Author: Jaime Samms
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages/Word Count: 344 Pages
Rating: 4 Stars
Blurb: Singer Coby Kennedy and his drummer twin, Bruce, have a band called Patchwork Heaven. They have been rising steadily up the country music charts, but unfortunately, that rise has attracted unwanted attention. Faced with anonymous letters, sinister gifts, and the wanton destruction of their personal space, they hire The Detail, a specialized security firm. Coby never anticipated Gregor, The Detail’s owner and his personal guard, would be quite so intriguing.
As the stalker gets closer and more violent and questions pile up, Gregor fears his past might get in the way of him finding who is threatening his client when he becomes suspect number one. Even though Coby is convinced Gregor is not behind the threat, Gregor is not sure he’s the right man to keep Coby safe, either from the stalker, or from his own interest in the singer.
Review: One of the things I enjoy so much about reading books by Jaime Samms is the uniqueness of her characters. Though many of her books deal with some level of BDSM, the characters are vastly different, and that makes each read fresh and interesting. Even her musicians each have their own spin.
The Kennedy twins, Coby and Bruce, have led their band, Patchwork Heaven, to the top of the country charts. The road to fame has been a bit rocky, but they have managed to navigate it pretty well together. Coby and Bruce are night and day from each other personality-wise. Coby is quiet and reflective and relies heavily on those around him to hold him together, expressing himself mainly through his music. Bruce, on the other hand, is more outgoing, funny, and sarcastic; and, for the most part, is Coby’s rock. At least it seems that way from the outside.
Bruce has a major addiction problem, and though sober, he has a lot of inner turmoil regarding his drug problem, and, frankly, with the day to day stresses that come with being Coby’s brother. Coby is extremely resentful of Bruce’s past drug use and is obviously having a difficult time dealing with that fallout, while also having to deal with a stalker that has become a major issue for him and for the band. It has become so unnerving and scary, in fact, that they have had to hire a security company, complete with personal bodyguards. The company is called The Detail, and the owner, Gregor, becomes Coby’s personal security detail.
Gregor is fabulous. He is sleek, yet tough, and oh so sexy. Being a twin himself, he gets the whole ‘twin vibe’ that Coby and Bruce have going on, but it’s painful for him to see it since he lost his twin sister in a car accident years ago. He and Coby have obvious chemistry, which Bruce likes to mercilessly tease Coby about, but it takes a while for them to act on it, not wanting to complicate their business relationship. Gregor quickly learns that Coby needs to be dominated in order to quiet his ever-buzzing mind, and calm him, which fits perfectly with Gregor’s needs. Watching them discover these things in each other, and start to fall hard, is a fantastic part of the story.
I do have to say that Patchwork Heaven took me a few chapters to really get into it – it didn’t immediately grab me like some of Samms’ other books have – but once things starting cranking for me, I really enjoyed it! The story itself was fast paced and had lots of different nuances. The main storyline revolves around the stalker, but there are several very intriguing threads throughout the main story. There is the twin phenomena, the BDSM bits, some twists and really good mystery surrounding the stalker, and also Coby’s ever-present color-music-swirl. I loved the parts where we get to see a piece of music come to life in Coby’s mind. The couple of scenes where he plays for Gregor – one where he is literally composing on the spot – are amazing.
The supporting cast is also wonderful. I completely fell for Kip, who plays a very important part throughout, and also really liked Cade, who we met very briefly but seemed such a solid character. I totally adored Jake and Lewis, Patchwork Heaven bandmates, new lovers, and occasional comic relief. And, finally, the villain. I won’t tell you who it is, of course…but suffice it to say that he will creep you out!
Another solid outing from Jaime Samms! She will continue to be an auto-buy for me. Oh!! And, the cover! I loved the cover when I first saw it…the cover and blurb are what drew me in, after all…but it is even more perfect and amazing after reading the story. Kudos to the cover artist!!
You can buy Patchwork Heaven here:
