4.5 stars ( )

4.5 stars ( )

A solid good story, well written and nicely developed, With the Band was almost a “classic” romance; the show business theme, the love between members of the same band, the issue of being gay when you have a public persona, all these points where faced, developed and resolved.

Aaron and Bastian are not “heroes”, they are ordinary men, and I liked that, even if the Band is having success, in any case it remains to an average level, that means lot and lot of miles and cheap motels and maybe even struggles to arrive to the end of the month. How many of these stories there are out there? How many musicians choose to live of little for the love of the music? Aaron and Bastian are two of them, and it’s not for the glamour of the scene they are doing that, but for the satisfaction of being able to sing their songs.

That is also the reason why this novel rang true; I have the feeling the author well knows the life of a roadie, or at least she has done her homework. It’s a world of sweat and tears more than glitters and glamour; maybe it’s about sex, drugs and rock and roll, but it’s also about sharing an apartment with your brother or best friend and having to hide your true feelings since, even if you are good, public opinion is still stronger than you on a commercial level.

I like the contrast of both Aaron and Bastian; Aaron appears to be really young, like the little kid brother, but he is also able to take the upper hand in most situation, and even in bed; Bastian on the other side seems to be this big bad boy, leather and brooding looks, but he has a layer of insecurity that can be charming, making you want to cuddle him.

As I said the plot development is almost classic, what is more important is probably the good setting, you could almost feel the “flavour” of all those bodies writhing to the vibes of the hard rock music.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0051HEXZA/?tag=elimyrevandra-20