BOOK TOUR: The Rocker That Savors Me – Terri Anne Browning (+ AUTHOR INTERVIEW)

Today is the The Book Lovers stop for The Rocker That Savors me. It includes a review and an Author Interview 🙂

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Synopsis

Layla…
…has had a hard life. On her own at a young age, always having to do what needed to be done just to survive. Now she has two other people depending on her and she needs a job fast before they get evicted. A job interview introduces her to Jesse Thornton, the delicious drummer for Demon’s Wings. He reminds her of all the mistakes of her past, but is also her hope for the future.

Jesse…
…has never let anyone in. The only real family he has ever had are his band brothers and Emmie—the only women he has ever loved. But then Layla comes into his life and he would do just about anything to get one taste. Can he move past his own insecurities and allow this woman into his heart?

 5/5 Stars

My Review of The Rocker That Holds Me

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My Review

Jesse has only loved one girl in his life – Emmie. But he knows her heart has always belonged to his band mate and ‘brother’ Nik. The band and Emmie are his everything. They are the only real family he has and the only people he has let him, even if he is hiding some secrets from them – like the nightmares. But then Layla comes along and he will do anything to have her. Can Jesse move past his insecurities and allow himself to love and open his heart up to Layla?

Layla has had a tough life. From being on her own since the age of 16, she has had to do whatever she could to survive. Now she has two other people who depend on her and she needs a better job before they get evicted. When a job interview with Emmie introduces her to Demon Wing’s drummer Jesse Thornton, he reminds her of all the past mistake and the reason why she doesn’t date rockers. But there is something about him that she can’t stay away from. Can she move from her past and focus on her future with Jesse?

Ever since I read The Rocker That Holds Me I was really hoping that Terri Anna Browning would write books for the other members of the band. There were a lot of questions about each character that I wanted to know about. Wanted to know about their past and how it shaped them into who they are today. When she confirmed that there would be books for the others, I was holding my breath for them.

If you read my review of TRTHM, you will see that I loved Jesse. He is an amazing guy and an absolute godsend to Emmie for all of her life. He would and will do whatever he can to make sure she is safe and happy and I was so happy that his book was second.

As I’ve said before, you become drawn in to the characters lives. You feel for them, you want to know them in real life and you want to have a family circuit like the band and Emmie do. You can see the love they have for each other and how close they are. They have all grown up in similar households and they have been through thick and thin together. Terri Anne Browning brings all these emotions out of you when you read this book. I was grinning, crying, laughing, swooning and of course, the kindle throw when I became frustrated at Layla and Jesse (due to their stubbornness of not listening.)

Ms. Browning’s writing will have you hooked though. She definitely knows how to write sexy ass rockers. Sexy ass rockers who have a past and who, when they find the right girl, fall in love and in time learn to let go of the past. She writes with such emotion and depth that you can’t help but feel for these characters. It’s like they are real to me and you feel some kind of connection to them through the book. They really do take your heart.

Mentioned above, I love the bald, tattooed drummer that is Jesse. Growing up with a drunk of a father who used to beat him until Jesse was old enough to fight back, protecting Emmie along with his band mates was the only thing that mattered. Making sure she was safe, especially when the band became famous. Nothing mattered more than Emmie.

Jesse really is a brilliant character. He loves unconditionally, hes strong yet he’s gentle, hes confident and cocky but he never really uses his famous status, more content on being grounded and just basking in the love that all this band mates and Emmie share together.

As everyone in the band, he has a past. He’s never really had anyone who he has felt ‘more’ with apart from Emmie, but he’s just her best friend, so when he hears and meets Layla for the first time, its like a shock to the system. He can’t get this girl out of his head. He just needs her, needs to be with her and have her. It was so nice to see Jesse this way; to find someone who he wants to be with, to pursue romantically because he and Layla had this sizzling chemistry right from the start. As much as she told herself to stay away, she couldn’t, and Jesse was adamant on having her. Their pull just overtook them both and they just had to be together.

I loved how he (and the group) took Layla’s sisters under their wings, treating them with care and love. It was perfect to see this band, who love music and don’t care for the famous status to embrace three new characters into their dynamic and love them unconditionally too.

Jesse really would do anything to make Layla happy – even when they had a tipping point during parts of the book – but in the end, Jesse loved Layla with everything. You will find out just how much throughout the book ;).

Layla is an awesome character. I really, really loved reading her story and getting to know her throughout the book because she had such a strength you get drawn to. She has had one hell of a tough ride, from being kicked out at 16 and dropping out of school to doing whatever she could to survive the next few years, she had to grow up fast. Now she has custody of her two sisters, Lana – 17 and Lucy – 6, whom she loves more than anything, she wants them to achieve everything she never did. Layla loves fiercely, is protective, honest and a great friend to Emmie but she also had a vulnerable side to her at times. Mostly because of her past and the way she dislikes Rockstars because of her mother and her father. Although she didn’t want to fall in love with a rockstar, watching her with Jesse was so nice to see and it was great to see her so happy. To see her fall in love with Jesse and become close to the other band mates, as well as becoming best friends with Emmie.

There are a few scenes where you just want to shake Layla and tell her to listen to Lana and Emmie, listen to watch they are telling her and for her to stop being so stubborn. But you can kind of understand why she reacted that way (You’ll know what I’m on about when you read that scene). I’m just so glad that she and Jesse got their happily ever after. They both truly deserve it.

I particularly loved that Emmie and Nik (and Drake but we’ll get to him) had such a big role in this book as well. We see a very pregnant, stressed out Emmie but when she hires Layla, you see Emmie gladly welcome Layla and her sisters into their life. I loved having Emmie and Nik being a side part to The Rocker That Savors Me. You see how much they love one another, how they will always be there in an instance when one is hurting or upset (More Emmie on this), how they just can’t live without one another. I still love seeing the two of them like this after everything they had been through in The Rocker That Holds Me.

I adored how easy the three girls blended into the group dynamic. The guys all love Lucy because they remind them of Emmie at her age, but a much happier version than the little girl they had to save and keep protected and they all welcome Lana because she has this calming effect on Drake.

Now onto Drake. We all know that he drinks himself into a stupor to escape the demons of his past – which we do not know yet – but when Lana is introduced to him, it’s like something has clicked inside of him and he doesn’t need to pick up a bottle and get steaming. He’s adopted Lucy and treats her like his little sister, building sandcastles with her, taking her shopping. Just spoiling her rotten.

Then we come onto his ‘relationship’ with Lana. It’s like she is his muse. His muse to stop drinking, to start living life; to smile and laugh and show his artistic side, the one side that he has never, ever shared. Despite Lana being 17 and Drake 31, they have this special connection, and although Drake is petrified of the age gap, he just can’t be without Lana. There are sides to see to Drake that will tear you up, make your heart clench for him and that is why I cannot wait for book three. I NEED BOOK THREE NOW TERRI! I need more Drake in my life!

I can’t tell you how much that epilogue just….*sigh* I loved it so much. It was perfect and just holy moly, the most amazing way to end The Rocker That Savors Me. I am so not going into detail but Layla, Lucy and Jesse are just waaay too cute together and I’m smiling just thinking about what happens but I’m going to be good and not spoil it for you. You have to read it yourself to see why I am smiling to a computer screen like an idiot whilst typing this out. I can’t stop giggling and smiling at the amazingness of the epilogue. Too. Darn. Sweet.

If you loved The Rocker That Holds Me, then PLEASE grab your copy of The Rocker That Savors Me. You get more Emmie and Nik sweetness, you get to see Jesse fall in love, you get to see three beautiful ladies be added to the band’s family and you see character development, character’s grow and journey, characters fall in love and it ends perfectly for the next book  in the series which is Drakes – The Rocker That Needs Me and by god, I need this book in my life right now, because, although all the characters stole my heart, Drake took a little bit extra in this book.

So yes, love sexy rockstars who have sexy times but also journey through their pasts to find love and acceptance? Then this series is definitely for you!

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Interview with Terri Anne Browning:-

When did you realize that you wanted to be a writer?
I was sixteen. It was summer vacation and I was so bored. I couldn’t find a book that would hold my attention for longer than 15 minutes. So my mom told me to write my own. She was sure that I could do a much better job. I pulled out one of my notebooks and got to work. Of course I got thirty pages into it and another idea for another story plot popped into my head. The first story didn’t get finished and neither did the second, but I had so much fun. I’ve been hooked ever since.
 
How did The Rocker That Holds Me come about?
I had been thinking about a character like Emmie for a while, but I couldn’t really get her personality down. I couldn’t decide what kind of hero would suit her, and then I realized that she needed more than one hero to make her complete. That was how Jesse, Drake and Shane were added in. Putting a rock theme into it was just the icing on the cake. The whole tattooed, bad boy persona for the guys really clicked for me as I brought them to life.

After you wrote The Rocker That Holds Me, did you ever plan to create a series or was it after fans of the book demanded more?
Even as I was writing The Rocker That Holds Me I was thinking ahead to Jesse’s book, but when the fans started screaming for a sequel I was ready to deliver.
 
The Rocker books all share (or are going to) the back stories of all the band mates and Emmie. Was it difficult to come up with different stories for them or did you know exactly what they were?
Jesse’s was the easiest to do because he is just so loveable. Everyone wants a Jesse in their life, either as a lover or a best-friend. Drake’s was easy to create because Jesse’s set the ground work, but he was just so gut-wrenching to write. But it’s Shane that is proving to be the most difficult of the band to write. I don’t know where he is going to take me and that can be terrifying.

In The Rocker That Savors Me, you introduce three more characters into the band and Emmie’s lives. What was your decision in doing this and not just introducing one?
Layla came as a package deal even as I was creating her in my notes. She just didn’t feel complete until I added in Lana and Lucy. She needs them just as much as they need her and that makes Jesse fall faster for her.

Drake held a big part in The Rocker That Savors Me, and he has become a favourite of mine now. Was this as to introduce him more as his book is next in the series?
Yes, although at the beginning it wasn’t where I was going. Drake had other ideas though and I went were he took me.

This may be a spoiler for those who haven’t read The Rocker That Savors Me, but what made you decide that Lana would be the one for Drake?
In the beginning even I wasn’t sure if that was going to work. The age thing was a big issue and for some that can really be the deal breaker. But there was just so much chemistry there and Drake couldn’t stay away. When you are that far into the dark you reach for the light whenever it is presented to you.

Do you have a favourite character? And who do you love to write the most?
I hate to pick favourites here, it’s like picking a favourite child…Jesse is my favourite though! He’s just so big and scary, but such a softy and so loveable. Jesse was created with my husband’s personality so I really do have a closer connection to him than the others. I love writing from Emmie’s POV, probably why I have included—and plan to include at least one POV from her in every book. She is such a strong and sassy character and I put a little of myself into her.

Do you have any other projects in the work for when you finish the series?
Well…If things work out the way I want them to, I’m hoping to continue on with the series through Axton Cage. I’m hoping that his book, which will be out next year sometime, will pave the way for more The Rocker… books with his band OtherWorld. But before that I’m really thinking about a follow up book that includes all four guys of Demon’s Wings.
 
Have you ever thought about who you would like to play each character if you’re books were made into films?
There are a few people that I have thought about. Mostly it has been Emmie’s character that I would love to see come to life. Emma Stone really comes to mind. I just love her attitude! But if I were to ever have the chance to do a movie, or a TV series which would really be awesome, I would want actors that are just starting out. 

And lastly, is there a deep, dark secret you would like to reveal? 😉
Lol! Well, I don’t have many secrets. I don’t have a secret sex life, and I’m not hiding any bodies in my basement. I will reveal that I work under a pen name, but I almost always answer to it. I like the anonymity that comes with using the pen name. I don’t think half of my extended family even realize that I’m an author!