Lead by Kylie Scott

Lead by Kylie Scott

Dear God- it is impossible to not love this series – Kylie Scott has hit the nail well a truly on the head with her characters and none moreover than the fabulous Jimmy Ferris.

Following hot on the heels of Lick and Play in this we get to meet the enigma that is Stage Dive’s front man Jimmy and hold on to you knickers ladies because he will leave you speechless.

Jimmy has played the part of rock and roll god to the hilt and it has damn near killed him but after his final hurrah with drink and drugs ended in disaster and him in rehab – the other guys left him with little doubt that he had to get clean and stay clean or he would be out.

So with nothing to lose he sets about the task and while the guys have tried to help him by providing assistants/companions to be with him and to make sure he is coping – Jimmy isn’t one to play nice with others – so the list of now ex-companions is lengthy!

Enter one Lena Morrissey into the fray. Setting out on her own after the ultimate betrayal from her sister and now ex- boyfriend, Lena is hired by the guys to take on Jimmy. With a history of wrong choices she is not certain that her new role is best for her but determined to make the situation work, she sets about the job of taking on Jimmy’s attitude with a refreshing humour and gutsy determination.

Jimmy, is everything you imagine he is going to be but to be honest he surprised me more than he made me mad (and yes he will make you mad at times too!!!)  – he could be a heartless prick sometimes and appeared to revel in the fact that he could do whatever he wanted but as much as I could have punched him at times I couldn’t help but feel as if he was just a lonely kid, a victim of circumstance – his despicable childhood has turned him to substances at an early age and he had lived a life feeling that no-one would ever want him – well not for being just him anyway – and when you are told that sort of shit often enough you start to believe it – Jimmy didn’t feel worthy, the adoration of millions counts for nothing behind closed doors.

“Don’t hate me, Lena,” he whispered. “You want to be mad at me when I do dumb things, that’s fine. But don’t ever hate me. I couldn’t take that, not from you.”

Lena and Jimmy just seem to work – well maybe work isn’t the right word for them because they do love to bicker and snip at each other but the humorous banter and rhetoric that flows between the pair of them will have you laughing your arse off – they are fabulous.

But recognising that her feelings are starting to veer into the realms of what may be considered beyond professional – Lena decides it is time to leave. Unfortunately for her Jimmy isn’t prepared to let her go, just maybe this bad ass rock star is developing a soft spot for her too!

I loved this book, in as much as I loved Jimmy – I thought the fact that he couldn’t recognise or refused to acknowledge what was going on was not destructive, it was demonstrative of the understanding of nurture – having never been graced with the love of his parents he didn’t understand that his need to be with Lena was not because he was dependant on her – it was because he had accepted and allowed himself to have her as his friend but most of all it was because he loved her.

The story ebbs and flows much as life does but with an undercurrent of sexual tension that when it finally is addressed it is epic!

Life with Jimmy and Lena pitches from sporadic highs to the depths of isolation but when Jimmy turns up at Lena’s sister’s wedding to get her – my heart was in my mouth and the tears were flowing – two souls finally meeting in their happy place – finally together.

The other band members are prevalent in the story and the conversations between David and Lena are both touching and insightful – it is not always possible to accept that what we see as the worst in people is sometimes as a result of what they have suffered when trying to do their best.  Jimmy has protected David all his life– and paid a higher price than he would ever admit to him for that.

The other guys are around and I have to say my favourite continues to be Mal because he is just down right wrong! – he is completely barking mad , with no mouth to brain filter you never quite know what he is going to say next but he will have you laughing out loud( again!!!)  I like that we got to see a bit more of Ben in this story and with only him left to find his soul mate (perhaps Lizzy!) – I am looking forward to the next book.

A difficult book to summarise because it reached into corners of my heart and wrung me out. It gave me a man that I should have despised and showed me what made him tick and my heart broke ever so slightly for him,  it took my empathy card and slapped me around the face with it  - all the time yelling at me that I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

Fame and fortune count for nothing when you have no-one to love – and Jimmy deserves to be loved by Lena.

Rating 5 out of 5