Fast Forward by Xio Axelrod Series: Alt Er #1
Series Rating:
Published by Xio Axelrod LLC on June 27, 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Rock Star, Romance
Pages: 123
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased
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As a nineteen-year-old, wunderkind doctoral candidate, Ian Waters had little interest in social interaction. Books were his companions, and that had suited him just fine. Then a hurricane named Jessen Sørensen blew into his life, throwing Ian off his axis.
On the cusp of rock stardom, Jessen had burned brightly, and Ian had fallen heart-first under his spell. But Ian soon learned he was only a temptation, a pit stop on the road to the rocker’s dreams, and Jessen was gone as quickly as he’d come. Ian buried his heartache in academia, the only home he’d ever known.
When Ian encounters Jessen at a party, the seven-year separation seems insurmountable. There’s too much pain, too much distrust. But Jessen declares he has a new dream, and that’s a life with Ian.
Fast forward was a very quick book, so this will be an equally quick review.
Jessen Sorensen and Ian Waters had one of those affairs that burns fast and hot, then ends just as quickly. One issue I had with this novella is that it was difficult to get a read on how much time was passing. Jessen and Ian met when Ian was assigned to get some pictures of Jessen and his twin brother before one of their concerts, and seemingly within a matter of just a few weeks, Jessen was making plans to leave the band and live with Ian in domestic bliss forever. And it seemed like those plans were in the works within just a few days, but that doesn’t seem right.
Another issue I had is that hints were dropped in but never really followed up on. At one point Ian mentions that his friend Siv knew a lot about his childhood, but only Jessen knew all the dirty details, but that’s never followed up on. By the end of the story, I still don’t know any of those dirty details, either. Jessen and Ian, Jessen especially, does a lot of “I know I fucked up, but I just….”, then trailing off and never really finishing his thought. I still don’t really know exactly why he walked out on Ian seven years ago after slipping a note under the door that just said “I’m sorry”.
But I can’t rate this book any lower than I did because I really did like the story. I think it could would have benefitted from being a full-length novel instead of a novella, and I’ll admit that insta-love is a bit of a mixed bag for me, but I liked Ian and Jessen. The entire novella is third-person Ian’s POV, then suddenly the last chapter was first-person from Jessen’s POV, which was a little more jarring than I think the author intended. But I liked it, and I’m looking forward to reading more by her.
About Xio Axelrod
Xio Axelrod is a USA Today best-selling author of romantic fiction, contemporary romance and, what she likes to call, strange, twisted tales. Xio grew up in the music industry and began recording at a young age. When she isn’t writing stories, she can be found in the studio, writing songs, or performing on international stages (under a different, no-so-secret name). She lives in Philadelphia with one full-time husband and several part-time cats.
