New Review – Blog Tour: TATTOO THIEF: TYLER & STELLA by Heidi Joy Threthway

Check out my review for the second book in the Tattoo Thief series, find out some things you didn’t know about the band in the authors Hot Reads Hijack, and enter the GIVEAWAY!

Stella Ramsey always says bad boys can’t break your heart. They don’t call, don’t cuddle and don’t send flowers—but what do you expect? For Stella, no strings means no regrets.

When the biggest story of her fledgling career as a music journalist nearly ruins her relationship with her best friend, Stella has one chance to redeem herself. Tyler Walsh could be that chance.

Stella promises the bassist for the rock band Tattoo Thief anything in exchange for behind-the-scenes access. But Tyler doesn’t want anything. He wants everything—and that’s more than Stella is prepared to give.

When Tyler’s explosive secret thrusts Stella into the media spotlight, she must choose between selling the story and telling the truth—and exposing the truth about herself as well.

Tyler & Stella (Tattoo Thief #2) is a sizzling story of lust, lies, and sacrifice, revealing how much love can forgive.

Tattoo Thief is one of the hottest bands in America, reaching the top of the Billboard 200 charts twice in a year, first with its debut album Feast, and most recently with the sophomore release Beast, featuring the single, “Peace of Madness.”

The band wrapped up a sold-out tour a few months ago and was expected to return to the studio to record a third album, but then Tattoo Thief went dark—in the wake of the death of his muse, the lead singer cut off communication with the rest of the band and fled the country.

Two weeks ago, the lead singer returned to the US, confessed the circumstances surrounding his muse’s death, and pledged that the band would get back to the music. Every media outlet wants a piece of them, so when aspiring music journalist Stella Ramsey gets insider access, her crooked boss at The Indie Voice expects her to deliver the celebrity gossip at any cost.

Here are ten things you don’t know about the band:

☆ All of the band members have tattoos, but Dave’s secretive about his. With nine, Tyler has the most tattoos, and it was his first tattoo that earned the band the name Tattoo Thief. It’s also the only one Tyler regrets, and he tells Stella why in Tyler & Stella.

☆ Jayce lost a bet with Tyler and had to dye his hair blue the day before the band’s photo shoot for Spin magazine. After the article came out, he got tons of fanmail from girls with blue hair, but he really loves redheads.

☆ If the band had a mascot, it would be Gavin’s goofy dog, Jasper. The basenji doesn’t bark, he yodels, and he likes to chew up sunglasses and dirty laundry. Jasper’s ruined two pairs of Tyler’s shades already.

☆ The band makes decisions by majority rule, and decides a split vote with a coin toss. That’s how the band ultimately decided which label to sign with, and the band’s manager, Chief, took the quarter in lieu of his first paycheck. It’s framed in his office.

☆ Although Gavin and Jayce are often seen with dates and Dave has a steady girlfriend, Tyler’s never had a long-term girlfriend.

☆ Drinks most likely to be ordered on a night out:Gavin—whiskey on the rocks. Tyler—light beer or diet Coke. Jayce—Guinness. Dave—Old Fashioned.

☆ Band members’ heights, according to the media: Gavin: 6’1”; Dave: 5’11” (actual: 5’10”); Jayce: 6 feet; Tyler: 6’3” (actual: 6’4”—but he thinks that sounds too freakish).

☆ No one is allowed in the room when the band is working on writing a song, although girlfriends and groupies sometimes come to practice. The only exception was for Gavin’s late muse.

☆ The band practices together five days a week, three hours a day, plus each member practices his own instruments separately. After practice, the band lifts weights (Dave’s the slave-driver) to blow off steam.

☆ Each band member has a role beyond their instruments:
Gavin is the inventor; creating songs and leading Tattoo Thief’s artistic vision.
Tyler is the facilitator; he sees people more clearly than they see themselves and brings them together.
Jayce is the protector; he’s got his band mates’ backs and he makes Gavin’s songs come to life.
Dave is the director; he thinks long-term about the band’s success and especially the business side of the music business.

Stella Ramsey’s insider access lets her learn all of this. But there’s one secret Tyler won’t share with Stella, Gavin or Dave, and when it hits the media spotlight, Stella Ramsey will be forced to choose between selling the story and telling the truth about him—and that could force her to reveal the truth about herself as well.

Well what can I say about TYLER & STELLA? This book was fab!! After giving the first book in the series 3.5 stars, and not being a fan of Stella at all, I wasn’t too sure how I would find this novel, but I was very pleasantly surprised from the get go.

We start back during the last chapter of TATTOO THIEF. Stella has screwed over Beryl and Gavin, and she needs to make it right. When the sexy bassist of the band Tattoo Thief offers her a look into their rehearsal space, she can’t refuse. As Tyler and Stella start to spend more time together, they quickly realise they have a connection. But Tyler is holding back. They both have big secrets, and when it comes to Stella, he wants it all or nothing.

From the brief role of Tyler in TATTOO THIEF, I knew he was going to be a good guy. He was cheeky, and caring, and you could tell he had a heart of gold. In TYLER & STELLA, the more I read, the more I loved him and didn’t want to have to say goodbye. He may be a rock star but he definitely hasn’t abused his title when it came to the ladies.

Stella completely turned herself around for me. I didn’t like her at all to be honest during the first book, but in this one I thought she was great, and even found myself feeling slightly protective of her at times, as no one seemed to give a damn about her feelings. I actually wasn’t so much a fan of Beryl in this book. She seemed to be the person who said hurtful things to Stella the most, and even though she had also only just met the rest of the band after starting a relationship with the lead singer, she came across like she had known them all for years. I won’t lie, she definitely annoyed me.

And I am VERY happy about the fact that we get to know more about the other band members in this book, because I mentioned in my review of the first book that I would have liked them to be more present in it. It’s definitely made me even more excited to read their books when they get released.

TYLER & STELLA had me drawn in and invested in the story from the very beginning, and considering I went into this book not liking the main character, this just shows what a great book it is. It was easy to read, and had plenty of things happening to keep me interested throughout the whole book, and it wss a great introduction to the characters and the story that the next book in the series will be following.

It was one of those books where you wish the full series was available so you can read it all in one go, and fall in love with each of the characters as they let you in on their lives. TATTOO THIEF is definitely a series to watch out for.

GAVIN & BERYL (#1) – Out Now!
Goodreads | UK eBook | US eBook

TYLER & STELLA (#2) – Out Now!
Goodreads | UK eBook | US eBook

JAYCE & VIOLET (#3) – Out July!
Goodreads

Heidi Joy lives in Happy Valley off Sunnyside Road. She swears she did not make that up.

Heidi’s obsessed with storytelling. Her career includes marketing, journalism, and a delicious few years as a food columnist. Media passes took her backstage with several rock bands, where she learned that sometimes a wardrobe malfunction is exactly what the rock star intends.

You’ll most often find Heidi Joy with her husband and two small kids cooking, fishing, exploring the Northwest, and building epic forts in their living room.

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