CERTAINTY is the seventh book in L.P. Maxa's RiffRaff Records series. I consider this series to fall in the "New Adult" category of romance because of the age of the main characters, and because of the tangled situations, they find themselves in. This series is built around the young adult children of rock stars. They forge tight but complicated relationships with each other that leave outsiders a little befuddled. One thing I like is how, if nothing else, most of these kids are self-aware and realize how unusual their lifestyle and relationships are. Talon is a super cool mellow surfer dude and rock star. Unlike many of L.P. Maxa's heroes from earlier RiffRaff Records books, Talon is sweet with less swagger. When he was first introduced in the book INFAMY, I desperately hoped L.P. Maxa would give him a book of his own. That day has now arrived -- hooray! Unfortunately for Talon, a wrench is thrown into the works because of this heroine's age.

When Talon first sees Marley Connor, he is captivated by her but doesn't interact with her or think he'll run into her again. He was very wrong. Marley is related to his bandmate's girlfriend, which causes them to be thrown together now and then. When Talon is 23, Marley is only 16 -- even though she's a self-possessed and shrewd 16. Talon isn't a creeper, so he does the right thing and backs off. What follows is a sweet "getting-to-know-you" long-distance romance as Talon and Marley correspond mainly via text and letters until Marley turns 18. L.P. Maxa always does a good job of having the dialogue between her hero and heroine seem very authentic and this romance is no exception. Talon is frustrated at having to remain apart from Marley, even though he knows he's doing the right thing. A big annoyance is the way Marley's male BFF Jett is so touchy-feely with her. I like that, even though Jett and Marley's closeness is an irritant at times, Talon doesn't act like a jerk because of it.

CERTAINTY is a slow burn romance with a sweet rock star hero and a very determined heroine. Reading CERTAINTY has made me want to go back and check out the previous book, PIRACY, about Jett's foray into love. I look forward to L.P. Maxa's next book.