08 November 2014

Taming Chaos by Lynne St. James

 From foster care to the Garden, Raining Chaos makes their debut. They learn fame and fortune comes with a price; it's all in how you deal with it that makes the journey worthwhile.

Chaos is told by the record company that what got them to the top is no longer cutting it so they’re sending a songwriter. Yeah, that goes over well…not…until she shows up. Their chemistry is off the charts, however, for a commitment phobia guy, does Chaos really want to take the chance with his and the band's future.

Cynda makes a promise and fulfilling it could cost her more than she ever expected. Rock stars can't be trusted, she knows, she lived with it all her life. When she shows up to meet the band, it all changes when she’s drawn to everything she vowed would never be in her future. But as Cynda feels the pull toward Chaos and joins them on the road, she realizes the cost of loving a rock star is huge. A simple job and promise will change her life, now she needs to figure out whether it would be for better or worse.

Jump on the bus as Raining Chaos sets out on their tour and join them to see if making music soothes the soul or breaks the heart.

Warning: For Mature Adult Audiences. Contains language and actions some may deem offensive. MF
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22895341-taming-chaos?ac=1
A few things you should know about me: one, when there’s a warning for a mature audience for a book, I’m on it like white on rice on a paper plate in a snowstorm.  Two, when the book involves a bad boy rocker as the protagonist, double that.
Chaos is told that the songs he has written and been so successful with need some help.  The record company is basically demanding it, and he is not very happy about that.  Enter Cynda, a talented writer who HATES rockers but needs a job.  She is welcomed with less than open arms into the band’s inner sanctum, and just when she’s about to give up, Chaos makes her an offer she feels like she can’t refuse.  She will go on tour with the band and help Chaos write the songs as she’s being told by the record company.  What she doesn’t expect is to feel a pull towards Chaos that can’t be denied.
Well, I hate to say it but I really just felt like this book was missing something for me.  The plot was interesting but the characters just really didn’t seem believable to me at all.  And the big secret in Cynda’s life was something I picked up on very early…and so there was no build up for me.  I saw where the book was going a mile away.
I also really felt like there was no chemistry between Chaos and Cynda, or at least what little there was wasn’t something that pulled me in.  I very honestly struggled to stay invested in this story and to finish it.  It was underwhelming.
I did enjoy the moments of Cynda’s spunk, however.  I think of all the characters I enjoyed her the most.  I guess in the end this book just really wasn’t for me.  It was predictable and I kept waiting to be dazzled by something that had so much promise.  3 stars.
What we have here is a failure to communicate … err, I mean connect. I was really looking forward to reading Taming Chaos when I queued it up on my Kindle this morning. Yet for some reason I could not connect with either Chaos or Cynda.  Being unable to connect with the main characters translates into not getting invested in their story. Not caring whether or not they were able to write songs together. Not caring whether or not the main characters have sex and if said sex was hot. Not caring whether or not Chaos was able to pull his head out of his a$$ and fix things with Cynda after a colossal eff-up. Not caring whether or not Cynda got to meet her father – actually that one I did care about, but you get what I’m saying.

This really sucks because I liked the storyline for the most part. The idea of a group of foster kids working hard to make it in the music industry (no instant success story here) was great. Couple that with a reticent songwriter whose talent is in her blood and present their story to me in alternating points of view and I SHOULD have been in heaven. But I wasn’t and it’s not the author’s fault. I liked Ms. St. James’s writing style and she does a nice job with the shifting POVs. My only complaint about the actual story is the ending – it felt rushed and far too much happened within an accelerated timeframe to make it feel real. With this being the first book in the Raining Chaos series, part of the ending scene should have been delayed until the next book (I can’t tell you what without spoiling it). Despite my lack of connection with Chaos and Cynda, I would like to read the next book in the series as I am interested in Sapphire and Wrath’s story and I can only hope that I fare better next time around so I can stick with the series to get to Michelle and Flame’s story. Taming Chaos is one of those books I recommend you check out the sample and decide for yourself – my failure to connect does not mean you’ll have the same issue so give it a shot because it may just be your next favorite book. 

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