Drumline

By: Stacy Kestwick

Narrated by: Stephen Dexter, Tracy Marks

Traditions are important. Especially in the South. College football. Rivalries. Tailgating. Halftime shows. Some things just don’t change. Until Reese Holland shows up with her long legs and no-bullshit attitude to audition for the prestigious all-male Rodner University snare line. It doesn’t matter how much hazing she has to endure from Laird Bronson, with his narrowed green eyes and arrogant smirk. She wants that damn spot, and she’s more than good enough to earn it. She expects there to be tension. Even friction. But not sparks hot enough to burn the entire campus down.

©2017 Stacy Kestwick (P)2017 Stacy Kestwick

Love the Unique Premise!

I am not usually a lover of New Adult books. Reading about someone my son’s age gets a little weird sometimes. But being a band mom, and knowing Stacy was going to be at Wicked Book Weekend I grabbed Drumline on audio. I have never read a book about marching band or drumline, so I immediately liked the unique premise, and the story did not disappoint.

Reese was a kicka*s heroine. I loved that she was one of the rare women to try out for an all-male team known for hazing and she whooped butt at it! She went in expecting there to be issues with her sex, but what she didn’t expect was to have crazy chemistry with one of the heads of the snare line, Laird Bronson. (The unsexy name ruined him a little for me).

When one of the other guys gave her problems, she stood right up to him.

“Here’s the thing.” Reese spoke softly, stopping me in my tracks, and Marco was forced to lean in closer to hear her. “When I sleep with someone, I don’t want him to still need practice at it. I prefer my men to already know what the **** they’re doing in the bedroom.”
Silence descended on our group as her words hung in the air.
I might have fallen in love with her. Just like that.

She was independent, sometimes stubborn, but so determined to be the first female on the team, nothing would stand in her way.

"Yeah, this wasn’t a girl who’d let me do the dirty work for her, slay her dragons while she cowered in the ivy-covered tower. Reese would be on the front lines, carving her own path and wielding her own sword. And I wanted to be the one to have her back on the journey."

They knew getting involved could be a problem, but Laird, that dirty talking hottie, was pretty irresistible.

There was a great balance of humor, sexiness, conflict, angst and romance in this story, and I very much enjoyed the listen!

Likes:

•Totally unique premise.
•Humor and banter.
•A kicka*s, strong heroine.
•A villain you love to hate.
•A romantic, dirty-talking hero.
•A heroine you want to hang with.

Dislikes:

•Kind of an abrupt ending.
•A few lines made me cringe a little, but maybe because of the age thing.
•Though I believe in instalove, I would have liked the to see the connection build a little more.
•There was a whole background part of the story, a connection they had, that I would have loved to have seen expanded upon.

The Narration:
Tracy Marks and Stephen Dexter were perfect for their roles. I think the book translated very well to audio, and the narrators made it even better.

The Down and Dirty:
I really loved the unique premise of Drumline, and it was very clear the author knew what she was talking about. This was a really nice change from the NA sports romances out there and I truly enjoyed the change. And please, who doesn't love a book with humor, romance, angst, sexy times, a strong female heroine and a romantic dirty talking hero?

Rating: 4 Stars, 4 Heat, 5 narration

couldn't finish

I had a hard time listening to this story. I gave up after chapter 5. Female narrator reading style took a way a good story. I gave four stars for Mr Dexter. I will have to try other story and different reader from this author.

Yes! So Emotional

I liked “Drumline” and I liked it quite a lot! There are several aspects that the author highlighted very well in the story and there were several instances when Reese really was an inspiration. I was surprised to see that this is Stacy Kestwick’s debut novel, because she did a great job!

I won’t get into the plot, as you can read the blurb above and there are some items I’d like to point out. We have a girl going into male territory. And she is not giving up without a fight. I liked her strength and her desire to succeed where only few girls have managed. She works twice as hard, she does not give into bullying, even when her opponent is 5 times more built than her.

Cancer. Regarded from all perspectives, this is the most painful item in this book, for all involved. It destroys, it takes away, it is a source of strength and fear. We have a cancer survivor, a family affected by loss because of it and cancer patients – innocent and pure. The way it was included and analyzed from all perspectives is fabulous! The author captured the emotions so good, without losing the focus of our story.

A love that builds gradually, a relationship that should not happen, starts between Reese and Laird. She wants in, on her own merits, he is the captain. He is not allowed to be easy on her. But one cannot go against faith and heart. They are so good together, both frail and strong in the same time. I cannot but love them.

The narration was also great. Stephen Dexter and Tracy Marks formed a great team and their performance was up to my expectations. I think that the audio version is more authentic with their narration as they transposed those feelings in the right way.

I do hope my arguments have convinced you, at least in a small part, to give “Drumline” a chance. Stacy Kestwick proves her talent beyond a doubt in my opinion. I was captured by her story, her characters and all the competition. One has to be strong to succeed, in a game of football, to join a team or to face an illness. Thank you for this book!

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Stacy Kestwick. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

love it so much I had to order the hard copy

loved it I like it better than fifty shades and I didn't think that was even possible!!!

So much more than I expected!

I selected this book based on the narrators and discovered a talented author in the process. I was pulled into this story from the very beginning. The competitiveness of the drumline members was astounding. This book is well written and has a great ending. There were some unexpected twists and original storyline.

Loved every second

Love this book. Didn't want to put it down. I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Stacy Kestwick. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

The Guys Voice...

I can’t describe it but I hated his voice at times. It was too much. I did like the southern accent but that voice...ugh. But the storyline was amazing and of course the female voice was great.

Great New Adult Romance!

Would you listen to Drumline again? Why?

YES! Because Stephen Dexter's voice is dreamy!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Drumline?

When Laird stood up to Marco, and then had Reese at his side for his last game!

What does Stephen Dexter and Tracy Marks bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Oh gosh! I wasn't too big on Tracy, she was very breathy in her narration. But Stephen could follow me around the grocery store and read my list to me! He did a fabulous job, and made this book and these characters come to life.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Girls can do anything that boys can do better.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed getting to know each of the secondary characters, hating Marco, and learning more about Reese and Laird as we got deeper into the book. Their lives are so complex and their relationship builds on the layers they keep peeling apart from their own lives. Getting to know someone in college isn’t always easy, and the lives of these two characters are already complicated - add in that he’s a senior, and she’s a freshman…

This book had a little bit of everything. I was very pleased. A true new adult novel.

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I read this book when it was originally released. I normally don't like to listen to stories on audio if I know what is going to happen already. But, honestly, I took more away from this story by listening to it on audio. The narrators really brought it to life. Stephen Dexter is the PERFECT Laird. His voice gave me goosebumps with that southernish accent! It felt like these two were living the story rather than reading it.

As far as the story goes, This story was everything that I thought it would be and more. I just love the idea of a girl charging into a man's world and taking it by storm. Reese was that girl. She didn't let the guys on the Drumline push her around. She didn't want "any special treatment". She was fierce and determined. Laird is the captain of the Drumline and is taken by her from the beginning. He really is just about the perfect book boyfriend. Given all of the struggles of his past, I felt glad that he found Reese. They were like 2 asteroids in the sky that are destined to collide. I didn't expect all the emotional parts of this book. Eli & Amelia were so lovable and special. My one criticism of this book is that I wanted more! I want more chapters! :)

I really enjoyed the story, sweet and funny

I really enjoyed the story, sweet and funny. Would have been better with less sex scenes. The narration was just ok, not sure if it was the speed of the tracks or the Tracy Marks performance it just seems too fast