The is the third a series and it's possible that this would have been better if I had realised that and read the others before this one. It's 2453 and Ari Walker, guitarist for the phenomenally popular girl band Shattered Crystal Enigma (SCE), is is really only interested in the band and playing her guitar. That is, until she meets Rhynn Knight, the drummer of the band opening for SCE on their interstellar tour. Rhynn has had a crush on Ari for ages and meeting her is beyond her wildest dreams. But Ari has a stalker who doesn't like that Rhynn is now in her sphere of interest.

As a Sci fi fan I would have liked more descriptions of a world over 400 years in the future and perhaps this is ground the previous novels covered. It's written from three different points of view; ari's in first person and the Rhynn and Morgan's (owner of a security company and main character from ‘Saving Morgan’) are in third person. I'm not sure I liked this style in this novel because I found it jarring.

The stalker going after a celebrity aspect is not a favorite trope of mine and I was fairly sure of who it was from early on. I must say though, the security company seemed pretty incompetent. In spite of these things I wasn't tempted to stop reading and I think readers who enjoy the whole rush of live performances of bands will likely enjoy this.

Book received from Netgalley and Bella Books for an honest review.

Set in Earth Year 2453, this has intergalactic environment. It is a combination of being thriller-ish (with a stalker) and a romance.

Ari Walker is guitarist in a successful slam-thrash girl band Shattered Crystal Enigma (SCE). She’s been getting messages that are increasingly giving her the creeps. From fan mail, the letters from Celestian have morphed into being more stalker-like. The band is completing recording and is about to set off on their first interstellar tour. Along with Ari’s stalker issues, the drummer of the band seems to be slowing unravelling, sliding into a chaos of partying and drugs. The bands sets off under this not very auspicious cloud. Ari’s stalker seems to be dogging them everywhere and when the stalker makes their presence felt during a show, the drummer loses it and quits. Rhynn Knight, drummer in a local band that did the opening act for SCE is roped in to complete the tour. Already a huge fan of SCE and in celebrity-love with Ari, for Rhynn this is a dream come true

One of the most interesting things in the book is that all Ari parts are written in first person and all the parts with everyone else, in third person. Ari comes across as vulnerable but strong. Despite increasingly dangerous attacks, she retains both, her softness and she steel. You can’t but help rooting for her and wanting her to find love. Rhynn is laidback and likeable.

This is a read-‘em-forget-‘em book which entertains while it lasts.

I will say that I thought it was a weird choice for a romance with a stalker theme is a weird choice for a science fiction setting, but it worked for me. One of the things that helped make it work is the socio-political set up of the dynamic between earth folks and those who live in space. It also touches on some other themes that helped round out this space romance.

I think stalker story lines can hit me as either being too comically villainous, or too remote for their victims to feel anything from it. So, while this stalker hit a ton of tropes that can go into cartoon territory, there was a balance here that helped me understand what Ari was feeling (I loved that her narration was in 1st person, but I wish that Rhynn's chapters were also in 1st persont). It helped to see the sense of invasion of space, the feeling that the stalker could be anywhere, and even the guilt Ari experiences for having been part of something that could put her dearest friends in danger. That last one was particularly great, because she knows its not her fault, but she can see the strain on her band mates and one incident actually sent her drummer away. Though that scene was basically a set up to help Rhynn and Ari get closer, it was a great payoff to some careful planning. It impacted so many people, and was a turning point into "this got real, too fast" mode.

It is a strange set up and the switching point of views was a let down (I didn't mind it with some of the cameo characters, but I would have loved to have been in Rhynn's head, too), this was a great romance with a science fiction world that was build lovingly around it. I loved the genre mash-up.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

This was a good read.

Ari Walker is a lead guitarist in a band called Shattered Crystal Enigma (SCE). She on top of the world but she has a problem inform of a stalker named Celestian at first she thought it was harmless because the stalkers sent creepy emails and notes.

When she about to go on tour she receives black roses dripping with what looks like blood from the petals with a threatening note. She hopes to lose her stalker while touring but things starts to get worse when they hire Rhynn Knight to be the new drummer and it's a dream come true for Rhynn because she always wanted to play with Ari and her band and she always had a crush on Ari. When they start playing to together a mutual attraction is form and Ari feels she found something worth having.

As things come to head when Ari stalker Celestian get winds of Ari and Rhynn being together that when the real terror begin and it was crazy I was like being stalk is more terrifying because you are in constant fear that you be watch and you can't really do anything about it then you already doing it's like you trying to move forward but you also stuck.

Blood and Roses by MB Panichi is the third book that she has written in the futuristic world of the twenty-fifth century (2453). This technically makes this a Science Fiction story, though the author did such a fine job with the tale, that the time and setting felt almost natural to me. Yes, there is a lot of space travel and cities on the moon, but this could be where we might end up in four hundred plus years if we don’t destroy ourselves before then. Of course, this world has already been fleshed out since Ms. Panichi used this same world in two of her other books. The main characters from those actually play a prominent secondary role in this tale, but don’t worry. You don’t have to read those books first to enjoy this one, this is a great standalone novel.

This story is about Ari Walker, the lead guitarist in the slam-thrash band Shattered Crystal Enigma (SCE). Ari has a problem though. She has a stalker named Celestian. At first Celestian just sent rather creepy notes and emails to Ari. But just before they head out to record their next album and start their first interstellar tour, a vase of black roses appears on the kitchen table in the band’s home dripping with what looks like blood from the petals to the table. An almost threatening note rests in the fake blood. Ari hopes that she and the band will lose the stalker when they begin touring, but they hire security to help protect them just in case. Once they begin their tour, they lose their drummer who quits after another stalker incident on Moon Base. They hire Rhynn Knight, a talented musician they meet on Moon Base to be their new drummer. This is a fantasy job for Rhynn, who has dreamed of being part of this band. She has also dreamed of Ari since she first heard and saw her play. The two become attracted to each other which is great until Celestian notices. Then the real terror begins for both of them.

I truly enjoyed this novel. I’m not generally a Science Fiction reader, but as I said above, this feels like what our world could be in four hundred (or so) years. I was more focused on the mystery of the stalker and what would happen to the characters. This is a wonderful and well written mystery/adventure tale with intrigue, several heart-stopping moments, and of course a lovely romance entwined throughout the story. I am very glad I read Blood and Roses, and now I want to go and read the other two books from this world.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bella Books for an honest review.

Ari is far from being a helpless damsel in distress but a stalker is making her feel more and more vulnerable by the day. As the star guitarist in Shattered Crystal Enigma (SCE), one of the universe’s up and coming slam-thrash bands, she’s used to getting her share of attention though, especially as the band is getting ready to go on tour. Rhynn is a drummer with a much less famous band and one of Ari’s biggest fan. When she’s asked to join SCE for the duration of the tour, she’s super excited.

Why do stalker stories terrify me more than serial killers? IRL they both scare the shit out of me but in books, I guess I manage to distance myself better in one case than the other.

I read Saving Morgan and Running Toward Home a while ago so I was a bit worried about not remembering enough. I do remember enjoying the former very much but I don’t really have any memory of the latter. Which doesn’t mean anything since, as I have written in many reviews, my memory is a joke. Still, I know I liked Saving Morgan a lot, so that’s something.

Anyway, back to Blood and Roses. It doesn’t really matter if you haven’t read the other books in the series, the MCs are whole new characters. I was happy to be back in this universe, and found myself at home – so to speak – right from the start. The best part is that, from book 1, I loved how important music was in the story, loved the idea of slam-thrash and zero-gravity dance cubes. To have this new instalment take place in that environment and the MCs be musicians was a very welcome surprise.

I loved Rhynn, I loved how laidback she is with things out of her control but how serious she acts when it matters. She’s so cute when she meets her idol, trying not to act starstruck, it’s no wonder Ari liked her instantly. Other characters were good too, from the band to the various crew members, Morgan and Shaine’s foster daughter Friday and Rhynn’s mother.

I liked that the story was told from Ari’s POV in first person and from Rhynn’s (and others) in third. And it was nice seeing Shaine and Morgan again, and that Morgan got to use her skills once again. In addition to being a very enjoyable (and at times chilling) read, this book made me want to read both previous ones again.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

An honest review thanks to NetGalley. I really did like this book, especially how it started with the blood roses in their home. The idea of setting this band in the future and the space travel added an extra element that kept my interest throughout the book. The downside was that for me it was very obvious who the stalker was from the beginning, and the ending didn't seem to fit with the stalkers earlier decisions. I loved Ari and Rhynn together, they were a great pair and it I loved being transported to their world.