Roxy
Pandemic Sorrow, #3
by Stevie J. Cole
Standalone in the rock star romance series, Pandemic Sorrow.
My life had been no fairy tale. Actually, growing up, it had been something more like a nightmare, which is why I ended up so hard. When you don’t want to hurt having the ability to be numb is your best defense mechanism. And for a long time all I was doing was existing.
Jag Steele, the lead singer of the international rock band Pandemic Sorrow, was the epitome of everything I despised: arrogant, entitled, but the thing I hated most about him was that he was an addict. Drugs had been the demon that had ruined everything in my life, and anyone who had a love affair with them pretty much made my stomach turn. It brought up memories I wanted to stay buried. Needless to say, I wasn’t exactly a fan of Jag.
Funny thing is, people aren’t always who you expect them to be. Never in a million years would I have thought the night I meet Jag would have any significance on the rest of my life, but it did.
I found out that sometimes something that screams utter destruction might actually be your saving grace.
Some people may say our story is too screwed up to be a romance, but for two broken people, we made the pieces fit together perfectly.
This is the same story as Jag but from Roxy’s POV. There is a lot that you learn about Roxy and why she is the way she is. It really awesome to see things from her POV which made for a more well rounded story. She really is a strong person and I really admire her.
Jag and Roxy are definitely a unique couple. They started out basically hating each other (or close to it) and it basically boiled down to several chance meetings where they poked at each other. This was extremely amusing to read about. Jag has serious drug problems and unfortunately a huge part of that is is rock career and the people in it that put a lot of pressure on him. Not to mention his ex-girlfriend from before he became famous. Roxy grew up with a drug dealer father and brother who OD’d so she’s seen that side of things and wants nothing to do with it. She turns out to be Jag’s saving grace and the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. Despite all their personal problems, they truly are a fantastic couple.
I loved how raw and emotional the story line was. It felt like it could be one of those documentaries about a real life situation. I felt deeply invested with the characters and hoping for a good outcome. It’s definitely not for those that like all the flowery words and a perfect story because it’s far from that. But in it’s own way it is perfect because of all they both had to endure. I absolutely loved this book and I can’t wait to read about the other band members. 5 out of 5 palm trees!