July’s Reading Challenge was to read a book featuring a musician.
My first selection is Can’t Walk Away, the first book in Sandy James’ Nashville Dreams series. As much as I wanted to LOVE Savannah and Brad’s romance, it was a little too insta-love for me. Plus I was never quite clear on whether Brad’s initial attraction for her was for her or the fact that she inspired him to write music again.
I like Savannah but there is not much chemistry between them although they definitely connect on a professional level.The book is well-written but a little to formulaic for me to truly enjoy.
Despite not being a fan of the somewhat immature interactions Brad has with his best friends, I like Ethan and Russ enough to keep going with the series.
My other choice is Riven by Roan Parrish. I really enjoyed the novel overall but I found the pacing to be a little uneven. Theo Decker is the lead singer and songwriter for the wildly popular group, Riven. Unfortunately, while he LOVES performing, he hates the trappings of fame. He is also disappointed to feel like he is not a “member” of his bandmates’ family.
After returning home from a grueling tour, Theo is enjoying some much needed anonymity as he wanders through the city he calls home. Passing by a bar, he is drawn to the soulful playing of Caleb Blake Whitman. Caleb is also a musician who found success but unfortunately, Caleb’s problems with drugs and alcohol resulted in several stints in rehab. A year into his latest attempt at sobriety, he has discovered how to keep his demons at bay but Caleb is finding it impossible to completely give up music.
The attraction between Theo and Caleb is SIZZLING hot but Caleb’s sobriety is fragile and since he does not trust himself, he sure does not want Theo relying on him. This leads to a relationship that moves in fits and starts as Caleb tries to reconcile his rocky past with his now sober present. Theo is also struggling with his career choices but the one thing that is never in question is his love for Caleb. Caleb, on the hand, lends plenty of angst to the storyline as he tries to decide if he can commit to Theo when he has failed so many people, including himself, in the past.
Riven’s conclusion was a bit of a surprise and I am looking forward to reading Rend, the next installment in Roan Parrish’s Riven series.
Now I know some of you are re-reading novels starring musicians so I can’t wait to see if you discovered something new or viewed any elements of the storyline differently than the first time you read the book.
For anyone else joining this month’s reading challenge, please let us know if you enjoyed your selection!
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Read about this month’s challenge HERE.
As I (meant to) said at the start of this one, musician based stories are not a fvaoured trope of mine so I did have to go for a reread.
I chose Speechless by Kim Fielding and I read this book, and the follow up The Gig and the free ficlet on the authors website.
I enjoyed reading about Drew and Travis again, especially as they both have difficuties to overcome but seeing them communicate is lovely – shows that barriers to communication can be overcome. Travis I always find is hard on himself, dumbing down on his abilities. Drew I want to know more about – how did he get from England to Portland, can he still write novels, what other impacts does the asphasia have. But the art of a good short story is to leave you feeling you have had a full story and I did feel this here.
Happy that you not only re-read your selection but caught up on the series!
Speechless is in my TBR so I’ll have to try to read it sooner rather than later.