She hates me… almost as much as she wants me.I have everything I should want. Only the thrill is gone.Until I meet Meg. The inexperienced college student is a breath of fresh air. Sassy, sexy, completely unimpressed by me. She hates my cocky grin. She huffs at my one-liners. And when she asks if I have some place better to put my mouth…I make her an offer. Her place, my place, any place, as … my place, any place, as long as I can make her groan all night long. I’m as surprised as she is when she says yes. Who would have guessed that booksmart, guarded, gorgeous as all hell Meg would want me to be her first?
We keep it simple. Three rules to protect both of us.
No feelings, no secrets, no falling in love.
But some things are easier said than done.
From the author: Just a Taste is a standalone enemies to lovers romance packed with angst, heart, and enough heat to melt your Kindle. Come see why readers say “no one writers broken bad boys like Crystal Kaswell.”
Please note this book is a retelling of Sing Your Heart Out, now (mostly) from damaged rock star Miles Webb’s POV. Keep your Sinful Serenade fix going with Strum Your Heart Out, available now.
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Mostly from Miles POV, this book was everything I wanted!! Can be read as a standalone. It is the male hero from Crytal’s Sing Your Heart Out, but you don’t need to have read that or any of the other books in the Sinful Serenade series to enjoy this one. But on another note, can we have all the other guys’ POV next?
Miles is the lead singer of hot rock band, Sinful Serenade. He is prickly, cocky, king of a snarky jerk. But…I loved seeing into his tortured mind. He’s deliciously angsty, grouchy, unsure, confused, nerdy, sexy, dominating, protective, comforting, human. He’s confident when he’s performing or seducing some willing woman to escape the emptiness he feels inside. But as more than a groupie magnet? He is lost. He thinks he has nothing to offer. He tends to irritate, amuse, and worry his fellow bandmates. He is trying to keep himself from going off the rails.
And then he meets Meg in the most embarrassing (for her) meet cute (although cute is not really the word for it). He finds her apparent innocence irresistible, even if he doesn’t initially buy it. After all, women throw themselves at him. He doesn’t quite know how to feel or react to one who wants HIM not the rockstar.
Meg has her own misery. She is trying to keep it together and get through school (she’s pre-med) because she has recently lost her sister. Miles sings the songs that speak to her pain.
He does not want to hurt her. He wants to soothe her pain. He wants to fulfill her needs. But he does not want them to catch feelings. And neither does she. He doesn’t realize he’s too late. They both are in far deeper than either of them planned. They fill one another’s empty spaces. He’s her roguish Han and she’s his sexy, feisty Leia. He definitely has his nerf herder moments.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Just a Taste is in Miles POV and it has all the angst you would expect from a male rocker falling in love. Sing Your Heart Out it was in Meg’s POV only, this book we get to see Miles real feelings instead of his aloofness. Male pov books are my favorite and Just a Taste doesnt dissapoint. Definite Must Read!
Miles Web is the lead singer for Sinful Serenade and has struggle with addiction and other personal tragedies. Megara Smart is a college student that is struggling through the loss of her sister. A friend drags her to a party the band is having and she accidently walks into Miles’s room while he was getting ready to have sex with a groupie. Later he finds her as she is looking for her friend because she wants to leave. Miles is drawn to her because she is different from other girls he has met so he offers to drive them home. They end up exchanging numbers and texting each other before long the texts turn into something more. But will either of them admit that they have feeling for the other? Will Miles wait until its too late to go after Meg?
This is an amazing story that will pull you in from the first chapter. The chemistry between them is scorching hot. This is a well written and very entertaining story. I would recommend this book to any book lover.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Sing your heart out from the male protagonist’s POV? Um, yes, please! Hot. Hot. Hot. Highly recommend!
Miles Webb is the lead singer of Sinful Serenade who struggles daily with loneliness and recovery on a daily basis. Miles is cocky, arrogant, sexy, protective, amusing, and irritating. Miles has suffered a great loss that has caused him to close off his heart. Megara Smart is a shy college student who is struggling with her own loss and why it happened. Miles and Meg meet in an unexpected way. Miles and Meg can’t stopping thinking each other. Neither Miles or Meg want a relationship. The more time they spend together, the more they begin to understand each other and long for the love they need. Miles finds himself impossibly attracted to Meg’s innocence. Miles doesn’t want to hurt Meg but believes he doesn’t have anything to offer her. How will Meg react when she learns Miles secret? Will Miles confess his true feelings to Meg? Can Miles be the man Meg needs? Can Miles and Meg overcome their issues and find their happily ever after? I LOVED Just A Taste by Crystal Kaswell. Just A Taste is told from Miles’ POV. I absolutely love Miles and Meg. The chemistry between Miles and Meg is out of this world HOT! I would highly recommend getting Just A Taste by Crystal Kaswell. Crystal Kaswell is a MUST read author for this reader. I received an ARC of this book, and I am leaving my honest review.
This book is a standalone but is part of the Sinful Serenade Series so some of the characters are interconnected. This was a great book and I found it hard to put down once I started reading. Miles and Meg were enemies of sort and both were nursing wounded hearts. He was a band vocalist and she was an innocent college student. They definitely took me on an emotional roller coaster. This book is not for the faint at heart. It was quite a journey as they each healed their grieving hearts. Strong well-developed characters and an amazing storyline. “I received an advanced copy of this manuscript and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.”
This book was everything I anticipated it to be and more . I’ve always loved Miles and Meg as a couple and I love that we get a story told in Miles POV . There chemistry is so hot and these two have more in common than they realize. I think it’s really beautiful how they help each other heal . It gave me a better understanding on the reason Miles acted the way he did . Overall this was a well written emotional rockstar romance that Crystal Kaswell delivers to us and she never fails to create these amazing fictional worlds that I get emotionally invested in! Bravo She managed to knock this one out of the park ! 5 amazing stairs from me for this rockstar romance novel !
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced complimentary copy of this book
Solo to her Leia
—>>> Longing to be a hero, but feeling unworthy of her, Miles finds himself drawn to this prickly, sassy girl who wants nothing to do with him. But there is something buried deep in him which speaks to the pain in her, evident in his songs, if anyone cared to decipher his words, and THAT she cannot deny, though their instant chemistry does not hurt either. It will become a definite struggle for Miles to keep her at arms length and to not care, to remain just “friends with benefits,” and he just cannot seem to stay away, moved to even pen words with her as his muse. This is a journey of digging through the pain in Mile’s past, taking it down brick by brick, until what they have left is their very real selves, and their hearts given to each other on platters.
A well written and engaging read! The story-line is drama-filled, emotionally deep, witty, funny, and HOT! The characters are likeable, well developed, and perfect together; the chemistry between them is off the charts and undeniable! Quite an interesting and enjoyable read. Definitely recommended!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I recieved this book for Free to Give My True & Honest Review.
I loved Meg’s pov in Sing Your Heart Out, but seeing it from Miles’ pov is so deep in such another level to Meg’s story about her sister’s death. Here we hear more about Miles’ close connection with his Uncle Damon & how he effected Miles & how after he died how the way he was able to bring out his true feelings were in song. And his helping her with her grief helps him with his own.
Then we see now what Meg’s input in his life turns his feelings & writing in a complete opposite direction to the way his life had been before she walked & fell into his life.
Just as beautiful, maybe even more so than Meg’s side of seeing things.
We have the sadness, love, enjoyment & joining together here just as we have with the previous Sinful Serenade.
Loved it
Miles has a painful past full of loss so he doesn’t get close with anyone. He meets virginal college student Meg at a party one night when she walks in on him. He can’t get her off his mind and makes her a proposition to be friends with benefits. He’s surprised when Meg agrees as she doesn’t seem impressed by him. Meg has her own difficulties to work through from her past. These two were smoking hot with chemistry but will something more come from their deal?
I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Everyone deals with the loss of someone differently. They can be closed off, immerse themselves into work, be volatile or harmful to themselves, or just plainly can’t function. Miles and Megara both have experienced loss. A loss that is so heart-wrenching that it leaves you breathless. I think that is what drew them to each other. They could sense a soul-deep connection. They were both broken and both needed the other to fill in the gaps. I loved how Miles is a hot rock star and can have any woman, but he finds that Meg doesn’t want a Rockstar, but it’s his songs that make her crave him. That draws her attention and broken heart towards him.
This book is heart-wrenching, erotic, and emotionally consuming. You will experience the losses they experienced as your own, you will be fanning yourself off during the love scenes, and you will be so encapsulated in the story that the outside world does not exist. This was a sensational love story.
I was given an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The writing is very good. The story building is great. The characters are well developed and full of dimension. The story is a slow burn and a slow developing love. Meg and Miles are very intense. They have tons of chemistry and they take their time making it work. Very enjoyable.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I enjoyed reading Miles and Meg’s story but I was not aware that this was part of an existing series called Sinful Serenade. I am sure that I missed out on some of the comments and hints that come with reading a series but like I said, I was still able to read this book and appreciate the story, the struggles, the pasts and everything in between that these two characters have to conquer along their way to a HEA. The series will be added to my reading list to tackle. Enjoy!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
One Of The Few Books I’ve Rated A Full Five Stars! The Writing Immerses You – Twists Your Guts And Lifts Your Hopes.
“Just A Taste” tells the same story as “Sing Your Heart Out,” which is book one of the Sinful Serenade series. However, while the latter is told in Meg’s POV, a good portion of this is told from Miles’ POV, which alternates with Meg’s. Much is gained from Miles’ POV.
Miles Webb, twenty-six, has had his share of therapy. He fought a lot when he was younger. He copes with his demons now by writing songs when something is stuck in his head. He doesn’t write songs for the fame or for women throwing themselves at him. He should enjoy that part, but it only makes him feel even more alone. As the face of Sinful Serenade, the next big break-out rock band with its first hit song playing on the radio, he goes through a lot of women, but they only serve as a temporary escape to fill time – one and done.
Love isn’t his thing. Vocals and lyrics are. Although he will never be in a relationship, his deepest desire is to find that one woman who sees into his soul. He lays it all out in the open for the world to see, yet nobody really sees him. They like the image of the bad boy rocker. They think they know him but they don’t.
Meg Smart, twenty-one, hates parties and clubs. They make her feel like a fish out of water. She isn’t really into alcohol and she lacks experience with men. Her interests are more nerdy. Her idea of fun is a weekly break from studying and classes to hang out with her good friend Kara and enjoy a Sunday morning with lots of caffeine, cereal from a box, and a movie. Star Wars is one of her favorites.
With aspirations of becoming a doctor, school is her priority so she keeps a tight schedule during the week. Which is good, because then she doesn’t have time to think about the hole on her heart that has been festering for months now. Or berate herself for not seeing the signs. She won’t repeat her sister’s mistake. It destroyed her.
Meg finally agrees to attend a party with Kara when her friend insists she won’t hate it. Meg feels very out of place, but then she sees him. Something in Miles’ eyes draws her to him and she wants him. She won’t consider a relationship; she has seen the aftermath. But he wants to be her first. No strings.
Meg and Miles’ story is about love finding its way into the hearts of two guarded and broken souls. Neither wants it. Both have baggage. But the initial attraction is real and they eventually agree to a friends with benefits scenario. Over time, they can’t deny to themselves that what they have is so much more, but making the admission out loud would only invite a vulnerability that neither is ready for. Meg shows strength in her ability to power through heartbreak and successfully apply herself to school, as well as depth in her ability to see Miles and reach him in a way no other can. Miles is the sterotypical broken artist and bad boy rocker with self-destructive tendencies, and meeting Meg probably saves his life. His need to care for her changes him. He learns to consider her needs, and not just his own. Despite his problems, he reaches Meg, too, and pulls her out of her shell. He makes her feel things she had denied herself. The couple truly deserves their well-earned HEA!
There are just a few minor items that might bother some readers. First, Meg does not recognize Miles as a band member or lyricist for Sinful Serenade. She is supposedly not a fangirl. When later it is known that she plays his hit song on repeat because it connects with her heartache, one has to wonder that she hadn’t seen pictures of the band or looked up who wrote the lyrics. A statement clarifying the matter would have been helpful. Next, it becomes obvious that Meg decides to be open to a relationship, but the story does not clarify why. It might have been a subtle change, but having her reasons laid out goes toward closure with Rosie.
The story of Miles and Meg twists your guts and lifts your hopes. It is a long read, but very worthwhile. It is well-written and beautifully told. The plot is well-developed, slowly unfolding the backstory and exposing the pain. The characters are well-defined. Even the bandmates and friend Kara are given ample attention. The book sticks with you afterward in large part because the characters are so real and raw. I RATE THIS BOOK FIVE STARS.
Note: I rarely rate a book a full five stars, but 4.5 stars in the review are typically rounded up when input.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
As someone who was introduced to Crystal Kaswell’s work after the original Sinful Serenade series, I went into this book without any expectations – and really enjoyed it. I’ll be upfront and say that while I always enjoy her books, I’m not someone who likes the main couple to have sex without feelings for an extended period of time, which is the premise here. Thankfully, it’s written in such a way that it didn’t feel like that was the case. Kaswell is fantastic at showcasing the difference between casual sex and something that means more, so while these two thought they were just being friends with benefits, the reader could tell there was something more meaningful going on. She really is a talented author; I’ve never read romance novels that are written in a similar style, it’s uniquely Kaswell’s. And while I do think there can be too much of a good thing – Kaswell’s books always have just a little too much sex and a little too much angst for me – I always get absorbed into the story.
Just a Taste follows Miles, a rock star on the rise who bares his soul to the world on a daily basis – but no one pays enough attention to hear it. They all want the tortured bad boy without getting beneath the surface, and he is happy to play the role. When shy and innocent Meg walks in on Miles during a hookup, he is fascinated by her. She treats him as a human being and seems to see more than most. Neither one is looking for a relationship, but Miles would love to be the one to dirty up the sweet girl he sees. What starts as sex becomes so much more when these two realize they have more in common than they could’ve expected. They’re two broken people, using sex to distract from the pain they feel on a daily basis. Miles isn’t sure he’s capable of more, but if there’s a girl who is able to break through his walls, it’s Meg.
Let’s be clear here: this is a sex-based relationship, with layers of more. There is a LOT of sex in the book, but it didn’t feel like sex for the sake of sex like some of Kaswell’s other work. It’s well written and nuanced, with a slow build from the physical to the emotional. I really loved that most of the story is told from Miles’ perspective, because it would be easy to see this in a completely different light without his side of the story. Their journey is a little heartbreaking and a lot sexy, moving quickly and containing plenty of depth. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
4 1/2 Stars! This is a re-telling of the book Sing Your Heart Out, book one in the Sinful Serenade series. If you have read Sing Your Heart Out this book will feel familiar, but not the same because the majority is told in Miles POV. Full length it can be read and enjoyed as stand-alone with HEA. Sinful Serenade is a band and Miles is the lead singer. Meg is a 21-year-old virgin working to get into med school. They seem very different, but they have a lot in common in their pasts. I liked how Miles & Meg were both running and still healing and were able to find a connection in each other.
I found this book well written. The characters are well developed and engaging. The chemistry is there from the start. The storyline flowed smoothly from start to finish.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Im sorry Crystal. I got your email. And I tried, but I have to gush. I am one of the readers that fell so in love with her writing and her characters, that I binge read every book that had already been released or written by her. In just under a weeks time. Even if this is your first time reading one of her books, you will realize that she writes about tough, heartbreaking topics. Her characters have suffered and some continue to suffer. These arent easy, insta-love stories. No, the characters truly struggle to come together. Most of the times they are their own largest hurtle.
Miles and Megara both suffered loss and blamed themselves for that loss. They both punished themselves for so long. And continued to do so even when they finally each found the missing piece to their hearts. Sounds corny, i know.
You will be on the edge of your seat, unable to turn the page fast enough, desperate to see what will happen next. You might cry, you will laugh, you will probably want to slap one or both of them. But you will love every moment and every word.
I highly recommend this book.
Happy reading!
Rating 5 stars
Now…go read the rest of sinful serenade. Because I know I am…for the fourth time.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.