Review of Rock Bottom by Jade C Jamison

Rock Bottom

Series: Bullet #2

Author: Jade C. Jamison

Rating: 3.5 Groupie Stars

 

"I know you think you know me.  Like everyone else on this whole goddamn planet, you hate my ass.  I realize I deserve part of it, but you've only heard Valerie's side of the story-you don't know shit about me."
"Thanks for the second chance.  I won't let you down."

Ethan Richards has fought depression and a host of other demons all his adult life, and it's caused him to lose everything-his wife, his son, his friends, and he almost loses the one thing that means the most to him-his band.  He hits rock bottom and believes there is no way out.

Enter Jenna McCormick, a feisty drug and alcohol counselor, a woman with her own share of troubles.  She finds Ethan intriguing but keeps him at a distance while trying to help him face life without crutches.  She feels the spark but denies it, knowing that a relationship with unstable Ethan could be dangerous for both of them.

Ethan knows what he wants, though, and isn't used to being told no.  Jenna isn't willing to risk Ethan losing his tenuous grip on sobriety, however, and is prepared to deny her deeper feelings to help Ethan climb out of his hole, but he learns how to let go of his pain and when he finds that someone is prepared to walk with him through the shadows.  Can he convince Jenna that they should take a chance on love or will they forever deny their feelings in an effort to keep Ethan on the straight and narrow?




"Gray isn't always easy to process.  But guess what, folks?  I'm deep in the gray...and, if you'' take a few moments to learn more about me, you might find it a little harder to judge me."

I was a little hesitant about reading this book.  Ethan had definitely ruined any good or hopeful redemption's from me.  But after reading Rock Bottom and really finding out what was going on in Ethan's head and what he went through in his past, my feelings changed.  Ethan is definitely a tortured soul with A LOT of baggage.  He is now more determined than ever to get clean, save his band, and become a part of his son's life.  He realizes now that Val is gone as his wife forever and tries to be happy for her and Brad.   

"And that's when I realized I lost her.  Even if I didn't, I knew then I didn't deserve her.  And, really, we just weren't good for each other."

I love that woman, I do.  But I will never treat her right.  We have a...what are they called? Dysfunctional relationship.  Truth is. though, there was someone else I knew she loved more than she loved me, and that was someone I knew would treat her right."

Ethan meets Jenna after his life fell apart from drugs and his stint in rehab is over.  Jenna is the group leader for an addiction help group.  Not your conventional beginning of a relationship, but is there ever one?!  Jenna tries hard to fight her feelings for Ethan and feels that it is in his best interest to stay away.  Ethan, on the other hand feels differently!  Jenna seems to be the only one who had ever truly understood him and knew what he was going through.  

"She was convinced that Mr. Ethan Richards, guitar extraordinaire, was covering up a lot of things with that cocky rock star mask-insecurity, feelings of despair, desperation, loneliness, and who knew what else."

"She did find him good looking, but he was a cocky douchebag.  She was irritated that he knew he was charming and sexy and equally irritated that he could tell she thought that."

After much persuasion on Ethan's part, Jenna finally gives in and allows Ethan behind her walls.  She still tries to keep her distance and not fall in love but when you are around a broken heartthrob of a rock star, it's bound to happen!  

"I'm not talking about love, sweetheart.  I get the whole emotional bullshit stuff you're talking about.  I just want to know if you've ever just seen someone and wondered what they were like in bed."

"But you got it right, I am in a million pieces, and I don't know where the fucking glue is...."

Throughout the book Ethan struggles with his depression and sobriety.  Through counseling and medication he starts to slowly recover.  He begins to mend fences with Valerie and Brad and starts to bond with his son.  Jenna has her own struggles with herself.  She feels that Ethan still loves his ex-wife and that Jenna doesn't belong with him.  She also battles for Ethan when he starts to slip back into his old ways and end his life.  Jenna was definitely his rock throughout the whole book. 

"You don't want to be with her anymore, but you don't know how to let her go...and you're scared to."

"You haven't failed me...I just...think I'm past saving."

 I just felt that it lacked a little in the emotional connection department with the reader.  The relationship between Ethan and Jenna seemed rushed and lacked the depth it needed to pull the reader into their story.  I did enjoy reading about Ethan and his story and that, yes, he does get his HEA!!

"And then it hit him. She was his inspiration, the promise that things were better."

"I want to spend forever with that woman....

"
I'm living proof that if you're strong enough, you can survive."

Jade C. Jamison was born in Colorado and has decided she likes it enough to stay forever.  Jade's day job is teaching Creative Writing, but teaching doesn't stop her from doing a little writing herself.
Unfortunately, there's no one genre that quite fits her writing.  Her work has been labeled romance, erotica, suspense, and women's fiction, and the latter is probably the safest and closet description.  But you'll see that her writing doesn't quite fit any of those genres.
You'll have to discover Jade's writing for yourself to decide if you like it.



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