1. Indy. She's the one who hooked me into this series. I loved her story, her fierce attitude, and her fortitude. And, of course, I loved her humor. She is the original Rock Chick. Disco naps are definitely a thing we say and do now..because isn't a nap more fun with the word disco in front of it?
2. Sadie. Sadie the heroine in the last Rock Chick book and her story was heart-wrenching. She had to overcome horrific events and she did it with courage and strength. I remember being skeptical about this book because I didn't know much about our two lead characters and it turned out to be one of my favorites.
Sadie's journey from the ultimate Ice Queen that nobody was nice to, to Rock Chick is crazy beautiful. I love her.
3. Jules. This woman kicked serious ass. I wanted to be Jules. I still do. She was stubbornly independent, altruistic, protective of those she considered family, and just had a heart of gold. I want to be more like her when I grow up. Jules coined my favorite nickname of "Head Crackin' Mamma Jamma" because that is exactly what she is. She is fierce, and protects her kids in the only way she knows how....gettin' them off the streets and saran wrapping the drug dealers cars to get their attention.
4. Jet. Jet sacrificed so much to take care of her mom and protect her sister from the hardships of being a caretaker. I have no idea how she was able to survive on so little sleep without being a zombie but she did. Her generosity and willingness to do whatever it took to care for those she loved endeared her to me.
Jet and the Rock Chicks make being in the VIP section at a strip joint (a classy one of course) seem like a fun night out on the town. Obviously, where I live this is not true...but that is definitely something I never thought would come out of my mouth!
Moving on to my favorite members of the Hot Bunch...an equally hard task to narrow down my choices...here's who I picked:
1. Lee. He joined Indy in the first book to show me that an alpha male that was not a jerk. He was doing what Lee does--he was a protective, quiet, badass. He took care of what he considered his and had no problem taking out anyone who stood in his way. Lee. Is. My. FAVORITE! Sort of like Indy, with being the first and my heart will always hold a candle to him, but his presence even small in every single book, even on through the Dream Man series proves he is the ultimate alpha male/dream guy. He is the best.
2. Luke. I love Luke because he stood between Ava and her sisters and refused to let them torment her anymore. He had no qualms tell her family how unacceptable their behavior was and where they could go if they didn't sort themselves out. In addition to all of that, he and Ava had some major steamy moments and that's always fun to imagine! Luke is one of the guys who has a more unsavory journey to getting the skills that they are so great at to be part of Nightingale Investigations, and he is totally gorg to boot. His feelings for Ava and their history was so great. He loved her for exactly who she was, the entire time, and helped her get to a place to love herself as well.
3. Hector. Gah! What a man. Not every man is able to handle the circumstances that he and Sadie find themselves in. He not only handled it, he ROCKED it. He was so patient and steady and wonderful with Sadie and it made me hope that every woman facing the things that Sadie did has a man like him. Hector is such a late comer to the series, so I wasn't sure how to like him. But he blew that out of the water in like 0.02 seconds, and book 7 totally blew me away too. She upped the game..AGAIN..and took a crazy sensitive subject and made it beautiful.
4. Hank. This guy was such a great mix of romance and funny. When Roxie disappears my heart bled for him. When Roxie tries to reject him, his persistence and his alpha male moves kinda cracked me up. Ultimately, though, his steady belief in Roxie and his support for her is what makes him keep popping up in my mind as a favorite. Roxie calling him Whiskey (because of his eye color) makes me swoon every time. He is the level headed Nightingale..if there is such a thing..and such a great guy.
Mace and Roxie also round out my top 5...while all of them are epic, and we love them for all different reasons. We have a serious problem but luckily there is an established Goodreads group called Kristen Ashley Addict's Support Group. We joined, obvs, but I feel it is necessary to say that we are not the first to be this obsessed!
A final group of characters not to be overlooked would be the ensemble cast that pop up in these books. Again...they really are all amazing and necessary but if I have to chose, here are some of my favorites:
Mine too! Mine too!
Tex--he kick started my use of the word 'shee-it' and it makes daily appearances in my texts to friends and my inner monologue. This guy is amazeballs and the long lost uncle everyone has or wants in their family.
It is ridiculous the amount of phrases that I have picked up from Tex. Shee-it is a fan favorite, but is not limited to Loopy Loo, which is his nickname for Jet. He is one of my ultimate favorite characters EVER!
Daisy--from her sparkles, denim, and giggles all the way to her generous and kind heart, I adore her. Daisy = ex stripper (see, they give you a new appreciation for it) and she jumps in there for her girls, even against big burly men. You cannot ask for a better friend than her.
Shirleen--this woman is nosy, sassy, and funny as all get out. We know that she's seen things in the world that not many people do and these things could have made her a hardened soul, but she's not. She's warm and loving. This woman completely changes her life path, and takes in two teenagers that need someone to love them. She is a strong woman, and while I want a story where she "gets the business" now and then too, it is enough too that she is on her own because she is so strong and independent.
Stevie and Tod--Indy's neighbors, resident fashionistas, and sometime drag queen/drag queen support add additional humor and a voice of reason just when you least suspect it. I wouldn't mind having them be my personal stylists either. DO NOT get in the way of Tod planning a wedding...just sayin'. They are crazy funny, and some of Indy's very best friends!
I'd be remiss if I didn't sneak in a mention of Eddie and Hector's family--especially their mom, Blanca. Any woman would be considered lucky to have such a wonderful (perhaps a little intrusive) mother in law. Not only can she whip up a mean margarita and some kickass food, but she also adores her sons and the women they chose to partner with. She also happens to add her own charm and humor to this series. Love her!
Last, but not least, Courtney reminded me about the playlists that are amazing to listen to as you are reading. And seeing as Courtney is our resident guru on music I'm gonna let her take the lead on this...
Music...is my favorite thing and in a book when I see a song and listen to it and can have a little bit more insight into what the author is trying to convey, but can't put the lyrics because of obvious laws...so I am one of those people who look those songs up, and swoon over book playlists!
The total playlist ensemble can be found HERE at KA's website, but I wanted to put forth a few that are my fav's, and a few that made the reading experience more enjoyable by listening to it at the same time.
Lee & Indy - Rock Chick - Trouble by Pink
Jet & Eddie - Rock Chick Rescue - Proud Mary by CCR (Sorry, KA listed Tina Turner, but since I am a CCR fan, I like their version better!)
Roxie & Hank - Rock Chick Redemption - Because the Night by Bruce Springsteen (Springsteen is a HUGE theme for Roxie & Hank. Can't leave out Springsteen)
Jules & Vance - Rock Chick Renegade - Listen to the Music by the Doobie Brothers
Ava & Luke - Rock Chick Revenge - Ain't No Easy Way - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Stella & Mace - Rock Chick Reckoning - Black by Pearl Jam & All the Small Things by Blink 182 (This is by far the most musical of all of the books & well Stella is an actual Rock Chick Lead Singer of a band \m/
Sadie & Hector - Rock Chick Regret - I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor
In General = Applies to ALL KA books! :D
Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon
Not Strong Enough by Apocalyptica
Open My Eyes by Buckcherry
Wild Ones by Flo Rida
Well Shee-it, peeps, this is the end. We are still waiting on Ally's book (Lee & Hank's sister/Indy's BFF) and it is coming in August. I am sure we will have more news of this close to time! :D Enjoy! Have a great day!
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