Play For Me, The Balefire Series Book One, Tam DeRudder Jackson

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews
Romance 
Genre: romance, general fiction

Well, rock/film star romance is my catnip – but there's an awful lots of it around and much is just No, No, No for me so I'm cautious. However this was a fun read and I enjoyed it, but sadly it lacked the magic spark to make it into a great read for me.

I liked Clio and her friends, they were very clearly written, I could feel the bond between them.
Jack and the band though? They should have been such a big part of the story but I felt they were lacking, too one dimensional in the case of Jack, and the band barely featured and yet it was such an important part of Jack's life. Without the band its just another romance with a guy who puts his career first it feels.
I enjoyed her parents role, felt very real – until the end. That didn't fit for me.

I would have liked more about the actual pregnancy, her struggles to decide what to do. More about Jack as a father, more about his heritage, otherwise why mention it?
I was really confused that Clio didn't get more upset about the events towards the end of the novel when Jack's away, I'd have been far less forgiving that he just seemed to drop everything. Who can't find time for at least a daily text? I felt Clio had been so strong til then and she just rolled over. “ Oh, you were away doing important manly stuff of course, its fine, I'll just mind the baby, sort out finances, deal with work on my own” - that's how I felt her reaction was, like a caricature of a 50's housewife. Or maybe I'm just too judgmental ;-)

The novel had so much potential, a good story line with the separation of her and Jack and the angst that caused, the support of her friends and her struggles to cope, her parents and the pregnancy issues, but I just felt that it needed a bit more edge for me. But of course others don't need that, will love it as is. Horses for courses.

Stars: Three and a half, its a fun read but I wanted more edge from it.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and publishers

Jack is a drummer for a famous band, Balefire. Clio is invisible in the eyes of her parents, and studying to be a nurse practitioner. After Jack brutally walked out of Clio’s life, all he’s done is think about her which earns him the nickname ‘monk’ by his bandmates. After seeing Clio at one of his concerts, he does everything he can to try and get her attention afterwards. After they spend the night together, Clio disappears. Nearly a year later, Jack finds her and her secret.

Honestly, I was hooked on this book from the start and I just kept waiting for the moment when Clio and Jack were reunited and it did not disappoint! Wrote from a dual perspective, which I loved, you’re able to feel both the angst and tension they feel about seeing each other again, creating a powerful narrative where you’re rooting for both characters. The side characters were hit and miss at some points, such as Stacey but others added comedic effect, such as Chase as he provided humour when there was tension. However, this was the type of book where I just wanted to see both characters rather than their interactions with other characters. This speaks to the author’s writing and talent in my opinion as she has written a successful romance.

I found this book hard to put down and I read it in one sitting, it is an addictive read as the characters are compelling. There were parts where I would have liked to see more development or for the author to write scenes that were mentioned, such as Clio meeting Jack’s parents and Clio’s reconciliation with her parents, and I think this would have pushed the story from a 4 star read to a 5 star, as sometimes it’s the little scenes like that, away from the romance, make a book.


I would 100% recommend for anybody who enjoys a feel-good, comforting romance with angst and tension throughout before reaching a conclusion you love to read! The fact that this is just the first in a series makes it even better and it definitely won’t be the last time I read a book written by this author! There are some explicit scenes so an age rating would be appropriate or at least a warning on the blurb to warn younger readers.

Play for Me by Tam DeRudder Jackson is a second chance romance where the choices you make as a young adult will mould your future, but at what cost? Jack was offered his dream and in taking hold with both hands he relinquished the right to the love of his life. Clio only ever wanted Jack, but obviously she was never enough, and he discarded her without a second thought. But Clio’s broken heart didn’t mend and when Jack proclaims his undying love, Clio must decide if the devastation of possibly losing him again is worth the risk. Play for Me is an intensely emotional story with so many obstacles cast in this couples way, you wonder if love can truly survive. This is a story that tears at the heartstrings and leaves the reader emotionally spent.

Tam DeRudder Jackson's Play For Me is a sweet, if flacid. The idea is there, but the book doesn't reach its potential. The characters are undeveloped. The virgin trope is old, boring, and misogynistic. There is nothing about the main characters which makes me like them, find them particularly interesting, or have any vestment in what happens to them.

Second-chance romance with rockers,,, yes please!

This was my first book by this author and I will definitely read more in this series and from her.

I thought the characters were really interesting and the story was good. I really got drawn into it. Then the book ended and jumped into an epilogue that left so many questions unanswered. I'm hoping the next book, Sing For Me, which features a different band member, will provide some updates (fingers crossed!).

2.5 stars

Whilst, it’s my first book by this author and I didn’t really like it, it’s written by a seriously talented writer.

The story has the basics and could have been v good, but this saintly beautiful virgin trope is stupid. She waits for someone she hasn’t heard from in 5 years. If there was a reason for her choosing to wait I’d be okay with that but within an hour of meeting where he physically drags her to his room, she giving it up. Stupid.

And then when they reconnect, he treats her like shit. That aside he doesn’t even take steps to make sure she’s safe and secure before he jets off to do his job, given there’s a child involved he doesn’t even bother with the basics. Fine I get she wants to be independent but he has a responsibility. And then not even a discussion he decides everything. What a yucky creep.

It is a shame as it’s well written and a better appreciation of the characters would have made for a great book.

Second chance rockstar romance

When Jack was 18 he fell in love with Clio and knew he would love her for the rest of his life. Clio's father offers Jack the chance of a lifetime ... being the drummer in a rock band, but he also threatens Jack with his father's livelihood. All he has to do is stay away from Clio for 2 years, but Jack didn't read the fine print and ends up apart from Clio for 5 long years until he orchestrates her being at his concert with back stage passes. Clio can't believe that she was tricked into attending Jack's concert after he dumped like a hot potato 5 years ago. But the chemistry between them is too strong for her to resist and they spend a heated night together. But Clio flees the next morning after she hears a women leave Jack a seductive message.

Although I didn't love Jack and Clio ... I did like them and found their story compelling. Jack is so sweet, but I found it a little hard to believe that a rockstar was celibate for over 3 years. Clio was a princess who gets a rude awakening, but I felt sorry for her because of her parents or as she would say her DNA donors. I did enjoy the book and can't wait for the next one in this series.

I received a copy courtesy of Warrior Romance Press through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

I think too much information is in the synopsis. The book it's self isn't that bad. I did however find some issues that I didn't like. One major don't was the lack of communication. One thing I did like was jack had morals and was not swayed by another woman. I also didn't like the self asteem issue clip had that could have been solved with communication early on in their relationship. I enjoyed what her father wrote about her overcoming her obstacles with regard to her daughter. Overall this was an enjoyable read.

There is a lot of great potential in this book but it doesn’t quite hit the mark.
This is a second chance, accidental pregnancy romance about Jack, a drummer for a famous rock band, and Clio, a college studying to become a nurse. Jack and Clio dated in high school but circumstances separated them, but when they are reunited fire years later, sparks fly.
Overall, the storytelling, steam, and Clio as a character really work in this book. Clio is much more fleshed out than Jack and it is great to see her grow into herself. Jack is much more one dimensional. We don’t get much from him besides that he is convinced he in love with Clio and he plays music. There are also some pacing issues. A scene will suddenly jump forward in time or there will be an overly long description of the setting that throws things off. This book is frustrating because the writing and story are there, but we needed a little more –some banter between Jack and Clio to understand what they see in each other, some more introspection from Clio about keeping the baby and what that would mean from her, some time with Jack to see what being a father means to him and why he is such a bad communicator. We also find out that Jack is half-Native American, but his identity and how that might affect him is largely ignored. Unfortunately this lack of connection with the characters and the final act of the book left me unsatisfied. I found myself extremely angry with Jack and didn’t feel like his apology or explanation justified his behavior and I didn't invest in their HEA.

Overall, this rock star romance had a lot of potential but it didn’t quite get there. 2.5/3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Warrior Romance Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was meh. It wasn't bad but it also didn't blow me away. Usually, I am very opinionated when it comes to a book. But with this, I finished it a couple of hours ago now and it's not really impacted me at all. It's not bad enough to insight rage or anger towards it but also it wasn't anything special that made me enjoy it necessarily.
I am a lover of band romances or music in a plot in general so the fact this left me feeling so bland was a real disappointment. I definitely think this had promise. The writing was enjoyable and had some funny moments. The friendships between Clio and her sorority girls were well-written and relatable. The romance was sweet with the occasional spicy bit to mix it up which I enjoyed. The plot would have been more enjoyable if it wasn't all spelled out in the blurb. Nearly the entire plot was given away in the blurb and it took away from some of the excitement and anticipation of their intermittent reunions when the blurb tells you it happens.
The characters themselves didn't really blow me away either. They were quite flat but also not so dull or irritating that I found them hard to read. They just felt like they lacked depth in the way that nothing existed outwith the main plot devices. I wish we just had some quirky scenes of them just being them, especially in Clio's case because so much of her development and story hinged on the fact her parents never "liked her for her", but it's hard to appreciate that plotline when as the reader we don't feel like we know her very well either.
So overall, you can probably tell this wasn't a great read in my opinion, but also it wasn't terrible. If you have a spare day and want a rock-band-based romance, I would pick this up but it probably won't blow you away or change your life - but it might brighten your day.

Thank you Tam DeRudder Jackson, NetGalley and WarriorRomancePress for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Play For Me by Tam DeRudder Jackson is a sweet and sexy adult contemporary romance following a five year love story. Blinded by the opportunity at making it big in a rock band, Jack Whitehorse mistakenly signs away his chances with Clio Barnes. The two meet throughout the years in alternating POV chapters ending with a solid HEA.

I’m a sucker for tattooed rock stars and this hit the spot. Jack is loyal to a fault and Clio just wants to feel genuine love and trust from those around her. While some bits were sappy and some dialogue cliché, isn't that part of the reason we read romance? This reminded me of the movie Forever My Girl (based on the novel by Heidi McLaughlin I never read) but rock instead of country. I also loved the inclusion of a playlist at the end of the novel! This is the first book in the Balefire Series and I look forward to meeting the rest of the band members in future books.

This is my first Tam DeRudder Jackson book and I loved it! This book was well written and had me entranced immediately! This book is a perfect intro to mature books which is why I recommend this book to anyone 18+ who is looking to get into more mature and intimate books (if you know what I mean)
This book features clear time jumps that aren’t confusing and are impressively written. The author stays true to the characters beliefs and how they evolve throughout the story.
Jack and Clio are meant for each other and it’s made very clear very fast that Jack will do anything to get his girl.

Play For Me by Tam DeRudder Jackson is an amazing romance novel. I love its cover and title. They suit the book perfectly, especially the cover.

This book is about two high school sweethearts, Jack and Clio, who had a tough start to their relationship, but after many hardships, found their way back to each other.

My favorite part of the book was when Clio noticed Jack staring at her during the Balefire concert and she was caught off guard.

I loved the descriptions, the character development and the pacing in this book. They were right on point.

However, like each and every book, this one’s not perfect. I spotted a few grammatical and punctuational mistakes. For example, I saw a couple places with this error, “It’s not that easy Jack...” (there should’ve been a comma after easy). Also, I felt like certain words used in certain places a little iffy. For example, ‘I heard myself whimpering his name, heard his dark laugh rumbling in his throat.’ Here I felt as if ‘dark’ wasn’t the right word to use. Or maybe it’s just me, so please ignore if I’m wrong. Another thing was that Jack could’ve showed a little more emotion when he found out that he was a father.

Overall, I found this book very sweet and entertaining, and I really enjoyed reading it. I would definitely recommend it to others.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Play For Me: The Balefire Series: Book One by Tam DeRudder Jackson
Publisher: Warrior Romance Press
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Romance
Publication Date: May 27, 2021

Play For Me is the first book in The Balefire Series by Tam DeRudder Jackson. This is the first book I've read by the author, but it won't be the last.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the characters were really interesting and the story was good. I really got drawn into it. Then the book ended and jumped into an epilogue that left so many questions unanswered. I'm hoping the next book, Sing For Me, which features a different band member, will provide some updates (fingers crossed!).

I look forward to reading the next book which is set to release in August 2021. I recommend reading Play For Me if you enjoy a quick, steamy romance novel with an interesting story line.

I'm so grateful to Tam DeRudder Jackson, Warrior Romance Press, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.