A little over two months ago, I did my first feature with my Ultimate List of Dirty Talkers and I was beyond thrilled to see how much you guys loved it! Since then, I’ve made this into a monthly feature that you’ll find me post on the 3rd Saturday of every month. Each month I’ll be bringing you a new Ultimate List in your most voted categories; bikers, anti-heroes, cops, cowboys, etc. You name it, I’ll do it.
But this month it’s all about ROCKSTARS!
Now you’ll find I don’t discriminate on my list; I’ll have country stars, male rockstars, and some female ones as well. You know I like to keep things well-rounded 😉 So without further ado, let’s get into it! As always my list will contain all the books I’ve read and enjoyed, and at the bottom I’ll include the ones that were recommended to me but I haven’t had a chance to read just yet. And of course, I’d love to hear from you all in comments if there’s a favorite of yours that didn’t make my list. You know I love me my book recs!
The one that started it all...
“He said I was his heart, and you don’t leave your heart behind. You can’t live without your heart.”
Truth be told I have a total love hate relationship with this book. This was the very first Rockstar that I read and it really doesn’t get much better than Kellan freaking Kyle. Unfortunately, I also spent a large chunk (read: all) of this book fantasizing about the heroine being killed off. I couldn’t help myself. I hated that woman with the fire of the worst type of venereal disease. True Story. And yet like a car wreck that you can’t look away from, I couldn’t stop reading. It was just one of those books. It was also the book that effectively turned me off love triangles for years to come…but we won’t talk about that now LOL.
I still haven’t brought myself to read the rest of the series, but I’m working on it. Especially since all my friends absolutely LOVED Griffin’s book, Untamed.
Books 1-3 are all Kellan and Keira. Thoughtful was basically Thoughtless but in Kellan’s POV. Untamed is Griffin’s book.
Thoughtless #1
#1.5
Thoughtless #2
Thoughtless #3
Thoughtless #4
The one with Jake Wethers...
“Jake once said on stage that Jonny was the mighty in their storm, and now I see that Jake is my mighty storm. He’s broken and complex, and no one knows him like I do, or ever will. He needs me. He’s my storm to calm. And I’m going to spend the rest of my life doing just that.”
You’re probably thinking right now, another book where the heroine has a boyfriend when she meets the hero? And you liked it?! And the answer is yes indeed, dirty birds. I liked it very much. First, it’s this
It’s been twelve years since Tru Bennett last saw Jake Wethers, her former best friend and boy she once loved.
I love the mere set up of this particular trope. Jake Wethers, if you’re not acquainted, is the tattooed bad boy lead singer of The Mighty Storm and the man to get ovaries tingling the world over. This was yet another one of my earliest rockstar reads and I loved it! Would I rate it the same if I read it today, I’m not sure. But hundreds of books later and I still remember everything about this one, so that truly goes to show you something, right?
The Storm #1
The Storm #2
The Storm #3
Books 1 and 2 are Jake and Tru’s story. Though if you’d like to read The Mighty Storm, you easily can since it gives a very satisfying HEA. Book 3 in this series are new characters; Tom Carter and Lyla Summers. Tom is the manwhore bassist for The Mighty Storm, and Lyla is the lead singer of the band Vintage which just signed with TMS records.
The one with the kinky rockstars...
He put his fingertips against her forehead.
“You must be at least this tall to ride The Beast…
Secure your belongings and keepy your arms and legs around the ride at all times.”
Holy mother of melting ovaries, this series! I don’t think any ovaries can survive these kinky rockers. There’s something for everyone; MMF, voyeurism, public sex, BDSM, and did I mention MMF threesomes? It’s fair to mention that one twice. I read these hot little numbers as they were being released, and for some strange reason they were released out of order. I still don’t know why, so don’t ask me. But the entire series is now released so you can read it in the order it’s meant to be read it. I loved each book in this series, though I’d say Sed Lionheart’s story in Rock Hard (I do love me a good second chance romance) and Trey Mills’s story in Double Time (Holy MMF threesome, batman) were my top favorites!
Sinners on Tour #1
Sinners on Tour #2
Sinners on Tour #3
Sinners on Tour #4
Sinners on Tour #5
Sinners on Tour #6
Each book in this series is a standalone with a different couple and their HEA. All except for Sinners at the Altar, which are four complete wedding stories, each about a different member of the rock band Sinners and need to be read after all the other books.
The Sinners On Tour spinoff...
“What are you going to do to me?”
“Lamb, the question you should be asking is what aren’t you going to do to me?”
Exodus End is the rock band that we were first introduced to in Sinners On Tour and it’s also about that time that Olivia Cunning teased us with Dare. But sadly it looks like Dare’s book will probably be last in the series so we start things off with the bassist, Logan Schmidt. At almost 500 pages, this book is long, but I never wanted it to end. It’s laugh out loud funny and set your ovaries on fire hot.
No one writes a sexy Rockstar romance quite like Olivia Cunning.
Oh and in case you’re wondering, you can easily read this book without having read SoT first. I’d say the sexual escapades in this one are a touch tamer than in that series, but it’s just as hot!
The novella series...
“My goal is to make you scream my name. Give me what I want, but make me work for it.”
Now I call this a spinoff but it really isn’t. This is yet another rockstar series from the awesome Olivia Cunning, but these are novellas of around 100 pages as opposed to the full length novels that the previous two series are.
Per Olivia Cunning’s own words about this series:
The Sole Regret series is an ongoing serial series. Each novella spans the course of one night and is about a different band member. All the band member’s stories weave together, so characters reappear in all of the stories. If you have a favorite band member or a favorite couple they will be revisited several times in the rotation of the books. I do hope you love them all!
The order of band member rotation is Gabe, Adam, Jacob, Owen, and Kellen.
ONwSR #1
ONwSR #2
ONwSR #3
ONwSR #4
ONwSR #5
ONwSR #6
ONwSR #7
ONwSR #8
The one with Leo Nash...
“What are you doing later?”
“I won’t be doing you.”
“Uh, I wasn’t offering, honey.” I turn around to see Leo smiling smugly. “I was wondering if you’d like me to take you to have that stick pulled out of your ass.”
Admittedly, The With Me In Seattle has been an on and off for me. Some of the books in it were entirely too sweet for my particular tastes, and some of the books really worked for me. Kristen Proby tends to write sweet, but steamy, contemporary romance and that sometimes works for me and sometimes doesn’t.
In the case of Rock With Me it totally worked for me. I mean, how can you possibly not love Leo Nash. The man was absolutely drool worthy. From his tats to that filthy mouth of his, I loved everything about this. I won’t list the other books in this series as none of the others were rockstars. But if you’re looking for some steamy and sweet contemporary, give it a whirl. It just may work for you.
The one by Kristen Ashley...
“I had to soften him up because, for whatever reason, all the Rock Chicks had an alternate Hot Bunch guy, Indy’s was Eddie. Roxie’s was Vance. Jules was Luke. Ava’s was Lee. Mine was Mace.”
It’s no secret that I’m a HUGE fan of all things Kristen Ashley. And when I say huge fan, I mean borderline stalkerish. I adore everything the woman writes. Something about her alphas just does it for me. I don’t even care that they all speak in one word sentences that mostly consist of “Babe”. Nope. I will never have enough of them.
Now don’t let the Rock Chick title fool you, this series is not about Rock Stars. It’s about women that call themselves “Rock Chicks” but not in that band-y version, you hear? Rock Chick Reckoning was the one exception to this rule, because Stella is the lead singer and lead guitarist of The Blue Moon Gypsie. She was also madly in love with Mace…until he dumps her unexpectedly and breaks her heart. Now that her life is in danger, Mace needs to protect her and of course that ultimate leads him to know that he wants her back, only Stella is having none of that.
This book was everything I love about KA and one of my top favorites in this series (after Luke and Ava in Rock Chick Revenge, and Sadie and Hector “Oh My God” Chavez in Rock Chick Regret)
The one with the second chance romance...
“I thought for sure we’d spend forever together. I thought our love was one of a kind. I would almost be okay if he had met someone else and fallen in love, but he didn’t. He just left. He said he was suffocating.”
Forever My Girl is book 1 in Heidi’s New Adult Romance, Beaumont Series. I haven’t had a chance to catch up with the rest of the books and have only read Forever My Girl but boy did I love this book. I’m a sucker for a good second chance romance and this one surely delivered. It was angsty, swoony, a touch of sexy, and I loved every page of it!
While each book in the series focuses on a different 4225 West band member, I highly recommend reading them in order. The final book in this series, My Kind of Forever, is the continuation of Liam and and Jojo’s story from book 1.
Beaumont #1
Beaumont #1.5
Beaumont #2
Beaumont #3
Beaumont #4
Beaumont #5
The one with the angst...
“I love you because I can be honest with you. I trust you. I love you because you’ve made me see I’m more than I thought.”
If you’ve read any book by Barbara Elsborg, then you already know she has this fabulous style of writing that combines some delicious angst with quirky humor and sizzling hot romance. Strangers is a standalone romance about two lost souls that meat each other during their absolute rock bottom. What happens when an attempted suicide brings two strangers crashing into each other and gives them a reason to live?
Why is this on my rockstars, you ask? Well because the hero just happens to be a very famous British pop-star and now movie star.
The one with the PNR twist...
“His lips touched mine again, breathing me in like I was his air, then he tore his mouth from mine; panting. “Please Grace, whatever it is you’re going after, please try to find it here in me. I will try my best to be the man that you need me to be.”
A soulmates story unlike any you’ve ever read. Even if you’re not into PNR, you need to check this out. While a PNR element does exist here in the form of angels and such, but it’s very minimal and sure to please even those that don’t particularly like the genre.
Grace has been looking for her soulmate for years. Now home after the death of her brother, she finds home is very different. Her best friend has a new boyfriend, and that boyfriend has a friend; Shane Maxton: bad boy, tattooed rock god, eye candy extraordinaire. And he’s also New York’s city most arrogant asshole. So why is she drawn to him.
This is a series of three books that absolutely must be read in order.
Mad World #1
Mad World #2
Mad World #3
The one that caught me by surprise...
“Love doesn’t always make sense. To the person in it or to the people around them. The falling can be an emotional, chaotic whirlwind. The landing jarring and eye opening. But if two people are really in love, there’s nothing in this world that can overcome it. Even if they can’t be together, love doesn’t cease.”
You know when you start a book by a new to you author and you have no idea what to expect, and it manages to completely blow you away? That’s been the entire Luminescent Juliet series for me.
Don’t let the covers fool you, some may look a little unappealing but the books are absolutely amazing! I’ve been a huge fan of this New Adult romance since book 1. Each book is a different member of the Luminescent Juliet band and their HEA, and while you can easily read them as standalones, I highly recommend you read them in order simply because you’ll get to know each member before their own book. It has just enough steam to appease this pervy reader, wonderful writing, a touch of angst, and a rock band! What else can you ask for?
Luminescent Juliet #1
Luminescent Juliet #2
Luminescent Juliet #3
Luminescent Juliet #4
The one with the boys of Oblivion...
“We’re going to burn out,” she said against his mouth an couldn’t stop herself from tasting him again. “Nothing good will come of this.”
“Harper, nothing but good is going to come from this.”
I read this series by pure chance a couple years ago and I have been a rather rabid fan since. It’s everything I love in a romance. So much so that I swear it feels like it was custom written just for me. It’s angsty, with just that touch of gritty that I so love, super sexy, and freaking addicting!
Rocked, book 1 in the series is a complete HEA for the couple with a later follow-up novella in Rock, Rattle & Roll. But be warned, each book after is a full length novel that will end with a cliffy and a novella soon after that completes the couple’s HEA. Each book follows a different member of the boys of Oblivion and I do not recommend reading these books out of order. They are much more enjoyable read in order.
LiO #0.5
LiO #1
LiO #1.5
LiO #2
LiO #2.5
LiO #3
LiO #3.5
LiO #4
The one with the swoons...
“You’ve got all this…this love – no, it’s louder than love. It’s passion and beauty built up inside you that deserves to burst out.”
Now I am not typically a reader that goes for sweet, but something about this amazingly written contemporary romance just worked for me. It’s swoony, it’s sweet, it’s a little emotional, and it’s incredibly realistic. Adrian “Digger” Graves is a down on his luck rocker who got his claim to fame in the 80s. Now he finds solace at the bottom of a bottle and still searches for his long lost muse.
Enter Katrina Lewis, a single mother and widower, that’s just trying to raise her little girl while still dealing with the tragic death of her beloved husband. The unlikeliest of couples made for the most unforgettable of romances. I simply adored this book. The novella, Deeper Than Dreams concludes the story of Kat and Adrian with the perfect bonus epilogue and not to be missed. Softer Than Steele, is a different couple. That book features Adrian’s former bandmate, Rick Rottenberg.
The one with the BDSM...
He would show the lovely Ms. Easton exactly why she wouldn’t be able to walk away from him after one night.
Because that was definitely not an option.
One taste was supposed to satisfy the craving. But Oakley was wasn’t cake, she was heroin. And he was fucking hooked.
I’ve been a huge fan of Roni Loren’s Loving on the Edge series since first discovering it years ago. It’s a super sexy BDSM centered romance. But it’s not overwhelmingly so either. Meaning that while the characters do belong to a BDSM club called The Ranch, it’s not too heavy on the BDSM elements. But they certainly are there and Roni’s Doms are nothing short of swoon worthy.
This is book 8 in the series, but you can easily enjoy this as a standalone. I would recommend you read Not Until You (Loving on the Edge #4), because that’s the book where Pike was first introduced.
What happens when the bad boy drummer of a rock band sets his sights on a woman that wants nothing to do with the music industry? A whole lot of sparks and fireworks!
The one with the Stage Dive boys...
Love isn’t always smooth or straightforward. It can be messy and painful. Doesn’t mean it isn’t still the most incredible thing that can ever happen to you.
Does this series even need an introduction or a reason for being on my list? If you haven’t heard of it, I’m pretty sure you’ve been living under a rock. But trust me when I tell you it’s an absolute must read. I’ve loved every book in the series, but of course the bad boy lead singer Jimmy in Lead was my very favorite.
This series is completed. Each book is a complete standalone about each member of the band and their HEA. I highly recommend reading in order, you’d enjoy it that much more 😉
Stage Dive #1
Stage Dive #2
Stage Dive #3
Stage Dive #4
The one that was dark and gritty...
Love is like a series of improbable, lonely notes landing together in meaningful chaos. Where every channel carries a rhythm that conveys an expression of emotion. It doesn’t feel flat or fake or hollow. It’s not exaggerated with overtones. The complexity might feel organized, but the creation is never controlled.
Beneath the Burn is the book that I first discovered the amazing talent that is Pam Godwin. Categorized as a standalone romantic thriller, it’s certainly a book that has quite an edge. It’s a little dark and a whole lot gritty, but tying it all together is this incredible romance I’ll not soon forget.
Jay Mayard is a rock god and tortured soul. His demons and mysterious past is what kept me glued to the pages. If you haven’t read this sexy and gritty book, you need to check it out!
The one that was a Brazen...
She’d built her whole world around him once, when he was the only person she could feel anything for. The only person she could trust. When he had left, it had shattered her.
It’s no secret that I’m a Brazen junky. I love these steamy little numbers and when all else fails, they always hit the spot. But like any category romance, sometimes they can all blend into one another. Not the case with Drive Me Crazy. This was a super entertain hate-to-lust trope about a classic pianist and the bad boy keyboardist for Shaken Dirty, the hottest rock band on the scene. And yes, it is as good as it sounds 😉
While it is book two in the Shaken Dirty series, you can easily read this as a standalone.
The one with the boys of Lush...
I know almost instantly- this is it- I’m done. This woman will either be my salvation or the death of me. There is no question. I’ve lost control now that I’ve touched her. There’s no going back, and she’s the most spectacular thing I’ve ever experienced.
Holy angst, batman! This caught me completely off guard. I did not expect this to be as good as it was. To say that the guys of Lush are very much f-ed up would be a mild understatement. Each of these men have their own issues, but none quite as bad as Joss Jamison, the lead singer of the hottest rock bad, Lush. He’s made his share of mistakes through the years, but nothing as bad as the one that cost him everything; his band, his best friend, and his sanity. Drowning in a sea of regret, the last thing he expects is to meet the woman that will change everything for him.
Each book in this fantastic series focuses on a different band member of Lush and while you may enjoy them as standalones, I recommend reading in order. There is a story arc that builds from the first book and continues through the last, and you’d appreciate the books that much more.
Lush #1
Lush #2
Lush #3
Lush #4
The one that made me cringe and LOL at the same time...
“In this nasty-ass strip club bathroom full of pissing dudes and possible rogue ejaculators, Shades is no longer some guy I love fucking. He’s some guy I fucking love.”
This fucking book was fucked the fuck up. Fucked. Up. I tells ya! I think I cringed, laughed, and threw up in my mouth a little…all at the same time as reading this. Romance? I don’t fucking think so. Well I guess it fucking is, since there is a couple and their HEA. But really, this is a satyrical romp about one very fucked up rockstar heroine with an overactive sex drive and the hero that plows through her meat curtains. Oh and if terms like cum spritzer, meat curtains, his pink soldier, and her pudding trench bother you, this book is sure as fuck not for you.
The one with the country star...
With a synopsis like this, how could it not intrigue?
After Kylie’s dad dies in a freak accident, he leaves her with nothing other than her crazy step-mother, Darla, and the ability to play guitar. When Darla kicks Kylie out and she loses her job all in the same day, she hops a bus to Nashville determined to make her late father’s dreams come true. Waitressing and saving her pennies to record a demo, her big break comes when she’s asked to join a tour going down the tubes with once platinum album-selling country music superstar Trace Corbin. But touring with Trace is hardly a dream come true since he’s pretty much drinking his career down the drain. If Kylie can’t pull Trace out of his rut, he’ll pull her and her dreams down with him.
This New Adult romance completely enraptured me. I loved everything about it. It doesn’t have this overwhelming angst that most NA books these days. The characters are endearing and the romance is swoony. This is a series that follows the same two characters, so it’s not meant to be read out of order.
Kylie Ryans #1
Kylie Ryans #2
Kylie Ryans #3
The one that was a trilogy...
Whisky beats and a hard rain save me tonight.
If you only knew what it cost me to fight.
The taste of your memory reminds me.
That you’re anything but mine.
You may know Taryn Elliot as half of the writing duo for the Lost In Oblivion series I mentioned above. When she’s not giving us deliciously angsty rockstars with her writing partner in crime, Cari Quinn, she also writes books on her own. Her When You’re Gone trilogy was one of those books.
If you’re looking for angst, sexy as sin rockstars, and some twists and turns that will leave you reeling, this is a trilogy you need to check out! Since this is a continuing story for the same two characters, it is not meant to be read out of order.
The one the love triangle I actually liked..
I’m losing my mind. I’m sinking, drowning, and on fire all at once. I’m split down the middle, torn in half by two different men, two different bodies pushing and pulling me in all directions, breaking me down and then lifting me up again, shoving me into the fire and soothing my scorching flesh with their kisses that act as a balm.
Yes, you actually read that right. Me, the self professed love triangle avoider actually liked this one. I couldn’t believe it either. Maybe because this was written by the evil mastermind that is Carmen Jenner? Maybe because I didn’t have homicidal tendencies toward the heroine? But probably it had to do with the sexy as hell rockstars, the clever writing, the scorching sex scenes….and did I mention the scorching sex scenes?
The one that started an addiction...
“I’m scared.”
Logan stared at me with eyes that were cold, dark, and without a spark of…anything.
“You should be.”
This was so much more than a rockstar. Truth be told, while the men of this series are part of a famous rock band, Tear Asunder, that’s not the predominant part of the story. Oh no. It’s so SO much more. It’s gritty, and twisted, and dark, and deliciously sexy. It’s exactly the kind of dark romance I like and I gobbled this up like addict that I was. This was the book and series that made me discover the pure awesome that is Nashoda Rose and I haven’t looked back since. The woman is the queen of grit, and she writes some unforgettable alphas. If you haven’t met the boys of Tear Asunder yet, I highly recommend you get acquainted.
Each book is a different character with their HEA, but best read in order as each character is introduced in the previous books
Tear Asunder #1
Tear Asunder #2
Tear Asunder #3
The one with the bad boys of Generation Rejects...
“I wanted to tell you that I couldn’t stop thinking about your face. That you had burrowed your way so deep into my veins that I would fucking bleed you. That if I died tomorrow, I could go a happy man for having felt your lips on my skin.”
Swoon. Just that line and I want to read this book all over again. I loved this sexy new adult romance. I accidentally stumbled onto Bad Rep back when it just released and devoured it in one sitting. I love me some angst and if you’re a fan of the NA angst, this certainly had the delicious kind.
Bad Rep #1
Bad Rep #2
Bad Rep #3
Bad Rep #4
The one that was the BDSM-y novella...
It felt good to give in, to surrender. He rewarded her with more pleasure. Sex with him felt like embracing a thunderstorm, riding a wild bronc.
This is a novella that was a part of Shayla Black’s Wicked Lovers series, which is a super sexy BDSM romance series. This novella is part of the 1001 Dark Nights series and features a character that was first introduced in Decadent (Wicked Lovers #2), but you don’t have to have read any of the previous books to enjoy this one. It’s easily read as a standalone. It’s a sexy little quickie you can spend a great evening with!
Did I mention that the hero is an international pop star with a penchant for some kink? Oh. Yes.
The one with the boys of Reckless Beat...
“He squeezed her neck and rested his forehead against hers, “What is it with you, Allie? Why can’t I take my mind off you? I can’t take a single breath without wishing I was touching you”
I discovered this series when I grabbed this book as a freebie a few years back. I did not expect it to be as good as it was. So of course I then had to go and buy the rest of the series and binge on them.
Reckless Beat #1
Reckless Beat #2
Reckless Beat #2.5
Reckless Beat #3
Reckless Beat #4
Reckless Beat #4.5
The ones I've been recommended but haven't read yet...
Listed by the first in each series, except for Ripped by Katy Evans (This was a part of her Real series, and the only rock star in the series)
That’s it for my list, dirty birds. See any favorites make it? Tell me about it! Have some favorites that I may have missed? Tell me about it! I love to hear from you all, so don’t be shy and drop me a comment below 😉