Playing At Love (Rogue Series, #2) By Lara Ward Cosio

I have always judged books by how fast I want to read them, most that I love I devour as fast asI can to get to the end. Not so with this book. I fell in love with this one, that I took my time savoring it, I did not want it to end and was in no rush to get there. The concept was in my opinion so different that I was in awe how topics that can be eye rollers and cliched were handled by this author. Gavin, Conor, Sofie - wow. I can not wait for more from Lara Ward Cosio. I read this on Kindle Unlimited and I can assure you that I will be purchasing it as this one for me is a keeper. Lara Ward Cosio The life of a rockstar, glamor, glitz, celebrity, and the world at your fingertips, at least while the spotlight shines. Behind the band Rogue, when the lights go down and the last cheer has faded is the human turmoil that is played out in a million ways around the world. Come backstage and enter the reality of the lives of the band Rogue in Lara Ward Cosio’s Playing at Love where flawed and damaged people stumble through the intricacies of love, betrayal and raw human emotions.

Conor and Gavin have been best friends since childhood, but one brutally selfish act of betrayal on Conor’s part will bring their relationship crashing to the ground in brittle shards of grief, drug abuse and divorce, while the band’s very existence hangs in the balance.

Hoping to mend fences and prove he is a changed man, Conor returns to his relationship with an immature and self-centered drama queen, whose beauty is her biggest asset. While Gavin follows his ex-wife to the ends of the earth to beg her to return, that her transgression is part of the past and he may have been equally to blame. Will this be the beginning of the healing for the band, as well as Gavin and Conor? Or has Conor just made another huge mistake in settling for Colette in another poorly thought-out act of immaturity on his part?

When an old friend returns, once again, Conor finds his heart wandering and no longer trusts in his own feelings. Is he doomed to be the eternal Peter Pan who never seems to grow up and find a mature relationship?

Lara Ward Cosio has penned a rockstar romance far from the typical over-the-top frenzy of life on the road, free sex and wild times. Playing at Love is a raw look at human frailty, a failure to mature and the cost of one moment of selfish gratification and betrayal. Follow these characters, the hell they have become part of and witness the new paths that are forged, some for the sake of the band and some for the sake of the heart. Well written, intense and so very true to life, warts and all, these characters will intrigue you, repel you and have you rooting for an encore from this talented author.

I received this copy from Lara Ward Cosio in exchange for my honest review.

Publication Date: October 28, 2015
Publisher: Lara Ward Cosio
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Print Length: 412 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

Lara Ward Cosio This is an excellent, well-written story about the band, Rogue, and the various trials and tribulations the members endure. Gavin and Conor are best friends until Conor betrays Gavin in the worst possible way. There is plenty of love, jealousy and betrayal to go around! Sophie, Felicity and even Collette are all well-developed characters that keep the story moving along. Lara Ward Cosio 4.5* Lara Ward Cosio Playing at Love
By Lara Ward Cosio

Conor Quinn is the hottie guitarist for the Irish rock band- Rogue. Trying to right the wrongs of the affair between him and his best friend (and band mates)'s wife, he rushes into an engagement with his supermodel ex-girlfriend, Colette. When a girl he shares a past with, Felicity, returns to town an old flame is quickly reignited causing him to second guess everything. Will he make the right choice or destroy everyone's lives again?

Gavin McManus, lead vocal for Rogue and THE best friend, struggles to forgive his wife. Sophie is the only woman he has ever truly loved. Channeling his emotions into his new found sobriety and writing the band's newest CD, he is forced to relive some of the darkest days of his life. Will he be able to work through his feelings and truly forgive? Or will it be his turn to destroy everything?

An amazing read! Once I started I couldn't put it down and had it read within twenty-four hours! A multi-narrative story based (mostly) in Ireland, it is a true look at the complexities of love and life... Not everything always turns out how we imagine it, a lesson sometimes learned the hard way. I, obviously, loved it and was excited to find out it is a part of a series!

Five out five stars! Lara Ward Cosio

(ASIN: B017C0G1OE) ALTERNATE COVER VERSION

Conor Quinn and Gavin McManus are mired deep in the wreckage of a betrayal that has damaged their friendship, ended Gavin’s marriage, and threatens to break up their band.

Conor’s shaken by the mess he’s made and no longer trusts his heart. Book smart but love dumb, he decides acting with more calculation in matters of the heart is the key to moving forward. He starts by wooing back his ex, Colette, and quickly ends up engaged—and in over his head.

When Conor’s old schoolmate, Felicity, unexpectedly returns to his world, he gravitates with increasing frequency toward their renewed friendship. Harmless flirting soon turns into real temptation and suddenly Conor’s questioning whether his impetuous reunion with Colette means he’s missed his chance with the right woman.

Felicity is still stinging from a brutal divorce and wary of her old friend’s rock star ways. She wants stability, not the boy who ran off to join the rock circus and never had a proper job or responsibilities. But that doesn’t mean she’s immune to his charms.

At the same time, wounded, passionate singer Gavin has a song-writing epiphany that convinces him he can't stay stuck in the past. And he knows what matters most is his wife, since he refuses to believe their love story is over.

As Conor’s wedding rapidly approaches and Gavin attempts to reunite with his wife, both men must also find a way to keep their band together as they strive and stumble toward something resembling redemption—with each other and with the women they’re meant to be with. Playing At Love (Rogue Series, #2)

Fine Wine. You know how you want to take your time to make sure you get everything that it has to offer and then some. That’s what this book was for me. Being a rock romance fanatic this book is ranking up there with being one of the top reads. I haven’t read this author before so I had set this book on the back burner for a bit and now realize what a mistake that was. This author knows how to write so that you are actually feeling that you are on the same journey as the books characters. She gives you the “bad” as in Collette, the good as in Felicity and Sophie, Gavin’s wife, who played a significant part in both Gavin and Connor’s life. The center of these three women was the bad boy rock star from Dublin. Connor had it all as in killer guitar skills, the bad boy persona which he lived up to and a lifelong friendship with Gavin who was the lead singer of Rouge and whose friendship he more than destroyed. Would there ever be coming back from the choices he made?

He and Gavin had grown up together and Felicity was the hometown girl that had been a friend and a backer of the band from the day they started. She and Connor had friends with benefits relationship but when the band hit the road Felicity found her own road to take as in going to college and getting married to the man she thought was for her. Of course that man turned out to be a jack*ss and she ended up back home in Dublin years later. As for Sophie that is a tragic story in itself. Gavin had turned on Sophie in their marriage and Sophie turned to Connor who had a love for Sophie for years and thought she was “the” girl for him….just that she was married to his best friend. As the Sophie/Gavin/Connor issue worked itself out Collette came back in to the picture as the self-centered, publicity seeking b*tch she was and the future she wanted as Mrs. Connor Rockstar…oh, I mean as Connor’s wife. Connor settled with Collette bound on making the relationship work the second time around now that Sophie was definitely out of the picture in Connor’s future. After Connor met up with Felicity again and all the old friends were back together he started to have thoughts of her again as something more than friends. Felicity knew that Connor was good at “playing at love” he was a huge flirt and had a beautiful model as his fiancé so she couldn’t see anything working out with Connor.

Following the band and the turmoil that Connor is going through was one of the best storylines I’ve read for a while. It’s intense and has you wondering if and when he was going to wake up to what was important to him. It had me hating him for not having the balls to follow through with some things and loving him and his giving himself totally to the various situations. It was following a bad boy rock star that you hoped would stop playing at love and wake up before he lost everything. Felicity was a woman who deserved to have more in her life than the husband who left her blindsided but was Connor that man? Be ready to sit back and savor one of the best rock romances that will have you hoping that there is a lot more to come from the boys of Rouge.
Lara Ward Cosio This book was an enjoyable read, with interesting characters that kept my attention. The book involves the world of a renowned rock band but the author let's you in on the real people they actually are and the trouble and struggles they have in their love lives. The characters are likable and complex and I found myself thinking about the book between reads and wondering what would happen next! I loved Lara Cosio's writing style and her ability to portray the emotion, and conflict that the characters struggle with. She shows a deep of knowledge of the human condition, of love and friendship that is commendable. Lara Ward Cosio I love this series!!!! This is book 2 in the Rogue series, Playing at Love. This is Conor and Felicity’s book but Gavin and Sophie are still a huge part. The Rock and Roll drama continues and I can’t get enough of this band. Once again the writing is incredible and very descriptive and the characters well developed. Ugh, I did want to smack Conor up side the head half the time and say ”what are you thinking Your not a door mat”!!( hated that witch he was with), but oh I love him so. I admit in this book I’m not a felicity fan, I just didn’t feel the connection. But I do love the connection Conor has with Sophie. I love how the author played out their past and recognized it for what it was . It wasn’t down played to the extent that it didn’t mean anything or forgotten. So well done and something you don’t get often in books. I look forward to continuing with Shays book next. Lara Ward Cosio Another 5 Electrified Guitars for Playing at Love

Another stunning success for Lara Ward Cosio! Book 2 of the Rogue series crossed even deeper emotional topography for me (yeah, there were tears involved. KA - you are going to owe me at least a case of tissue one of these days!) and was absolutely nothing like I expected from having read the summary, a few reviews and a teaser or excerpt or two. I say that with not a bit of disappointment - this sophomore effort showed growth after an absolutely amazing debut and solidified my desire for MORE! MORE! MORE! from this relatively new author. Her characters are fantastically flawed humans that have a very real and endearing edge that many authors haven't mastered even with dozens more books under their belts. Lara Ward Cosio not only creates amazing people to inhabit the wonderful world she has created, but has impeccable timing when it comes to storytelling, and weaving the lives of these characters - from the leads to the bit players, from the ones who capture little pieces of the soul, to those you love to hate, from ones you see pieces of yourself in, to those who are a complete mystery, or at least their motives are - together, and knowing the perfect times to segue from one storyline to the next. I dare say if she wrote for daytime, we would still have many more soap operas to fill out the tedium of being stuck at home all day. I love that I was able to binge on these first two offerings of hers, but it makes me all the more impatient for the next book to be released. I have seen mentioned that you could read these 2 in any order, but I would personally highly suggest reading Tangled Up In You first, and then this, and add #3 to your preorder list as soon as humanly possible. The author includes links to her website, social media accounts and email list in the book, and I am looking forward to prowling these haunts in the near future.
I always find it difficult to review books after the first one in a series for fear of inadvertently including spoilers from the previous book(s.) That is certainly true in this second book of the Rogue series as well. It was mesmerizing throughout, and as much of an emotional rollercoaster as Tangled Up In You, though, thankfully, the drug abuse does not directly appear here, and the cheating by married couples is eliminated as well for those who avoided the first book because of those warnings. By no means does this make this chapter of Rogue all butterflies and rainbows. (Not that there is anything wrong with those kinds of ideals, but sometimes they can be tedious to downright boring and/or depressing to read.) With each page of both books, I found myself more invested in the characters, which certainly helps keep my interest in everything to come (in a need like I need air to breathe kind of way....sorry, fangirl moment refused to stay beneath the surface.) Anyway, again, my highest recommendations for any romance fan, and a must read series for those inclined toward the ones starring rockstars. Lara Ward Cosio This is a story line that is perfect for those who want to read more than just YA novel; a desire for well written, clearly developed characters with a can't-put-the-book-down storyline. Lara Ward Cosio's Playing At Love: A Rogue Series Novel created a world that made me fall in love with the characters and their lives that molded them. From the longtime loves and married couple (Gavin and Sophie) encountering struggles along the way, to the wild to tame Conor, who is simply trying to figure out what he truly wants in life...or rather, who. This author gave great depth to each character in the novel, something you often don't see. This was a wonderfully enticing novel and I'm looking forward to the next installment! It's definitely a great read. Lara Ward Cosio

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