Review: Love Struck by Laurelin McGee

Title: Love Struck by Laurelin McGee
Miss Match Series Book Two
Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 336 pages
Book Rating: C+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Welcome to a seductive world where two solo artists combine their talents-and their hearts-to make beautiful music together…

SHE’S GETTING INTO THE GROOVE
Lacy Dawson is a young singer-songwriter with a record deal, a studio gig, and a serious case of writer’s block. After looking for love songs in all the wrong places, she finds inspiration at an online support group called Song Writers Anonymous. Thanks to one mysterious member who motivates her and inspires her, Lacy’s career is back on track. But is she ready to meet her sexy musical muse…face to face?

HE MAKES HER HEART SKIP A BEAT
Eli is definitely interested in hooking up with Lacy, aka “LoveCoda.” But between writing her new album and his band’s success, they can’t find the time to face the music-or each other-about their burgeoning online romance. All that changes when Eli and Lacy get booked on tour together. In person, the attraction is all too real and explosive. They both should walk away, but once they are in each other’s arms, there is no turning back…

Review:

Love Struck, the second book in Laurelin McGee’s Miss Match series, is a charming romance that relies heavily on misunderstandings to create conflict for lead protagonists Lacy Dawson and Eli Frank.

Lacy is a singer/songwriter who has been suffering from severe writer’s block since her fiancé’s death. After joining an anonymous online songwriter’s support group in hopes of finding inspiration, she and another member, Folx, have grown very close. Forum rules prevent them from revealing their identities, but Lacy and Folx decide to set up a meeting in real life. Due to professional obligations, they have to put off their “date” for a few months and things get very complicated for both of them in the intervening months.

Lacy has been struggling for months to recapture her songwriting mojo and she definitely feels the pressure when her recording date for her next album moves up. No one but Folx knows how much trouble she has been having creating enough material for her new project but she still remains hopeful her creativity will resume before she hits the recording studio. When an unexpected opportunity arises for her fill in as opening act for another group, Lacy hopes spending time with other musicians will help get her back on track.

While Eli has no trouble writing new songs, he and his band mates have been struggling with creative differences for the past several months. Their lead singer, Jax, is temperamental and the rest of the band has been treating him with kid gloves for quite some time. Although he has been putting aside his personal differences with Jax because of their longstanding friendship, Eli’s compassion and patience are about to run out but fear of making it on his own keeps him from making a decision about the band.

Until Lacy goes on tour, Love Struck is fast paced and engaging with witty banter and an obvious connection between Lacy and Folx. However, after Lacy meets Eli, the novel gets bogged down in misunderstandings and miscommunication. The pair are instantly drawn to one another and their attraction soon turns physical. It does not take long for their relationship to turn into a repetitious cycle of on again/off again as they push one another away only to give in to their desire then the whole cycle starts all over again. As if they do not have enough problems, Eli comes to shocking realization and makes decision that is well-meaning but becomes another source of conflict between them.

Love Struck is an enjoyable (albeit frustrating) romance between two very appealing characters. Lacy’s portion of the storyline is poignant and Laurelin McGee deftly handles some difficult subject matter with a great deal of sensitivity. Eli is at a crossroads professionally and although it is not easy for him, he is eventually forced to make a difficult decision. The conflict between Lacy and Eli is initially interesting, but it drags on a little too long which makes it difficult to remain invested in the final outcome of their relationship. However, the overall premise of the novel is unique and the story is well written. All in all, a lovely addition to the Miss Match series.