Lead by Kylie Scott

As the lead singer of Stage Dive, Jimmy is used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants it, whether it's booze, drugs, or women. However, when a PR disaster serves as a wake-up call about his life and lands him in rehab, he finds himself with Lena, a new assistant to keep him out of trouble.

Lena's not willing to take any crap from the sexy rocker and is determined to keep their relationship completely professional, despite their sizzling chemistry. But when Jimmy pushes her too far and Lena leaves, he realizes that he may just have lost the best thing that ever happened to him.

After being somewhat disappointed by Play I was really hesitant about Lead. Jimmy was already on my shit list after Lick and I just wasn’t sure if his story would help him get off that list, or cement him there permanently. He was too cocky, too arrogant, too rockstar stereotype in Lick and I just could not let go of those preconceived notions. Which is why Scott gets a standing ovation for officially making Jimmy my 2nd favorite Stage Dive member.

Yes he has issues and he can be a bit of a prick but never have I seen a character actually struggle and try to be a better person. He tried, messed up, fixed it and tried again. No matter what happened, what setbacks he face he kept trying to be the person he felt everyone “deserved” and while his idea of perfection were off I appreciate and love his struggle.

You see I’m a huge lover of tangible characters. Especially when it comes to NA since things can get stale quick within the genre. So when I was introduced to the Jimmy in Lead my entire perspective of him shifted and I fell head over heels in love with him. But I’ll argue that Lena is a HUGE reason he tries so hard. There wasn’t enough denial this side of the Mississippi to convince me these two weren’t making better people out of each other. They went through so much nonsense trying to make sure the other was happy and even when they got annoying I knew their hearts were in the right place so it was ok. It was ok they took forever seeing what was right there. It was ok Jimmy didn’t know how to not be a complete dick (Lena shut that down quick though). It was ok!

The plot was something I’ve come to expect from the NA genre but the characters are what make this series. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed each story so far but the characters are what made me a loyal to the series. After Play I didn’t think it was possible for my excitement for the series to come back but I was wrong. I have Deep preordered and I’m counting down the days till it reaches my iPad.