrection in August.

[Marzena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny sweet romance. Interesting storyline about finding a way to work through the problems and save a marriage. Short story with likable characters. Good to read. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book

[Steiner · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't badly written but it was like enduring the worst part of someone else's relationship. I just didn't like the experience.

[Alex Hadfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book

[Rhode PVD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just as with everything this author writes, this is far better than nearly anyone else would have done with similar material.

The story line and characters are very much *not* in my sweet spot. Young parents, demanding young children, a woman who is insecure due to weight gain, a husband distracted by success. Although I'm sure tons of readers would be interested, it's not a life I ever had or am interested in.

I almost skipped this in fact, but I'm glad I didn't. Because it's better than the material would seem.

That said, those young kids, boy do I feel lucky to have escaped that.