Also by Katrina Abbott
The Rosewoods
Taking The Reins
Masquerade
Playing The Part
Reading Between The Lines
This Point Forward
Making Ripples
Acting Out
Hitting the Target
Turning the Page
Crossing the Line
New Beginnings - The Rosewoods Series - Books 1 - 3 + Bonus
Fresh Start: The Rosewoods Series Prequel
The Rosewoods - Bonus Content
I'll Never Forget
Risking it All
In a New York State of Mind
The Rosewoods Rock Star Series
Along for the Ride
Going on Tour
Working for the Band
Loving the Rock Star
Rock and Roll - The Complete Rosewoods Rock Star Series
The Westwoods
Striking a Pose
Watch for more at Katrina Abbott’s site.
Table of Contents
Also By Katrina Abbott
Welcome to the best summer of your life!
Rock & Roll
Along for the Ride
Going on Tour
Working for the Band
Loving the Rock Star
Fresh Start
Also By Katrina Abbott
Welcome to the best summer of your life!
Along for the Ride – Book 1
Vanessa Capri hates musicians. She has good reasons to, just not ones she's willing to talk about, even with her best friend, Sandy Thibeault. Vanessa has a long history with rock stars; as the daughter of a famous music producer, she's spent her life around them and knows about the seedy underbelly of the music business. She knows firsthand how the industry ruins lives and families, and she'll do anything in her power to stay away.
Until the talent show at The Rosewood Academy for Academic Excellence—her boarding school for the rich and famous—where she sees Willmont Davidson perform. She recognizes his rare talent and knows he needs to audition for her father's new boy band. Except Willmont isn't buying what she's selling and seems to be immune to the lure of the music business. Vanessa is determined to get him on board, though she's also committed to maintaining her distance from the band. Especially when one of the members turns out to be someone from Vanessa's past—someone she's been trying for months to get over.
But then her summer plans—relaxing at her house in the Hamptons with Sandy—are threatened when her best friend decides she wants to follow the band on tour. It's a dream come true for her to be the band's exclusive teen vlogger and Vanessa's dad loves the idea to help build buzz, so who is Vanessa to stop her? Sandy wants her to come along, but while Vanessa's not going to stop her friend, there's no way she's going on tour.
Despite her efforts to stay away, Vanessa gets caught up in the tour preparations and starts not hating it (or the guys) as much as she would have expected. And then, when things start to go wrong, they don't just want her on tour, they need her. Will Vanessa rise to the challenge? And if she does will she be able to protect her heart from these boys who were built to be heartthrobs?
Going on Tour – Book 2
Vanessa Capri is living the life a million girls would envy: she’s the acting tour manager for her producer father’s fledgling boy band. Except that living in a tin can (even a luxuriously outfitted tin can) with a bunch of boys isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. Not only does she sleep in a bunk in what the boys affectionately (and scarily accurately) call the morgue, but she has to share a tiny bathroom with nine other people, works ridiculous hours doing everything for the band, and has had to put her own life on hold. From arranging meals and buying toothpaste, to settling squabbles and tearing down stages, she’s the go-to girl for the band. Even though she has her best friend, Sandrine Thibeault, with her as the band’s in-house vlogger and social media manager, being on tour is not the easy and relaxing summer in the Hamptons she’d planned on.
Still, Vanessa takes her role very seriously and is committed to doing a great job for her father, which means no dating on tour. Such is her plan. But keeping a professional distance from the guy she’s into—one of the very hot and irresistible band members—is a lot harder than it sounds.
Not normally one to get caught up in the whirlwind life lived by rock stars, Vanessa’s past and present begin on a collision course; her reasons for not wanting to get involved with musicians become clearer than ever. Because while the band starts selling out concerts and becoming social media darlings, the fallout causes Vanessa’s personal life to circle the drain. There isn’t much she can do but go along and hope her heart doesn’t get thrown under the wheels of the tour bus.
Working for the Band – Book 3
The only thing Sandrine Thibeault loves more than music is the people who make it. And, she’s not shy to admit, she has a special fondness for boy bands. Especially hot boy bands. So when she lands the gig as the exclusive vlogger for Wiretap, the newest ‘it’ band to hit the charts, her dreams have become reality. Maybe her dream of having a rock star for a boyfriend will become a reality, too. There are five of them, after all, so her odds are good.
As she’s getting on the tour bus, she thinks the hardest part of this job will be picking which band member she wants as her own. And then when Wiretap befriends another, even more successful band, Sandy’s field of love interests nearly doubles. Dream. Come. True.
Except tour life isn’t as fun and glamorous as it seems. The work is grueling, the hours are long, and her tiny bed on the bus is in what everyone calls the morgue—for good reason. Sandy’s life has become days filled with chugging coffee, trolling social media, fending off crazed fans, late nights backstage, and roadside diners—never the same one twice. Not to mention she’s sharing one microscopic bathroom with nearly a dozen people.
Tour is so much more than she signed up for in every way, but as her relationships with the guys deepen and grow, she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than on the road working for the band. Until it all threatens to come crashing down in ways Sandy never could have imagined—maybe she’s not cut out for the rock star life after all.
Loving the Rock Star – Book 4
Don’t tell anyone, but Vanessa Capri, the girl who always said she hated musicians, is starting to enjoy her life on tour with a bus full of them. Working on tour with the band and her best friend, who’s rocking it as Wiretap’s dedicated vlogger and social media manager, she’s started to find her groove. Also, and maybe most importantly, she’s finally found the right guy. With his sweet personality, total rock star good looks, and musical abilities, Will is definitely the one for her – once the tour wraps and they can actually be together, of course.
But when Nessa’s family life takes a twist, and her mother suddenly returns from the dead after five years lost at sea, her on-hold romance isn’t the biggest problem in her life. As she tries to deal with her family drama, barely keeping it together, Will drops his own truth-bomb in her lap. As someone who might just have abandonment issues (thanks, Mom!), Nessa finds herself struggling to figure out what’s best for her family, Will, and for the band. But where do her own needs fit in?
As Nessa’s life feels like it’s spinning out of her control, she starts to think maybe staying away from musicians would have been a good strategy after all.
Rock & Roll
The Complete Rosewoods Rock Star Series
Book 1 - 4
By
Katrina Abbott
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Over The Cliff Publishing, 2016, 2017, 2018
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
ALONG FOR THE RIDE
First edition. October 2016
Copyright © 2016 Katrina Abbott
Written by Katrina Abbott
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Author’s Note
The Rosewoods Rock Star book, are companions to the original Rosewoods series, but mostly take place after it, beginning chronologically after Crossing the Line (book 10). There are some spoilers, but each series can be read independently.
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If you want to start at the beginning, check out Taking the Reins, book 1 in the original series, which is free for download wherever you get your books.
Along for the Ride
The Rosewoods Rock Star Series
Book 1
By
Katrina Abbott
For Steven,
My very own rock star.
January - The Rosewood/Westwood Talent Show
We were waiting for the next act to come out, but the auditorium was far from quiet. In fact, it was the opposite of quiet because even though there had been two acts and a speech from the dean since, no one could stop talking about what had happened to Seychelles Spencer during Jared Abramovich’s performance.
The poor girl had suffered a wardrobe malfunction that would go down in infamy. Every single person had seen as her outfit had fallen to her waist, exposing her to the entire audience. Well, except for my roommate, Sandy—Sandrine—Thibeault, who’d stepped out to use the bathroom, thinking she wouldn’t miss anything. Not that I could blame her, I mean, who could have predicted that what had promised to be a lame amateur magic act would turn into the talk of the talent show?
“I can’t believe the dean is letting the show go on,” Sandy said from beside me. “Between that and the other guy’s I’m Sexy and I Know It stripping stunt.”
I smiled, shaking my head at the memory of that guy’s ridiculous dance as I watched a single Westwood boy come from the wings toward the center of the stage. He had a guitar slung over his shoulder and was carrying a stool.
Great, another musician wannabe, I thought. Like we need more of those. Instead of saying it out loud, knowing I had a tendency to be hyper-critical of musicians, I turned to my roommate and said, “What else is she going to do? If she shuts the show down, it’s just going to give people more time to talk about it. At least this way, there’s more opportunity for distraction.”
Sandy shrugged. “And you’re sure she didn’t do it on purpose?”
“Seychelles?” I asked and then shook my head, lowering my voice as the guy on stage was introduced. “No, if you’d seen her face, you wouldn’t be asking that. She might be a big flirt, but I really don’t think she intended to flash the entire audience. Believe me, she was mortified. That was no act.”
“This guy’s cute,” she said, turning her attention to the stage, which of course got me to do the same.
Sandy liked—no loved—musicians, so was already biased because of that guitar, but even still, I had to admit she was right. This guy was cute and the way he was really nervous as he bent over his guitar, clearly stalling, was even kind of endearing.
“Who is he?” I asked, not having paid attention to his intro.
“Willmont Davidson,” she said. “He used to date Emmie Somerville. She’s with some guy from town now, but I heard they’re still friends.”
I looked back up to the stage and wondered if this was his first performance.
And then I wondered just how awful he was going to be and steeled my nerves and eardrums to be seriously underwhelmed.
Yes, I was jaded. But I grew up the daughter of a famous music producer: Tony Capri—maybe you’ve heard of him? Anyway, I’ve been to a million concerts and recording sessions and was even my dad’s date to the Grammys (twice) so I knew about good music. A kid playing his guitar on the stage at a high school talent show wasn’t it.
As I sat there, absently sweeping the crowd with my eyes, my attention was suddenly drawn to the stage when he finally began to play.
Because I could tell right away that this guy wasn’t just practiced, this guy was talented.
He played his opening a second time, maybe to steel his nerves or to give the crowd a moment to pay attention, but it still sounded good, so I gave him a pass. Then he looked up at the audience, leaned into the mic, took a breath, and began to sing.
An instant hush fell over the crowd. Because every single person in that auditorium realized what I just had: this guy was good. Really good. Like, star-in-the-making good.
Tears sprang to my eyes at his voice, which was the perfect combination of throaty and masculine, but sweet at the same time. It was almost like his song was reaching toward me, grabbing me, entrancing me.
“Whoa,” fell from my mouth.
“He’s good, isn’t he?” Sandy said, glancing over with wide eyes. She was already clearly smitten, and I had to resist the urge to shake my head at how easily she fell for musicians—silly fangirl.
Though the way my heart pounded and I nodded, unable to find words, told me I was a little smitten, too. Not for the same reason, though. I mean, after a lifetime spent in studios, I was immune to the allure of musicians—their egos, their arrogance, their sense of entitlement, expecting to be treated like gods.
But that same lifetime spent in studios meant I had grown up loving music; it was in my blood, after all. And I could see raw talent up on that stage; learning to identify and cultivate it was my dad’s trade, and I’d inherited his keen ear.
There was a time I’d thought I’d follow in my father’s footsteps. Produce music, maybe even perform. But that was before I’d learned what musicians were really like and the damage they could do. Before I’d made a pact with myself to stay as far away from the music business as was humanly possible.
Still, there was no denying the talent up on the Rosewood stage. Coupled with his clean-cut good looks and the fact that the entire audience was watching him, rapt by his stunning performance, I knew this guy was definitely boy band material.
As luck would have it, my father was in the process of putting together a new boy band and hadn’t yet found all his members.
I let out a sigh because as much as I hated musicians and the business, and the very last thing I needed was to get involved, I was going to have to tell my dad about this guy.
Shut Down
I’d thought about catching up with Willmont after the talent show, but by the time we filed out of our row at the back of the auditorium and I pushed my way against the tide of exiting students to the stage, he was gone.
Just as well, I thought. I wasn’t really sure what I’d say to him before talking to my dad anyway. Maybe I could have felt him out to see how serious he was about his music. Though I could hardly imagine him getting up on stage in front of two whole schools if he wasn’t a rock star wannabe. I’d spent last summer working for my dad, and one of my jobs was to filter all the e-mails from rock star hopefuls. It took up a lot of my time going through all the messages—they were a dime a dozen. More like a dime a thousand.
This time, I had no doubt my dad could make him a star—no wannabe about it. Tony Capri was the kind of guy who made dreams come true, provided the talent was there and in this case, I knew for a fact it was.
But I had to talk to him first before offering Willmont everything I was sure he wanted: fame, fortune, the world at his feet.
Sandy and I mad
e our way back out through the rear of the auditorium, and I looked around, hoping to see Willmont. No such luck.
“I don’t see Dave,” Sandy said, drawing my attention to her, standing beside me.
“Dave?”
She rolled her eyes. “Uh, Dave. The guy with the guitar that you couldn’t stop watching?”
I stared at her blankly, so she laughed. “Willmont Davidson? Everyone calls him Dave—how do you not know this?”
“How do you figure I should know his nickname?” I asked. Maybe the guy was super-popular at Westwood, but that didn’t mean anything. I spent all my time either in school on campus or at the stables. If a guy didn’t ride, he wasn’t on my radar. If he was a musician, he wasn’t even in my universe.
She made a raspberry noise.
“I’m going upstairs to call my dad,” I said, trying to eyeball a path through the crowd in the lobby. I needed to get to the stairs and up to the dorm floors where it was quiet.
“He’s got it, doesn’t he?” Sandy asked, making me turn and look at her before I set out. “That whatever it is. I can tell by that twinkle in your eye.”
I nodded. “Yes, he’s got it.”
“I thought you hated musicians,” she said, looking at me sideways, skeptically.
“I do,” I said with a sigh. “But I love my dad, and he needs guys like this.”
My roommate gave me a knowing smile. “Right, your dad,” she said. Before I could argue, she nodded toward a pack of our friends. “I’m going to go see what the girls are up to. See you upstairs later.”
The Rosewoods Rock & Roll Box Set Page 1
