It's an unexpected match made in Heaven when a woman known for her wholesome lifestyle has a one night stand with a drummer which leads to them having to play house to save their careers. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of How Good It Was by Scarlett Cole, along with my impressions of this angsty romance set in the glare of the media spotlight, then add this third installment in the Excess All Areas series to your bookshelf too!
Willow
Love’s an illusion.
Everyone around her is out for what they can get, except a drummer who wanted nothing more than a steamy one-night stand.
Two blue lines later, she’s on the fast track to career destruction as America’s number one wholesome content creator.
Saving her reputation and collaborations will require a plan and a little social media fakery. Okay, a lot. Like twelve months of pretending to build a family with the rockstar of her dreams.
Luke
Love’s an anchor.
Responsibilities and lack of band success have kept him trapped. But now, with the band suddenly making it big and his family obligations gone, life is off the rails. Yet fame, women, and arena tours only go so far in helping keep his pain buried.
Until one of the most spectacular nights of his life comes back to haunt him. She saved his career, now she wants him to help save hers.
A baby. A fake relationship. And a million dollars. Is it the perfect arrangement to avoid responsibilities? Or a deal guaranteed to ruin them both?
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
Readers rejoice as British rockstars, Sad Fridays, are back in this angsty contemporary romance of a one-night stand that leads to big changes for two people weighed down by their pasts as they find an unexpected connection that changes their lives irrevocably. When drummer Luke Bryson has an unforgettable night with "family friendly" media influencer Willow Warner they end up putting on the ultimate show as they try to salvage her career while he deals with all the excesses of fame seeking to pull him under as his band continues their meteoric rise. It's ultimately a journey full of angst, heartfelt moments, and a slow burn teeming with sexual tension as they get to know each other behind the images they show to the world. From start to finish it's a story that pulls you in, never letting you go until the very end...and an epilogue that has me greatly anticipating the next installment in this series.
Luke is a bit of a jerk when readers first meet him, fully embracing the "sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll" lifestyle to hide from a painful past where he never felt he was important or put first. His father's death led to him taking on the role of caretaker at a young age and it's a weight that he's been rebelling from ever since. To escape that weight he fully embraces the rockstar vices as a man who does coke, drinks to numbness, and flits from one groupie after another. Meeting the wholesome Willow catches him off-guard though as she's nothing like the women he's been with before. Their one night together has him being real for the first time, being honest about his life, which leads to lots of steam and heart and soul. When she shows up on his doorstep two months later, announcing her pregnancy and an offer she doesn't think he'll refuse, he's once again caught off-guard in a journey that reveals a much softer side to him. Luke may act tough and uncaring at the start, but being with Willow shows him to be a protective man. It brings out a gentlemanly side full of respect, someone who doesn't think he'd be a good husband and father, but who easily embraces all those qualities. I came to adore Luke, found him to be endearing and someone who I endlessly wanted to hug to prove to him he was always deserving of being first.
Willow was another individual bruised by her past as a childhood star. For years she made money, money that unbeknownst to her was being stolen by her parents. Throughout her youth she had to deal with issues over her looks, and being the good girl, and with getting older she switched to social media where she became a top influencer. The moment she spotlighted a song from Brit band Sad Fridays on her site was a life-altering event for both the band and Willow, opening up her eyes to painful truths while giving her a needed push to break free from the chains those around her placed on her. A one-night stand with Luke was supposed to be just one night, but her becoming pregnant and going to legal war with her parents and advisers has her going to Luke and making him an unconventional offer. It's an offer that changes everything for them, makes them stronger as individuals, and has them growing closer together as they reveal more of themselves to the other. Willow may start off as the quiet and perfectly packaged media star, but as the story progresses a stronger and more assertive side emerges. Her and Luke become a formidable pair, an unconventional family of their own making, one that I rooted for from the first page to the last.
This was an intensely emotional tale, one that depicted the dark and painful price of fame. Hiding from painful pasts is what brought these two very different people together, had them making beautiful music together in a relationship that might have started out as fake, but soon became all too real as they showed their true selves to each other. Their connection was instantaneous but grew slowly to become even more richly rewarding. Surrounding this memorable main couple were the other members of Sad Fridays and it warmed my heart seeing the boys work through their issues here. Along with intense emotions, steamy encounters, and hard truths, readers got bits of humor courtesy of Nan. Throughout the series she's been a bright spot amidst the heavy moments and I adored her and look forward to seeing more of her as well as the rest of the band in the next installment. On a whole this was another winner from Ms. Cole, another sensual and emotional tale that pulled at my heartstrings, and I definitely recommend it to fans of rockstar romances and opposites attracting. After the turn of the final page I'm now left impatiently waiting for the next book in the Excess All Areas series!
My rating for this is an A.
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
AUTHOR INFO:
The tattoo across my right hip says it all really. A Life Less Ordinary. Inked by the amazingly talented Luke Wessman at the Wooster Street Social Club (a.k.a. New York Ink). Why is it important? Well, it sums up my view on life. That we should all aspire to live a life that is less boring, less predictable. Be bold, and do something amazing. I’ve made some crazy choices. I’ve been a car maker, a consultant, and even a senior executive at a large retailer running strategy. Born in England, spent time in the U.S. and Japan, before ending up in Canada where I met my own, personal hero – all six and a half feet of him. Both of us are scorpios! Yeah, I know! Should have checked the astrological signs earlier, but somehow it works for us. We have two amazing kids, who I either could never part with or could easily be convinced to sell on e-bay. I’ve wanted to be a writer for a really long time. Check through my office cupboards or my computer and you’ll find half written stories and character descriptions everywhere. Now I'm getting the chance to follow that dream.
