Publisher: St Martins
Where did you get the book: Publisher
Release date: 31st March
Positive. With two little lines on a pregnancy test, everything in Lizzy Rollins’ ordinary life is about to change forever. And all because of one big mistake in Vegas with Ben Nicholson, the irresistibly sexy bass player for Stage Dive. So what if Ben’s the only man she’s ever met who can make her feel completely safe, cherished, and out of control with desire at the same time? Lizzy knows the gorgeous rock star isn’t looking for anything more permanent than a good time, no matter how much she wishes differently.
Ben knows Lizzy is off limits. Completely and utterly. She’s his best friend’s little sister now, and no matter how hot the chemistry is between them, no matter how sweet and sexy she is, he’s not going to go there. But when Ben is forced to keep the one girl he’s always had a weakness for out of trouble in Sin City, he quickly learns that what happens in Vegas, doesn’t always stay there. Now he and Lizzie are connected in the deepest way possible…but will it lead to a connection of the heart?
*blurb taken from Goodreads*
Thoughts on the heroine
Lou: Like all of the heroines Kylie Scott has created, I’ve loved each and everyone and Lizzy is no different. I’m a huge sucker for the crush/unrequited trope and Lizzy lurved on Ben and made no bones and had no fear about going after what she wanted. Go Lizzy! Kylie always creates such lightness and humour in the Stage Dive series. But I think Lizzy had the toughest time in getting her romance and with her pregnancy, she had a lot to contend with. I really thought she was incredibly patient with Ben at times. In fact, I thought she was too good for Ben!
Has: I also love her heroines, they’re so lively and colourful and Lizzy’s narration was full of humour and snark that I really enjoyed. And I agree with you that she had the patience of a saint when dealing with Ben when he messed up. I also liked her relationship with Anne, and the other Stage Dive ladies, this is one of the strongest aspects of the series with the female friendships. However, even though I had a few issues with Ben and how that affected the romance, I really liked their scenes together, especially in the beginning because their banter sparkling and sexy.
MinnChica: I adored Lizzy in previous books, so I was super excited to get to see more story from her POV. Add in the fact that she was pregnant throughout, and I loved her to pieces! She was fun and snarky and sarcastic and yet such a sweetheart. She genuinely fell in love with Ben from the start, and she was willing to fight tooth and nail to get him. I loved the way she seamlessly fit in with the other ladies and the group as a whole. There were times I definitely agreed with Lou – she was almost TOO good for Ben!
Thoughts on the hero
Lou: Oh Ben, Ben, Ben. You are not my favourite Stage Dive hero. You took too long in sweeping Lizzy of her feet and sometimes you were too douchey for her. Why did you make her wait so long?! Lizzy and Ben would get close and then he would push her away, and there was not a lot of romantic moments with Ben until the latter stages of the book. I really enjoyed when they got close with their text messages but I didn’t like Ben after Lizzy announced her pregnancy. He was distant and he took far too long to realise what he was missing.
Has: THIS! I was so so frustrated with him! I wanted to reach out and throttle him at times because he was so reticent and reserved with Lizzy even though. I disagree with the romantic moments, I thought there was a good buildup in the beginning too, it was so sexy and I really liked their scenes. I so wanted more of that, instead the conflict which I thought took too long to be resolved because Ben being a bit of an arse. Although when he wasn’t being annoying, I did like the quiet but reserved guy, I wish there was more heroes who are like him, but I wasn’t a fan when he screwed up he would hide behind that shield instead of coming out to fight back to what he believed in.
MinnChica: I have to agree with the girls here. Ben was almost too much of an alphahole for me to really like him. He was demanding and commanding, and then at the same time he was constantly pushing Lizzy away, despite the feelings he had for her. It was frustrating to read, and there were many times I wanted to smack him upside the head and make sure he really realized what he was losing out on.
What did you like about the book and your favourite scenes.
Lou: I really liked Lizzy. I thought she did a wonderful job in coping on her own since Ben was quite distant with her. I also loved seeing the previous characters from the rest of the series, especially when Mal went for Ben’s throat in protection of Lizzy. Very sweet and brotherly.
Has: I adored the scenes in the beginning with the romance being built up between Ben and Lizzy, their text messages which evolved from friends to lovers, was a highlight. I also liked the humorous scene when she found out about being pregnant, which was followed by a disastrous dinner party, which cracked me up.
MinnChica: Like Has, I really loved the beginning as Lizzy and Ben built their friendship via texts. It was so cute and romantic and adorable and I just loved it. I thought it was super cute, and I wish we would have seen more of that type of fun and flirty banter play out than it did.
What were your dislikes?
Lou: This book seemed really short to me. When they finally got together, the book was almost finished and I would have loved to have seen a more togetherness from Ben and Lizzy. This book didn’t seem as romantic as the previous books. There didn’t seem to be a togetherness. I also wished Ben grovelled more towards the end of the book, and although I appreciated his grand gesture, I wished Lizzy made him stew and wait. And Ben’s sister. Did not like at all.
Has: For me it was more the issue of the flashforward beginning and then having a flashback to the events that predated that big scene in the beginning. I don’t think it was short, but because the flashback was pretty long, it affected the pace of the book. I also agree with you about the big grand gesture, although I wanted more build up or time for that, because Lizzy did gave in too easily and after the crap he put her through he really needed to grovel hard.
MinnChica: While I absolutely adored Ben and Lizzy together, once they GOT together, the slow burn was almost TOO slow for me. Once Ben finally got his head on straight and was ready to fight for Lizzy, the book was practically over. I would have liked to see them get a little more time together instead of having so much of the book where Ben was hiding behind his walls.
Summary and grade
Lou: While I liked Deep, it’s not my favourite of the series and it felt at times as if the romance was undercooked. But it features Kylie’s trademark humour and another fabulous heroine. I wished I felt the same about Ben, though when they finally got their smexy time on, it was super hot.
I give Deep a C+
Has: I really liked Deep. Although I had a few issues with the pacing and Ben’s character, I enjoyed their romance and I LOVED the humour and memorable characters. I wished some scenes were expanded on and fleshed out. But overall, I think this was a great ending to a highly entertaining and enjoyable series.
I give Deep a B-
MinnChica: All in all, I really liked this book. I loved Lizzy and thought Ben was a pretty good shy-quiet hero. I would have liked to see more of their happy romance play out on the page though, because the book was a little too angsty and broody for me. I hope Scott continues to write about sexy rock stars, because she does it well!
I give Deep a B-