Beats (Hard Rock Harlots #2) by Kendall Grey

Book 2 in the Hard Rock Harlots Series

WARNING: BEATS is specially formulated for horn dogs, porn oglers, smut peddlers, BDSM junkies, M/M and M/M/F addicts, DP dabblers, and lovers of A2M backdoor sexy times. If you don’t fall into these categories, can’t stomach hot man-on-man action, or if you have no idea what the above acronyms mean, please back away from BEATS now. This isn’t the book you’re looking for. Failure to heed this warning could inadvertently throw unauthorized users into a persistent vegetative state, or at the very least, require administration of a defibrillator to the chest and/or groin area. Nobody wants that.

For months, shy drummer Jinx Hardwick has been silently crushing on her tall, dark, and scary bandmate, Toombs Badcock. Drawn to his frightening ink and scars, she yearns to uncover the shadowy secrets lurking behind his silver eyes, but Jinx is too intimidated to even look at him, let alone talk to him. When she stumbles upon Toombs and their manipulative lead guitarist Rax in a compromising position, Jinx realizes her chances of winning Toombs’s heart aren’t just a long shot—they’re nonexistent. To make matters worse, Jinx’s family needs her at home. She’s about to back away from it all—Toombs, the band, her dreams of fame and fortune—when Rax makes her an offer she can’t refuse: a no-holds-barred night alone with Toombs. There’s one small catch. She has to go through Rax to get it.

3.75-4 Stars

“Anybody can have sex. It’s a primitive bodily function. Hey, cock, meet pussy. Insert, agitate, release. Love is completely different, much more complicated animal. Love is like music. You have to work at it. Love is ugly and dirty and painful sometimes. But it can also be pretty fucking awesome once you figure out how to play the right notes to the right rhythm.” 

I absolutely loved Strings, book one of this Hard Rock Harlots series. I loved the bluntness, the dirtiness and the overall crude humor of it all. So when this came out, I just had to have it. However, fans of Strings should be aware up front that this is NOT Strings. Letty is her own entity in that story, do not expect Jinx to be the same way. 

Letty pinches my cheek. “You’re so fuckin’ cute, Jinx. I’ll tell you what I think, percussionist. You’re happiest when you’re beating on shit. So why don’t you get it over with and beat Toomb’s meat?” 

Jinx is her own person, almost the complete opposite of Letty. She’s shy and isn’t the in-your-face type. She has loved her band mate, Toombs, since she first laid eyes on him. At one time, it seemed that Toombs was into her as well, but their connection took a slight detour when Jinx saw Toombs in a compromising situation with their other band mate, Rax. Things were definitely strained between Toombs and Jinx, especially when Rax is in the picture. Things definitely get a lot more complicated.

What an ironic clusterfuck. Toombs loves Rax, Rax loves me, and I love Toombs. And none of us has enough sense to run away from the burning building before the flaming rafters crush us all. 

Wow. This story just got more interesting when Rax was thrown in the mix. Interesting in both a good and a bad way. Toombs and Rax have been friends for a long time. Toombs has certain needs,needs that Rax can fulfill and has always fulfilled. His connection to Toombs is strong, but Jinx’s pull on him is slowly weaving its way into his flesh as well. When Rax sees this connection between the two, he attempts to use it to his advantage. Will Rax ever allow Toombs to have Jinx? Can Jinx share Toombs with Rax? Can they make their relationship work?

“Goddamn it, Gianna.” Another stripe drenches my clit. I slide my finger through it and suck him off. “Goddamn you for making me love you so fucking hard.” 

I fucking LOVE Toombs. His sexy-tortured-tattooed soul just grabbed a hold of me and I never wanted to let him go. He was hard man to crack; I just couldn’t figure him out, but once I did, I loved him even more. As for Jinx, I admired her. She is a strong heroine, but her masochistic side was a little tough pill to swallow. I respected that she never gave up on Toombs, no matter how strong his bond to Rax was. She fought the fight and I couldn’t help but love her for it. 

As for Rax, well the jury is still out on that one. I’m a bit torn about his behavior, but I’m hoping he’ll redeem himself in the next book. At least I’m hoping the next book will be about him. It will be, right?!

*Photo courtesy of Annie Gabor, found on Rockers & Harlots FB page