Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE:  Filthy Rock Stars

SERIES:  Love Unexpected, Book 3

AUTHOR:  R. Cayden

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  281 pages

RELEASE DATE:  May 2, 2022

BLURB:

I can’t stop thinking about him, but I don’t even know his name…

The stranger with the rakish grin upends my world.
It’s not just that the tattooed bad boy saves me from my ex with a getaway motorcycle ride.
I confess secrets to him in the rainy park that I’ve never told another person, and we do things in the shadows that I’ve only dared fantasize about.

I’m surprising myself a lot lately.
At the Natural History Museum where I work, I take a chance and share my secret, geeky music project with friends, only to stumble my way into an audition with the hottest rock band in the world.
Actual rock gods who, for some reason, really like my keyboard solos.

But a shy, ordinary guy like me could never be a rock star.
And the brooding man I now meet for anonymous hookups can’t be anything more.
We’ve set strict boundaries, and keeping them in place is the only way this can work.

With a heated rivalry erupting between my new band and Forbidden Destiny, a hard rock band that’s dominating the charts, I don’t have time to fall in love anyway.
Until I finally see the bassist in Forbidden Destiny, and love comes straight for me.

Filthy Rock Stars is an M/M rock star romance with secret identities, celebrity hijinks, and two sweet guys. It features a geek who becomes a rock star, a rock star who has always been a bit of a geek, and enough dirty talk to steam up a sauna. The third book in Love Unexpected, it can be enjoyed as a standalone or as part of the series.

REVIEW:

Filthy Rock Stars, the third book in R. Cayden’s Love Unexpected series, unexpectedly surpasses both of the previous books in this series.  While both Filthy Sweet and Filthy Bromance are light, low angst, and enjoyable fare, Filthy Rock Stars brings a new twist to the series and a story arc that captivates. 

Shadow is a rock star, the guitarist for the band Forbidden Destiny, which he formed back in high school with his best friends Elle and Adrian.  Over the years, though, fame and money have changed his BFFs. They’ve sold out and now drive the band towards increasingly banal music.  Not surprisingly, their sales have begun to dip, so they instigate a feud with rival band, Kissing Dirt.  If you’ve read the previous books, you’ll recognize Kissing Dirt as the band that Fox (from Filthy Sweet) manages. 

Shadow hates everything about what Forbidden Destiny has become and is disillusioned with his friends, but he feels trapped.  So when he runs into Nico and impulsively invites him to escape on his motorcycle, he unexpectedly finds everything he’s been looking for:  a kind, talented, wonderful man who sees the best in Shadow.

Nico is a super-smart nerd who works with Owen (Fox’s best friend turned boyfriend) at the Natural History Museum.  Nico’s secret passion is songwriting and playing his keyboard.  He’s been writing a space opera as a personal side project.  When he shares it with Owen, Owen is blown away and has Fox listen.  Things move fast for Nico after that until he suddenly finds himself as the newest member of Kissing Dirt.

Nico’s ex-boyfriend battered Nico’s self-confidence, so when he encounters Shadow, he’s unsure what prompts him to hop on the motorcycle with a complete stranger, but something about Shadow calls to him.  They remain anonymous (“Solo” and “Prince”), hooking up in public places, which is a kink they both enjoy.  Shadow enables Nico to step out of his comfort zone and build his confidence back up again, which is one of the primary reasons why he is able to audition for Kissing Dirt. Anonymity only works for so long, though, and their separate lives inevitably collide.  

Cayden creates two endearing, complex characters in Nico and Shadow and does a terrific job of showing how their relationship deepens and strengthens as they bring out the best in each other. The storyline not only engrosses you in the secret-keeping and the rivalry but also fascinates you in the thoughtful and fluid way their character journeys play out.

As is usually the case with a Cayden M/M romance, there are plenty of hot scenes between Shadow and Nico with super-charged chemistry, as well as sweet, tender moments and swoony declarations.  Cayden deftly balances those elements here. This story also gives the series a full-circle feeling in how it ties back to the first book and integrates Fox and Owen into the story in a significant way.  We get cameos from Reggie and Everett (from Filthy Bromance), and Mare, the lead signer of Kissing Dirt, and the rest of the band members get a lot of page time.  They are a found family for Nico, another successful element of Filthy Rock Stars not present in the previous books. The plot contains some convenient turns of events and a simplistic view of the music industry. But it’s easy to suspend disbelief and go along for the ride. 

Filthy Rock Stars is a highly enjoyable way to spend a few hours reading. You don’t need to read the previous stories to enjoy Filthy Rock Stars, so jump in and give it a read for a feel-good romance with an edge.

RATING:

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