Series Review: Sixth Street Bands by Jayne Frost

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Sixth Street Bands

Synopsis for Gone for You (from Goodreads):

As the guitarist for the rock band Caged, I know the rules: no relationships. No complications. Leave ‘em smiling when you go, but always go. Besides, it’s not like I’m ever in one place for more than a few days at a time. As the next hottest thing out of Austin, the band and me are riding the wave, and the music is all that matters.

Until her…

Lily Tennison has “complication” written across her beautiful face. But I can’t get involved. The timing’s all wrong. But she’s under my skin, and I can’t resist her troubled eyes and sweet smile. And I do have a little time to kill. Not much, just a few days in Dallas.

So I’ll scratch the itch and move on, like I always do.

Simple, right?

Note: You won’t need to turn up the heat—Sixth Street Bands Romances have plenty of steamy fun. This story can be read as a stand-alone but is part of the Sixth Street Bands music scene.

Series: Sixth Street Bands
Author: Jayne Frost
# of Books: 5 (Full Reading Order Here)
Book Order: Connected
Complete?: Unsure
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Rockstars, Music, Drama
Heat Rating: Toasty
Point of View: First Person, Single (Male POV), Alternating (Book 2 onwards)
Publication Date: April 2015 – September 2018
Source & Format: Author/Read It & Review It–eARC Thank you so much for the opportunity!

**This post was originally posted as a Fresh Friday review of the first book of the series. It has now been updated to include the newest publications in the series.**

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I actually saw a review for Gone for You on another blog and planned to add it to my TBR. It wasn’t very long after that that I was contacted to read a copy and so I eagerly accepted!

Rockstars are my new Highlanders–meaning they are my latest reading obsession. I’ve read a lot of musician based stories spanning Young Adult to New Adult to Adult recently so I was more than ready to add another to the mix!

What I Liked:

-The Male POV-

I totally went into this book thinking I was going to get alternating POVs but I was very happy to see that it was just a straight POV–and a male one at that! Not very many authors attempt this and for Jayne Frost’s first novel, I applaud her for the risk and effort. It was an interesting place to be inside a male rockstar’s head and I actually didn’t mind not having Lily’s POV as much as I expected and I think it was because Cameron was so refreshing to read as a character!

It gets a little tiring reading about rockstars who are really normal guys or who have hearts of gold beneath their bad boy personas. I mean, I like those guys but it was nice to read about a rockstar who lives up to the name. Cameron is a bit of a jerk but that’s what makes the story so great–you get to watch him grow as a character and mature. I really appreciated that aspect.

-The Flow-

I actually read this book in a day. Partly because it is on the shorter side but more accurately, I just loved the flow the plot had. It moves at a great pace, keeps your attention and has a few little twists along the way. It truly is a great summer read when you have a few hours to spend on your patio reading (like I did!).

What I Didn’t Like:

-The Insta-Relationship-

I’m a little mixed on this. This relationship definitely started as insta-lust and I loved that. They have a connection, they act on it and they establish the base of a relationship: that all works for me. That is exactly what I expected.

And I even expected the fast connection and the insta-relationship but I wanted to see more! I really wanted to root for this couple but was just short of rooting for them. I feel like we barely scratched the surface of who they are and I wanted to see them learn more about each other. Because I really liked them as a couple, I could see how they would work, I just wanted strong character growth–something that I think will be present more in the sequels because we have been introduced to the characters I assume will be the next set of leads.

My Expectations for the Rest of the Series:

I’m really curious to see who the next set of leads will be. I have my suspicions but I could be completely wrong. I’m excited to delve deeper into this rockstar world!

–April 24, 2017– Book #2: Fall With Me

I was so happy that Fall With Me built upon the potential I saw when reading the first book in the series. While Gone for You seemed rushed in its delivery, this one had perfect pacing.

It definitely helped that the Mel and Christian had great chemistry from the start. It was easy for me to see why they would be drawn to each other. They are both geeky in their own ways and that served as a nice foundation for their romance. They actually talked instead of just exploring their physical chemistry.

I also liked Mel’s story. Her situation is so realistic and one that doesn’t get highlighted in novels let alone romantic ones and I really appreciated that. It added to the story in a strong way.

I’m excited to see if the momentum will keep up in the next book!

–October 13, 2017– Book #3: Missing From Me

This novel is the classic second chance romance that you always get in a rockstar series–but this story easily stands out on its own.

The plot never felt stale to me when it easily could have. The bumps along the way are ones that are super common to the second chance trope but they just worked so well for this unique story that I didn’t mind. It had my full attention from the start.

The journey these two have to take to find each other again is fascinating to read. Sean in particular has a lot of growth he needs to accomplish and it was such a joy to watch him transform before your eyes. He makes quite a few mistakes on the way but they help to ground the story and provide a backbone for the plot to move forward. The lesson of learning from the past to make a better, healthier future is always a winning attribute in my books.

While I loved these two as a pair and could see their obvious love for each other, I wish we saw more of them “back in the day”. I’m a reader who likes to be shown how two people fall in love, not necessarily told so that was a slightly “disappointing” aspect. Then again, this story isn’t about their past but how they are going to start the rest of their lives and I will say, it was rather refreshing to have this as the focus.

–January 14, 2018– Book #4: Lost for You

I really loved the journey of these two characters. For me, this was a story about two people finding themselves with a little dash of romance thrown in and I couldn’t get enough!

Both characters have their everyday struggles and that made them so real to me. Their struggles are so human and humbling that you truly connected with them. They have a lot of stuff to work through as people and they show that the path isn’t always straightforward or simple. I was so invested in the outcome, whatever it might be, and I had a hard time putting this book down.

I’m a huge romance fan and I like to see my relationships spelled out for me. I find this series has plenty of steam and the characters have great chemistry but the development of said romance takes a bit of a back seat to the character development. I knew to expect that with this book as well though I would have loved to see them establish that connection a little more for the romantic in me.

However, I appreciated the obstacles they had to overcome and realized that is the whole point of this story. It isn’t necessarily about finding love but overcoming your past to build a better present so you can embrace the future.

It’s a beautiful story.

This series just gets better and better the further we delve into it and I can’t wait for the next book!

–September 10, 2018– Book #5: Down to You

I think it’s safe to say that this entire series has been leading up to Logan’s story. I know I’ve spent the better part of this series wondering who would be the perfect match for Logan–and what secrets he holds–so I was eager to read his story.

I will be the first to admit that this book did take me awhile to get into it. The main reason is that it takes a long time for these two to even come within the same orbit of daily routine. We spend a good portion of the first quarter getting glimpses into their individual everyday lives and problems. So in that respect, it was great for the character development because I had a great understanding of the characters’s backstories and all their layers.

Jayne Frost has this great ability to write uniquely complex characters in each of her stories and she succeeds once again with these two. Logan is an absolute charmer and unlike any rockstar lead I’ve encountered in my many reads. He’s complex and layered and I dare you not to fall in love with him.

This romance is the definition of “slow burn”. It takes a good amount of time for them to start scratching beneath the surface of who the other person is. But that works to the story’s advantage because you know how perfect these two are for each other and the anticipation of waiting for them to discover it is wonderful.

As a whole, this is a great finale to the Caged Saga of this series. When I think back to that first novel in the series, it’s crazy how well this series as developed. In a way, everything has come full circle and we get this great closure on this one chapter of this universe while building up future sagas. I know I can’t wait for more stories and to see what Jayne Frost will come up with next!

Series Rating: 4/5

Gone for You 3/5 | Fall With Me 4/5 | Missing From Me 4/5 | Lost for You 4.5/5 | Down to You 4/5

This series just gets better and better! The greatest strength of this series is the unique character stories we get. Each book focuses on character growth and development. You truly get invested in the characters and their stories. Plus, there are plenty of steamy moments between characters with fantastic chemistry!

Read if You Like: rockstar leads, character centered stories
Avoid if You: want a longer story, don’t enjoy instalove romances