I could get fired over this. I should be. I was wrong. I’ve had perps push my buttons before, but not like him. For the first time in my life, I consider the fact that I don’t deserve to wear a badge. Maybe I’m not cut out for this job after all.
The TV in the corner goes dark. I’d think they lost signal if not for the dramatic music that begins. The TV flips to what looks to be men dressed in full armor going into battle. The clips are brief, interspersed with darkness, but I recognize the music. It’s “Returns the King” from the movie 300. My asshole boyfriend, two asshole boyfriends ago, loved the gladiator type movies. I remember 300 because I drooled over Gerard Butler through the entire thing. He’s hot as fuck.
Something’s different with the music, though. There’s electric guitar dispersed throughout. When the drums finally kick in, you see a line of Roman warriors marching toward a throne made out of silver guitars with a black leather seat. Someone is standing in front of it wearing a black cape, his back turned to them. The cape is being blown around by what seems to be the wind and under it you see tight leather pants and black combat boots. He raises one tattooed, muscular arm and they all stop. He turns and all you see are his crystal blue eyes surrounded by smudged dark eyeshadow and a pierced nose. The camera pans out farther and you see his face. He smirks and the words The Praetorian appear, followed by Coming Soon.
Goosebumps shoot up my arms. I can’t stop staring at the screen even after the baseball game continues.
Movement in the corner of my eye pulls me out of my trance.
“You okay?” the bartender asks. He’s drying a glass with a towel and is trying to hide a smile. I must have looked ridiculous.
“Fine.”
“Don’t tell me that’s the first time you’ve seen those ads. I swear I’ve seen them all like fifty times,” he says with a twinkle in his eyes. He seems excited by them.
“I don’t watch much TV. What’s it for?”
“Seamore Productions is doing a new reality show, and this time they’re looking for a bodyguard for Roman Creed.”
“Roman Creed?” I feel like I should know the name, but I don’t.
His mouth drops open as if I shocked the breath out of him. “You don’t know Roman Creed?”
I lift my eyebrows, purse my lips, and shake my head. “No clue.”
“The lead singer of Core Damage? They won a Grammy for their album Annihilation a few years ago?”
“Oh, yeah. Sure.” I pretend I know it because I want him to drop it. Core Damage sounds vaguely familiar, but I’m more into country music.
“It looks like it’s going to be kickass. It’s by the same company that did The Fabulist. Remember that show?”
“I do.” That’s not a lie. I watched it. I found the lying challenges fascinating.
“Same thing. They’re holding tryouts next week, here in LA. Pete, my bouncer, is going to audition.”
“Sounds cool,” I say and toss thirty bucks on the counter. “That enough?”
“Too much.”
I briefly consider taking some cash back but leave it. It’ll be my last careless purchase until I get my life back in order.
“The winner gets a job and $100,000,” he adds as I make my way to the door.
I stop in my tracks, turning my head back to him. One hundred thousand just made this a little more interesting. Maybe even life-changing. Gazing up at the TV and then back to the bartender, I lean on the bar. “What do I have to do?”
| Only yesterday, I wrote in a review that there are three kinds of Rockstar novels and I stick to this idea – because The Praetorian by Dawn L. Chiletz proves me right. Like the book I reviewed yesterday
First, I have to say Ms. Chiletz is a “new to me” author and I like her writing. Even if there is a little “but” coming at the end of this review.
The Praetorian belongs to the best of these three groups. The one that gives you all the classic clichés you would expect from a rock star romance and something NEW…
Or in this case several things new. This “thing” with the reality show was new to me in the relation of Rockstars. And then there was the suspense that was added to the story that came from something totally different.
Actually in my mind this is not ONE but a kind of 3in1 story. We have the Rockstar Romance – then the reality show and then there is something interesting that I would like to call “Murder by Death” feel … . Google that and you will come up with a movie I had to think of constantly while reading. Murder by Death is a 1976 American satirical mystery comedy that is closely related tot he stories of Agatha Christie.
Please for the sake of spoilers do not ask me why that movie is running in circles around in my mind – just take my word for it.
My feelings for this book are somehow 100 % positive while I am not happy with the plot development … Strange right ? Can not say that ever happened. Maybe because the author kept my mind spinning and guessing , spinning again and guessing some more. So yes this is a 5 star read with a few buts..
The 5 stars are for engaging the reader so deeply that I did not want to put the book down – so basically the suspense part – which has been a long time for me since I was feeling something like that with a book. But not for the romance part of the book … well lets say there was romance … but this book is no romance novel… as that took the backseat to the rest that was going on.
And then there is this thing about the plot development … The author kept me on my toes from the beginning on … I was (as I said) guessing and trying to figure out things. The story keeps a steady pace and there is a high build up in tension, but then when the reader is offered a solution the book suddenly kind of gets fast paced as if someone had set a final page number and the author suddenly realized she only had like 10 pages to come to an end. I felt kind of sorry for the characters. They were working so hard to get THEIR time and it was somehow cut short.
If I had a free wish, something that I could request from the author it would be the following : (I think she will understand if I tell it this vaguely to avoid spoilers)
Dear Author, Quoting the blurb : Bad-boy rock star Roman Creed keeps his secret locked behind a door…. The secret behind that door…. Gets kind of lost in the end … with all the suspense and everything going on. There was a moment when I felt that that “secret” deserves its own book. I kind of NEED that “secret” to have its own book. So PLEASE consider it – I think there are several readers out here thinking the same. You can contact me anytime if you want to know what I am thinking and why as I do not want to leave these spoilers here out in the open. And in the End .. thank you for a “late night reading shift” – I could not put this book down …
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