Kristen Callihan

March 2023 reread: I love the first 100 pages - Killian and Libby getting to know one another. I feel like the first three books in this series have wonderful beginnings; taking time to build intimacy between the MCs. This is a good start to the series but not the best in the series, imo.

First read: I really enjoyed this rockstar romance. It had a A Star is Born vibe but fear not, this has an HEA!

CW: this series features some pretty difficult issues such as attempted suicide (off page), alcohol and drug use that may be considered dependency, drunk driving (on and off page), death of parents (off page), but I think the books do a pretty good job handling. Take care of yourself!… (más)

December 2022 reread: I still love this book and really adore the MCs. This is longer than many contemporary romances I read, but I feel the length is warranted - so many private moments together that build intimacy AND the right amount of time apart. I still have gripes about the not-great sw thoughts and the bonkers pilot side-story for Stella (every dang book has one lol) but also love how excellent Kirsten Callihan handles STIs. I will likely reread this book often - actually this book and Managed are gonna be reread often!

CW Suicide attempt (historical, off-page, depression, anxiety, abandonment, PTSD, attempted human trafficking historical)

I'm glad we get Jax/John's story now - two years after his suicide attempt. I was worried we wouldn't get his perspective until the last book in the series. I had a lot of feelings for Jax's story as told thru his bandmate (Killian, book 1) and manager's (Scottie or Gabriel if you're nasty, book 2) books. Until now, we've spent a lot of time with other people's feelings about Jax and that night but we never get Jax's words about his own experience. What I loved about Stella was her righteous anger on behalf of Jax - we love his bandmates but they failed in big and little ways after the suicide attempt. So I was happy for Jax that he finally had someone to tell him he did deserve better and then he eventually demanded better when he confronted Killian.

Something unique to this book (and there may be more with this representation that I am not familiar with) is Jax discovering he has an STI in the beginning of the book. I appreciate how that was handled and also how the doctor was non-judgmental and took the time to explain STIs. Romance has a lot of fucking but doesn't always reach the mark in regard to safe practices or even how human anatomy works. . . if I have to read another fucking book about super sperm breaking thru birth control I am going to shit and I'm not kidding. It's kind of shitty to make contraceptive seem flimsy or that super sperm is an actual thing that exists in men who have ripping abs. Anyway - the author makes plain that sometimes, people contract STI's and the best thing we can do is support folks in getting tested and treatment - you do not have to be ashamed.

I rated this book 5 stars because I just loved Jax and Stella AND their romance . . . but there is one area that falls short - that many romance stories fail to properly represent. And that is sex work. Stella is a professional friend - no sex just friendship. We see her interacting with a few clients and she helps them feel confident to try new things or feel less alone. It is a job she enjoyed but has lately felt is draining as no one is her actual friend especially when she needs one. The way her job and the job of professional escort (which can sometimes include sex) is very I AM NOT A WHORE BECAUSE BEING COMPARED TO A SEX WORKER IS AWFUL. I really didn't like this. Later in the book . . . we find that Stella's shitty dad forced her into an escorting situation - which she was clueless about - so she is sensitive to being considered an escort. Fine I get that BUT it is the way sex work is spoken about that bothers me. I felt there was such a missed opportunity for Stella to be like, "I do not provide sex with my services but I respect people who do. My work is work and sex work is work and we should respect people regardless of what we feel about their profession". It's a let down because she did such a good job saying people who contract STI's deserve respect and dignity - like you get it but you also don't lol

Anyway - I loved this book, probably my favorite in the series. It's intense though. These books deal with some serious shit so take care of yourself first!… (más)

I've finally read Gray's book! I read this entire series out of order and it was chaotic and amazing lol.

In the best way possible, I did not see this trajectory for Gray. He was a solid friend to Drew in The Hook Up, and I knew he was ultimately a good person but I wasn't expecting him to transition from "single and ready to mingle!" to "maybe I'm done mingling" so easily. This was a wonderful friends-to-lovers romance and I believed in their HEA. Heavy content warnings so if you need them, please skip to the bottom of my thought dump below.

I want to explain why I love sports, rock star and celebrity romances. I love them because I want to examine our cultural relationship to celebrity. Often in these types of romances, a very narrow view of masculinity is imposed upon the MMC, and is enforced by the public. I think romance novels help characters confront these stereotypes they may have accepted in their past but no longer want to be ruled by. Not all romances examine these issues and that's totally fine but I want to know the thought processes of people who find love with non-celebrity folks. I feel that Kristen Callihan excels at this examination. Often, her heroes have had fame or status thrust upon them and are at a point in their lives where the characters want more for themselves. What is it like to be considered public property and have the expectation that because something is free for your taking you should not turn it down? Be it sex, drugs or money - who could ever turn these things down if there were an endless supply? For me, as a reader, I want to know why these things no longer give pleasure to the hero or how does the hero really feel about themselves in regard to the excesses they are expected to indulge?

Possible spoilers for some examples:

For instance, there is a scene in The Hook Up (book one of this series) where Drew remembers staying in a hotel and a woman is sent to his room by an agent interested in signing him. This isn't exactly a fond memory, and he mentions how it was the first time he felt breasts that were enhanced. This wasn't a commentary on plastic surgery (bc there is nothing wrong with choosing to have plastic surgery) or sex work (bc sex work is work) but on a teenager being offered something society tells him he deserves even though he never asked for it and may not even want it.

Another scene, from Fall (book three in the Idol series), Jax has learned he contracted an STI orally. He is remembering who he may have contracted the STI from and how, at the time, he was having intercourse with the person but began to have intrusive thoughts that made it impossible for him to continue so he ended up performing oral on this person. Again, this wasn't a commentary on people who have STI's in fact the author does an amazing job explaining that STI's can happen to anyone, makes clear no one "deserves" an STI, everyone deserves compassionate care and there should be no stigma. Rather, the MMC was doing something he thought he is supposed to be doing because it's offered and expected, and because, as a celebrity, his body is not really his own.


In celebrity, thinness is currency, especially in white, hetero, cis couples. Simply existing in a larger or fat body can cause thin folks to meltdown. Kristen Callihan's works focus on MMCs being in the famous/privileged position and often conventionally attractive whereas the FMCs are either far outside that world or adjacent (famous parents but not famous themselves) and usually described as having bodies that are average. The FMCs are interesting, complicated and well-written characters. It is important to have average and plus-sized folks loved and thrive in romance. Sadly, I think sometimes that comes at a cost - if the FMC is average and other women in the orbit of the MMC are stunning - some authors make the choice to find ways to put down conventionally attractive people and that doesn't work for me. I find Kristen writes about the complexity of being the object of desire for a famous MMC while also being average or larger-bodied better than most. Her FMCs have insecurities, as all people do, but they often check their behavior when an insecurity manifests in jealousy. It's a good reminder to examine our own thoughts!

Anyway, I love sports/musician/celebrity romances for complicated reasons!

CW's: unplanned pregnancy, miscarriage, death of parent, cancer, body shaming… (más)