Rowan Michaels and her best friend Dee Dawson are attending a concert from local up-and-coming band The Last Ones to Know. The wild and somewhat extravagant Dee decides to glam up the usually subdued Rowan, to the point that Rowan is almost unrecognisable. While at the concert, Rowan sees her long-time boyfriend Brady kissing another girl; he was supposed to be out of town on a business trip. She runs outside crying, and the band's singer, Adam Everest, sees her and comforts her. She is a bit star-struck, but even more impressed by how good- looking and nice he is. Rowan has been drinking a bit and gets even drunker with Adam; although they only exchange kisses, the chemistry they share is apparent. Rowan doesn't tell Dee about meeting Adam, but when he shows up in their French class at university, things get more complicated quickly.

I will admit that the concept of falling in love with a rock star was like catnip to me, and MAYHEM lives up to what I expected, and then some. Ms. Shaw perfectly captures university life and what being a freshman really is; the rock musicians also feel genuine: they are on their way up, they travel on a tour bus and they are not megarich. The various band members all have their own quirks and looks, albeit not clichéd; they behave like we understand rock musicians do but not outrageously so. Dee and Rowan do sound like 18 year olds, not like caricatures; they are very different from each other but they complement each other; their friendship is totally believable and their exchanges are spot-on.

MAYHEM is every girl's dream come true: meeting a rock star who will fall in love with her. I like the tone of the book, and it'a perfectly in tune with Rowan's personality; I felt I was also 18, that I was Rowan's friend. MAYHEM is very well written, the story moves along quickly, and I'm very much looking forward to the second instalment! A very impressive debut to a new series!

Book Summary

When college freshman Rowan Michaels meets gorgeous, up-and-coming rock star Adam Everest, she knows a player like him is the last thing she needs after her ex- boyfriend shattered her heart. But she can't stop thinking about the kiss they shared on his tour bus.

On the first day of school, Rowan is stunned when Adam saunters into her French class. He's soon failing miserably, and, on a whim, she offers to tutor him. But Adam doesn't recognize her as a makeup-free, glasses-clad college student—a far cry from the beautiful, mysterious "Peach" he met at his concert.

During a wild weekend on tour with the band, Rowan can't help falling for the sweet guy buried beneath Adam's rocker persona. Yet she knows she could never compete with the girls constantly throwing themselves at his feet. She'd just end up hurt … again.

Peach is all Adam thinks about, though, and when Rowan realizes this, she has a decision to make: stay just friends to protect her fragile heart … or reveal the truth about the night they met and admit she's fallen completely, hopelessly in love with him.