Welcome to the Rise Blog Tour! It is my special delight to share with you my review of this outstanding book. Make sure you enter the Giveaway for a copy of the book offered by the author.
Rise
by Karina Bliss
Summary:
“You have the ability
to make controversial characters sympathetic. Maybe I just want to be
understood.”
Acclaimed literary biographer Elizabeth Winston writes about
long-dead heroes. So bad boy rock icon Zander Freedman couldn’t possibly tempt
her to write his memoir. Except the man is a mass of fascinating contradictions
- manipulative, honest, gifted, charismatic, morally ambiguous.
In short, everything she sought in a biography subject. When
in her life will she get another chance to work with a living legend? But
saying yes to one temptation soon leads to another.
Suddenly she’s having heated fantasies about her subject,
fantasies this blue-eyed-devil is only too willing to stoke. She’d thought
self-control was in her DNA, after all she grew up a minister’s daughter. She
thought wrong.
Outside your comfort zone is the only place worth living...
Zander Freedman has been an outlier - many would say an
outcast – for most of his life. But there’s no disaster he can’t overcome, from
the break-up of his band to the fall-out on his reputation. His Resurrection
Tour is shaping up to be his greatest triumph - if his golden voice holds out.
Contracting a respected biographer is simply about creating more buzz;
Elizabeth's integrity the key to consolidating his legacy as one of rock’s
greats.
All the damn woman has to do is write down what he tells
her. Not make him think.
Or encourage the good guy struggling to get out. And
certainly not to fall in love for the first time in his life.
Turns out he is scared of something - being known.
Elizabeth Winston
Zander Freeman
There is always a special thrill to discover a new-to-me
author whose book makes me stand up and take notice. I signed up for this blog tour because I like
to pepper my romance reading with rock –n- roll stories. The personalities, the
excesses, the challenges of fame, are a wonderful indulgence that I like to
occasionally partake. Rise is that, but so much more.
What is the “More” (a.k.a. Things I Love About This Book)
The Story
There is an incident in an elevator at the beginning of this
book that totally threw me. After
reading it, I knew I was in for a different kind of rock story. Zander Freeman is on his second round of
fame. After his original members
disbanded, he re-assembles his iconic band with new musicians and plans the
world tour. In the meantime, he wants to
solidify his place in rock history by writing his memoir. He hires a Pulitzer Prize winning historian,
Elizabeth Winston, to write this story.
On the surface, they are like oil and water. She is serious, cautious, and
thoughtful. He is playful, risk-taking,
and arrogant. But there is so much more
going on underneath the surface. There
are many layers to the story and as each level is revealed, the relationship
goes deeper. The emotions get stronger;
the fear and frustration builds.
I also appreciate the different kinds of dilemmas that the
characters face. To me, they are not
your typical conflicts, ones I have not encountered in other books. There are,
of course, the traditional insecurities and situations, but they are presented
with a twist.
The Characters
Take a worldly, cynical rockstar and pair him with a fully
grounded and practical historian and watch the sparks fly. I love that this is about a growing
relationship based on respect and companionship. Although not evident at first, they are very
much alike – deep thinkers and feelers. They learn to really admire each other. Of course, the physical attraction is there,
but the real relationship builds over time.
I like the fact that the characters are a little more
mature. This is not a New Adult
novel. These characters are well
established in their careers and deal with more adult challenges. For example,
I had not considered the risk an academic takes when she takes on a
“mainstream” project like writing a memoir of a popular icon. There are some that would try and diminish
her standing for writing a “fluff” piece, challenge her professionalism. But Elizabeth takes this project on because
her skill “lay not in making controversial figures likeable, but
understandable. Mortal.” This really resonates with me at a deep level. As a student of history, I challenge the
“heroification” of history. I believe
history is about ordinary people making extraordinary choices in extraordinary
times. People related can relate to the struggles, not the perfect icon.
For me, Elizabeth is easy to like. She is logical, but also a bit of a
crusader. She wants people to be good
and to be good to one another. She is
not naïve, but demands that people act like adults.
Zander is not new to the music business, having started with
the original band as a teenager. Rock
and roll is all he knows. He fights for
his new band. He evolves and matures and
satisfying to watch.
The Writing
There are so many wonderful lines in this book. Karina Bliss writes smart dialogue and witty
banter. When you get the scene of the
BBQ and the discussion about manicures and pedicures, you will understand.
There are several detours in the story and usually, I am
critical of this if not done well. This
one is done well. The multiple
storylines do not compete but rather create a complex beautiful story.
Small Critiques
Sometimes when an author is from another part of the country
or another (Karina Bliss is from New Zealand), they can make a cultural
reference that might not be exactly on point.
There were one or two tiny little things that just caught my attention
(and granted, these are arguable). In
regard to Jolly Ranchers – I think when most people think of Jolly Ranchers,
they think of the hard candy version.
Jolly Rancher does make fruit chews, but I don’t think they are as
popular. Also, there is a reference to
keeping the personal separate from professional. I thought it is interesting that she called
it “careful about separating state from personal.”
So you can see, if these are the harshest critiques, this is
a damn good book.
“I could be safe or I could have you.” Books like Rise are
the reason I read romance.
New Zealander Karina Bliss’s debut, Mr Imperfect, won a
Romantic Book of the Year award in Australia, the first of eleven books
published through Harlequin SuperRomance. Her most recent release, A Prior
Engagement, was a Desert Island Keeper at likesbooks.com. Her next release,
Rise, is a single title, self-published contemporary which continues the story
of Zander Freedman, who first appeared as a villain in Karina’s bestselling
title, What the Librarian Did – a book that made DearAuthor’s Best of the Year list
in 2010.Two of Karina’s books have also featured in Sizzling Book Chats at
SmartBitchesTrashyBooks.
Find out more at www.karinabliss.com
The author is giving away (1) eBook copy
of RISE.
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