Series Review: Mayhem by Jamie Shaw

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

Synopsis for Mayhem (from Goodreads):
When college freshman Rowan Michaels meets gorgeous, up-and-coming rock star Adam Everest, she knows a player like him is the last thing she needs after her ex-boyfriend shattered her heart. But she can’t stop thinking about the kiss they shared on his tour bus.

On the first day of school, Rowan is stunned when Adam saunters into her French class. He’s soon failing miserably, and, on a whim, she offers to tutor him. But Adam doesn’t recognize her as a makeup-free, glasses-clad college student—a far cry from the beautiful, mysterious “Peach” he met at his concert.

During a wild weekend on tour with the band, Rowan can’t help falling for the sweet guy buried beneath Adam’s rocker persona. Yet she knows she could never compete with the girls constantly throwing themselves at his feet. She’d just end up hurt … again.

Peach is all Adam thinks about, though, and when Rowan realizes this, she has a decision to make: stay just friends to protect her fragile heart … or reveal the truth about the night they met and admit she’s fallen completely, hopelessly in love with him.

SERIESous’ Top Picks: Favourite New Adult Read 2015
Series: Mayhem
Author: Jamie Shaw
# of Books: 4 (Mayhem, Riot, Chaos, Havoc)
Book Order: Connected but follow chronological events
Complete?: Yes
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Rockstar, Music, Humour
Heat Rating: really warm
Point of View: First Person, Single
Source & Format: Public Library–eBook

Why I picked it up / What I was expecting:

I’m a sucker for a good rockstar romance and I’ve yet to really find one that satisfies my expectations. The Sinners on Tour Series is good but it has far too much sex for me and the Fighting Fate Series is a little too high school for me (though I did love it!). So when I randomly stumbled upon this series, I felt like I found a winner and other reviews seemed to confirm it.

The Concept & Plot:

There really isn’t much plot to these books besides the romance–which really was fine with me! I enjoyed watching these couples come together and there is so much sexual tension that I was a very happy camper. In particular, I had just finished some heavier books when I picked up Mayhem and it was the perfect recharge book for me. I truly had a hard time putting it down because it was just plain fun to read!

While I wouldn’t say these books are straight humour books, I did chuckle throughout them. The lightness to them reminded me a lot of Cora Carmack’s Losing It novel and I really enjoyed that aspect to them.

The Characters:

I loved, loved Adam <3 He is definitely a new book boyfriend for me! He was sweet but had that little cocky edge to him that I love in my heroes. I thought he was completely swoon-worthy and I totally know why Rowan had a hard time resisting his charms! The rest of the band is also fantastic ~~and I really hope that all 4 guys get a book because I would love to see what happens next with these guys!~~

Rowan on the other hand I didn’t love. I liked her but she didn’t completely win me over and I’m not sure why. Perhaps it was jealousy that she gets Adam 😛 HAHA Joking! In all seriousness, I think she just didn’t wow me in anyway but to be fair I think anyone would look underwhelming compared to Adam. She wasn’t anything new to me but she is still a solid character.

I loved the leads in Riot which easily made it my favourite of the two books! Riot had the perfect blend of individual character growth and romantic growth. They were a perfect match which made it so much fun yet so touching to read.

The rest of the characters, besides the band, are an interesting cast and they keep things very interesting. They are there just enough to contribute to the story but they don’t take away from it either. I was never distracted by their side stories but they definitely have me interested in their future stories 😉

The Romance:

The romance is really what sold me with Mayhem. The sexual tension was fantastic! It’s there from start to end and had me hooked! The banter between Adam and Rowan was fantastic as is it with the other leads. It isn’t completely sex focused–far from it actually–so it was nice to see real relationships develop between the characters.

And I challenge you not to love these male leads! They are everything a girl dreams about when it comes to a rockstar fantasy <3

My Expectations for the Rest of the Series:

I hope for a lot of sexual tension and some great character development and romances! Riot had just enough hints for what to expect in Chaos and I am literally counting down the days of my summer to get my hands on it!

–November 23, 2015– Book 3: Chaos

I picked this book up on a whim when I needed a good pick me up–and this fit the bill! It was perfect and everything I had hoped it was going to be. The sexual tension between these two was off the charts and had me swooning at every turn. They were perfect for each other and I LOVED watching them find out for themselves. What I also really loved was that there was a touch of realism to this story. It didn’t follow all of those cliche situations you find in a romance novel and I really appreciated that. I’m super stoked for the next one!

–April 29, 2017– Book 4: Havoc

The expectations for this book were unreal. I’ve been waiting for Mike’s story since Mayhem and this did not disappoint.

The chemistry is fantastic! These two were adorable and even the love triangle didn’t phase me. (To be fair, the heroine isn’t the one in the love triangle who has to choose so that helps). I also loved the character development. The heroine’s growth throughout was wonderful.

So sad to see this series go but I couldn’t have asked for a better ending than this!

My Rating: 4.5/5

Mayhem 4/5 | Riot 5/5 | Chaos 5/5 | Havoc 5/5

One of the best New Adult series I’ve read this year! I loved the romance and the sexual tension. These books were just plain fun, perfect for the summer! Set aside a day people, because you will devour these books!

Read if You Like: romance focused books, rockstar romances, fun characters
Avoid if You: want more plot-lines besides romance