A brilliant read with a brilliant storyline and characters and I will look forward to reading more from this author

Ahh, rock musicians and the songwriting, the touring, and the hours spent backstage and in studios. I was married to a rock musician, and Faster hits so many of the right notes inherent in the Traveling Musician Lifestyle. Not every musician, I know, but there are lots of familiar characters and situations in this Contemporary Romance, so kudos for authenticity. And for giving voice to one version of the creative life. If you've enjoyed Nalini Singh's Rock Kiss series, I bet you'll enjoy Faster. And look forward to its sequel, Slower :)

It never really came together for me. Too many restarts. The sex scenes were steamy. I liked the landlady and her dog. But it just got slow. The ending doesn't work unless more books coming. I was given a copy for my honest review.

I received a copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

Can I start out by saying I felt to connected to Jake and Louanna as they had real life problems in their relationship? Sure the other romance novels with the non-average life issues are wonderful, but reading about things that you can actual relate to is great.

Jake is an up and coming musician who falls deeply for Louana. Now Louanna is a super strong female character that agrees to just a physical relationship. Their connection is explosive and they can't remain 'no strings attached' for long!

Their story is amazing. At times I just wanted to shake both of them for their communication issues. Overall I'd suggest this to all my fellow romance reads. It's a fun easy read that will leave you wanting more rockers!

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Louana was such a sweet and strong woman. I loved the way she looked out for and connected with her neighbors. Jake was a sexy bad-boy rocker, and although they started out as a fling, they both quickly decided they wanted more. Their relationship had some hurdles to overcome, and it was fun watching them work through everything.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy to read and give my honest opinion.

Louana meets the drummer for the Spades and has a brief fling with him. Going back on tour Jake Riley still has mad hots for Louana and decides he wants more than a fling. This was a really good rock and roll story with all the problems that go with someone that's famous. Louana plays her part cool as a cucumber since she has dealt with fame her whole life. The chemistry between the two is panty combustible and fun. I respect that Lou never tells Jake what his supposed friend said...that was just golden and makes Lou into the perfect girl. Four huge stars of entertainment!

Louana is a producer and Jake is a drummer for a rock band. They have a fling and Louana is determined to move on. Jake wants more. Shane is the band's lead singer and he is not happy with Jake and Louana's relationship. A twist in this rock star romance. A good read that I enjoyed and recommend.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley and am leaving a review.

Jake was a drummer for the rock band Spade and had wrote their first number one hit Faster. Jake had been in the music business for twelve years and had been in a total of three bands. Jake was attracted to Louana who he had seen while he was in his friend’s Steven’s office. Jake asks Louana out to dinner as she had shared her lunch with him. The crazy stuff on the road was making Jake crave normalcy, plus his bandmate Sam had a girlfriend and Jake thought about that even though he didn’t know how to be in a relationship. Louana’s social life was basically was non-existence. Jake came back to Melody’s the next day and had dinner with Louana and her landlady Fern and Fern’s dog Archie. Then Melody and Jake had sex and he stayed the night. The next day he was to go on tour and Jake wanted to see Louana before he left and Louana was giving him a ride to the tour bus. Before they left Louana got a call from her ex boyfriend Dimitri who was a French soccer player and she had grown up with. She took the call to make sure her grandmother was ok and she was Dimitri had gotten a knee injury and couldn’t play soccer for three months. Melody and Dimitri were still friends. Jake texted Louana and called her while he was on tour. Then Jake told her he wanted to try an exclusive relationship with Melody.
I loved this book. I think the author did a great job showing the life of a rock star. I liked how the relationship between Jake and Louana grew slowly as far as feelings go I was happy Louana stayed her own woman and also stood up for Jake and I loved how she handled the problem with Shane. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I highly recommend.

4 stars
Review by Elizabeth
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog

Do you love rock star romances? Standalones? Emotions? If yes, I suggest reading Faster by Deana Birch.

I am going to be honest here, it took a bit longer than usual for me to really get into Faster. I do not know why, could be because I just could not connect with it right away.

At first I could not stand Jake. All he wanted was to get into Louana"s pants. Granted she wanted in his as well which is why they started a fling. However, their fling turned into more. The chemistry between them is as hot as the sex.

You will scream at your e-reader a few times because lets face it, they deserve it. Like all relationships there are ups and downs. They are not perfect and never will be. They work for what they have and when things pop up they must decide to keep moving forward or say goodbye.

I want to say more but I do not want to give any spoilers. All I can say is if you want a good read, read Faster.

**ARC provided by author for honest review**

Louana is a junior composer for a film producer. Jake is a drummer for the rock band Spades. They meet in the office where Jakes's friend and Louana work. Jake has seen Louana before and although she appears to be distant he is determined to get her to go out with him. Louana has seen Jake before and is attracted to him, so when he offers to take her out for a drink in return for sharing her lunch with him she readily accepts. While they have a great time together, to Louana's disappointment Jake drops the "friend" word and leaves her after a passionate kiss on her doorstep.

To her surprise he is back the next day and what was supposed to be friendship becomes a hot passionate fling before he leaves to go on tour. Louana is afraid of having any kind of relationship with a celebrity having been badly hurt by one in the past. She doesn't expect Jake to continue their "friendship" after he has been on tour and has no intention of competing with or becoming one of his groupies. Jake quickly realises that he is only interested in Louana and definitely not the groupies and is surprised when she avoids his calls and doesnt answer his texts. Things very quickly change between them when he comes home, but they both have to learn to trust.

The characters in this story are so well written.. Fern, Louana's Landlady and Casey Louana's gay best friend are just hilarious! The sex scenes are hot, passionate and tasteful and the love story with all it's insecurities is
so believable to read. I really loved this book and look forward to reading more from Deana.

First and foremost, let’s talk basics. Faster, written by Deana Birch, is listed as both romance and women’s fiction, but at its heart, it’s a steamy, dreamy, page-turning rock star romance.



Louana Higgins, our bold and beautiful leading lady, knows enough about the music industry as an up-and-coming producer for a film composer that she avoids mucking up her private life with flings that involve cocky, bull-headed musicians. That is, until Jake Riley—drummer and number-one-hit-writer for the talented and rising rock band, The Spades—struts into her perfectly ordered world and proves not all rockers fit the same mold.



While the general plot itself fits the rock star romance trope, the meat and potatoes of the story strays quite a bit from what one might anticipate, which is part of what makes this such a fantastic read. Neither Louana nor Jake follow a predictable path, and their personalities are not only unique, but highly unexpected.



Louana is a strong, independent female who has already been there, done that with the famous boyfriend cliché. Jake’s fame, fortune, and bigger-than-life persona mean little to her, and she is hilariously—and adorably—unimpressed by it all. Something Jake enjoys almost as much as her scrumptious cooking and big, soft, non-tour-bus bed.



Jake, on the other hand, isn’t your stereotypical rock hero with the snarky arrogance and holier-than-thou ‘tude. He’s down-to-earth, relatable, and looking more for normalcy than the glitz and glamour his ever-expanding career guarantees.



When you lump these two together, not only do you get some smokin’ hot sex—I’m talkin’ have a SO or a BOB on hand ‘cause you’re gonna need some relief kinda smokin’ hot—but also some sweet, delightful interactions that are positively swoon-worthy and addicting.



I won’t delve any further into the plot because any more detail and I risk ruining the surprise! Again, I remind you: this book doesn’t follow in the footsteps of its ancestors. There are some wonderfully unexpected offshoots that make Faster its very own thing, far removed from the typical rock star romance, but in the most brilliant way.



Overall, this was a great summer read. It was fast-paced and fun, yet kept me guessing and, yes, on occasion, yelling at the characters as the story progressed. I’m a personal fan of stories and characters that inspire a true emotional reaction—whether it be tears of joy or sorrow; screams wrought from anguish or fury; or laughter borne from pure idiocy or intended humor.



And let me just say this, folks… Deana Birch drew some heavy reactions from this gal. At one point, my hubs had to take my coffee away because I was sloshing it about in a fit-to-be-tied rage. He was afraid I’d short circuit my Kindle, and he’s already had to replace one this year following a similar coffee-spilling incident. That one may or may not have also been the result of my notably over-the-top reactions.



What can I say? I love to read, especially when the words inspire passionate emotions that require full-body involvement… and shouty caps. Ask any of my critique partners. I’m famous for my shouty caps while making in-line comments. I always tell ‘em… if your words warranted Evie Shouty Caps, then they’re amazeballs. End. Of. Story.



And Faster? It definitely got some shouty caps.



So, what are you waiting for? Faster is available for pre-order or can be purchased for immediate enjoyment on or after its release date, June 26th, 2018!

“I think probably with any performer, but maybe with rock music especially, the audience wants to see the singer being real, and exploring, and not doing a rehearsed routine, so I’m just constantly looking for new things to try. I’m really curious out there, and my curiosity has led me into all kinds of bizarre situations.” – Rivers Cuomo

Bizarre like an office lunch room with a sexy brunette? Possibly the most normal thing that ever happened to Jake… which inherently makes it bizarre in his world.

This is where we meet the ridiculously hot Jake Riley, drummer for The Spades, an amazing up-and-coming rock band set to take the nation by storm. And also the author of their breakout hit. Meaning he is not only insanely attractive and brilliantly talented, but also rapidly becoming a less than starving artist. My darling Jake ticks all the boxes, ladies.

Enter Louana Higgins. So much more than a pretty face, she not only has brains, but an inside knowledge of the music industry as a producer for a film composer. Plus just enough sass to put cocky Jake in his place. And a cooking acumen that brings him to his knees. Louana is a very dynamic and multi-faceted character that has been raised to people please to a fault. Which makes her very relatable for certain readers who can identify with a mentality that happy is the only acceptable emotion to display and manners trump everything.

FASTER takes us on the, sometimes bumpy, journey as Jake learns to navigate his very first big boy relationship that actually involves learning the girl’s last name and Louana weighs whether Jake is worth risking her heart again. One celebrity boyfriend already dots her past and has left a sour taste. They face real life challenges of separation as Jake goes on tour, Louana struggles with trust, and they test the waters of integrating two lives while maintaining their independence. Punctuated with ridiculously hot sex.

But a review of FASTER just simply would not be complete without mentioning the two supporting characters who happen to steal the show: landlady Fern and her beloved pit bull Archie. If you walk away from this book not adoring them both, I question your sanity and your capacity for emotion. You clearly were not hugged enough as a child.

FASTER is a hot and spicy read that I devoured quickly and then mourned the end of because you simply can NOT get enough of Jake and Louana in one book. Thank all the things that are good that there is a second part to be released in the near future! There is no such thing as too much Jake. I mean, did I MENTION the ridiculously hot sex???

Make sure FASTER is high on your summer read list. You will NOT be disappointed.

Loved it! I love rock bands! Louana and Jake are great! The texts and interactions between them are so addicting to read. I loved them.This story was angry and steamy! This is first book I've read by this author but it definitely won't be the last!

Louana and Jake are an interesting couple and a believable pairing to have a temporary hook-up that ends up something more. I enjoyed the story and the way their relationship evolved.
In some places I felt a bit lost, however. Something would happen and I'd flip back thinking I'd missed something. From the author's note at the back, this started off as a much longer first draft, so I think the editing back has been a touch too ruthless in places. Some scenes would have flowed much better with just a sentence or two extra.
Overall, it's a good story that does keep the reader's interest. Nice too, to see a drummer taking centre stage.

I loved the characters in this book especially: Fern the 80's year old Drinking neighbour and Archie the sidekick dog that often steals the show. While i loved the growing love story in this book at times i felt it was really going no where. Waiting for the twist, we eventually found it 30 pages out from the ending and i was left wondering if the rumor was true...but that really wasn't enough to save this book. As enjoyable read but far from a literary debut ...

I loved the ideas behind the book and really enjoyed the first half of the book. The second half/ending was just too long and I just wanted the happy ending. In my ideal version of this book you would lose the back stage gate crashers and the book would be better for it.
I was given this book by NetGalley and the publisher. This is my voluntary and impartial review

"Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review."

Loved this book very much. It had just enough sweet romance and the storyline was great! I highly recommend!

Faster is a debut novel from Deana Birch, that tells the story of a drummer, Jake, who is in a successful rock band, living the stereotypical rockstar lifestyle. He runs across Luana, a sharp, no non-sense music producer and decides he wants the chance to hook-up with her. The caveat in this scenario being that he will be return to touring by the end of the week. Meaning he will not commit to anything other than a brief fling. Once back on tour, Jake starts to realize that he likes the way that Luana makes him feel grounded when he is with her. What started as a 3-4 day fling quickly develops into a ‘long distance relationship’ of sorts. No longer wanting to partake in the typical rockstar partying and after show romps, Jake is tagged as being boring by his fellow band mate and friend, Shane the band’s lead singer. Not happy about Jakes new outlook on exclusive dating, Shane attempts to drive a wedge between the couple by revealing to Luana a supposed dark secret from Jake’s very recent past, that now leaves her questioning her ability to continue her relationship with Jake.

As a reader I enjoyed the overall story, however, I was not impressed by the personality of the characters. As a rockstar in an up and coming band, Jake is starting to see royalty checks come in, however he is essentially homeless and has no car. He comes across as insecure, needy and immature at times. As for Luana, who is strong-willed and independent woman, she allows Jake to stay with her, in between his road dates, before she really knows anything about him. I wanted to scream and throw the kindle. In my book, a man that is staying with his friend for a while and has no car just oozes loser and raises so many red flags and that’s not throwing groupies, drugs and partying into the mix. It would be an absolute turn-off for this independent woman, rockstar or not. If there had been a little more development of Jake’s character, that would have explained better his living situation, I may have had a better feeling towards him. I would have loved to known what his creative parking situation was that now left him on ‘foot patrol’.

The middle of the book had a lot of filler dialogue and what seemed to be ‘running in circles’ between the characters. None of this seemed to really build the story toward a climax. In the description of the book it points towards a secret that frontman Shane uses to attempt to tear the couple apart. However, that secret and strategy isn’t revealed until the very end of the story at 91% mark. After that Luana essentially shuts down and there isn’t anything to keep the momentum going at that point.

I would have given this book a higher rating had the the malicious intent of the front man been more developed and that used to climax the story earlier on. Otherwise this story seemed like a memoir of Luana’s dating life with a rockstar. There were some funny pieces that did have me laughing out loud at one point. I just felt it was left unfinished in some chapters and would have been a greater read had it been more developed, by expanding onto the dark secret of the recent past and making it a bigger part of the build-up earlier on in the book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I honestly didn't think I would like Jake in the beginning. I get that he's a rock star but his thoughts toward women were kinda bad at the beginning. This changes by chapter four however. I started to like him as he started to crave Louana. Louana was actually very awesome. Too awesome. She's good at pretty much everything (cooking, takes care of her neighbor, speaks multiple languages, and more) which actually starts to feel annoying. It turned funny when the hero said the same thing. “You know, you and all your talents are a little annoying,” .... “You’re like Mary Poppins. Practically perfect in every way.". I laughed over this comment. And somehow after this comment, I started liking the two as a couple.

Overall, I liked the book but didn't love it. Other then the love scenes, the dialogue and scene a felt a little forced and slow. However, I did like the book enough that I would read it again and look for other books by this author.

This was a decent read for the most part but I felt like the conflicts that arose throughout the story were too easily resolved and the ending was a bit unsatisfying. I'm a reader that likes angst and intensity and this was a bit of a let down in that department. I can appreciate that the author wanted to demonstrate the unconditional love between the characters and their ability to set everything else aside for the sake of it, but I can't lie... I wanted more angst. There was such potential for more drama before that too-sweet-for-words HEA, and when it didn't happen, it left me frustrated and unsettled. I just wanted more.