Banded Together by KC Burn

Punk’s not dead, but it’s time to redefine life.

Devlin Waters thought he’d have music forever. But the tragic death of his best friend ended the twenty-year run of his punk band, Negative Impression. Unable to process the loss, Devlin distances himself from everyone and everything that reminds him of the band. But forty-one is too young to curl up and wait for the end. In a search for a second career, he finds himself at university with a bunch of kids young enough to be… his kids. His sexy archeology professor, however, makes Devlin think about life beyond his grief…

Dr. Jack Johnson does not appreciate Devlin’s lack of respect, his inability to be serious, or his chronic lateness. Worse, he hates that he’s attracted to a student. When he realizes Devlin is the rock star he crushed on in his youth, he drops his guard—against his better judgment.

Before they can move forward together, Jack must admit to Devlin that he’s not only an admirer, but he also sings in a cover band. How will Devlin react to his ultimate fanboy when his own music has died?

Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
B&N  ~  Google Play  ~  iTunes  ~  Kobo
Dreamspinner Press

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
What happens to a rock star when the music stops? Devlin Waters takes himself back to university to finish his degree – and finds himself falling for his sexy professor. I loved the premise of this story and I love that it was inspired by the Offspring’s Dexter Holland’s real life experience.

There are some very funny moments as the celebrity rocker attempts to become just another anonymous student. His peers are young enough to be his children and his flippant banter doesn’t win him any respect from his teacher.

Jack is an interesting character. He’s a buttoned-up professor who also moonlights in a tribute band – as Devlin. I liked Jack but the fanboy ick factor was unnerving. I was never absolutely certain that his relationship with Devlin was because of the man, not the rock star.

There is great chemistry between Jack and Devlin, fabulous flirtation, and a few steamy moments. I liked these two together, but I think I responded more to Devlin’s grief and his midlife crisis than I did to the romance in the novel.

Parts of this story didn’t quite work for me. For slightly older characters, there is too much miscommunication and there are too many moments where Devlin feels more like a sulky, cocky 20-year-old than a confident 40-year-old. Maybe it’s a rock star stunted development thing, but it really wasn’t sexy. I also felt like too much of this story is spent with side characters and as a result, there aren’t enough moments where we actually see Jack and Devlin building a relationship together.

Author of gay erotic romance, writing for Loose Id, Carina Press & Dreamspinner Press. Occasionally NSFW. KC Burn has been writing for as long as she can remember and is a sucker for happy endings (of all kinds). After moving from Toronto to Florida for her husband to take a dream job, she discovered a love of gay romance and fulfilled a dream of her own—getting published. After a few years of editing web content by day, and neglecting her supportive, understanding hubby and needy cat at night to write stories about men loving men, she was uprooted yet again and now resides in California. Writing is always fun and rewarding, but writing about her guys is the most fun she’s had in a long time, and she hopes you’ll enjoy them as much as she does.

Connect with KC

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Google+  ~  Blog  ~  Goodreads

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Banded Together by KC Burn to read and review.