Fans of Kristen Callihan and Kylie Scott will scream for this sizzling bad boy rock star romance!
I'm not who you think I am.
Shane Hawthorne has it all. At least, that's what the headlines say about me. I have millions of fans, awards, more money - and women - than I know what to do with. But what you don't see is the wreckage I've caused. The memories and pain I can't escape, even when I pour them into music and spin them into gold.
I tried to forget. To lose myself in booze and groupies. It didn't work. It hurt me and - worse - it hurt my band. That's the last thing I want to do, so I'm cleaning up my act... starting with Delaney Fraser.
Gorgeous, smart, drama-free, and even nice - Delaney is the perfect "girlfriend." When I'm with her I don't have to pretend. It's like she sees the real me. And I can see a future with her. But that's dangerous. Because the truth is, Shane Hawthorne doesn't actually exist. He's a shield to hide who I really am. Fraud. Runaway. Addict. Murderer.
And it's impossible to love a lie, right?
EXCERPT:
My eyes skidded over Delaney, taking in her flushed face and now naked lips, their gloss left behind on her wineglass. I continued my downward trajectory, sweeping over every inch she’d poured into the red dress still scratching at my corneas. “I don’t know what kind of guys you’ve been with before—but I’m with you right now because I think you’re fucking gorgeous. I look at your face and all I see is your perfect mouth, practically begging for me to kiss you.”
Finishing the last of my beer, I set the glass on the table. “That night, I could barely tear my eyes away from your ass, like half the guys there. And as for the rest of you, no one needs to tell me that you were made for my touch, Delaney.”
I kept my comments focused on Delaney’s physical attributes because everything else—especially this strange connection we seemed to share—made me feel like I was unraveling from the deepest part of me. It was too big, too unruly, to cage in with mere words. But whatever it was, it had kept me from walking away.
My heart thudding, I tried to stem the tide of words leaking from my mouth, but they wouldn’t stop. “I don’t want you because Travis told me I should. I want you because…Goddamn it, I’d have to be dead not to.”
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MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
As a fan of rock star romances I was immediately drawn to this emotionally intense series starter full of painful pasts, angst, and acceptance. Set in the chaotic, glitzy, and sensual world of music this book brings together two people carrying the weight of a tragic event from their pasts on their shoulders while finding personal peace on their bumpy journey to HEA.
Shane Hawthorne’s upbringing was a tragic one full of abuse, lack of love, and ultimately a heartbreaking event that left him reeling from guilt and on a downward spiral. From the outside, Shane’s life at the top of the charts seems perfect but behind the scenes is a man still fighting his addictions and hiding his pain behind the facade of a Rock King. For far too long he’s tried to numb his pain, buried himself in his music and surrounding himself with women who he can use and leave behind...until he sees Delaney. The moment he meets her he realizes he can no longer stay hiding as she demands to see the real man behind the sexy rock star facade and together they work through their painful past to make a HEA. Shane’s a delicious hero who doesn’t always do right, makes a big misstep late in the story, but is still immensely appealing as his emotional bruises had me wanting to hug him. When readers first meet him he’s manufactured and constantly on edge, superficial in his relationships as he doesn’t want to deal with his past head-on. With Delaney though he becomes a man worthy of love, a man willing to slay the demons from his past in order to make a future for him and the woman he wants to keep forever. It’s an emotionally draining journey he undertakes, a journey that I was fully invested in from the first page to the last.
Delaney Fraser was a good girl growing up with a perfect family until one moment took it all away. With the loss of her mother, and the incarceration of her father, Delaney left it all behind to run from truths that are slowly catching up to her. Since reaching the West Coast, Delaney’s just existing as she doesn’t feel she deserves happiness for all that transpired in the past. Meeting Shane though gives her a glimpse of a future and happiness she desperately wants. With their pasts coming back to claim their future it’s a rocky road full of heartbreak and self-destruction that kept me frantically turning the pages to the hard-fought conclusion. Delaney’s a likable heroine, an admirable one unwilling to be with Shane until she gets to see the man behind the mask. She’s an honest woman too that always tries to do right who guides Shane into being a better man while demanding that she be a better woman and quit running from her past. Her past though is just as painful as Shane’s and it binds them together while making them stronger. From start to finish Delaney’s the epitome of the supportive heroine, supporting Shane through all his ups and downs, and it made them an unforgettable couple.
Though there’s much about this book that’s stereotypical, it’s still a well-written story that held me captive through its moments of melodrama and frustratingly self-destructive decisions. The rock star world is on vivid display here with glimpses of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll and show a world full of vice and energy that’s both satisfying and dangerous as well as a haven and an escape for Shane. The main couple is larger than life with a powerful connection based on their mutual loss that made my heart ache while I rooted for them to accept the joy they found in each other’s arms. Theirs is a romance teeming with sensuality, a crackling connection, battered by a past beyond their control that pulled me in wholeheartedly. It’s a romance that pulled at the heartstrings while scorching up the pages courtesy of numerous erotically-charged encounters. Surrounding this appealing main couple is an equally intriguing cast of secondary characters, some more likable than others. There’s Shane’s manager Travis, the quintessential fixer who I never quite trusted along with his assistant Piper who knew Delaney in high school and who has a secret past with a musician who broke her heart. Readers also got a brief introduction to the other members of Nothing But Trouble and they too are stereotypical with Landon, the drummer who’s slowly losing himself in women and partying, along with fellow bandmates Jett and Dax who are still a mystery. The final addition to the cast is Shane’s brother Gavin, who has his own guilt that he’s carrying over leaving his brother behind as he made a better life for himself. These characters all add bits of emotional intensity to a story that went on a bit too long but still kept me fully invested in these character’s outcomes from the first page to the last.
Shane Hawthorne’s upbringing was a tragic one full of abuse, lack of love, and ultimately a heartbreaking event that left him reeling from guilt and on a downward spiral. From the outside, Shane’s life at the top of the charts seems perfect but behind the scenes is a man still fighting his addictions and hiding his pain behind the facade of a Rock King. For far too long he’s tried to numb his pain, buried himself in his music and surrounding himself with women who he can use and leave behind...until he sees Delaney. The moment he meets her he realizes he can no longer stay hiding as she demands to see the real man behind the sexy rock star facade and together they work through their painful past to make a HEA. Shane’s a delicious hero who doesn’t always do right, makes a big misstep late in the story, but is still immensely appealing as his emotional bruises had me wanting to hug him. When readers first meet him he’s manufactured and constantly on edge, superficial in his relationships as he doesn’t want to deal with his past head-on. With Delaney though he becomes a man worthy of love, a man willing to slay the demons from his past in order to make a future for him and the woman he wants to keep forever. It’s an emotionally draining journey he undertakes, a journey that I was fully invested in from the first page to the last.
Delaney Fraser was a good girl growing up with a perfect family until one moment took it all away. With the loss of her mother, and the incarceration of her father, Delaney left it all behind to run from truths that are slowly catching up to her. Since reaching the West Coast, Delaney’s just existing as she doesn’t feel she deserves happiness for all that transpired in the past. Meeting Shane though gives her a glimpse of a future and happiness she desperately wants. With their pasts coming back to claim their future it’s a rocky road full of heartbreak and self-destruction that kept me frantically turning the pages to the hard-fought conclusion. Delaney’s a likable heroine, an admirable one unwilling to be with Shane until she gets to see the man behind the mask. She’s an honest woman too that always tries to do right who guides Shane into being a better man while demanding that she be a better woman and quit running from her past. Her past though is just as painful as Shane’s and it binds them together while making them stronger. From start to finish Delaney’s the epitome of the supportive heroine, supporting Shane through all his ups and downs, and it made them an unforgettable couple.
Though there’s much about this book that’s stereotypical, it’s still a well-written story that held me captive through its moments of melodrama and frustratingly self-destructive decisions. The rock star world is on vivid display here with glimpses of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll and show a world full of vice and energy that’s both satisfying and dangerous as well as a haven and an escape for Shane. The main couple is larger than life with a powerful connection based on their mutual loss that made my heart ache while I rooted for them to accept the joy they found in each other’s arms. Theirs is a romance teeming with sensuality, a crackling connection, battered by a past beyond their control that pulled me in wholeheartedly. It’s a romance that pulled at the heartstrings while scorching up the pages courtesy of numerous erotically-charged encounters. Surrounding this appealing main couple is an equally intriguing cast of secondary characters, some more likable than others. There’s Shane’s manager Travis, the quintessential fixer who I never quite trusted along with his assistant Piper who knew Delaney in high school and who has a secret past with a musician who broke her heart. Readers also got a brief introduction to the other members of Nothing But Trouble and they too are stereotypical with Landon, the drummer who’s slowly losing himself in women and partying, along with fellow bandmates Jett and Dax who are still a mystery. The final addition to the cast is Shane’s brother Gavin, who has his own guilt that he’s carrying over leaving his brother behind as he made a better life for himself. These characters all add bits of emotional intensity to a story that went on a bit too long but still kept me fully invested in these character’s outcomes from the first page to the last.
My rating for this is a B+
*I got this book from NetGalley for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
AUTHOR INFO:
Tara Leigh attended Washington University in St. Louis and Columbia Business School in New York, and worked on Wall Street and Main Street before “retiring” to become a wife and mother. When the people in her head became just as real as the people in her life, she decided to put their stories on paper. Tara currently lives in Fairfield County, Connecticut with her husband, children and fur-baby, Pixie.
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