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Synopsis

Ryder Kyle is a spoiled, self-righteous jerk. 

He doesn’t understand suffering. Entitled guy like him wouldn’t recognize desperation if it smacked him in his perfect face. I don’t need him, but I do need a ride west. I won’t let the guy who reminds me of the mess I left behind interfere with my plan to get to Los Angeles.

This woman is nuts! 

People don’t sneak on a tour bus looking for shelter. That’s what crazy fangirls do, but she’s far from a fan. She says she’s homeless and asks for help by throwing insults. Her words are like a viper strike and she’s made me her target. We’re dumping her at the next stop.

Skipped a Beat is an enemies to lovers rock star romance that proves one seemingly insignificant choice can change the path of an entire life.

 

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Review

5 massive stars!

OMG, this book! It’s everything! It’s funny, sexy, dramatic, emotional, sweet, heartfelt and exciting with a chemistry-filled rockstar romance that completely swept me off my feet. I laughed and cried, and I felt so much for these characters and their story. An amazing read, I freaking loved it!

This book follows on from Playing by Heart which you should absolutely read if you haven’t yet, because it’s a great book! However this book can easily be read as a standalone.

After a series of devastating life upheavals, Jade finds herself homeless and pretty much without hope as she hitchhikes her way across America to get to her mother in California. When she spies an RV at a truckstop, she stows away, hoping that her presence will go unnoticed and it will get her closer to her goal. She has no idea she had just hidden aboard the tour bus for one of the biggest names in rock – Jesse Lee (hero from book #1).

Ryder is the drummer for Jesse. He’s new to the band, but he’s loving the experience and relishing the opportunity to live out his musical dreams. He is less than impressed, however, to find a stowaway on the bus. He’s even more pissed when his bandmates take a liking to their feisty new traveling companion and offer to take her to LA – setting the scene for a fantastic road trip that is full of friction, animosity and blistering sexual tension.

From the moment that Jade and Ryder meet, sparks fly. And not of the sexy sparks variety. They hate each other, with every encounter full of bickering and snarkiness. But all of that animosity is covering up an attraction that both of them are desperate to avoid – Ryder because he’s in a relationship and Jade because she is recovering from a broken heart and wants nothing to do with men. Things become complicated when they realise that they enjoy their verbal sparring way too much, and things slowly begin to change.

I couldn’t bear the thought of no longer seeing her. Feeling her scowl my way. Engaging in verbal spars. I concluded that as insulting as the woman can be, she makes my blood pump harder than anyone ever has.
There is something seriously wrong with me.

This is SUCH a gorgeous romance! It moves quickly, but it feels slow moving, with plenty of time given to building the connection while playing off all of that epic sexual tension. I loved watching things shift between Jade and Ryder as they came to accept their feelings and get themselves into a position where they could act on it. The UST sizzles on the page, outdone only by the actual sexy time which is SO freaking hot. I could feel their chemistry, and loved watching it all build for them.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen.” I don’t recognize my own voice once the words rake up my chest and from my throat in a low grumble. “You were not supposed to happen.”

And it all unfolds while sharing a bus with Ryder’s bandmates in the middle of a country-wide rock tour…. Awesome!

But although they throw themselves all in physically, emotionally they are both holding back. Ryder has a secret pain that he carries close to his heart, and Jade has so many walls up around herself that it seems that nobody will ever be able to get through them. That, and their tour is drawing to its end, and neither of them can predict what will happen after that. It’s a complicated situation, and watching it play out is an exciting, entertaining, wildly unpredictable ride that I could not get enough of.

“I skipped a beat.”

I love these characters so much! Jade’s smart mouth hides a whole lot of vulnerabilities. She’s a complex character, and it takes a while to fully unravel her story, and my heart ached so much for her as we slowly got to know her. She’s kind and brave, and I love her willingness (however slow) to trust again, and what better man to do that with than Ryder. Because OMG, this man is perfection!

Ryder was first introduced to the JB Salsbury world in Fighting the Fall. And, stupid me, I didn’t even trigger about that link until it comes up in the story and I seriously squeed out loud! What a genius connection! It made me instantly feel even more for Ryder – the sweetheart rockstar with a filthy mouth and a heart of gold – and watching him fall for and pursue the woman he was falling so hard for was an absolutely beautiful ride!

“You can trust me with your heart, Jade. From now until I breathe my last breath.”

The other highlight of the book for me was the bond between Ryder and his bandmates. What a fantastic bunch of guys! I loved getting to see more of Jesse and Bethany, as well as spending time with the other members of Jesse’s band, Chris and Ethan. Their constant teasing and bantering is so much fun, and you can see how much they genuinely care for each other and I can only hope that we’ll get full length books for them in the future. And, of course, the tie in to the Fighting series was fantastic, and getting to see that crew in fun, tender and badass moments was absolute gold!

I loved every moment of this book. It hooked me from start to finish, and I felt everything right along with the characters. Funny, sexy, heartbreaking and so, so romantic, it’s a fantastic read and a fave for 2019.

5 stars!

An Advanced Reader Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

Love, Hate, Rock-n-Roll

 

See our J.B. Salsbury Author Spotlight for more great reads!