OCEANSIDE (Rock Stars, Surf and Second Chances #3) by Michelle Mankin-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 10,2018

Oscar night.
Rock star legend, Ashland Keys should be on top of the world, but the blond blue-eyed SoCal surfer is disillusioned with fame, done with drugs, bored with the groupies and sick of all the fake f*ckery.

A rising star, Fanny Bay is nominated for best original song in the same category as the Dirt Dogs band, but the novel redhead with the corkscrew curls and the slight Canadian accent would prefer to chart a course with a different destination.
Hollywood is not for her.

He’s full of regrets, darkness and secrets.
She’s full of hope and light and has mysteries of her own.
He’s her reserved hero.
She’s his gypsy rose.
He’s water. She’s fire. Together, they don’t make sense.
But he’s what she’s always wanted, and she just might be everything he needs.

•••••••••

REVIEW: OCEANSIDE is the third instalment in Michelle Mankin’s contemporary adult ROCK STARS, SURF AND SECOND CHANCES erotic, romance series focusing on the rock group Dirt Dogs. This is drummer, and former lead singer Ashland Keys, and singer Fanny Bay Lesowski’s story line. OCEANSIDE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary but saying that there is quite a bit of missing background information between the members of the band that would benefit from reading the series in order.

NOTE: Due to the story line content, there may be some triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Ash and Fanny) OCEANSIDE follows the second chance relationship between Dirt Dogs’ drummer Ashland Keys, and singer Fanny Bay. Four years earlier, Fanny met her idol at the Academy Awards, rock star Ashland Keys, as both were nominated for Oscars. A promise to meet later never came to fruition, and in the ensuing time life changed for both Fanny and Ash. Fast forward to present day wherein Ash is no longer playing music but struggling to move on from a devastating blow, while Academy Award winner Fanny Bay, finds herself on the run, with her younger sister, in the hopes of protecting what’s left of the life they once knew. What ensues is the rekindling relationship between Fanny and Ash, and the potential fall-out as Ash’s secret is revealed, and Fanny struggles to overcome the disaster that has become her life.

Fanny Bay and her younger sister Hollie are on the run. Homeless and battling illness and a local gang, Fanny and Hollie would find solace and help from an unlikely source-Fanny’s childhood idol, rock star Ashland Keys. Ashland knows struggle, battling a life-altering disease that changed the course of his rock star career, a career that would, once again, blossom with the love of a woman battling her own demons.

The relationship between Fanny and Ash is one of ‘second chances’ of sorts. Having met but never truly bonding, Fanny and Ash’s rekindling relationship remains hidden in the hopes of protecting our story line heroine. The $ex scenes are erotic and intense but I struggle with the use of a certain four-letter word, I feel isn’t necessary in a romance story.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including the member of the band: Linc and Simone (Outside #2), Ramon and Karen (Riptide #2), as well as Diesel El; Fanny’s sister Hollie; their representative Maximillian Cash, as well as several members of a local street gang, and Renee, a groupie who wants something more from Ash then he is willing to give.

OCEANSIDE is a well-written, detailed story line with complex characters who are battling not only the paparazzi but illness, betrayal, stardom and loss. I struggled with the ‘homeless’ aspect of the story-there should have been many other avenues to safety and protection; and the conflict resolution was little more than a blip. I wanted satisfactory details as to the who, what, how and why of how Fanny and Hollie were completely freed from the evil that permeated their lives. The premise is intriguing and entertaining; the romance is heavy and heart breaking; the characters are broken, colorful and strong.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy