"Mayhem" By: Jamie Shaw Review

Mayhem

By: Jamie Shaw

Synopsis

When college freshman Rowan Michaels meets gorgeous, up-and-coming rock star Adam Everest, she knows a player like him is the last thing she needs after her ex-boyfriend shattered her heart. But she can't stop thinking about the kiss they shared on his tour bus.

On the first day of school, Rowan is stunned when Adam saunters into her French class. He's soon failing miserably, and, on a whim, she offers to tutor him. But Adam doesn't recognize her as a makeup-free, glasses-clad college student—a far cry from the beautiful, mysterious "Peach" he met at his concert.

During a wild weekend on tour with the band, Rowan can't help falling for the sweet guy buried beneath Adam's rocker persona. Yet she knows she could never compete with the girls constantly throwing themselves at his feet. She'd just end up hurt … again.

Peach is all Adam thinks about, though, and when Rowan realizes this, she has a decision to make: stay just friends to protect her fragile heart … or reveal the truth about the night they met and admit she's fallen completely, hopelessly in love with him.

My Thoughts

   Rowan is a freshman in college living the dream. She’s living with her boyfriend who she thinks she loves. Yet one night her dreams for the future are dashed when she sees him with with another woman. That very same evening, she meets Adam Everest, local college student and rock star extraordinaire. While dealing with the heartbreak of her first love, she looks to Adam. Hijinks ensue as there are mistaken identities, rock band parties, late night/early morning study sessions and some super sexy times.

    This is going to get a bit confusing, so pay close attention.  I started out strongly disliking it, and ended up freaking loving this book. The first ⅓ of the book, I absolutely couldn’t get my mind around. I began reading it and I didn’t like the characters one bit. Rowan seemed needy and Adam was just a huge dirt bag. But once I got through my initial dislike of them, I truly saw Rowan and Adam for what they were. These two twenty something people, looking at the world in a different way and just trying to find their way through life when they are confused. Ultimately these two are just trying their best and I had initially met them at their worst.

     Adam is fantastic. I think I’m glad that I didn’t like him in the beginning because he became redeemed as you meet him through the story. He’s this partier who goes through women like socks. Yet he knows that Rowan is different. First of all, she’s the only woman who has ever turned down his advances. She doesn’t seem super impressed by his rock star status. Rowan likes his friends and they like her. Dealing with the heartbreak of her boyfriend cheating and then fighting loneliness in a city by herself, Rowan and Adam find friendship first, then a fantastic relationship. Adam is the true definition of a reformed rake and I wish I was lucky enough to have found him when I was going to college!

     A little hard for me to get into to begin with, I am thrilled I was lucky enough to read Jamie Shaw’s newest book. She plans to continue this series with the other band members. I’ve been stalking her like a crazy person. Her followup to Mayhem is titled Riot and will explore the story of Adam’s bandmate Joel and Rowan’s friend Dee. Filled with fun sexy times and a great voice in the New Adult genre, Jamie Shaw is a rising star! I wouldn’t mind being one of Adam’s socks...just sayin’!

Book Details

Publisher: Avon Impulse

Date of Publication: January 20, 2015

# of Pages: 258

ISBN: 9780062379610

Location: Virginia