A Kind of Truth (Renée’s review)

Title: A Kind of Truth (A Kind of, #1)
Author: Lane Hayes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: January 8, 2016
Genre(s): Contemporary/Rock Band
Page Count: 230
Reviewed by: Renée
Heat Level:  3.5 flames out of 5
Rating:  4.1 stars out of 5
Blurb:

Rand O’Malley dreams of superstardom. He hopes to one day sing the blues like a rock god. Moving to New York City and hiring a new manager are steps to make his dreams a reality. But nothing moves as fast as Rand would like, and everyone has opinions, which include he keep certain pieces of himself quiet if he plans on making it in the Big Apple. Like his bisexuality.

Will Rand O’Malley dreams of superstardom. He hopes to one day sing the blues like a rock god. Moving to New York City and hiring a new manager are steps to make his dreams a reality. But nothing moves as fast as Rand would like, and everyone has opinions, which include he keep certain pieces of himself quiet if he plans on making it in the Big Apple. Like his bisexuality.

Will Sanders is a gifted musician who dazzles Rand with his ability to coax gorgeous notes from an electric guitar one moment and play the piano like a professional the next. He’s a geek, but Rand isn’t concerned about Will’s pressed exterior clashing with his tattoos. His focus is music. Yet there’s something about Will that makes Rand think there’s much more to the quiet college student than he lets on. As Rand’s dreams begin to materialize, he’s forced to reconsider his priorities and find his own kind of truth. One that might include Will.

This book was really…..fun? Intense? Both. I definitely felt like I couldn’t put it down and read it within 24 hours of it being in my hands. It’s Lane Hayes, whose writing I ADORE, so I knew it would be good. Time would tell if it would be GREAT.

There was a lot that worked really well and could have easily made this a 5 star read for me. Unfortunately, there were enough niggles that irked me enough to make it a 4.

Rand O’Malley is the rock band member and Seth’s best friend whom we met briefly in Better Than Safe. He is a dichotomy. He’s the perfect mix of instant gratification, selfish, bad boy and kind, sweet boyfriend. He’s intense, and I liked him a lot!

Will Sanders is a music prodigy college student at NYU. These two meet and bond and flirt over music, and this really spoke to me. I’m a music fanatic, and all the talk of lyrics, chords, and my crank was turned!

There was such a sweet, tentative friendship formed between them as they had this shared love of music in common. I loved this buildup we all got to see coming of WHEN will the friends-to-lovers part happen. And when it happened? It was more of an arrangement than a relationship. So, that was a pretty big letdown for me as a reader. I don’t even think it was necessary to the story. (not spoilery – that’s pretty much near the beginning).

As these two, with their “arrangement,” continue to see each other, Rand’s band continues to have success in the local market, and pretty soon they are being scouted by record execs. And we get to know the secondary characters too. Rand’s bandmates are very cool overall (except douchebag Terry), and we get to meet Benny, a student friend of Will’s. Unfortunately, there’s a shark of a bitch named Leah, in charge of the band’s PR, who decides she’s going to have Will, no matter the cost.

What didn’t work for me and caused the rating to drop to 4:
I’m not going to spoiler tag this because I honestly believe this should’ve been tagged in the blurb. It’s something a lot of readers would want to know. There is some significant cross-dressing in this book. Not my cuppa.

Issues with Leah the shark. All of that drama would’ve been solved by just opening your mouth, Rand! I understand not wanting to piss off the person in charge of your PR, but you have a whole team of people in your corner now. Just open your mouth! I don’t like OTT unnecessary drama.

Otherwise, this was a really well-written story that I honestly couldn’t put down. The relationship between Rand and Will is sizzling and sweet! Another great story from Hayes that kick starts a new series. I hope Isaac and Benny are next!

 

 

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