Thea is an amazon, a senior partner for a music industry PR firm. She is fantastic at her job and looks great doing it. Not too long ago her heart was bruised when she discovered her then fiancee was cheating on her, but the real damage he did was in the big and small ways he tried to diminish her skills and failed to appreciate her. David Rivera is a client, drummer for Schoolhouse Choir one of the most successful bands Thea works with, but he is also a friend. Over the years David has been there with a kind word, an easy smile and conversation whenever Thea needs him. David would love to be more than just a friend to Thea, but when Thea expertly deflects his attempt to ask her on a date, David is heartbroken but backs off. Thea notices his withdrawal to careful cordiality and feels the loss, but still isn’t willing to cross the line of dating a client and risk compromising herself professionally.

Any hopes of a relationship might have faded if not for the fact that Thea’s very observant half-sister Molly realizes how crazy David is for Thea and encourages him to write Thea a memo, knowing Thea’s inability to ignore her email is the chink in her armor. The novella takes an epistolary turn as Thea and David exchange scorching memos on their attraction, compatibility and their odds in making a relationship work.

After long work related separations Thea and David finally come together and decide to see if they can sizzle in person as much as they did on paper and whether they can figure out how to be there for each other’s despite their busy lives.

When I read Rock Addiction I was annoyed at the intentionally vague references to the climactic crisis in Thea and David’s relationship, which I felt intruded and didn’t inform so much as annoy. Now having read Rock Courtship, I am convinced that instead of overlapping the same time period Rock Addiction it would have worked better for the bulk of this novella including its climax to have occurred after the end of Rock Addiction. While that choice diminished Rock Addiction it doesn’t negatively affect Rock Courtship. I really enjoyed how the romance between David and Thea is set up as a negotiation. I liked how the crisis arises naturally from tensions and insecurities introduced from the start of the story and its resolution was well earned.

4 out 5

I am thankful for the review copy of Rock Courtship provided by Nalini Singh & TKA Distribution via NetGalley.  

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Rock Addiction by Nalini Singh