MIA AND THE BAD BOY (Backstage Pass #2) by Lisa Burstein ARC Review and Giveaway

MIA AND THE BAD BOY (Backstage Pass #2)
Release Date: 05/19/15
Entangled Crush


Summary from Goodreads:
This good girl’s about to meet her match…

Ryder Brooks is living the dream—he’s famous, loved by millions of girls, and miserable. All he really wants is to write his own music, not Seconds to Juliet’s sugary sweet pop. In order to do that, though, the “bad boy” of the band will have to play by the rules. And that includes behaving with his new—and super cute—über-good-girl tutor. 

Mia Reyes is in fangirl heaven. Tutoring her favorite member of her favorite band? It’s a dream come true…until it turns into a complete nightmare. Ryder is nothing like she thought. He’s crude, arrogant, and pretty much a total jerk. And the worst part? She’s roped into pretending to be his girlfriend so that no one finds out he’s being tutored. Fake kisses, plenty of PDA, and even sharing his hotel room… 

But sometimes even the baddest of bad boys needs a little redemption. Add to Goodreads

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BOOK EXCERPT:
His hand framed her chin, tipped it up toward his lips. Just that small touch made it hard for her to breathe.She could feel the pulse in her neck ticking up, her heart rate matching her excitement in a way it never had before.

“I’ve been wanting to do this since our date in St. Louis,” he said with a throaty whisper.

“I’ve been wanting to do this since I taped your poster on my wall,” Mia managed to say.

Ryder’s hand was still on her chin. He nudged in tighter, so she could feel his breath on the skin of her cheeks. She didn’t know what to do with her hands. They were tight at her sides, like she was paralyzed.

“You’re not going to kiss me just because I’m Ryder Brooks, though, right?” he asked with a sly smile.

“No,” Mia said, the words coming easier. She slipped her arms around his waist. His skin was so warm, and his jeans were damp. She felt the muscles of his waist yield to her touch. “When I met you, I kind of hated you, and kissing was not the word with a K that came to mind.”

“King?” 

Mia laughed, ripples of heat dripping down her abdomen as Ryder inched his lips closer. “You’re really using your vocabulary.”

“Flash cards,” Ryder bantered back.

“But now,” Mia said, her hands clasped tightly around Ryder’s bare back, “I want to kiss you in a different way. Not because you’re Ryder Brooks, but because you’re you.”

“That’s why I want to kiss you, too.. His lips brushed against her nose first, each cheek, sending bursts of pleasure into every soft part of her.

Mia closed her eyes and puckered her lips, puckered them so hard she thought her face might crack.

She heard Ryder suppress a giggle.

Mia’s eyes popped open. “What?”Her organs turned to ice. She wanted to crawl under the bed.

Ryder ran his finger along her cheek. His other hand slipped up her arm, bringing her closer. “Let me teach you for a change.”

Mia swallowed, afraid if she spoke, this might turn to dust.

Ryder opened his lips and brought them to hers slowly, hovering there, his breath fanning her face. “Don’t pucker. Just do what I do, what I cannot wait to do.”

He pressed her lips open slightly, driving his tongue against them and gliding it against hers until it was in her mouth, sliding against her tongue. Tongue! She’d known this was how people kissed but had never understood the reasoning. Tongues were for tasting, for talking. But now she knew that really they were for this.

Having their mouths connected, Mia mirroring each move Ryder made, created a chemical reaction, flipped a switch. She suddenly knew exactly what to do. Her hands were on his broad chest, running down his tight stomach, his covetable abs. His hands were in her hair, curving against her side. His tongue dipped with hers; his mouth was warm and firm and perfect.

BOOK REVIEW:
Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
I have been a huge fan of Lisa Burstein ever since I've read Dear Cassie. So when I heard about her newest book that is sure to make anyone swoon, who am I not to jump on the chance to read it?
I've always been a softie when it comes to ya contemporary. Especially so when it comes with a bad boy, big time rockstar who falls for the ordinary, small town good girl. So just imagine my excitement when I got accepted as part of the book's tour.

One of the things I really loved about MIA AND THE BAD BOY is the writing style. It was so easy to get lost in and from the very first chapter, I was hooked. I actually started the book late in the night thinking I'd just read a few chapters just to help me fall asleep. I should have known how wrong I was. 
Also, I love that the chapters were told in alternating POVs. Ryder's was my favorite. I have a soft spot for bad boys. Especially bad boys who could sing and play a guitar and I was just swooning over Ryder from the start. Reading his thoughts was never boring and I grew to love him more. He seemed a bit of a jerk when Mia first met him but underneath he's truly a guy with a big heart. He's hilarious and sweet and I just love it when he opens up to Mia and bares himself. I just enjoyed seeing him grow.

One thing I didn't love about the book though is Mia. It's not that I dislike her character or got annoyed with her. It's more because I couldn't relate with her. I have mentioned that Ryder's POV was my favorite and this actually had a lot to do with me not finding Mia to be a relatable character. Also, for someone who is supposed to be "shy", Mia didn't have any problems whatsoever to be snarky from the start. She was supposed to be a sheltered, quiet girl but she seemed way too sassy for a sheltered, quiet girl.
Second thing I didn't like - the romance. Although I am in love with Ryder and Mia dynamic, the romance just seemed to move a bit too fast for me. I will always be a sucker for swoony, slow burn romance so I was a bit disappointed.

The ending though! It was perfection! And that scene between Miles and Ryder? I love it when guys pretend they don't care about their friends but they actually really do. It was totally a bromance moment and I loved it.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this newest addition to the Backstage Pass series. I would definitely check out the rest of the books!

I received a copy of the book to read and review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lisa Burstein is a tea seller by day and a writer by night. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the Inland Northwest Center for Writers at Eastern Washington University and is glad to finally have it be worth more than the paper it was printed on. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her very patient husband, a neurotic dog and two cats.

She wrote her first story when she was in second grade. It was a Thanksgiving tale from the point of view of the turkey from freezer to oven to plate. It was scandalous.


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