BOOK REVIEW - PLAY by KYLIE SCOTT - STAGE DIVE # 2 - NEW ADULT CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE - PAN MACMILLAN AUST

By: Kylie Scott

Published By: Pan Macmillan Aust

Released : Available Now

Details: Kindle copy for honest review, 304 Pages

RATING: 5 HILARIOUS MAL STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

Kylie Scott returns with the highly anticipated follow-up to international bestseller Lick.

Mal Ericson, drummer for the world famous rock band Stage Dive, needs to clean up his image fast—at least for a little while. Having a good girl on his arm should do the job just fine. Mal doesn’t plan on this temporary fix becoming permanent, but he didn’t count on finding the one right girl. Anne Rollins never thought she’d ever meet the rock god who plastered her teenage bedroom walls—especially not under these circumstances. Anne has money problems. Big ones. But being paid to play the pretend girlfriend to a wild life-of-the-party drummer couldn’t end well. No matter how hot he is. Or could it?

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

“Lifes a song, Anne.

Let’s play.”

I had such a great time reading Mal’s book, Kylie had me actually snorting and giggling in bed with laughter. Mal’s voice is as endearing as it is down right hilarious.

I kept trying to think who he reminded me of, with his humor. It hit me. When Mal is switched on, in playful mode, to me, he feels like he is channeling, Russell Brand. Now obviously I am not talking about looks, but in humor.

Some fans like this chappy for Mal inspiration.

It’s just something I could hear when Mal said some of his more hilarious dialogue and he was really in MAL-MODE.



“I’ll sleep with Anne.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Yes, I will.” He raised a hand high. “For I am, Malcolm, Lord of the Sex!”


“So, I’ve given this absolutely no thought and decided that you need boundaries, Anne. Boundaries. Are. Your. Friends.” Each word was punctuated with his finger tapping the tip of my nose.



“God damn it,” swore David. “He just fucking bit me.”

“My love shall not be silenced!”

I really like Anne. Mal is so good for her. It is a quick start to their fake relationship thing, but I so enjoy the humor that Kylie injected into Mal.

This book is just smile-medicine. You can’t help but grin and laugh out loud.

Especially at Mal’s texts and a certain bed breaking scene.

Sometimes he doesn’t feel like he is twenty seven years old, because he is this bouncy puppy. Then when the wall he has built drops, then you see the twenty seven year old.

Mal is very youthful in personality. He is infectious.

It is inevitable that Mal and Anne will become more than what they set out to be.


“Liar,” he taunted in a soft voice. “You’re totally thinking of me with no pants on.”

I totally was.

“That’s just gross, dude. A massive invasion of my privacy.” He leaned in closer, his breath warming my ear. “Whatever you’re imagining, it’s bigger.”



“There we go,” he said, not taking his eyes off me. “She doesn’t do it for you or Davie though. Only I get crazy eyes. Because I’m special.”



“Anne, are you trying to make me jealous? You wouldn’t like me when I’m jealous!” The drunken lunatic roared and started pounding on his chest like King Kong or the Hulk or whatever the hell he was trying to be.


I loved watching these two discover that they wanted more from each other. Mal knows how to be a caveman when he wants to be, or feels threatened by another, but he generally used humor to get what he wanted.



I feel like fucking. Let’s re-negotiate. This agreement is no longer working for me. I wanna talk to my lawyer!”

“Oh, you feel like fucking?”

“Well, yeah. I’m not used to going more than a day or two. It’s making me antsy.” He did a little jig on the spot to demonstrate. “I don’t like it. C’mon, Anne. Help a friend out, yeah? It’ll be good.”



“Ooh, she’s shiny.”

“Why don’t you go ask her what her name is?” suggested Ben, patting him on the back.

“Do I need to know her name?”

“I’ve heard it helps.”

“Maybe for you,” Mal scoffed. “I just call out my own name during sex.”


Mal can definitely make a girl purrrr. He can make the readers toes curl too. When Mal is in smexi mode...whahhhhh!!

I did laugh at the following quote, because it was so me. I have trouble with jars. Mal got that spot on!


“And you know I’m a fucking delight to have around. People don’t always get that about me. Plus, I’ll open jars and lift heavy shit. I hear those are issues for women.” He bounced around the room. Good god, this man had energy to spare like he snorted sugar.


I felt Anne and I had a lot in common. Especially this quote. HA!


My hands were clammy, sticky with sweat. Honestly, put me in a stressful situation and I could rival a rhino for perspiration issues. Assuming rhino’s had perspiration issues.

Of course when a character like Mal is continuously up and loaded on funnies, there is always a time when the reader will find out more of what is really going on underneath the funnies.


“I’m missing a beat, Anne. I can feel it. Shit ain’t right.”

I couldn't help voicing out loud an awwwww when Mal said that ! I just wanted to give him a cuddle. The thing with Mal is under all the humor he is being very honest with his thoughts and feelings. He just masks how deep he feels with humor... or...the bottle.

I gave this book five stars because I laughed and I felt connected to Mal and Anne and the sub characters. I laughed hard. Mal is a most loveable, pretty, smexi character who has such a deep heart. I loved him calling Ev, child bride in Lick and I love him calling Anne, pumpkin, in Play. 

He is a book boyfriend that will keep his book girlfriend laughing into old age.

Michelle