Rock King is book #1 in the Nothing But Trouble series. Tara Leigh is an author who is new to me.

Shane Hawthorne is the lead singer of the world famous band ‘Nothing But Trouble’. He is everything a famous rocker tends to be: confident, cocky and gorgeous. But inside Shane holds a secret. One he used booze, sex & drugs to cope with. Shane is no longer an addict, but he relies on companionship, hired companionship. A woman who can preoccupy him and soften his image. Someone to be his “fake” girlfriend, go to his shows, get seen in public, and keep the groupies at bay while he is on tour. It is usually a starlet, model or someone with their own motives for photo-ops. But having a fake girlfriend has worn thin for him.

My short-term, faux relationships might be superficial, but they were monogamous, and most importantly-disease- and drama-free.

Shane’s agent/lawyer Travis discovers Delaney waitressing at a restaurant and knows that she will fit the bill. She is exactly Shane’s type. Coincidentally, Travis’s assistant, Piper, and Delaney are from the same town back East and know each other.

Delaney Fraser is living life, sort of. She too has a secret. One that has kept her from moving on in life. For the past three years she has lived a quiet life filled with regret and guilt. She is lonely and struggles with her demons and guilt.

All my life I’d been a good girl. Coloring between the lines, following the rules. Until one night I slipped up.

The story is about second chances and forgiveness. The pace of the story was slow but it picked up at around 50% in. There was a buildup emotionally between Shane and Delaney. Shane and Delaney share a sizzling connection. They try to stay away from each other but end up intimate rather quickly. Delaney understands Shane’s grief and helps him through it because she is living the same grief. Although the story was slow and we had to wait forever to find out their secrets, I found myself unable to put it down.

The connection between us….it was volatile. Hazardous.

I was powerless to resist it.

I am intrigued to see what will happen in book #2 of the series Rock Legend focusing on Shane’s band mate Landon! He is wild so I’m sure it will be interesting……

Great beginning to the series!

Rock King in the "Nothing But Trouble" series is book one and I was not disappointed.

Shane Hawthorne should be living the dream. He is the amazing lead singer of the band, Nothing But Trouble, making money hand over fist, indulging in women, alcohol, drugs, named sexiest man alive on numerous occasions, etc. So why is he so unhappy?? He is living a lie and the guilt and pain is consuming him, that's why.

For a long time, he and his manager have managed to couple Shane with a woman for "show" only.....no attachments, but it was a way to keep the public/paparazzi from digging too deep.

When it's time for a new "girlfriend" for Shane, his manager comes across Delaney, a lost girl working as a waitress to make ends meet. She has her secrets and past she is running from also.

The sparks between Shane and Delaney are instant, but she's not an idiot. She does not put up with Shane's bullshit lines and come-ons. But then she sees a different side of Shane no one ever sees......he is obviously broken and keeping a lot of emotion buried deep inside.

I really, really liked the book and will be happy to continue the series!!

Loved this rockstar romance!

"My heart squeezed as I caught sight of the girl he was talking to. She stood out like a tropical fish in a sea of dense algae."

Shane Hawthorne is a rock star. It appears that he couldn't want for anything more in his life. However, his dark past haunts him and also requires him to have a fake girlfriend while he's on tour. She's meant to keep away the groupies, and also keep him away from other unsavoury temptations.

"The connection between us...it was volatile. Hazardous. I was powerless to resist it."

Delaney Fraser has put her life on hold. Her painful past has her fleeing to the other side of the country and working a dead end job, in order to earn enough money to kickstart her life again. When an unconventional but lucrative job role presents itself, she finds it virtually impossible to say no.

"There was something about this girl that made me feel better just knowing we were breathing the same air."

This was a fab story! Shane is so troubled and carrying around so much guilt. He has some serious unresolved issues over his head. I loved his irresistible desire for Delaney - I loved how taken he was with her. He could see that she was different to his usual 'girlfriends' and I adored how possessive he felt over her from very early on. She was a real game-changer for him and gave him hope for a happier life.

Delaney is equally guilt-ridden. She was just existing when Shane came into her life. I was so happy for her that Shane wanted something real and meaningful with her, but my heart hurt for the secrets she carried.

This novel was angsty, sexy, and heartfelt. Looking forward to the next one in the series.

Rock King is simply amazing. It is intriguing, yet suspenseful with that romance touch that just makes the book, that much more enjoyable. I couldn't put it down.

Shane is a rock star who hides secrets not many people know about. Shane portrays that typical rock star with his ideal images of the groupies and typical rock star music fans. Delaney is a waitress that just happens to find herself in the right place at the right time (although she doesn't know it.) She hides secrets herself that she fears could destroy her. The portrayal of a "hired" girlfriend fulfilling a contract took me to the "Fifty Shades of Grey" books, but without the BDSM and typical contract settings. But this book was so much more than that!

While this book was sexy and romantic, it had intense character moments that just kept you gasping for more. Shane and Delaney will hopefully be a part of the next book as well!

My Opinion:
Loved this rocker read! It had the emotional, physical and the mental, this book has all the emotions you can drum up. Rocker Shane has had a sad past that he walked away from years ago because of one fateful night. He would never be the same...Until he met Delaney.

These two are hot, spunky and full of lust for each other. Their scenes are hot and I was able to connect with them being a couple. I loved that they went through similar things and had to get over their past mistakes. I can completely understand this. I loved reading their love story and I am eager to read the next in the series. I was a Piper fan from the beginning!

The only thing I had against this being a 5 star book was the beating themselves up over what happened. Pages of this dragging on even till the end. If there had just been a little less of that, this would have been a 5 star book. It was well written, flowed well, and it was clear who was talking throughout the book which is a big plus. I do not like guessing.

I also really enjoyed the backstage and the stage scenes and the whole contract girlfriend. I enjoyed this book very much. I loved reading this new rocker series and look forward to all this band has to give!

I give this book 4.5 of 5 stars!

So Tara Leigh is a new author to me but I'm a massive fan of Rockstar books and I really enjoyed Rock King. This is the first book in the Nothing But Trouble series and is Shane and Delaney's story.
This book as a great flow to it with great characters embarking on a romance that starts under rather exceptional circumstances.

Shane is the lead singer of Nothing But Trouble he's also hiding from the demons of his past. Women throw themselves at him, but what he really needs is someone that can play the part of his dutiful girlfriend whilst helping him stay on the straight and narrow.
When he meets Delaney he knows she perfect for the job now he just need to convince her but when real love enters the equasion and with Delaney keeping secrets of her own do they really stand a chance?

A great first in the series and I'm really looking forward to reading Piper and Landon's story next.

A good book, and a great start to a new series! Can't wait to read the next one!

This has been my first book by Tara Leigh, and I found Rock King to be written well and filled with interesting characters.

Shane Hawthorne is the front man for his band, but lives behind a wall of lies. Everything in his life is a facade, with only his PR team and band mates knowing the truth. Understandably, these lies and the need to protect them have weighed him down over the years. Similarly, Delaney is running from similar lies. The opportunity with Shane gives her the chance to make it better. With similar demons, these two find solace in one another.

The story line is shockingly low angst for a rockstar romance, especially for the type of secrets they harbor. I wish there would have been more. The conflicts seemed to resolve rather quickly, especially for how much and how long they affected the main characters. I needed to see some real challenge for this couple. Everything, even the ending, seemed to fall into place for them too seamlessly .

Even though I wasn’t blown away by Rock King, I will certainly be picking up the next book in the series. Tara Leigh’s writing is wonderful, the characters are charming, and the next book promises to be a bit more angsty with the new H/h.

Rock King by Tara Leigh is the first book in a trilogy.
Meet Shane Hawthorne, he's rich famous and has it all - including issues. He wrecks his life, health and band. He has to cleaning up his act, fast.
Delaney Fraser is smart, gorgeous. Everything could be perfectwhen he hires her as his fake girlfriend, but such relationships never ever work out.
Favorite Quote: "... been hauling around a 5-pound sack filled with ten pounds of problems since the day I was born." He's all fake. Both have issues and dark secrets.
Rock King is a story that deals with sensitive subjects like substance abuse. My heart hurt for the characters. Their story is a emotional and painful one. I started reading and had high expectations, and I wasn't disappointed. The writing is great and the story was captivating, I give 4 stars.

I enjoyed this one a lot! Rock star romances have been a favorite of mine lately…for the most part. I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars. Thanks to InkSlinger PR for providing me a copy in exchange for a honest review.

So just a heads up: the summary makes this seem like it’s only from Shane’s POV, but it’s actually dual POV; we get to see both sides of this arrangement. The summary also makes this one sounds pretty dark, but overall, it wasn’t that dark. We mostly get to see the happy moments, the courtship, the forgiveness, and the possible redemption after so much grief and guilt.

I really liked Delaney and Shane’s characters for the most part. There were a few things Shane did that irked me, but overall, he was a good main character. And I didn’t really hate anything about Delaney, although the whole (basically) virginal girl for a guy who has slept around a ton is a bit overplayed, especially with rock stars.

We saw secondary characters, but I feel like we didn’t get to know them very much. We only learned a little about Piper, Landon, Travis, Gavin, and Delaney’s dad…and then a little about Shane’s past and the people in it. And then we only got like one glimpse at the other two band members (guitarist and bassist?), which is kind of weird given that they’re a huge part of Shane’s life. Although given his addiction problems, I can see why he avoided them a lot…but they’re playing shows together. We should see them a bit more.

I might have enjoyed this one a little more if I wasn’t mentally comparing it to the Stage Dive series I’d recently read. That one was so in depth with character developments, even secondary characters. We got to know all of the band members, some of the roadies, siblings, neighbors, etc. But regardless, this book was still fantastic. I can’t wait to read the next book which is coming out this summer. Yay!

It rocks!

The blurb pulled me in and now I’ve found a new author to stalk. Who doesn’t love books about sexy rock stars? Rock King is actually so much more, yes Shane is a bad boy hot rocker but he has demons and Delaney is just the girl to help him get through them. She has her own and they are both broken. I really liked the way the author told the story. The way they both had to battle their way through some difficult times and find a way to heal was emotional and I loved the way she brought it to us. I am very much looking forward to see where she takes us next in this series.

I was itching to read another new to me author so I decided to give Tara Leigh's Rock King a chance. This book was mixed bag for me. There were parts that I really enjoyed and other that felt redundant. I found the first half a bit slow but not that hard to get into- if that makes any sense. The story intrigued me and kept me reading but it was like come on- let something happen already.

Shane and Delaney's meeting and coupling was unconventional to say the least. It wasn't typical lost and lonely girl falls for the rock star. Quite the opposite actually. Delaney kept pushing Shane away. Until she was made an offer too good and bizarre to pass up. From there things started to pick up a bit. Both of their walls came down some and their true character started to shine through.

I liked that both the main characters were broken. They had both suffered a great loss that forever altered their lives. Changed them and not necessarily for the better. That despite Delaney struggling over her own guilt and grief she managed to put Shane and his needs first. Help him heal. The best part of this book, in my opinion, was the last twenty percent. It was what I had been waiting for all along. They way this ended left me with a smile on my face

If you think Rock God is your typical rock star romance, you would be so wrong! It is packed full of emotion. It will make you sad, mad, and happy! Those three emotions are what make a book great for me! This book was magnificent!!!!

Shane Hawthorne appears to have it all, but it is just a façade he has carefully constructed. It is one that will crumble with one small move. When he meets Delaney Fraser, he thinks she is the answer to all his problems. Too bad, he doesn’t realize he will soon have to face each lie he has told himself.
Delaney has started a new life as well, running from her past. She is a waitress and is working hard to save money to put herself through school. When a chance encounter puts her in the crosshairs of Shane Hawthorne, her life will never be the same.

Shane wants Delaney, and he is used to getting what he wants. He tries to convince her that he just needs her as his “girlfriend” while he is on the road touring with his band. Having a beautiful woman by his side keeps the groupies away, and it also helps keeping his demons locked up. He wants more from her. She seems drama-free, and there is an innocence there. She really sees Shane as a person, not the rock god. He finds that calms his dark demons. He doesn’t realize she has her own demons and darkness.

Delaney is a very complicated character. No, she is by far not perfect. However, she is a good person. I, myself, don’t know how she puts one foot in front of the other each day. The baggage she carries would completely suffocate me. She and Shane have to overcome a lot to find their happiness. It definitely won’t be easy.

What I loved about this book is that it wasn’t just about the romance and chemistry. Yes, those are beautifully intertwined within the story, but Leigh takes on several issues. She does it so seamlessly. They all blend perfectly together to create a phenomenal book.

I can always tell when a writer loves what they’re doing…they aren’t just going through the motions. When a writer feels what he or she is writing, that always come through to me. I know Tara Leigh feels every word she writes. Shane and Delaney proved that with their actions and their words. I knew this was an important story for Leigh to tell, and it was even reiterated in her author’s note at the end of the book. I hope someone who is struggling with the same issues or knows someone who is will find hope in Shane and Delaney’s story!

***Read and Reviewed for Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews***

I was over the moon to get my hands on this book as I absolutely loved the previous book by Tara Leigh and I just knew I was going to love this one too. And guess what I absolutely did love it from the beginning of the story till the very last word on the last page. Wow just wow this story had me captivated and totally hooked that I was put into a coma, as know one could get through to me as I was that engrossed into the book I was totally lost to what was going on around me lol the storyline is amazing and really engages your imagination, the characters keep you glued to the pages and their story and their interactions and romance was absolutely fantastic and really made this book a 5 star book in my opinion and I would absolutely and totally recommend both this book and author to everyone. Super excited to see what book this author writes next

Shane is the lead singer for Nothing But Trouble and is the typical rock star- has lived every bit of the rock star life with excessive drugs, booze and women to the point of almost just self-destructing. He was still an manwhore in his past which was something I could have done with a little less of him bringing up of that throughout the book. In order to have someone close to Shane to help keep him from the drugs and booze , Shane came up with the idea to hire a fake girlfriend while he’s on tour. This is where Delaney comes in- Delaney too had her own secrets from her past and when she was offered the contract with the huge amount of money , this would allow her go back to school to finally finish earning her degree. Only thing Delaney wanted known to all is that she wasn’t a whore so Shane agreed and he wanted Delaney with him so he practically did anything she asked. Shane would not give up on losing her because with her he felt this chemistry, this connection and he knew this was the woman for him. For Shane and Delaney, the attraction was immediate. Delaney knows there is something good in Shane that he doesn’t see and she knows she can help him for she knows the man that needs her as much as she needs him. Can she survive in his world or be eaten alive in it ? Shane and Delaney were so broken. They had so many secrets. Yet they both deserve love, tenderness, forgiveness, happiness and redemption. These two together were scorching hot. It is a heavy book so be prepared for that. The next book in this series is Rock Legend, Piper and Landon story. I definitely cannot wait to read the next book in this series.

My Rating: 4.5 stars *****
“I received an advanced copy of this book from the author at no cost to me."

This book had so much promise. From the cover to the intriguing blurb, I as completely drawn to it. Unfortunately, I was unable to connect with the writing. There was a LOT of telling rather than showing - which meant a lot of time inside characters heads and not enough time (for me) getting the vibrant interaction and moving the story along. In the end, I didn't feel connected enough to the characters or the storyline and I was unable to finish the book.

ARC received from Netgally in exchange for an honest review
5 off the chart stars for Rock King
I’m giving this book a Night 🦉 Award as well !!!!

In a few words this book is :

Raw
Gritty
Emotional
Phenomenal
Tender
Heartfelt
Super sexy
With an extremely well written storyline & Characters
Theses are just a few of the words that immediately come to my mind to describe this amazing read!!

I was captured immediately in the story of Shane & Delaney in just a few Chapters: They come from 2 worlds that shouldn’t ever collide ever - but that they do upon a “combustable” chance meeting ....
Bad boy Rockstar vs Sweet girl next door - both hiding some pretty devestating secrets - ones that many of us couldn’t imaging living with ....

I love ❤️ a book with a strong female character - Delaney wants nothing more than to love Shane for who he is if he’ll let her. Shane wants her & comes to need her as no one has ever meant to him in his life but his coping mechanisms makes him want to continuously push her away.

I could not put this book down & read in 24 hrs !!
A swoon worthy HEA after awaits you ❤️❤️

Can’t wait for Piper & Landon’s story - it can’t come soon enough !!!!

4.5 angsty rocker stars!

I loved this book! A beautifully intense rockstar romance that is SO much more than I was expecting. Dramatic and emotional, angsty and romantic, with epic chemistry, I fell in love with these characters and their story, and I can’t wait for more from this series!

Shane Hawthorne is a rock god. Dubbed the sexiest man alive more than once, he is the lead singer of a hugely successful rock band, and is loved and adored by millions worldwide. But in private he is a tortured man, drowning in guilt and grief over things that happened years ago. Lonely and tormented, he has lost himself in women, alcohol and drugs, but he has pulled himself out of that nightmare and is trying hard to stay straight and concentrate on his career and the high that he gets from performing.

Delaney Fraser has her own grief and guilt to deal with, and for the last three years she has been trying to move forward with her life, though she still struggles with her own demons. When a chance encounter sees her end up at a Hollywood party, the last person she expects to meet is the man who graced the walls of her childhood bedroom, Shane Hawthorne.

The chemistry between Shane and Delaney is sizzling right from the very start. Their conversation is easy, they are clearly attracted to each other, and they share a connection that surprises them both. When Shane’s agent presents Delaney with a contract asking her to act as Shane’s girlfriend for the duration of his upcoming tour, it threatens to ruin everything that had started to develop between them. But as the situation is explained as more of a safety net for Shane, and the promise of her getting her life back afterwards, she agrees. Though with the lines blurred well before she signs on the dotted line, the stage is set for epic angst and sexual tension.

Angsty books are usually a bit hit and miss for me, but I revelled in this one! It’s dramatic and emotional, and my heart was pounding as Shane and Delaney wrestled with their situation and their growing feelings for each other, and it was so freaking good!

“You want Delaney, I can tell. So, what’s the problem?”
Nothing. Except that she made me feel things. Want things. I didn’t have a right to want. Not anymore. Maybe not ever.


They are both so broken by their pasts, and though they know what they are feeling for the other, there’s a whole heap of other stuff getting in the way, and I could feel is as they wrestled to figure it all out.

There was only one thing I knew for sure. Delaney and I, we were linked by something I didn’t quite understand yet, but I already cherished.

“Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?”
… “No … I’m not asking. You’re my girl. Period.”


It’s heartachingly beautiful, steamy and passionate in every way, and the emotions are intense as they let go and experience it all – there for each other in a way that both of them have been missing, bravely following their hearts, becoming a true partnership, and finding something so beautiful together. I loved the strength they found in each other and the strong emotional aspect to their relationship.

“Baby, I’ve already given you every piece of me.” I dropped my forehead to hers, cupping her gorgeous face within my palms, feeling as if I’d been stripped bare. “You have it all.”
Delaney wound her legs around my hips, pulling me in tight, tighter. “I’ll take good care of you. I promise.”


But their demons have a strong hold on both of them, and they’re not done yet. There are secrets to be uncovered, and as much as they feel for each other it’s not an easy ride for them. They both need to learn to stop running from the past, and when those tragedies threaten their future together, they will have to learn to stand strong together to get the happy ending they so badly want.

I loved this book. It’s beautifully written, and I felt every heartfelt moment of Shane and Delaney’s story. It’s angsty and intense, passionate and emotional, and I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough.

This is my first read from this author, and I was really impressed. She’s given us a gorgeous story, and I loved the introduction to the other boys in Shane’s band, Nothing But Trouble, and I am so excited for Landon’s book up next!

A fantastic read - 4.5 stars

Shane has been living a lie for so long that he isn’t sure where the public persona ends and the real man begins. His demons are never far away, and now that he no longer leans on drugs or alcohol to help keep his guilt at bay, he has found another distraction: women who appear with him as his girlfriends to keep the groupies at arms length and to assist him with staying on the right path. His latest contract has expired, so his agent is on the hunt for a new person to go on tour with Shane and Nothing but Trouble.

Delaney’s life took a tragic and unexpected detour as well, and while she has found some semblance of a life on the West Coast, she is just barely scraping by and has no real plan for what the future holds. When Piper, an old acquaintance and former mean girl from her prior life, shows up in the restaurant where Delaney is waitressing, neither woman expects the shift Delaney’s life is about to make. Piper’s boss is Shane’s agent, and Travis recognizes a perfect fit for Shane when he sees it. The only problem is that Delaney is no easy sell. She prefers books and Netflix binges to a life in a spotlight, and Shane’s life is so far outside her comfort zone that it isn’t even in the same galaxy. She can’t deny the attraction between them and the sense that they are equally damaged by past events somehow, but the thought that she would be selling herself for the next 6 months despite the contract’s provisions that sex is not required makes her squeamish. Travis goes in for the kill with the one thing that will change her mind: he will get her father transferred to a minimum security prison if she stays for six months.

Delaney has a pretty powerful secret of her own, and she is terrified that her involvement in Shane’s life will bring it into the open. As she gets to know Shane, he reveals more of the man behind the public face to her and she is shocked to discover how much they actually have in common. Shane is equally surprised by the connection he feels to her, and for the first time in a long time, he is willing to take a chance on something in his life being out of his control. He wants to call the contract null and void, and he isn’t sure what to do with that. Delaney pushes him to face his past little by little, and the relief he feels after taking her advice is unexpected and welcome.

Of course both their secrets cannot remain hidden forever, and the fallout is going to be epic! Shane’s turn in the meat grinder of public opinion comes about first, but fortunately he has a lot of experience dealing with the media- and he has a wonderful team supporting him, including one person he had lost from his life but is only too happy to have back at his side again. Unfortunately Delaney doesn’t open up to him in the same way he trusted her, and when her secrets are revealed, it results in a pretty rough ride for them.

I really enjoyed Rock King! Despite his rock god status, Shane is still a lost boy in a lot of ways who needs to find a way to forgive himself for the mistakes of his past if he is ever going to move on. Delaney has a certain innocence about her, but she definitely fits him in all the ways that matter. I loved that the author didn’t feel a need to insert groupies/ other women/ cheating into the story line to create drama too. If you love a great rock star romance that will make you feel, then grab a copy of Rock King and settle in to enjoy the ride!