Rock Chick Revolution (Rock Chick #8) by Kristen Ashley

The Rock Chicks are very dear to my heart. I love this series, the characters, and the underlying theme of friendship, loyalty, passion and love. And let’s not forget the awesome cool factor. The Rock Chick gang is the gang you wish you could be part of, you WANT to be part of. They are IT! Anyone who’s read Kristen Ashley knows what to expect, after all, she is the original rock chick and how many of us can recite without hesitation each member of this series with a swoon, a sigh or a hero/heroine worship. Most of us have our favourites but all of us love each with passion.

What a journey this has been. Starting with Lee and Indy, working our way through couples book by book eagerly waiting the next with bated breath. Well the wait is over and the final Rock Chick is in our hands. Ally and Ren. It was with a heavy but excited heart, tears in eyes before the first page, that I began the last instalment. Wanting to devour but wanting it to never end at the same time. I love this series, no question, it’s one I can re-read over and over. Some stories I have loved more than others no question, but on the whole this is one of my favourite series.

“But it was a fairytale. And people needed to believe in fairytales. Even flawed ones. Maybe especially flawed ones. And they needed to believe always.” – Ally

So, what did I think of Revolution? See, this is a hard question because there was so much I loved but there was also a lot I wasn’t too keen on which has never really been an issue before in this series. I thought this story was slow a lot of the time. I understand that it had to tie up any remaining loose ends but shock horror, I wanted to skim a KA book which is not me and does not sit well with me. I was mad at myself for it; I blamed myself. So I went to flick through previous stories in this series and realised that perhaps it wasn’t just me. The oomph factor just wasn’t there, the calling a spade a spade, the excitement and the passion. It was glossed over and terms like ‘happy place’ just threw me out that moment.  And the surprise reveal towards the end, well I have to mention it as it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t. I have a pet peeve, some of you might know this. I have a problem with real life entering the fictional world. I am under no illusion that the majority will find this surprise funny and endearing, I just didn’t get it. This is me being honest so throw the tomatoes and the eggs, I stand by my personal opinion. An opinion that breaks my heart because Kristen Ashley is one of my favourite Authors and I love her to bloody bits.

Now, for all the things I loved. Well they are pretty obvious to any Rock Chick fan, the whole gang, the bad-arsedness (yes I made this word up), the banter, the shenanigans and the small bit of drama we got where my adrenaline spiked. I have to say my favourite character in this final story was Darius. Every moment he entered the story I felt the emotion and the power of his character. I loved the interaction between Hank and Lee and of course crazy arsed Tex with the booming voice. When they were all together in Fortnum’s my heart swelled and the grin on my face was immense.

Now as for Ren, well, he was lush. Then again all KA heroes are, and you swoon and sigh over them. They are written with such skill that at no stage is their possessive and protective alpha-ness taken past the point of no return. They have charm, passion, a hint of vulnerability and a filthy but sexy mouth.

“He was confident. Not arrogant….He knew what he liked, what he wanted…Ren was just that: cool. He was like a rock star without the guitar and in a suit. It was phenomenal….Ren Zano was all man.” – Ally

As for Ally, well we already knew she’s a kick arse heroine. She is strong and feisty, extremely loyal and inquisitive. She has a vulnerability too but she hides it well underneath a cock-sure façade. She gives her heart fully. She’s not a girlie girl and she can fight and protect with the best of them.

Ally and Ren have had a tumultuous year, a year spent hiding a secret from the rest of the gang. A year that started off with Ally giving her heart only for Ren to make a mistake that cut her deep, making her wary and unable to trust and give herself fully. So many secrets and wasted time.

“We’re fuck buddies, Zano.” – Ally

They circle each other unable to break that strong connection. Ally knew from the start that she’d found something, she’s found the place she wanted to be. One word threw a spanner in the works and when Ren throws down the gauntlet she backs off. The heart is one thing….the voice in the head is an entirely different matter. Ally knows how to hide her heart, a heart that knows who it wants but is scared to let in.

“Okay, I’d had a variety of Rock Chick chinwags where the girls let it all hang out about their guys and how they communicated in Asshole, but I’d never experienced it personally. And Ren had just demonstrated he was fluent in Asshole.” – Ally

“Sorry, my mistake…..that came out like you had a choice.” – Ren

As always KA’s epilogues ROCK. She is the Queen of epilogues!! This one is no exception and I was left with a beaming smile on my face but with shed loads of nostalgic emotion. Every single character has a place in my heart and I will treasure every moment I spent with the Rock Chicks and the Hot Bunch!! I will miss them tremendously but they are only a click away on my kindle!

“Nothing ever really bad happens in a fairytale, Ally.” – Jane