A ripped rock star with attitude.
An ex-girlfriend with a reckless plan.
Pandora assumed getting her heart broken by her bad boy ex could only happen once--until Mackenna Jones comes back to town for the biggest concert of his career. They say girls are getting pregnant just thinking about the Crack Bikini tour and it's destined to be a huge hit.
Oh, it'll be a hit alright--when Pandora comes out swinging. She and her friend Melanie are determined to humiliate him onstage. But when they're caught by security and her ex is
summoned, Mackenna decides not to press charges if she'll join him on tour and follow certain conditions--rules designed to give him the upper hand and keep her in close contact with him once again. Soon, the passion they once shared is reignited, and no matter how much Pandora wants to hate him, her hard exterior starts to crack.
And worse: Mackenna knows it, too. But he hasn't uncovered all her secrets...
I love a guitar-playing front man. Like, love. But you know what I love even more?
Pandora. Yeah, I said it. Admit it: When you were reading the Real
series' first three books, and then the first spin-off (Rogue) about one
of Brooke's besties, Melanie, you didn't get too excited about the thought of a
Pandora book, did you? I mean, she was
snarky and funny, but Pandora has been acknowledged as a bit of a black rain
cloud. Sure, I was curious why she hated
men so much, why the literally dark demeanor (black hair, black clothes, etc.),
but I wasn't sure I wanted to read all about her. I'm here with my mea culpa. I was wrong, folks.
Even more than the book's hero, Mackenna Jones, I loved
Pandora--and that's saying something (considering my above-mentioned love for
guitar-playing front men). Pandora
started out living up to my expectations--pissed off and on a mission to
destroy a man--and I wasn't sure I wanted to go there with her. But when she dragged Melanie (and her sparkling,
glittery perfection) along with her to wreak some sort of revenge against
Mackenna Jones, lead singer of Crack Bikini, I couldn't help but smile. Melanie brings lightness to every page. Then when the two of them actually executed
their plan, I giggled like a school girl.
Seriously. So freaking funny! There's Pandora pissed off and trying to
assuage years of anger and bitterness, and Melanie happily going along even
though she has no idea why Pandora wants to destroy this man. And then, I can't stop laughing right now
remembering this, when they get busted, Melanie starts yelling at everyone that
her boyfriend is going find their home and kill them in their sleep (which he
would TOTALLY do for Melanie)--I was dying!
I freaking love that girl!
And here's where I started to fall in love with
Pandora. While Melanie is screaming that,
basically, the wrath of Hell will be upon anyone who touches her when her
boyfriend finds out, Pandora is quietly falling apart and trying to keep it
together. I have a couple of quotes to
describe Miss Pandora here:
"My only love sprung from my
only hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!"
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!"
--Juliet,
from Romeo and Juliet
"Hell hath no fury like a woman
scorned."
--William
Congreve
"Where there is a lot of hate,
there must have been a lot of love."
--Stephanie,
my college roommate
In Juliet's
case, it's more of my only hate sprung
from my only love, but you get the point.
Few people inspire more anger, fear and pain than the ones we love the
most, and what we learn in this book is that Pandora has loved Mackenna Jones
like no other (literally). If you've
ever loved someone more than you thought possible, someone who made you realize
what love really means, and then you've been hurt by that person, then Pandora
will cut you right to the bone. Been
there, done that, Pandora, and still wear the scars.
See, Pandora's
got this problem processing emotions.
Cut off and shut down by outside forces at a time she needed to grieve
the most, the only acceptable emotion she was allowed to exhibit was anger;
it's her default. Anytime she feels
pain, she turns it and works it until only anger is left. The real emotions are still there, but they're
locked down so tight that even Pandora isn't sure how to access them without
letting them take over. A façade of
anger is safe. Lying to herself is safe;
shutting down her real feelings is safe.
Pandora is self-contained and a master of emotional self control. Oh Pandora, how I feel you, but that is one tough
row to hoe. In response, I found myself
building a break-up mixtape for Pandora in my head. You know, not the one your girlfriends would
make to cheer you up, but the one you make for yourself when you need to break
and wallow and get it out. Pandora never
had the chance to get it out. So,
Pandora, I offer you "Last Tears" by the Indigo Girls. Listen and let loose, my soul sister. And for all the times you found yourself
unable to utter those all-important three words, I give you "I Love
You" by Sarah McLachlan. Listen and
learn. If that doesn't break the vault
of tears and wash away the stone in your throat when three little words seem
too big to cross your lips, I don't know what will.
And Pandora,
for those angry days--and you deserve to have them--I offer you my all-time favorite
angry break-up song, the one I played on repeat for so many days, my neighbors
complained: "My, My" by Seven Mary Three. Scream it, girl. Get it out.
Don't get me
wrong, I loved Mackenna too. I mean, what's
not to love about a musician, right? On
top of the musician thing, you add his amazing looks, his smart mouth, and the
honest depth of emotion he displays (and is unafraid to reveal), and you've got
a BBF for the history books. He will
give you sexy times you will not soon forget, and you'll find yourself begging
Pandora to just give in already and go for it.
Before you worry that Pandora's holding out and cutting down on Ms.
Evans' awesome, signature sex scenes--don't!
Poor Pandora doesn't stand a chance holding her body back; it's her
heart that she's got a lock on. I think
you'll love Mackenna as much as I do.
I'd take more Mackenna anytime our lovely author, Katy, wants to give
him to me, but Pandora…she's my girl.
I won't give
away the ending, of course, because you need to wend your way there one tear
and laugh at a time, but I will say this: You won't be disappointed. You'll cry, and probably blubber through your
snotty nose and teary gasps, "I fucking love Mackenna Jones," right
before you dissolve in tears once again, but it will be cathartic. It will be the ending Pandora and Mackenna
deserve. All will be explained in due
time, and all will be …. I'm not telling.:)
Go read it!! I promise you will
not be able to put it down!
In parting, I
leave Mackenna and Pandora the last song on my very dated mix tape: "The
Promise" by Tracey Chapman. How
many times I bawled my eyes out to this song in hope, I can't even tell you,
but Mackenna and Pandora make this song a prayer deserving of a storybook answer. I'm getting a little teary again just
thinking about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment