I have SO MANY THOUGHTS about this book that I don’t even know where to begin. Not gonna lie, I hated about 50% of it, but the other 50% was so intriguing that it had me turning the pages. I finished it in one sitting, partially because I had to know what would happen next… and partially because I knew that if I set it down, I wouldn’t be picking it back up again. It’s not often that I’m this torn about a book, so it’s successful in that regard. It’s important to note that this is my first time reading the author’s work, so I really had no idea what to expect going into it.
More on my thoughts in a minute; let’s talk about the story itself. This is a rock star romance at its grittiest, laid out in stark reality. The hero? Not appealing in any way. I think he might have potential, but he’s definitely not there yet. If you have any kind of triggers, there’s a chance this will touch on one, because Cash is a hot mess. As a duet, this ends on a major cliffhanger, but the vast majority of the book is NOT a romance. It serves as an introduction to this very broken hero, with only MINOR appearances by our heroine (and 75% of them are when she is, in fact, a minor). Mixing flashbacks with present day, we get a good look at how Cash became the broken man he is today, and how his relationship with the heroine evolved. It’s very much a story of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, so be prepared for a lot of actions that are… atypical of a hero.
Let’s start with what I liked first – this did evoke plenty of reactions from me, pulling on my emotions and making me want to see what would happen next. Did I ENJOY the reading experience? I don’t think so. It immersed me in the world and gave me a good sense of that reality, but I can’t actually say that I enjoyed any part of what Cash was doing. I’m kind of scared of where this will go in the second half, because I have a feeling this author doesn’t pull any punches. That being said, I DO want to see where it leads. The few interactions we’ve seen between Cash and the heroine have been some of the most intriguing in the book – though I will say that I find the age gap in this to be shudder-inducing since we see a lot of them interacting when she is a LITERAL child. Essentially, this is an uncomfortable but also compelling read that is sure to elicit a reaction from the reader. I received an ARC (and am voluntarily leaving a review), and am cautiously intrigued about where this duet will head in the second half.
Once upon a time…
Wall Street Journal & USA Bestselling AuthorM. Robinson loves to read. She favors anything that has angst, romance,
triangles, cheating, love, and of course sex! She has been reading since the
Babysitters Club and R.L. Stein.
She was born in New Jersey but was raised in Tampa Fl. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D in psychology, with two years left.
She is married to an amazing man who she loves to pieces. They have two German Shepherd mixes and a Tabby cat.
Jeeves Reads Romance 
