It started off as a battle of wits. Me: the ordinary girl with a big mouth against Him: the sexy bastard with a big…ego. I thought I’d hit the jackpot when I was upgraded to first class on my flight to London. That is until HE sat next to me. Gabriel Scott: handsome as sin, cold as ice. Nothing and no one gets to him. Ever. He’s a legend in his own right, the manager of the biggest rock band in … biggest rock band in the world, and an arrogant ass who looks down his nose at me.
I thought I’d give him hell for one, long flight. I didn’t expect to like him. I didn’t expect to want him. But the biggest surprise? He wants me too. Only in a way I didn’t see coming.
If I accept his proposal, I leave myself open to falling for the one man I can’t manage. But I’m tempted to say yes. Because the real man beneath those perfect suits and that cool façade just might be the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And I just might be the only one who can melt the ice around his heart.
Let the battle begin…
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I just loved this book! I read Idol (VIP, #1) and very much enjoyed that book, so I was really looking forward to the next book in the VIP series. Managed (VIP, #2) has just blown me away! I love Gabriel Scott, who is the manager of the world famous band, Kill John, and the male lead in the story. Sophie Darling, is a social media expert and photographer, and she is flying to London to interview with Gabriel’s assistant, Brenna, to work with the band. Sophie is the female lead in the story.
This romantic comedy begins when Gabriel and Sophie meet because they are sitting next to one other in first class, on a flight from New York to London. Sophie is the first to arrive, and thinks that she’s hit the jackpot and been moved up to first class due to overbooking. She’s never been seated in first class before, so she intends to enjoy the entire experience! Then here comes Gabriel and he is not at all pleased to see someone sitting in the seat next to his. He hates to be bothered while flying, so he always purchases two seats. He is not happy to see Sophie sitting in the seat next to his. Despite this Sophie and Gabriel get to know each other over the long flight with flirty banter, that Sophie uses to help distract Gabriel from his awful fear of flying. Sophie and Gabriel are very attracted to one another, and eventually a romance develops. If you enjoy really well written romantic comedies, you will love this book!
Ahhhhh i loved this book ! this whole series is awesome 🙂
Omg i fell so hard for Gabriel ! he’s sexy,smart and he loves Buffy the vampire slayer (he’s also team Spike) i mean i was gone right then 🙂 I loved that he has a fear of flying and that Sophie was able to help him over come it and all the other fears he has ! they make a great couple and i loved their book!
Sophie is a great character ,she changed her life when she saw that it killing her inside and she is able to find a job that makes her happy and she finds Gabriel who makes life that much more enjoyable 🙂 i loved their first meeting ,it was so funny and i loved all the banter that passed between them 🙂 i also loved how well Sophie fits in with the guys ,its a match made in heaven 🙂
this book was great and i can’t wait to read about the other guys in this series ,i know their books are gonna be killer 🙂
I loved this book from start to finish! Gabriel and Sophie had some of the best chemistry and banter I’ve read in a very long time. They needled and pushed, but also were so tender and sweet to each other. The book starts with quite the snuggly meet disaster/cute and every moment builds and builds in this delicious slow burn romance. Gabriel is the quintessential stern brunch daddy and Sophie was the perfect match for him. I liked that even though this is a rockstar romance series, it didn’t feel like one since Gabriel is the band’s manager. Fans of tropes like grumpy + sunshine, forced proximity, and friends to lovers will adore this one. Multiple friends recommended Managed to me and it did not disappoint! Sunshine and Chatty Girl for the win!
CW: childhood bullying, death of parent (brief mention of implied suicide due to terminal illness diagnosis), grief, mentions and discussion of suicide attempt (secondary character), fighting/violence, aerophobia, insomnia
The e-book for this story is fun but the audiobook is even better. The narrators are great at interpreting several types of characters and accents.
Up until the 90%, this book was a definitive 5 star read. The grumpy/sunshine dynamic was fantastic, with a lot of laugh out loud moments. Gabriel was way more romantic than he let on, a bit cheesy even. The overall plot was a bit forgettable for me though.
Anyway, last 10%ish was not that entertaining for me. I hated the drama at the end. All the miscommunication, how Gabriel reacted, how Sophie reacted, how they got back together like it was nothing. I wanted them to have at least a decent conversation, some serious groveling on his side maybe. But everything was swept too quickly under the rug so my overall rating is 3.5 stars.
I loved this book, the second in the series, following Gabriel (aka Scottie) and Sophie. The meet/cute was the best and I giggled throughout. Sophie made me love her in just the first few chapters. We met Gabriel in the first book of the series, Idol, and I was intrigued by him, wanting him to fall in love because I just wanted to see his stiff upper lift relax a little and boy, Sophie did a phenomenal job with that. The interaction between everyone, including the band, was fun and the romance was heartwarming with plenty of steam. The story was fast moving and I just didn’t want to put it down. I reread this book in preparation for Whip’s story, which is coming soon and the reread reminded me just how much I really loved this character driven rocker romance series.
I loved the grumpy sunshine of this book. I was hoping we would get Scottie’s story in book one and I am so glad we did. 4.5/5 loved it
I had a sudden craving for band romances and managed to get a hold of this one.
Although I read the first book about Killian, I liked this book more.
Gabriel/Scottie has been described in background from the last book and I was so surprised and delighted that eh second one in the series was about him.
He was sort of a gorgeous stick in the mud manager of the band with a British accent. Really, who doesn’t want to read about him broken by love?
Anyway, Sophie was also fun and witty and had a lot of conscience going on.
I am so delighted that the characters in this book were mature enough to avoid some annoying tropes. It was different.
For example. they agreed to sleep only in the same bed because it somehow cures both their insomniac tendencies (this reminds me of R.l. Mathewson’s Playing for Keeps)
and they keep taking care of each other! Gabriel making sure Sophie eats and Sophie, getting him a gel pillow and the cuddle in the plane….
It was all so normally swoon worthy good.
and the possible illness issues! It was dealt with point on! No secret stuff.
my only regret, is how Gabriel’s character as an underground fighter was not given that much light. I would have loved to read more about it.
Still, it was a perfect read for me 🙂
This is book #2, in the VIP series. This book can be read as a standalone novel. For understanding the series, and to avoid spoilers, I recommend reading this series in order.
Sophie meets Gabriel on the airplane to a new job. Only to find out he is basically her new boss. Can she fight the attraction that is thrumming between them?
Gabriel AKA “Scottie” find himself annoyed, and then enchanted by Sophie. She is getting under his skin quickly. Is it even possible to resist at this point?
This book covered a subject we do not often see written so openly. The loneliness that is felt by these characters in their lives is unexpected from an outside point of view, as they are both normally surrounded by others. I liked the fresh approach. I also liked the humor, the heat, and definitely loved the connection between the two main characters. I enjoyed reading this and cannot wait to read the next installment to the great series.
Managed is the second book in the VIP Series by Kristen Callihan.
“Everything about Sophie reminds me of some sort of sweet treat: tempting but ultimately bad for one’s health.”
I am in utter awe with this book. This was so emotion evoking and just so flawless, it was truly hard to break away from this book. Kristen created a masterpiece with raw emotions and an even amazing experience. This was intense and so beautiful. My favorite for sure.
“She is dangerous because I cannot control her. And she is utterly beautiful, like molten glass that tempts you to touch even though you know you’ll be burned.”
Gabriel ‘Scottie’ Scott is the manager for world-famous rock band, Kill John. He is a straight-laced, polished, controlled and like ice British business man. He takes no crap and he doesn’t even have to show any of his emotions. He has an impenetrable facade yet there is so many layers of raw emotion that he is hiding underneath it all.
“Gabriel Scott, mother hen hiding in a ten-thousand-dollar suit.”
Sophie Darling is a sassy, comical, outgoing, straight-forward, and beautiful American girl. The exact opposite of Gabriel. She has been through less than ideal situations and there is nothing else that can stop her from being able to let the past stay in the past.
“In that moment, I know I’d go to war for this man.”
The banter between Gabriel and Sophie was just so fantastic from the first sentences. It was hard not to get hooked by these two. This was addictive and so sweet. I was in love with this book and I can’t wait to read the next one in the series.
“The second you are out of my sight, I want you back where I can see you.”
Gorgeous writing.
Love this book.
The characters are richly drawn. Callihan writes about the ache of loneliness and depression beautifully, and when these characters get their happily ever after it is much deserved.
Some of her sentences are just so beautiful I go back and read them again.
Managed in the 2nd book in the VIP series. Though it can be read as a standalone, it’s much more pleasurable to read it after VIP. This way you get to know the other characters and meet/see Scottie how everyone else sees him. This is what made this story that much more enjoyable for me. Because having met him previously and seeing him in is own story is a HUGE contrast and it’s an absolute treat.
I freaking loved Gabriel Scott and Sophie Darling. They were the perfect pair. TOTAL opposites which added to their tension, angst and the whole of this story. Sophie was so carefree, sassy, spunky and sarcastic. She already had me laughing out loud 3 percent into the story. Not knowing anything about Scottie, she gave him a hard time and teased him for his stuffy, snobby persona and it was hilarious. She even caught Scottie off guard. The stuff that comes out of her mouth leaves him speechless on more than one occasion.
And Scottie turned out to be someone so much different than what I expected. Things really ran quite deep with him. Layers and layers that Sophie was able to wiggle her way through without even trying and she did it effortlessly by just being herself. He teasing and wit just broke through and opened him up to let loose. I loved it.
I had never read a Kristen Callahan book before opening VIP and then Managed; and both books have made me a fan. Her writing was amazing and the characters she put on paper had so much personality and life. There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about any of them. They were relateable, likeable and funny. I can’t wait to get my hands on more of this series as it comes. I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of the guys of Kill John have their stories told too. I’m really hoping for a match up between Brenna and Rye. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for that one.
Loved this book! Possibly even more that the first one. The characters are phenomenal.
I’ve been deliberating for a few days; what exactly do I want to say about Managed? I suppose only this: it was worth the wait. While I don’t think it had the same magic that I felt in Idol, my interest and feelings were captured from page one. Gabriel and Sophie together were wonderful; you could tell they just “fit.” Overall, an excellent follow up to what I feel will be a magical series.
I loved the banter between Gabriel and Sophie. Their interactions in the airplane kept me smiling and laughing the whole time. Poor Gabriel, I can really sympathize for the reason for purchasing two seats on the plane. Sophie knew from the get-go how to handle Gabriel.
Sophie was a great character to get to know, she comes across as laid back, quirky and just so much fun but she has so much more to her. She has regrets in her past and unfortunately she has to face it. And the complete opposite to Sophie was Gabriel; he’s broody, aloof and in control at all times. But he too has so much more to him. And together they just seem to click. Gabriel definitely fought their attraction, but once he let some of his control go, their chemistry was off the charts. I loved the peace that Sophie gave Gabriel.
This was another great book in this series.
This second book of the VIP series is high tension and angst. The witty banter and fun ensue right from the start and I loved that most about the book. Hero and heroine were perfectly placed with each other. The romance here takes a long time to really settle but the tension leading up to it is quite entertaining and provides an interesting story. The colorful cast of characters that make up the Kill John tour provide much love and comic relief. Kristen Callihan’s writing forces readers to be charmed and fall in love with her characters. You feel like you’re an intimate part of the Kill John family. Can’t wait to read the next.
I loved Managed. This story was incredible thanks to a certain stubborn man who wouldn’t let anyone inside his cold heart. Gabriel Scott was the perfect flawed hero and Sophie his total opposite who broke down his walls with her chatty and wonderful personality. Together they were unstoppable and their chemistry undeniable. I felt it from the first moment they met on that airplane to London. Sparks flying. I have to say that photo session between Gabriel and Sophie was the most sexy scene I’ve read in awhile. Wow. Sensual foreplay. How Sophie slowly broke down Gabriel’s walls was slow burn storytelling at its best. I enjoyed this story very much and I’m so ready for more. Hopefully Jax.
5 BadAssDirtyChattySunshineStars
There’s a slow burn, forced proximity start to this story that I absolutely loved. I found this story thanks to the #RomBkLove discussion of rock star romances (the hero manages a major rock band) and had no problem starting with book 2. I immediately went back and read book 1 (Idol) when I finished this. So much fun!
I don’t think Gabriel knows the word subtle, “I see.” With a nod, I turn toward the room. “Oy, listen up. Sophie will be traveling with me on my coach. And it’s none of your bloody business why, so I’d better not hear a word about it. Understood?” Gabriel gets a little… alright a lot excited when his woman starts spouting off her knowledge of cars, ” he blinks, swaying a little. “You’ve just given me a hard-on.” He’s not lying; I can feel it rise against my belly. I grin, pressing into him just a little.” Gabriel’s romantic side could use a little work but with Gabriel’s personality it’s perfect for him, “I plan on dying when I’m very old and effing you while hopped up on Viagra.” I loved this book so damn much, it’s like being on the next book in the series!
Absolutely love both of these books. I just know Ms. Callahan is going to write a book for every member of the band, or at least I hope she does. These books are perfect. Right up there with the Stage Dive series. I love those rock n roll boys. I truly do. And this book doesn’t disappoint. It can be read as a standalone, but you really should read Idol just because it’s a great book, too.