Joel Gibbon, bassist for local band The Last One to Know,
and Dee Dawson met through Dee's best friend, Rowan.
Rowan is now the girlfriend of Adam Everest, the band's
singer. While Dee and Adam's relationship is traditional,
Dee and Joel's is more of the booty-call type: if she's
available he goes home with her if not, there are always
women willing to indulge him. Joel is living the rock
star life, he's not interested in having a girlfriend,
but Dee would like to be more than a glorified groupie.
She has always had guys pursuing her, she's never had to
work at attracting men, and she's not about to start
where Joel is concerned. However, Joel is not chasing
her, so Dee resorts to one-night-stands to ease her
loneliness as well as making him jealous. But her tactic
is not working, she feels empty; Joel does seem to want
to change his ways, and Dee will have to re-evaluate her
priorities.
RIOT is the second book in the Mayhem series,
it's very different from the first instalment, and it
constitutes an ideal follow-up, because Dee is quite the
opposite of Rowan and the book reflects it. Dee's a wild
child; she's gutsy, mischievous, and owns her sexuality.
RIOT is much more in-your-face, raw, and raunchier than
the first book. Mayhem hovered between Young Adult and
New Adult, and it fit Rowan and Adam's romance. I find it
remarkable that Ms. Shaw is so in sync with the
characters' personalities that she was able to write RIOT
in a tone that fits Dee and Joel, and yet the two books
flow perfectly one into the other because the author
understands her characters so well.
There is a lot of no-holds-barred sex in RIOT, and even
bad sex, which is at the same time both hilarious and
poignant. Dee and Joel have shouting matches; they push
each other's buttons almost to breaking point. They are
two very passionate, stubborn, and independent people;
they are captivating characters; their story is exciting
and rings true.
I had really loved the first book, but RIOT is much
meatier and grittier because that's how Dee and Joel are;
they are also more complex characters than Rowan and
Adam. I was very much looking forward to Dee's book, and
it greatly surpasses my expectations. I cannot wait for
what Jamie Shaw has in store for us next; RIOT is a
tremendously emotional read, and simply put: a great
book!
When Dee Dawson meets sexy mohawked guitarist Joel
Gibbon,
she knows it won't be long before she has him wrapped
around
her finger. No guy has ever been able to resist her … but
Dee's met her match in a player like Joel.
Dee's not the relationship type—not after seeing the pain
"love" has caused her friends and family—yet she's
desperate
to make Joel want her more than anyone else. He quickly
becomes an obsession, and when a reckless attempt to make
him jealous ends in disaster, Dee turns into the damsel
in
distress she never wanted to be. With her carefree world
crashing down around her, the last thing she needs is
Joel's
pity.
But Joel is suddenly determined to prove he cares, and no
matter how hard Dee tries to push him away, he refuses to
let her shut him out. Now the girl who swore she'd never
say
those three little words must choose between guarding her
heart and losing Joel forever … or falling head over
heels
for the tattooed rock star of her dreams.