Rock Rebel by Tara Leigh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This story had so many layers to it which stemmed from the h’s abuse at the hands of so-called industry professionals. Covering the current and deeply emotive subject, namely the #metoo movement, the author managed to address this highly evocative area with grace and sensitivity.
Rock Rebel introduces readers to an actress/pop-princess who is trying to re-invent herself via the music industry. Having been abused during her previous endeavours, Verity is trying to find her own way in life, and away from her parasitic, co-conspirator mother.
When Travis Taggert, NBT’s manager, also becomes Verity’s manager, their paths were destined to overlap, especially when Verity becomes friends with Piper and Delaney. Having seen Dax at a party, Verity is stunned when she finds herself in an elevator with him especially when she realises he doesn’t recognise her, although the chemistry between the duo is immediately tangible.
Despite not recognising Verity, Dax is stunned when he finds out who she is and immediately starts to distance himself from his feelings towards her. With a joint tour on the cards, Dax is keen to avoid a repeat of what happened with his ex. That said, Verity and Dax soon find more than music in common as their friendship grows.
As the book progresses, Dax and Verity become close but Dax tries to resist his feelings towards Verity. Verity, with her own issues stemming from her past, also finds it hard to open herself up to potentially more heartbreak but despite her misgivings, Dax manages to reawaken something in her.
The connection between Dax and Verity was very slow to develop, mainly due to their past and relationship misgivings, and I found my interest in their story waning slightly as a result. Despite my best efforts, I just couldn’t connect with the characters or the storyline on this occasion. I applaud the author for tackling such a sensitive subject as the #metoo movement but I felt that the subject matter made the story a little too reflective. For me, the story really kicked in around 70% at which point Dax and Verity suddenly find their pasts inexplicably overlapping and the story suddenly became captivating.
As always with Tara Leigh’s books, this was well written with some memorable quotes but on this occasion was less about the music and more about portraying a poignant message.