Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Hidden Blade
SERIES: The Road to Rocktoberfest 2022
AUTHOR: Kaje Harper
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 326 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 4, 2022
BLURB:
Sometimes willpower isn’t enough.
Cam
Social anxiety’s been my constant companion for twenty-three years, sometimes in the background, sometimes silencing me and yanking my guts out in the nearest trash can. No matter how much I love playing music, I’m never going to get up on a stage and perform in front of a crowd. But since I met Erik, and was asked to join his band Hellsbane, that knowledge hurts worse.
No heart (even Erik’s) or dick (even Erik’s) is big enough to carry me past my limits, but God, I wish there was a way.
Erik
Life’s damned unfair when a guy with the voice of a hard-rock angel and a songwriting talent like Cam’s can only post anonymous videos online. But you can’t cure anxiety with wanting, or willpower. My drummer needs to quit trying to push Cam onstage with us before he breaks.
Rocktoberfest’s our goal, and touring with Hellsbane was my only ambition until I met Cam. Now I can’t have everything I love in one place, but dammit, I wish there was a way.
A first-times, life challenges, coming out, rockstar romance.
Hidden Blade is part of the multi-author The Road to Rocktoberfest 2022 series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but why not read them all and see who hits the stage next? Hot rockstars and the men who love them, what more could you ask for? Kick back, load up your kindle and enjoy the men of Rocktoberfest!
REVIEW:
Wow! Talk about a great way to kick off Rocktoberfest this year!!! If this is any kind of example of how amazing this year’s collection is we are in for a major treat! Rock on!!!
Erik and his fellow bandmates Jase and Brandy have fought hard to make their band a success. They had it in their grasp a couple years ago when Stewart, their co-lead singer left them high and dry to chase success with another band right before their big break to play Rocktoberfest. When Erik sees the performance he has been waiting for he just knows he has found the one…the perfect addition to their band to finally achieve their goal. But the beautiful man literally disappeared the moment he finished his set. Cameron knew it was a really bad idea to play at that set at that café that his buddy Andre convinced him to give it a chance. A chance that literally had his body forcefully ejecting anything in it. He crippling anxiety would always get in the way no matter how talented a singer/musician/songwriter he was. Performances, even for just YouTube videos, were gut wrenching. Live audiences were a definite NO GO!!! But it did do one go thing…that chance performance opened the door to meeting his favorite local band and their Norse God of a lead singer. But where can anything besides helping Hellsbane work on their music go? And what would a guy like Eric ever see in someone as broken as him?
This story hit kinda close to home with it being in the Portland/Salem/Eugene areas I spent the first 60 years of my life living in and Cam has a lot of similarities to three of my grandkids. Kaje Harper did such an amazing job with Cam. I don’t know who she based him off and if it is part of her RL but she was so tender and thoughtful with him. And she remained true to his character. Him being hinted at by Kyle’s dad as “his dad called me that weird autistic kid” was the only reference to his being neurodivergent. And that his debilitating anxiety was the reason for his inability to go preform or even function most of the time in any kind of social situation. I appreciated that Kaje stayed true to who Cam was and not have him “magically” be all better and suddenly was able to get on stage and perform. That realistically wasn’t never, ever going to happen with his limitations. However the way that she devised a way for him to preform at a live venue was genius and simply awe inspiring. It was also a great “hook” to make a great new band stand out and be noticed. And I for one truly appreciated Erik and his love and caring for Cam. He knew when to back off and when to nudge a tiny bit because being with Cam required immense patience and really teeny, tiny baby steps. Even Jase and Brandy became understanding and wanting what was best for both Cam and Erik. Even if it meant not getting to chase their years long dream they stood firm.
I will say that I definitely wasn’t ready for this book to end! Yes I wanted their very hard earned HEA and I got that they were going to be okay but they weaseled themselves under my skin to my heart and it is really, really hard to let them go. BTW: great title for this book…it perfectly described Cam/Blade! This was an absolutely fantastic book and a great intro to this years line up! I highly recommend this amazing book! Huge thumbs up for me!!!
RATING: 
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