As a reader who loves rock star romances I'm excited to introduce you to a story about two bruised souls drawn to each other out of finding comfort in lives mired in the loss of loved ones. When miscommunications occurs it will take a lot of effort for these second chance lovers to prove themselves in their romantic journey full of angst. Keep reading to get a glimpse of Broken Down by Amanda K. Byrne, along with my impressions of it, and learn even more about it by visiting the other sites hosting this tour. In honor of this second installment in the Hidden Scars series make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win 2-$25 GCs too!
The one thing he could do for her was let her go. Until he couldn’t.
When Thieves’ guitarist Shane Jones lost his close friend to a freak accident, Krista Conner helped him through the worst of his grief. He kept their late-night trysts a secret to protect her from the tabloids, and when she broke up with him, he let her go.
But he never got over her.
Months later, his world is rocked again by the death of his brother mere weeks before the biggest Thieves album yet. Grieving and desperate for peace, he tracks Krista down, craving the salvation he found in her sweet spirit. Only this time, he’s determined not to leave.
Krista left Shane because her life was a mess. She’s rebuilt it, piece by challenging piece, making some hard decisions along the way. She’s settled into a new city and a new life, and for the first time in a long time, she’s content and happy. Then Shane turns up, promising to stay, promising to care. Promising everything.
Shane’s the one she wants, but the toughest choice she made could drive him away for good.
When Thieves’ guitarist Shane Jones lost his close friend to a freak accident, Krista Conner helped him through the worst of his grief. He kept their late-night trysts a secret to protect her from the tabloids, and when she broke up with him, he let her go.
But he never got over her.
Months later, his world is rocked again by the death of his brother mere weeks before the biggest Thieves album yet. Grieving and desperate for peace, he tracks Krista down, craving the salvation he found in her sweet spirit. Only this time, he’s determined not to leave.
Krista left Shane because her life was a mess. She’s rebuilt it, piece by challenging piece, making some hard decisions along the way. She’s settled into a new city and a new life, and for the first time in a long time, she’s content and happy. Then Shane turns up, promising to stay, promising to care. Promising everything.
Shane’s the one she wants, but the toughest choice she made could drive him away for good.
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MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
The best second chance romances are always mired in angst and in this tale of a rock star weighted down by grief trying to win back the woman equally bruised by a loved one's addiction, the angst is running high. Readers will be taken on a journey depicting the pain of addiction on an addict's loved ones that's both thought provoking and heartbreaking to make its conclusion all the more satisfying.
Shane's music career is currently flourishing, but after the deaths of one bandmate and recently his brother, the music seems to be lost to him and he's looking for a way out. Whenever he needs comfort he's always thought of Krista so he's once again knocking on her door as he's looking for a safe place to make decisions about his future. He and Krista's past relationship may have been primarily based on sex but he's always felt safe in her presence, comforted, and allowed to be just an average man. The day she told him to go he agreed but he's regretted it ever since and decides to do things right this time by starting over and taking the time to get to really know her. Shane's not an outspoken man and his quietness has led to problems, but he is loyal. He loves Krista and would do anything to make her happy. The decisions he's making now regarding his future express the feelings that he's had trouble speaking in the past and had me liking him despite his stoicism.
Krista is equally as stoic in that she doesn't easily ask for or accept help. Her first instinct is to always help others which has put her physical and mental health in jeopardy repeatedly. Though she loves Shane she never saw a future with him because of his fame. She never gave him the chance to prove her beliefs differently as her faith has been sorely tested by her drug addicted mother and brother over and over again and left her full of doubts. Though she may not express her needs or feelings loudly, I still liked her and her caretaking tendencies as I see myself in that role. Krista was loyal and there when anyone needed her which is an admirable trait and made her easy to relate to.
This was a story with a powerful message about drug addiction and how it affects those around the addict. It's a heartbreaking story at times as it deals with grief and guilt as is vividly depicted by Ms. Byrne. The romance between Shane and Krista may have been scorching the first time around, but here they're wiser and taking things slower to get to know each other better in interludes both sweet and sensual. Unlike many of the rock star romances I've read previously, the music world is on the periphery here with very little of the trappings of fame on display. Along with its likable protagonists comes a small cast of secondary characters who subtly push the main couple together with only Krista's brother Riley having a storyline of his own. His journey though is intensely emotional and one that I'd love to see expanded as we were just getting to know him when this story ended. Though this story does lag a bit in the middle section it's still a compelling read with characters easy to relate to. It's emotionally powerful and thought provoking and I applaud Ms. Byrne for the weighty topics she dealt with here and recommend it to others.
Shane's music career is currently flourishing, but after the deaths of one bandmate and recently his brother, the music seems to be lost to him and he's looking for a way out. Whenever he needs comfort he's always thought of Krista so he's once again knocking on her door as he's looking for a safe place to make decisions about his future. He and Krista's past relationship may have been primarily based on sex but he's always felt safe in her presence, comforted, and allowed to be just an average man. The day she told him to go he agreed but he's regretted it ever since and decides to do things right this time by starting over and taking the time to get to really know her. Shane's not an outspoken man and his quietness has led to problems, but he is loyal. He loves Krista and would do anything to make her happy. The decisions he's making now regarding his future express the feelings that he's had trouble speaking in the past and had me liking him despite his stoicism.
Krista is equally as stoic in that she doesn't easily ask for or accept help. Her first instinct is to always help others which has put her physical and mental health in jeopardy repeatedly. Though she loves Shane she never saw a future with him because of his fame. She never gave him the chance to prove her beliefs differently as her faith has been sorely tested by her drug addicted mother and brother over and over again and left her full of doubts. Though she may not express her needs or feelings loudly, I still liked her and her caretaking tendencies as I see myself in that role. Krista was loyal and there when anyone needed her which is an admirable trait and made her easy to relate to.
This was a story with a powerful message about drug addiction and how it affects those around the addict. It's a heartbreaking story at times as it deals with grief and guilt as is vividly depicted by Ms. Byrne. The romance between Shane and Krista may have been scorching the first time around, but here they're wiser and taking things slower to get to know each other better in interludes both sweet and sensual. Unlike many of the rock star romances I've read previously, the music world is on the periphery here with very little of the trappings of fame on display. Along with its likable protagonists comes a small cast of secondary characters who subtly push the main couple together with only Krista's brother Riley having a storyline of his own. His journey though is intensely emotional and one that I'd love to see expanded as we were just getting to know him when this story ended. Though this story does lag a bit in the middle section it's still a compelling read with characters easy to relate to. It's emotionally powerful and thought provoking and I applaud Ms. Byrne for the weighty topics she dealt with here and recommend it to others.
My rating for this is a B.
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
AUTHOR INFO:
When she’s not plotting ways to sneak her latest shoe purchase past her partner, Amanda writes sexy, snarky romance and urban fantasy. She likes her heroines smart and unafraid to make mistakes, and her heroes strong enough to take them on.
If she’s not writing, she’s reading, drinking hot chocolate, and trying not to destroy her house with her newest DIY project. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and no, it really doesn’t rain that much.
WEBSITE: http://www.amandakbyrne.com
GOODREADS AUTHOR PAGE: https://www.goodreads.com/
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/
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Lovely review, Jody! This sounds like a great read and emotional, too! Glad you liked it! :)
ReplyDeleteI need to read more rock star romances.
ReplyDeleteSounds like the author did a really good job about the effects of drug addiction on those closely related.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great book! I love stories about rock stars and their love lives!
ReplyDelete