Exposed (VIP Book 4)

Three and a half stars.Brenna James and Rye Peterson have known each other since she was eighteen years old and they've been sniping at each other pretty much ever since. Rye is the bassist for Kill John, one of the world's biggest rock bands, and Brenna handles the bands PR. As the rest of the band start pairing up (see books one to three), Brenna feels she is missing out. She is bored of one-night stands and doesn't want to settle down with 2.4 children, but she's lonely and she wants something, someone who knows what they are doing, she's even considered an escort agency. Rye is sitting behind Brenna in the bar when she makes this declaration to her friends, he's been mooning after Brenna for years, its an open secret among his bandmates, and his only way of coping is to constantly snipe at her, but this could be his chance to show her how he feels. Brenna has had a crush on Rye since she was a teenager and he was a member of her cousin's band, it breaks her heart to see him with a string of other women and she hides behind the snarky comments.At first horrified by the friends-with-benefits arrangement proposed by Rye, scared that it might be an elaborate gotcha at her expense, but she eventually capitulates. Can these two lost souls find each other?I absolutely loved the first two books in this series. I bought the third book and either gave up or forgot to review it (which I've only just discovered) and I was stoked when I saw this was coming out. Sadly, this felt too similar to Karina Bliss's Rock Solid series (BTW excellent series if you are interested) and I think Rise which tells the story of the powerhouse PA of rock band Rage and the nice guy drummer, is better.I found the friends-with-benefits story a bit icky TBH and the frequent sex scenes felt forced rather than smexy. Randomly, the plot with Brenna's parents reminded me of a smash-up between two of Susie Tate's books (which generally feature English/Welsh doctors). So overall, the plot felt over-familiar.Maybe I would have liked this better if I hadn't had such high expectations.

Brenna James and Rye Peterson are best known by their loved ones for pushing each other’s buttons. They’ve known one another for years and their lives are intertwined in both career and personal. As well as cousin to band member Killian, Brenna is the group’s PR manager extraordinaire. On paper her life is an enviable one, but there’s a niggling itch Brenna needs help scratching.As bassist to one of the world’s most famous rock bands Rye should feel content with life. Rather he finds himself at a crossroads. He’s known for his carefree attitude but due to the seriousness of a situation he finds himself in, he finds himself looking for distraction where he shouldn’t.Luck is in on Rye’s side when he overhears a conversation of Brenna’s, and much to Brenna’s horror he others her a solution the feels can bring them mutual satisfaction. The thin line between love and hate is not one neither of them wish to address, but they are both in agreement at the all consuming attraction that has circled them for years.Conflict arises when fear and old insecurities rear their head to throw their alliance in jeopardy. It was a frustrating to see them give in to what they considered weakness but it was ultimately satisfying to see them confront it. Rye and Brenna are a passionate couple and along with that element, I enjoyed the playfulness of their relationship.The VIP series is an wonderful one. The blend of humour and emotion makes each book throughly engaging, and the stories are made to be reread. I’m not ready for the series to come to an end yet but I eagerly await for the music to start again with Whip’s book.

I've loved all of this series so far. Every romance has been captivating, the characters shine right off the page.This one definitely hit all the right spots too.I confess I am an angst queen and a sucker for enemies to lovers (friends to enemies to lovers even more so) and whilst there was drama in this story too, it wasn't too heavy, and for once, I didn't mind. Why? Because I was so invested in them.I loved Brenna, her strength combined with her vulnerability and insecurity was endearing, but Rye was another level.He was simply adorable! Funny, cheeky, naughty (like we've seen him in the previous books) but also incredibly sweet, loyal and kind. I fell in love with him, just like I fell in love with Killian, Jax and Scottie.I think that's what I love most in this series, I love this family of characters. The dynamic, the bromances, the deep love and devotion to one another. I enjoyed their interactions with one another just as much as the romance story.I can't wait for Whip's story. I have utter faith that Kristen will knock it out of the park, just like she did with the others.A little sidenote on what appears to be a continuity error. There is a flashback to a birthday party early on - Brenna's 18th birthday, but later in the story it changed to Rye's 21st. It doesn't spoil the story at all but I thought I'd mention it.

So this is book 4 in the series and its just as fantastic as all the others before this....infact they just keep getting better and better!!!I thought noone could push Scottie off my top spot then along came John ..then along came Rye and pushed him clean off and took pill position hahaRye and Brenna were always meant to be together. ..unfortunately they were the only ones who didn't see it!An unexplained issue when they were younger has shaped how they've interacted through their lives leaving butter remarks and bad decision making.Love the true deep down honest feeling from Rye... seeing him crumble and sheo his weaknesses to Brenna was swoon worthy!so hope that Whip gets a book over time as I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to these guys just yet.Would highly recommend these stories.