Taryn Starr is not the girl-next-door who unknowingly meets a celebrity. Known as “America’s Sweetheart,” the reigning country music princess and world-renowned superstar knows exactly who Trace is…or does she?
Their worlds collide when the musicians whose paths were never destined to cross are forced by their joint record label to collaborate on a song. The sparks fly and ignite a fire that blazes hotter with every minute they spend together—for better or worse. One thing’s for certain, the two media magnets can’t deny their explosive chemistry, but will life in the spotlight ultimately bring Trace and Taryn together or force them apart?
***This contemporary romance new adult novel is for mature audiences. The language alone would make a sailor blush (the guy’s a rapper, remember?) so 18+ only, please.
Sara's Review
What I loved about this book is that the story was written in such a way that it felt real. Their relationship starts off rocky, and neither one is sure that they like the other. Something else I liked is their relationship develops into something more, going just beyond the world of music and the song they were asked to do together. What I also thought was well done is the fact that from a fan of music, everything they went through felt genuine, and that something like this could actually happen. I also slowly fell in love with both of the main characters, and could empathize with the pressures that come on them from outside, especially the rumor mill and paparazzi. On the whole, I thought that both Taryn and Trace were developed well as characters.
As far as secondary characters, I also grew to really like Dre, Cal, Stella, and Regina, along with Taryn's father.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to fans of music and contemporary romance. My rating is 4/5 platypires.
Excerpt
Ignoring her, I continue to carefully exit the vehicle, and soon the crowd collectively starts to holler my name. After waving, I start my walk and can’t help but notice he stops just outside the doors and turns around. Obviously disappointed the crowd is no longer all about him. I happily sign a few autographs while feeling his gaze on me from the corner of my eyes. Trying to ignore it, I continue signing, waiting for him to make his way inside. “That’s enough,” my mom tells the young girl holding her paper and pen to me. Shooing her hand off the paper, I smile and sign anyway, handing it back to the girl. Her ecstatic yelling and jumping is enough to make me giggle.
My mom, not willing to take any chance of me disobeying her again, firmly places her hand on my elbow and leads me back up the carpeted walkway. My laughter quickly quiets and my smile turns down when I spot him still standing there, staring directly at me. Other than his two bodyguards standing at either side of him, no one else is around. Those mesmerizing blue eyes bore into me the closer I get. Swallowing hard, I will my heart to calm down before I reach him.
He places his hand on the door handle and opens it for me. I quietly give him my thanks and enter with my mom following close behind. When the doors shut, he comes alongside me. “I just wanted to say congratulations on the award.” He holds his hand out for me to shake and when I place my hand in his, I’m amazed how soft his hands feel. I guess if I wasn’t plucking guitar strings all day, that’s how my hands would feel too. Unexpectedly, he pulls me into him and his lips brush against my cheek as he whispers, “But it should have been mine.” With a chuckle, he walks away, once again leaving before I have a chance to respond.
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When she’s not writing, Nevaeh is a freelance book editor ;). And though she spends a good chunk of her time reading, writing, and editing, she can also be found hanging out with her family and taking road trips, exploring the area around wherever she happens to be living at the time. Even though “home” will always be Texas, she has lived in several different states and countries, but currently resides in the DC metro area.