Playing the Pauses

Hazen returns to the rough-and-tumble rock music world with her snappy second Sex, Love, and Rock & Roll contemporary (after A Cruel Kind of Beautiful). Kate Madsen’s father bailed when she was 10, and her mother’s mental illness compounded her trauma. Now a music tour manager, she doesn’t let anyone get too close. Tattoo artist turned bassist Danny O’Neil never lived up to his exacting parents’ expectations, even after his band, the Red Letters, started to take off. When the two meet, it’s with a lust-filled, BDSM-fueled passion, and once they’re on tour they sneak in trysts wherever and whenever possible. Even as Kate tries to keep her emotional distance—knowing that nothing will be certain once the tour’s over—she falls in love. Hazen’s command of the music business imbues every scene with authenticity, and her hero with a heart of gold will make readers swoon. In addition to the complex, quirky heroine of this tale, Hazen brings back previous heroine Jera in a considerably deeper and more appealing fashion than in her first appearance. By turns funny, sad, and introspective, Hazen’s story will strike a chord with readers. (BookLife)