A Cruel Kind of Beautiful by Michelle Hazen

On Episode 76 of the GSMC Book Review Podcast I spoke with Michelle Hazen about her book, A Cruel Kind of Beautiful. This is the first book in Michelle's Sex, Love, and Rock and Roll series and tells the story of Jera and Jacob.

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Jera McKnight loves music, swoons for hot guys, but sucks at sex. Jacob Tate is her perfect storm: a pun-loving nude model with a heart as big as his record collection.

When a newspaper-delivery accident lands him in her living room, he’s almost tempting enough to make her forget she’s never been able to please a man—in bed or out of it. Sure, he laughs at her obscure jokes, and he’ll even accept a PG-rating if it means he gets time with her, but he’s also hiding something. And it has everything to do with the off-limits room in his apartment.

Jera pours all her confusion and longing into her drum kit, which pays off when her band lands the record deal of their dreams. Except just like Jacob, it might be too good to come without a catch.

She doesn’t know if her music is good enough to attract a better contract, or if she’s enough to tempt a man like Jacob to give up his secrets—even if they could fix her problems between the sheets. But if this rocker girl is too afraid to bet on herself, she might just end up playing to an empty house. (Source)

The tagline for the book is, "If you can't get to the big O, can you get to the happily ever after?" so you might think the focus of this book is simply on Jera's issues around sex and intimacy. While that plays a role in the story, and is definitely part of Jera's makeup, it isn't the sole focus. The book is really about relationships of many kinds: between Jera and Jacob, Jera and her bandmates, Jera and her parents, etc. It is also the story of Jera's band as they struggle to find recognition outside the Portland area.

Both Jera and Jacob have complexities in their lives that put stumbling blocks in the road of their relationship. They aren't the textbook, perfect couple many romance books portray, but instead are multi-layered and very human. While they have an instant connection, they also bring their own issues to the relationship and they both have to figure out how to address those issues, both individually and as a couple, in order to move forward.

Genres:

• Romance
• Contemporary
• Women's Fiction

What I enjoyed:

• The complexity and realness of the characters. They are multifaceted and very human.
• The way Michelle writes, and the way her sense of humor comes through her writing. The book is written in the first person, from Jera's point of view, and her inner monologues remind me of my own sometimes.  Well, except that Jera's inner voice is funnier than mine.
• The fact that this book is the beginning of a series. I enjoyed the story and the characters and I'm glad to know that I will get to continue in this world and get to know more about these characters and see where the band's journey takes them.
• This is a romance, and there are scenes of intimacy, but I really appreciate how real and normal Michelle makes these scenes. They aren't the perfect experiences so often portrayed in romance novels, but rather more like real life, and it's nice to see this portrayed in a romance novel.

Quotes:

• "Flirtatious I can handle. Confident I can walk away from without a hitch in my step. But sheepish? How am I supposed to give the cold shoulder to sheepish?"
• "Once I was looking, I saw the signs of disapproval everywhere, so I started trying harder in an effort to drown them out."
• "This is a sign. The timing is so perfect it can't be anything else. I'm never going to be able to have a relationship. But I can have a band, and maybe I can fill myself up with music until I hardly notice all the other empty spaces anymore."
• "What if you started looking, and you found something so beautiful you could never have imagined it yourself?
  What if you didn't want to give it up?"

Where you can find Michelle online:
Website: http://michellehazenbooks.com/
Facebook: @MichelleHazenAuthor
Twitter: @michellehazen
Instagram: @michellehazenauthor
Pinterest: Michelle Hazen
Amazon Author Page: Michelle Hazen
GoodReads: Michelle Hazen
BookBub: @michellehazen

Author Bio:

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Michelle Hazen is a nomad with a writing problem. Years ago, she and her husband ducked out of the 9 to 5 world and moved into their truck. She found her voice with the support of the online fanfiction community, and once she started typing, she never looked back.

She has written most of her books in odd places, including a bus in Thailand, an off-the-grid cabin in the Sawtooth Mountains, a golf cart in a sandstorm, a rental car during a heat wave in the Mohave Desert and a beach in Honduras. Even when she’s climbing rocks, riding horses, or getting lost someplace wild and beautiful, there are stories spooling out inside her head, until she finally heeds their call and returns to her laptop and solar panels.

She’s currently addicted to The Walking Dead, hiking, and Tillamook cheese. (Source)

Interested in getting to know Jera, Jacob, and the other characters in A Cruel Kind of Beautiful? You're in luck, then, as I have 3 copies from Michelle to give away! All you have to do is go to either our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages and comment on the post with Michelle's interview. It's as simple as that: just comment on Episode 76 on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and you'll automatically be entered to win A Cruel Kind of Beautiful! The last day to enter is May 5th and winners will be announced on May 7th.

To hear the interview with Michelle please click here.