Banded Together

Devlin has lost his bandmate and best friend and is still mourning the loss. He has quit the band, and ignores his bandmates calls, refusing to see them. He wants nothing more to do with music and is looking for a new career by going back to school and studying archaeology. He finds his professor the most fun thing about the class and loves getting under his skin though he would like to get the man under the covers.
Jack is surprised annoyed but intrigued by the new older student until he catches a glimpse of skin and knows right away who the man is. Lead singer of Negative Impressions, one of his favorite bands.
Fight it as he may they become friends since Jack refuses to get involved with a student. Plus Jack has a couple of secrets.

Banded together is beautifully written story of two men both with regrets. There is some angst and sadness as Devlin mourns his loss. The story is interesting and the buildup between the men slow. Its a story of life, change as they mature, loss and love.
If you love professors, punk band singers, more mature men, a little May/December (Devlin is older than Jack) a slow build with a tiny twist you will like this.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
What happens to a rock star when the music stops? Devlin Waters takes himself back to university to finish his degree – and finds himself falling for his sexy professor. I loved the premise of this story and I love that it was inspired by the Offspring’s Dexter Holland’s real life experience.

There are some very funny moments as the celebrity rocker attempts to become just another anonymous student. His peers are young enough to be his children and his flippant banter doesn’t win him any respect from his teacher.

Jack is an interesting character. He’s a buttoned-up professor who also moonlights in a tribute band – as Devlin. I liked Jack but the fanboy ick factor was unnerving. I was never absolutely certain that his relationship with Devlin was because of the man, not the rock star.

There is great chemistry between Jack and Devlin, fabulous flirtation, and a few steamy moments. I liked these two together, but I think I responded more to Devlin’s grief and his midlife crisis than I did to the romance in the novel.

Parts of this story didn’t quite work for me. For slightly older characters, there is too much miscommunication and there are too many moments where Devlin feels more like a sulky, cocky 20-year-old than a confident 40-year-old. Maybe it’s a rock star stunted development thing, but it really wasn’t sexy. I also felt like too much of this story is spent with side characters and as a result, there aren’t enough moments where we actually see Jack and Devlin building a relationship together.

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Banded Together by KC Burn to read and review.

REVIEW BY TONI @ Kimmers' Erotic Book Banter: http://bit.ly/2CKbFMl

'Banded Together' by KC Burn is a vibrant story of love, loss and music.

Due to various commitments, I had to pick this book up between other readings and thanks to Burns’ quality writing I had no difficulty in remembering where I left off. In my mind, that’s a good sign of strong characterizations and a solid story line.

Devlin is the lead singer of Negative Impression a punk rock band with moderate success in the scene. However, when Devlin‘s best friend and fellow band member dies suddenly, he quits music altogether deciding to head back to University studies to get the degree his late father always wanted him to achieve. As an adult student, Devlin is older than the rest of his class and in fact even slightly older than Jack, his decidedly hot instructor for his Intro to Archaeology class.

Little does Devlin know that Jack is a huge fan of Negative Impression and even fronts a cover band in homage. And Jack is fueling some very inappropriate fantasies for Devlin about indulging in a little roleplay as the naughty student…However due to a past interaction which left a very bitter taste in Jack’s mouth, he is not interested in giving Devlin any room to hurt him again.

But life often has other ideas and it seems these two men are thrown together for a reason.

I thoroughly enjoyed the depth of feeling in this book and found myself being moved to tears (not a common event!) during the conclusion.

If you enjoy witty banter, big-hearted guys and being taken on a journey, then 'Banded Together' by KC Burn could just be for you.

Reviewed by Jenn for Diverse Reader

KC Burn wrote such a great book about, heartbreak, love, and finding your way again. Banded Together is my new favorite KC book!

Devlin Waters has been in his band, Negative Impression for over 20 years. When his best friend and band co-founder, Trent dies...so does the music for Devlin. He is a man drowning in grief and in desperate need to shake up his life. Knowing it would please his deceased father, Devlin heads back to college.

Enter Dr. Jack Johnson, a professor filling in for Devlin’s intro to Archeology class. Devlin is immediately drawn to “Dr. Jack” Jack is immediately annoyed by Devlin. Jack is also attracted to his 41 year old student. Having no idea that Devlin Waters is really Blade from Jack’s favorite band, he is in for quite a shock. Unbeknownst to Devlin, he and Jack share a history and Jack soon realizes just who his annoying, attractive student is. Through a series of run ins, some planned, some not, they become friends. While Devlin is still running from the pain of losing his best friend, he doesn’t want to discuss the band or the music. This leaves Jack in a very precarious position that eventually comes back to haunt him. Now Devlin needs to find the strength to stop running and find something real...maybe even find music again.

This story puts a really interesting twist on second chances. I really loved where the author goes with the story and the characters reactions, it’s very believable. Pain and loss are present, but so is self discovery and joy! Such a good read and one I’d really recommend!