STAGED is the third book in Olivia Cunning's Exodus End World Tour series about the trials and tribulations of rock stars and their fascinating love lives. I recommend reading this series in order because of the complicated relationships involved and the events that happened to get the characters where they are when this book takes place. These Exodus End World Tour stories are all extremely character-driven and STAGED is no exception. The characters make this story come to life. Drummer Steve Aimes has been knocked around in his personal life and so he's attracted, yet skeptical, when he lays eyes on keyboardist Roux "Katie" Williams. Steve and Roux have had very different backgrounds but they form a powerful emotional connection that grows as this story progresses.

Every good story benefits from having a villain and there are several in STAGED. Chief among them being Exodus End's manager Sam Baily. Despite all his wicked machinations, it's actually Sam that unintentionally brings Steve and Roux together by signing her bad up to tour with Exodus End. When Roux's band knocks Steve's BFF's band off the tour, it makes for a prickly and inauspicious beginning between these two characters but the friction soon turns to sexual chemistry. STAGED has what I love most about Olivia Cunning's music-themed romances - the rock stars have a somewhat decadent lifestyle but they are multifaceted and Exodus End functions as a tight family unit. When their manager plays hell with their lives, or the media tries to interfere, the bandmates stick up for each other and have their backs.

True to an Olivia Cunning novel, there are many spicy scenes between this hero and heroine, but they also do an intense crash course in getting to know each other as well. As they get to know each other better, the readers get to know them better too. Even though Steve has a tumultuous romantic history and lived the typical rock star lifestyle, his upbringing was very traditional and full of love growing up on a farm. Roux has a stable personal life now thanks to her bandmates and extended foster family, but her childhood was filled with fear. Steve and Roux share their pasts with each other and bond emotionally.

STAGED has a love story that is both tender and torrid with superb storytelling. Olivia Cunning has a way of drawing you into her stories with characters you can't help but find compelling and the emotional resonance that blows you away. These books are highly satisfying and yet addictive, so I eagerly await Olivia Cunning's next Exodus End World Tour book.