White Trash Circus will be taking an extended break and won’t be playing any time in the foreseeable future. Please lodge all your complaints to my guitarist—and my ex best friend—who I found inside the girlfriend I’ve had since high school. I will pull the freaking knife from my back and continue—without either of them—when the time is right. With enough hate and anger coursing through my veins … veins to keep me in therapy for life, I’m going to save my cash and let the music heal me. Prepare all your bleeding hearts to be tormented with the most righteous, heavy and cataclysmic tunes to ever come out of me. So there’s that to look forward to. Thank you for all the support over the years, the gigs, the love and most of all memories. Don’t trust anyone and stay metal—Vaughan.
PS. Connor, you left your guitar and rig at my house so I took the liberty of relocating it to my front lawn. I might have dropped it on the way out the door. In your own words, brother, “Sometimes stuff just happens.”
PPS. Our drummer spontaneously combusted and is no longer with us.
WhiteTrashMegaFan- Whoa! Is this real?
VaughanLover4Eva – I love you Vaughan, you were too good for her anyway. I want to have your babies.
HeavyBrad69– So rock and roll!! Can’t wait for the new stuff, it’s going to be metal AF!
Nico – Ummm, Vaughan, what about me?
LicksNStick – LOL awks
White Trash Circus – No one cares about the bass player, Nico.
more
“Viral” is my first book by T. Gephart. I loved Vaughan and Gillian so much.
This couple had everything to be together. He was funny and persuasive. She was powerful and controlled.
This author’s book is so good that you can’t stop reading. You can loose yourself in her words and forget the time.
I love rock stars books and this one is one of my favorite.
Vaughan is a rock star singer and his life changed when he sees her girlfriend with his best friend. One single post about the situation and everything went “Viral”. Even his songs.
Gillian is a powerful girl but without confidence in herself. She is working so much to show her father she can manage his music company “Domination”. Everything changes when she sees Vaughan.
Readers you need to see how these two will be together.
I can’t wait to start reading “Black Addiction”.
“I’d already established when it came to him I made bad choices, what were a few more?”
I was intrigued by the idea of this story and even though I totally enjoyed reading Viral I didn’t quite reach the excitement I expected to come. Nevertheless I had a great time reading this book.
You know, rockstar romance is one of my most favorite romance trope. So there is no wonder I fell hard for Vaughn. And together with Gillian he worked so pretty well, even when they shouldn’t because of their differences.
Viral is funny and entertaining, with the right amount of sass, realness and drama that will leave you smiling all over the place.
“Who knew that I apparently like a man who was a thorn in my side and an extra beat in my heart.”
One like, one hundred comments, a thousand retweets = Viral
I have to be honest I am completely bummed Viral is a stand alone! I had visions of the sequel dancing through my head the last 25% of the book. Maybe, just maybe, T. Gephart will see this and change her mind. (Fingers crossed)
I have got to say that the teasers for this book had been taunting me from the get go. BUT nothing hit me as hard as that blurb, it is without a doubt a hook. I was pulled into the drama instantly. I don’t know if it’s that sick need to watch this train wreck of his life crash or the Phoenix from the ashes aspect, either way T. Gephart had me panting for answers.
Viral is a tease, a lingering touch, and a secret relationship all in one. The tease of what once was…The lingering touch of what could be…The secrets and unanswered questions that linger in a secret relationship all waiting to be revealed. Viral is all that and more!
Finding the one, being the star you were born to be, and owning your future…all it took was going Viral.
I read the blurb and I HAD TO READ THIS. This is NOT your cliche rockstar romance and I absolutely loved it.
I usually avoid rockstar romance because the guy either has an addiction to drugs, women, booze or a combination of one or all. Thank you for writing a rockstar who was completely monogamous! No long trail of women. No destroyed hotel rooms. No rehab. This guy is what dreams are made of!
The story begins after Vaughn’s dream imploded thanks to his best friend and bandmate who decided to screw his longtime girlfriend. Vaughn gets the opportunity to pursue a new dream. Gillian sees his potential and she decides to take him on and make him a rockstar. She never imagined that by giving him his dream she’d be getting her own in return.
Vaughn was awesome!! He was incredidbly witty and sarcastisc. His inner monlogues were some of my favorite moments. I truly laughed-out-loud and smiled more times than I could count. When he loved, he was all in. He was a keeper.
Gillian was a woman trying to prove herself. She got so caught up in her work, she had shut down emotionally. She had no life other than her job. Finding Vaughn reminded her what it was like to feel and to love and be loved.
Not your typical rockstar romance….so much BETTER!
I love me some rockstars! When I first heard about this book I was intrigued and I knew I had to read it. And I enjoyed this story very much. I really love the set up to this story! It was a lot of fun and something different! There were ups and down, hot and sweet moments, and lots of laughs throughout the story. There were times where I found there to be some lulls in the story but it did pick back up. I enjoy these characters especially as individuals I wish I could have felt more chemistry between them. Overall, this was a great rockstar romance and one I would recommend.
5 SEXY VAUGHAN STARS!! Vaughan is one of the sexiest rock stars I have ever read. Vaughan and Gillian story had all the feels to keep you turning pages quickly. I love T. Gephardt storytelling…..she keeps it real and perfect. You should definitely 1-Click this book and read it now.
I’ve enjoyed every book from this author that I have read, but I really struggled with this one. I can’t even pinpoint an exact reason why, but from the start I just couldn’t get into the story or truly connect with the characters. There were bits and pieces that held my attention at times, but it was just one of those books that I didn’t quite care for.
This story is amazing!!
Do yourself a favour and pick it up today, you won’t be disappointed.
Though I had heard of T. Gephart before, I had not had a chance to read her yet. So, when I saw the blurb for Viral, I knew I wanted to read it. I was not disappointed. Right from the start, I was captivated with this story. Vaughn’s life changed when he makes a post on social media about the betrayal from his girlfriend and friend/fellow bandmate. Now the opportunities he has always wanted are within his reach.
This brings Gillian into his life. The daughter of the record label and set to help Vaughn. Gillian is strong and determined. For a musician and being betrayed, Vaughn is a caring man. I loved their chemistry, even as Gillian tried to hold him at arm’s length. I enjoyed reading this fun and light read.
Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!
I’d read a couple of this author’s works, several years ago, and I remember being favorably impressed with how much of an enjoyable read they were, especially since I enjoy the Rock Star Romance trope. This one fell a bit short of that mark.
I had a really hard time connecting with Gillian, but also with Vaughan. As such, I couldn’t invest in their relationship. I think the biggest hurdle to overcome for me was Gillian’s distant nature. She wasn’t a warm and caring person to me, she felt very robotic in general. Vaughn felt like an attention whore at times, but he was also the redeeming factor in the book, with how much emotion he showed and his attitudes about relationships, in spite of being a rock star.
It also felt like it took me forever to get through this book! The first 60% of the book was extremely slow moving to me, and the buildup on the relationship didn’t pay off like I had hoped it would. The remainder of the book was the best part for me!
This has left me questioning if this is an author for me or not. I can tell I wasn’t a good fit for the book based on how many others enjoyed it, but I will definitely be looking at reading other books of the author’s, to see if this was just a miss one time for me or not.
Viral by T Gephart is a contemporary, rockstar romance and one of my first ever read from the author. What initially draw me to the story was its eye catching blurb; a scorching, bitter post of Vaughan about the betrayal that his girlfriend and band member/ bestfriend did to him, that has gone viral unbeknownst to him. With that premise of a story, I was pretty sure I was in for a ride.
I loved Vaughan, there is no doubt about it. I loved his dry sense of humor, sarcastic, snarky attitude in just about everything. He didn’t strike me as cocky at all. I just loved how his mind/ thought process all throughout the story that really had me giggling or downright laughing out loud. He is my kind of guy! He is a definite breath of fresh air from my usual read of alpha males. Not only that, I have grown to love the side characters that added entertainment to the whole story. Vaughan’s personality is the perfect balance for Gillian’s character. Gillian learned at a young age to be calm, collected and efficient when it comes to her life. Having a dysfunctional family; a father who loves his work more than his family and revolving doors of stepmom’s, she has learned to rely on herself. What follows is a story about learning from your mistakes, facing the music and self discovery. Viral has the right amount of fun, hilarious moments, feels, romance and music that a romance reader would love to read to. Loved it and would sure to look out for future books if ever in this world.
Another great book by Tina Gephart. Vaughn the lead singer of White Trash Circus runs away from the band and life after his long term girlfriend and band mate are caught together. He goes to the cabin in the woods and drinks the pain away. He sends out an announcement to his fans telling them that the band is no more, this goes viral. One of the other band members Nico comes to rescue him and tell him about their new status.
Gillian and her father who owns a record company step into help, Vaughn doesn’t read the contract properly and now fears he has lost everything and runs again. When Gillian and Nico find him singing to a crowd in the park, she comes up with an idea to help him and maybe herself a little too. She has plans to start a new band one her father can’t touch. After a search for new members she finds two from a Christian Rock band which doesn’t go down well with Vaughn.
I don’t want to spoil the rest of the story for you and can thoroughly recommend reading it.
I would love to see the other guys in the band have their own stories.
I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book and this is my honest review.
Thank you once again Tina for writing another great story
Loved this story!!! I am hoping that Nico, Emily, Declan and Austin get their stories too!! A strong woman and an emerging rockstar. Vaughan and Gillian are awesome characters that take a piece of you with them. I could not put this book down and read it in one sitting. Can’t wait to find out what else the author has in store for us!!
As a fan of rock star romances I was immediately drawn to this story the moment I read the book blurb. With each turn of the page I found a hero who was cocky but had a surprising heart of gold when it came to matters of the heart, along with a strong-willed heroine determined to make him a star despite what her heart wants. From the first page to the last readers will find a fun and flirty read with witty banter and a romance that brought a smile to my face along with a blush or two.
At one time Vaughan Hale was happy with his life with a band with a small but loyal fan base and a girlfriend who seemed loyal too. All that changed though when he found his bandmate (and best friend) sleeping with his girlfriend. A few drinks, or more accurately a drunken binge, soon led to a media post that changed everything for him, not only personally but professionally too in a journey with an unexpected twist or two along the way to HEA. Vaughan’s not your typical rock star which is just part of the reason why I liked him so much. He had a loving heart and a bold personality that told it like it was. There was no subterfuge with him and you always knew what he was thinking as he oftentimes spoke before he thought. He enjoys being in a relationship, is quick to fall in love, and finds it a comfort being part of a pair which is why he was so hurt by his friend’s betrayal. Many of his words and deeds utterly charmed me too while his bluntness gave a few laughs along the way which endeared him to me even more. Once he admitted to himself how much he liked Gillian there was no holding him back as he’d do anything to win her over in a journey that had me rooting for them every step of the way.
Gillian Duzan’s a star maker as part of the Domination music company owned by her father. She’s spent years making a name for herself, kept her personal life far away from her professional one, which has made for a rather lonely but successful life. She’s used to loneliness though as her father has always treated her with indifference along with numerous step-mothers who considered her an inconvenience. All of that has made Gillian a formidable agent in the music world but the image she conveys to others is one of an ice queen. She’s quiet and controlled with a no nonsense look. Before meeting Vaughan she knew exactly what she wanted and where life was taking her, but with Vaughan growing ever closer to her she’s full of uncertainty. There’s definitely attraction between them but she’s leery of letting him get too close as her past leaves her leery of love and emotions. Is there a way though to really have it all? Can she embrace her feminine side and find HEA with a rock star or will she lose everything she’s worked so hard for? Through it all Gillian’s a strong-willed woman who’s shown herself to be more than capable and considering her past I really wanted her to have a HEA.
This story had a delightful beginning, one that was unforgettable and spoke volumes about this hero with his unabashed personality and outspokenness. Vaughan was bold, fun, and flirty and enjoyed Gillian not easily falling at his feet. He enjoyed her tough and controlled exterior and it made for a sizzling journey to HEA full of sexual tension. This was a formidable pair who each had to give and take along the way as they learned more about themselves in a story that culminated in a richly rewarding conclusion. Along with this appealing main couple was an equally entertaining cast of secondary characters, most notably Nico. Nico was laid back and never took Vaughan’s harsh words to heart and in so doing proved himself to be a very good friend. I enjoyed his subtle support and likable personality and I hope to see more of him in the future. Other characters who captured my attention were Emily, Austin, and Declan and each is worthy of a story of their own. On a whole this was an immensely satisfying romance set in the rock star world and full of laugh out loud moments balanced with sizzling chemistry that I highly recommend.
I’m new to Tina’s writing, but when I found out that she was doing a rockstar romance, I needed it in my hands like yesterday. And Vaughan.. damn, did that man not disappoint!! He’s so hilarious, and yes cocky, but so damn sweet too!
Coming off of realizing that his bandmate (hid best friend) has been sleeping with his girlfriend, Vaughan makes a social media post, that like the book suggests, goes viral. Thanks to this, he is blowing up all over the internet, and he gets a meeting with one of the biggest record companies in New York. The only drawback is that he has to give one more performance with his former band, and as we all know, that’s a disaster in the making.
In walks Gillian, who’s father owns the record label that Vaughan is now apart of. She sees something more in him than she thinks even he realizes, and goes to transform him in a big way. That scene where she finds him in the park, singing Hallelujah, gave me CHILLS because I could just picture that so well.
Immediately there’s an insane attraction between these two, and even though Gillian presents herself as all business and no-nonsense, Vaughan sees a fire in her, and wants to witness that spark finally ignite. He knows she’s beautiful, but because of the music industry, Gillian has learned not to dress in a way that shows off her body, and I love how that isn’t what drew Vaughan in. It was all her. *swoons.*
I never once thought of Gillian as cold, or unfeeling, even if at times she didn’t understand her own feelings and reactions towards Vaughan. Growing up the way she did, with a gather that was emotionally unavailable towards her, she didn’t know to navigate that side of her. And even thoufb Vaughan was just betrayed, he showed her what it means to feel, to love, and do it so passionately. I loved their relationship so much!!
Even if you’ve never read a book by this author before, read this!! It is so wonderful!!
Side note: I’m hoping we will be getting stories of the rest of the characters too. Especially Nico! Because people DO care about the bass player!
**I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions!**
He was pissed off. His anger was so great that he posted on social media telling everything; how his former bandmate had had sex with his girlfriend. After that, he considered that there was no way for the band to continue, went to a cottage in the woods and drank until he passed out.
And that’s when the band’s success hit the stars, a record label wanted them to come back for a great show… and Vaughan – our drunken friend – found true love. All because his post went viral.
A story long 2000s, at a time when social media can be the best marketing.
Have fun with Vaughan and his bandmates.
Nobody writes rock stars like T. Gephart! Seriously, I could not put this book down! Vaughn & Gillian..whew these two were just amazing! The push and pull between them, the absolutely swoon worth moments & what they brought out in each other….GAH so good! Vaughn’s life changes completely after his relationship implodes and his social media post goes “viral”; from there… well nothing will ever be the same.
I absolutely LOVED this book! You’ll laugh, you’ll swoon & if your me secretly hope that we will see more of these wonderful characters someday (even though T.Gephart said it’s a standalone/ insert puppy dog eyes here ). Do yourself a favor and read Viral & I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Usually when I read rockstar stories, it’s about a musician, broken by his past or from the tumultuous rise to fame that makes him spiral down, then deals with his issues with booze, drugs, and sex. In this story, we read a different angle. We follow a singer, Vaughn, who breaks through to fame, not with his band, but after the breakup of his band. He publishes a media status where he announces that his band broke up because his best friend slept with his girlfriend, so he sent it all to hell and will take a break. This announcement went viral and he became a household name. Thrust so suddenly into fame, he had to hide in his parents’ house because his apartment was besieged by the press.
Gillian Duzan arrives with an offer he can’t resist. One concert with the original band members, including the betrayers, for an incredible amount. He was bedazzled by Gillian, in spite of her weird black dressing style. He needed the money, but he wanted Gillian more. He signed the contract, without checking the fine print, mostly because he wanted close to Gillian. Then the concert imploded, Vaughn’s life was in shambles, again, and Gillian came to his rescue, once more.
With this story, we get a closer view of the business side of a rock band, the photo shoots, the music studio, hair styling, make up, the works that comes with a rockstar lifestyle, and also the work involved in developing lyrics and recording. The hustle and bustle of media marketing and the security needed to move around. It was an interesting read, and mostly, it presented the artists in the band as regular guys, hardworking and easygoing. No divas in this book!
I liked the way the story flowed, I liked all the characters and there were yummy moments. At first, I didn’t like Vaughn; I found him dumb, and a little bit of a loser. As the book progresses, we are witness to his tenacity and talent, and his incredible voice. I started to realize he was a regular guy, who graduated out of high school and only had one dream, have a band and make it big. And yet, once he made it, it didn’t go to his head, he was only enjoying doing what he loved. And he also loved Gillian above it all.
Gillian grew up working in the music company, under her father’s direction. She has some issues with his father and is not averse to some subversive moves. She liked Vaughn from the get to, so she set out to help him and make his band rise. And of course, there are the usual “we can’t”, “we shouldn’t” , “love doesn’t exist”, all the crap that comes from a girl whose father is a heartless executive in his nth marriage, each time to a younger girl. All his wives divorce him. Gillian has never had the love of a family and no illusions about love and forever.
Gillian and Vaughn make a cute couple but to be truthful, I didn’t feel their chemistry. I liked each character individually but didn’t feel the fireworks between them. I did see the good in Vaughn and his patience dealing with Gillian. I saw Gillian’s insecurity and understood where her reluctance to be with Vaughn came from. It was a good and forthright read, very entertaining. No fireworks for me, but very enjoyable and loved reading about the music world.
What a treat! A different kind of rock star story that is fantastic. Not a groupie or drug in sight just the sweetly sexy rock star god, Vaughan and the band of misfits known as White Trash Circus that ends in a hilarious white trash series of events that goes viral. So funny and a little sad. The viral moment catches the attention of record company executive, Gillian. A plan is hatched to make the most of the WTC flash moment but leave it to Vaughan to make a bigger moment happen and one that changes his life. The writing is terrific and the characters are so creative for a rocker story. Vaughan as the sweetheart sex god with a dreamy voice and a moral compass is heart and panty melting. I loved his relationship with the uptight professional Gillian as he slowly works his way into her heart (and panties) and shows her there’s more to life than work. And who could resist his too beautiful self? These two sizzle when she finally lets go. Hot! Shoutout to Noah. Bass players do count! I hope he gets a story along with the rest of the new guys. Their introduction was too funny! I don’t want to spoil it cause it’s a flipping hilarious surprise. But all works out in the end and Army of None is a hit. This is one of my favorite from this talented author. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC. 4.5 stars
So this trope isn’t usually one of my favourites but this book was a pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed the banter and emotion and loved all of the members of the band. Overall, it was a very enjoyable read.