Synopsis:
When Dee Dawson meets sexy mohawked guitarist Joel Gibbon, she knows it won't be long before she has him wrapped around her finger. No guy has ever been able to resist her … but Dee's met her match in a player like Joel.
Dee's not the relationship type—not after seeing the pain "love" has caused her friends and family—yet she's desperate to make Joel want her more than anyone else. He quickly becomes an obsession, and when a reckless attempt to make him jealous ends in disaster, Dee turns into the damsel in distress she never wanted to be. With her carefree world crashing down around her, the last thing she needs is Joel's pity.
But Joel is suddenly determined to prove he cares, and no matter how hard Dee tries to push him away, he refuses to let her shut him out. Now the girl who swore she'd never say those three little words must choose between guarding her heart and losing Joel forever … or falling head over heels for the tattooed rock star of her dreams. 
Review by: Sam
LADIES.......THERE IS SOMETHING THAT MUST BE BROUGHT TO YOUR ATTENTION......IT MAY COME AS A HEART BREAKING DISAPPOINTMENT TO YOU ALL...AND SOME MAY WANT TO GO TO WAR......I ENCOURAGE YOU TO THINK ABOUT NOT DOING THAT ...JOEL GIBBON IS MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU CAN READ HIS STORY BUT I SEE ANY DIBS CLAIMS ON HIM WHEN I ALREADY HOLD THAT TITLE......CHICKS BE GETTING SHANKED!!!!!!! YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST............SHEM HAS DIBS ON THE ROCK GOD THAT IS JOEL GIBBON. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED....
We met Dee in book one of the series and I instantly loved her. She is so funny and the kind of girl I would want as my best friend. She is the girl who DOES NOT AND WILL NOT chase the guy, in this game she is the mouse!!!! She wants to be WANTED, NEEDED AND PURSUED.
This book is not fluffy with rainbows and unicorns, it is passionate and has one hell of an edge to it. It develops into this absolutely stunning story that has set up camp in my soul. At times I was screaming at my kindle, out of sheer frustration because in the end I was rooting for these two.
So, to anyone who has eyes in their head, you need to pick up this book, read it and fall completely in love with the story of Dee and Joel! Joel.......MINE!
5+++ STAR read for me!
Review by: Erin
OMG! She has done it again! This story was emotional and raw. These two characters were absolutely perfect for each other. Both having similar backgrounds filled with anger and hurt. I love that this group of characters is so close knit. They are all there for each other no matter what. The passion between Dee and Joel is explosive. This story grabbed me in chapter 1 and didn't let go. The emotional highs and lows of this story remind me of a fabulous roller coaster. At the end, you have such a rush and want to do it all over again. This was very well written and, like book 1, has all the elements you expect a great rocker romance to have. I am not so patiently waiting for the next installment so I can see what the future holds for all of these great characters!
5 Stars
Review by: Fidah
Riot is the second book in the Mayhem series and follows two new main characters. It can be read as a standalone but you should read it in order if you have any intention to read this series. If you've read Mayhem, you would know that Dee and Joel are close friends to our main characters from the previous book. However, Mayhem and Riot are two completely different and opposite books.
The whole book is wilder, more intense and definitely steamier. It's definitely because Dee and Joel are very carefree yet damaged souls. They've been through some rough moments and it has definitely shaped them to how they were in the book. But did I enjoy this book more compared to the first? I wouldn't say so. But it's not because of the writing. The writing was consistent throughout both books. I was engaged through the whole course of the series. The characters were true to their character and they were distinct and real. However, that was also the reason that I disliked the book on some parts.
I didn't like Dee as the story progressed. I liked her in Mayhem and the beginning of Riot, but as we slowly peeled away the mask, I had trouble liking her. I understood her reason for putting up those walls around her but the longer it stayed, the more frustrated I became. I don't want to be so judgemental but I disliked her pushing others away, even her best friend. It was painful yet aggravating at the same time. I wish I could come to love her but I don't. I don't hate her either. But she's definitely not one of my favourite characters.
I definitely liked Joel more than Dee. He was sweet and patient and understanding when he realised his feelings for her. I like how attentive he was. I didn't agree with his attitude towards the end but I guess I could overlook that bit because he was a great male lead.
I wouldn't say this was a bad book. I think it all depends on preference. If you loved Dee and Joel during the previous book, you might love this book. Like I said, the characters and the writing were great but my dislike for the female lead's decisions in the later part of the book got in the way. I was really liking it in the beginning. It's unfortunate that I didn't enjoy it all the way.
3.5 Stars
Excerpt:
Chapter One
At the bar, I sit next to the hottest guy I can find and flash a smile in his direction. Two minutes later, I have a drink and a distraction.
“So do you like the band?” he asks, nodding toward the stage.
I shrug. “They’re alright.” They’re also the last thing I want to talk about right now, since I desperately need to stop agonizing over what’s going to happen when their set ends, but God apparently hates me.
“I went to high school with most of them,” the guy brags, like he can claim some kind of residual rock-star status for having shared a zip code. I almost burst out laughing, barely managing to hide it behind the drink I’m sipping.
“Were you friends?” I ask, not caring but knowing it’s my turn to say something.
He goes on and on about the classes they shared and the time he got to see them in the talent show and how he went to one of Adam’s parties his senior year. I’m mentally plotting my escape when the guy’s eyes flit over my shoulder and open wide, sending untamed eyebrows jumping up into his forehead. His hand latches onto my forearm like a lifeline, and I turn my head just in time for my lips to brush Joel’s cheek. “Is this guy bothering you?” he questions in my ear, his blue eyes turning to read mine before narrowing on the guy’s hand, which recoils from my arm even though the rest of the guy looks totally dazed. With his wide eyes and unhinged jaw, he’s so starstruck that I can’t help but cast a quick glance at his lap to check for a man-for-man hard-on.
“You know Joel Gibbon?” he gasps, startling me from my detective work.
“Who, him?” I ask, pointing a lazy finger at the boy standing behind me. Inside, I’m giddy as hell that Joel came to find me. Outside, I’m mildly bored and totally unfazed.
“Oh my God,” the guy says. “I’m such a huge fan!”
“You apparently went to school together,” I add without turning to face Joel, who loosens up behind me even as both of his heavy arms come to wrap around my shoulders. Since no one else has popped up at my sides, I’m guessing the rest of our group stayed backstage to watch the closing band perform.
Joel’s chuckle rumbles against my back. “Oh yeah? What year were you?”
The guys talk and I tune them out until the hot fanboy eventually gets a picture with Joel and leaves. And then Joel’s suggestive voice is in my ear again.
“Are you ready to get out of here?”
“Are you ready to stop being a man-whore?”
He has the nerve to laugh. “Why, are you jealous?”
Insanely. “Why would I be jealous?” I peel his arms away and turn on my stool to face him. “I’m the one you always go home with.”
“Isn’t that interesting,” he muses with an agitating glimmer in his arctic-blue eyes.
Joel usually begins the night with someone else—or a few someone elses—and on nights I’m not around, he goes home with them. But on nights I am around, I always end up winning his attention—through exhaustive efforts that I’m really getting tired of exerting.
“If I say no, what will you do? Go home with one of them instead?”
“You won’t say no.”
I scoff at him. “Shows what you know.”
When I spin away from him, he squeezes up behind me again and presses his lips against my ear. “You won’t say no because you know all the things I want to do to you.”
He starts telling me exactly what those things are, and my toes curl in my peep-toe pumps. Goosebumps spread from my ankles to my ears, and I abruptly hop off my stool.
“Where are you going?” Joel calls after me.
“To see if you’re a man of your word!”
About the author:
Born and raised in South Central Pennsylvania, JAMIE SHAW earned her M.S. in Professional Writing from Towson University before realizing that the creative side of writing was her calling. An incurable night owl, she spends late hours crafting novels with relatable heroines and swoon-worthy leading men. She's a loyal drinker of white mochas, a fierce defender of emo music, and a passionate enthusiast of all things romance. She loves interacting with readers and always aims to add new names to their book-boyfriend lists.
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