Rocked Up Book Review: A Romance by Karina Halle & Scott Mackenzie
Its been a while since I’ve read a Karina Halle book! She’s one of my favorite contemporary romance authors because she always writes interesting books with likable heroines. So when I was scrolling through my kindle the other week looking for something to read, I settled on Rocked Up. This was written by Karina along with her husband Scott MacKenzie. It’s a fun story about a guy and a girl who fall in love while playing in the same band. So if you’re looking for a fun contemporary romance about a famous musician who falls for his bandmade, keep reading for my full Rocked Up book review.
And if you enjoy today’s blog post, you can read more of my romance reviews here.
What is Rocked Up About?
I’ve been watching him since I was a teenager.
He didn’t notice me back then and it didn’t matter. Brad Snyder, guitarist and singer for one of the world’s greatest bands, was my entire life.
My father, the CEO of Ramsey Records, takes credit for all of Brad’s success, trying to control him in the same way he’s controlled me.
But I finally get an opportunity to prove myself.
To be wild.
To be free.
Today I’m auditioning to be the replacement bass player for Brad’s band. If I get the job, I’ll go on tour and work with Brad every day, in very close proximity.
There’s only one rule: he’s not allowed to touch the boss’s daughter.
Remember when I said that Brad never used to notice little ol’ me?
Well, Brad’s noticing me now.
In a way that’s going to get us both in trouble.
My name is Lael Ramsey and we all know how this will turn out. (from Amazon.com)
Who are Karina Halle and Scott MacKenzie?
Karina and Scott are the husband and wife writing duo who wrote Rocked Up together. Author Karina Halle is a screenwriter, former music & travel journalist, and a New York Times bestselling author. I can’t list all of her books because there are so many of them, but you can see her full list of published works here. Scott MacKenzie is a musician and writer known for Rocked Up and Sex, Love and Rock n’ Roll.
This Standalone Rockstar Romance is Very Fun
It tells the story of musician Brad Snyder who was first scouted as a young teenager. He grew up a teen heartthrob performing as the lead singer with the popular group, And Then. As he grew older and the band became more popular, he had the attention of pretty much every teenage girl in the world.
And that includes Lael Ramsey, the younger than him daughter of the man who first gave him his start. He owes everyting to Lael’s Dad, who will never let him forget it. Sounds like a lot of pressure, doesn’t it?
I like how this story started out showing a flashback. It was really sweet how Lael’s Dad got her backstage passes to the And Then show because he new how obsessed she was with the band. At that point Lael would have been 13 or 14 I think while Brad was 20.
Back to Present Day
Brad and Lael see each other in passing over the years, but they become reacquainted when Lael is 21. She is put in charge of picking him up from the airport after he comes back from a work trip. Brad has a lot on his mind considering that their bass guitar player was just let go from the band.
The band is obviously in search of a new bass player and Lael wants the job. But she doesn’t want the job if her Dad has to pull strings She wants to get the job on her own merit.
I really liked that part of Lael’s personality. What winds up happening is that she auditions for the band without revealing to anyone (except for Brad, who already knows who she is) who her father is. And they are taken aback by her sound. So the fact that her father is basically all of their bosses? That’s a fun fact that pops up later. Haha.
Lael getting “Rocked Up” Was not Very Surprising
This isn’t a spoiler or anything because there is a pregnancy test on the front cover, but after sneaking around with Brady for a few weeks Lael finds out that she is pregnant. And like, she seems surprised. But as a reader I was not. Lol. I do not remember any mention of condoms in this story and after Lael takes the pregnancy test she mentions that she’s on the pill but that she misses days here and there.
So it made me roll my eyes a little bit because her surprise pregnancy was really not that surprising. But luckily this is a book and everything just kind of worked out for her in the end. In any other book I might have disliked this plot point because of how obvious it was, but I think it worked for the two of them.
In Brad’s case, he grew up in foster care. And he’s falling in love with Lael. So abandoning her or his future child is not even an option. And Lael grew up without a mother, so family is important to her as well. This story may have been unrealistic but it’s the kind of romance that makes your heart happy. And that’s what is really important.
The Main Conflict
The main conflict in this story isn’t between Brad and Lael. It’s between the two of them and Lael’s father. He’s so used to controlling Brad and he’s so used to controlling Lael that he thinks he can do whatever he wants. And that is not the case.
Lael might have had the ideal upbringing with her father being protective and taking care of her, but she’s an adult now. I felt like the last third of the book was written really well, as both Brad and Lael worked to find their happiness and stand up to her father. They will no longer be under the spell of Ronald Ramsey.
This Books had Something Different
I feel like most rockstar romances have a famous singer or guitar player falling in love with a fan, or someone who isn’t famous. So I really liked that this story was about two bandmates who fall in love. It was really cool how their relationship developed, but also how their music developed as well.
I loved that by the end of the book, Lael was playing her own songs to audiences. And it was very sweet how Brad was there cheering her on from the control room.
In Conclusion
If you like rockstar romances, I think you will really enjoy this book. The main characters are sweet and even though their romance is forbidden they find a way. This was a quick and fun read. I hope you enjoyed my Rocked Up book review.
