Dark, Powerful, Haunting But with Hope and Light as Its Promise

“She still had forty-five minutes before she had to leave for the studio. Plenty of time for her to become Kathleen Devigny again, sophisticated, talented, and far too intelligent to have her heart broken a second time by a rock star who had never loved her like she’d loved him.”

FINAL DECISION: Never an easy book to read, ROCK REDEMPTION is painful and difficult but ultimately a tribute to the redemptive power of love. Kit and Noah have a twisted journey but the happy ending is well earned and even more satisfying for that journey.

THE STORY: Kit and Noah appeared to be heading toward a classic friends to lovers stories. Noah St. John is a member of the famous band Schoolboy Choir. Kit Devigny, an actress, met the men in the band when they were all struggling to make it in Los Angeles. From the beginning, there was something special between Kit and Noah although both had avoided the connection for years. Finally, the two became friends. They could spend hours together talking. Kit knew that they were moving toward something more when Noah betrayed her in the worst way possible. One night after a concert, she came to Noah’s hotel room and found him having sex with a groupie. Even worse, she knew that he had created the scene on purpose because he had known she would be there.

Now several years later, a late night call from Noah who is in distress brings Kit back into close contact with Noah. When gossip threatens a breakthrough role or Kit, Noah agrees to act as her boyfriend to protect her. Thus begins a journey into the pain of Noah’s past and his motivations for hurting himself and others who want to care for him. The question for Kit is whether she is willing to open herself up to the possibility of allowing Noah to break her heart again.

OPINION: I have written a lot of online reviews of romance books. Usually I take notes and have a plan of where I want to go with the review from the blurb on the back. From the prologue of ROCK REDEMPTION, however, I could only read the pages before me. I knew that I would have to reread the book in order to formulate any articulate review. This book is heartbreaking and painful and incredibly beautiful and redemptive.

Anyone who has read the prior books in the Rock Kiss series know Noah and Kit’s story. They had developed a relationship that was friendship but was clearly slipping into something more when Noah orchestrated Kit walking in on him having sex with a groupie. He purposely devastated Kit and for over two years the two have been on barely speaking terms.

Readers also know that Noah has dark demons. These he both smothers and fulfills by engaging in serial meaningless sexual encounters.

I have had a feeling what might be at the root of Noah’s self-destructive behavior from what was described in prior books. I was right but this book is just devastating. There are no easy answers for these characters. Their relationship is painful and difficult and at times appears hopeless.

Noah is a man who hates himself and has wanted to protect Kit from himself by driving her away. But even so he also desperately loves and wants her but has no voice to be able to tell her what haunts him day and night.

Kit is amazingly strong. No one could blame her if she never forgave Noah for his purposeful betrayal of her. Readers should know that he continues to hurt her for a long time in this book. The beauty of the writing of this book is that ultimately, Noah’s betrayals are understandable and Kit’s forgiveness comes from strength and not weakness.

Singh is a master character writer. Knowing Kit and Noah’s backstory from the prior books in the series, it was hard for me to imagine that Noah could actually be redeemed. Singh knows how to dig deep in the characters and make them real and understandable and capable of being forgiven and even more incredibly realistically giving forgiveness without appearing weak and ineffectual.

Even as painful as this book sometimes is, I was also attracted by the sweetness and sexiness of the relationship between Kit and Noah. The demonstration of how much these characters love and need one another brings the light and joy into the story.

This was a book that I finished reading but could not walk away from. The pain, the redemption, the ultimate joy and peace and love that this book expresses is haunting. This book is not an easy read. It is not a book that one walks away from with all smiles, but it is powerful and a story that is not forgotten.

WORTH MENTIONING: Content warning and spoiler!

This book deals with the aftermath of serious sexual abuse.

[This book deals with serious childhood sexual abuse. (hide spoiler)]

CONNECTED BOOKS: ROCK REDEMPTION is book three in the Rock Kiss series. It can be read as a standalone although I recommend reading at least the first book in the series and the first novella to truly understand the relationships between the members of the band which is important to this book.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

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