How Good It Was, the third book in the Excess All Areas rockstar romance series by Scarlett Cole is live!

 

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK  |  Kobo  |  Apple  |  Nook  |  Google Play

 

---

---

Blurb

Willow
Love’s an illusion.
Everyone around her is out for what they can get, except a drummer who wanted nothing more than a steamy one-night stand.
Two blue lines later, she’s on the fast track to career destruction as America’s number one wholesome content creator.
Saving her reputation and collaborations will require a plan and a little social media fakery. Okay, a lot. Like twelve months of pretending to build a family with the rockstar of her dreams.

Luke
Love’s an anchor.
Responsibilities and lack of band success have kept him trapped. But now, with the band suddenly making it big and his family obligations gone, life is off the rails. Yet fame, women, and arena tours only go so far in helping keep his pain buried.
Until one of the most spectacular nights of his life comes back to haunt him. She saved his career, now she wants him to help save hers.

A baby. A fake relationship. And a million dollars. Is it the perfect arrangement to avoid responsibilities? Or a deal guaranteed to ruin them both?

 

“A rockstar you can’t help but love. A strong heroine to admire. And a love meant to be. Scarlett Cole takes you apart and puts you back together again.”
~ Carly Phillips, NY Times Bestselling Author

 

 

Add to Goodreads 

 

---

Review

4.5 stars

I have been so excited for this book, the moment it appeared on my kindle I dropped everything to read it, and I loved it so much! Sexy, intense, dramatic, fun and gorgeously romantic, it’s a beautifully emotional surprise pregnancy/fake romance love story, and a fantastic addition to the series.

Luke is the drummer for the Sad Fridays. The boys have just hit the big time thanks to one of their songs featuring in a video by former child star and social media darling, Willow Warner, and Luke is riding the high of their success, fully embracing the ‘sex, drugs and rock-and-roll’ lifestyle. They are recording their first album when Willow meets the boys, and when sparks fly between her and Luke, they agree to spend the night together for no-strings, no-holds-barred sex.

“I feel like I’ve never had mind-blowing sex.”
“You want the kind of sex that leaves you breathless and sweaty and hanging halfway off the bed. The kind of sex where you fight to get closer or deeper. No matter how hard you try, you want more. Within minutes of it being over, you can’t wait to do it again. You want to feel stripped down raw, like your soul has been ripped out of your chest.” Luke put his forefinger beneath her chin and tipped her face to his.
“Yes,” she whispered. “For once, I want to feel like that.”
The elevator pinged and the door opened. “What room?”
She held out the key card to him. “Don’t hurt me.”
“I won’t. I promise.”

Holy freaking hotness, the chemistry between these two is electric, and Luke is a freaking sex god – while still being a good guy at heart, which I loved. The beginning of this book had me fanning myself at the steam between Luke and Willow, but then they go their separate ways, not expecting to see each other again… until Willow shows up in Manchester 10 weeks later to let Luke know that she’s pregnant.

As if that wasn’t enough of a set-up, things take a bit of a twist when, in an effort to keep her squeaky-clean reputation and save her online career, Willow begs Luke to pretend to be in a relationship with her for the next 12 months so the world thinks they’re in love, and she didn’t just get knocked up from a one-night stand, and she’ll give him $1million for his trouble. For a man who has struggled his whole life, that’s a gobsmacking amount of money, but beneath his party-boy exterior, he is a guy with a huge heart who has always taken care of the people in his life, and that now includes Willow, so he’s on board to help her however he can – even without the money.

Things are a bit complicated initially, because while Luke is coming to terms with the news and the big changes that are coming his way, Willow is busy setting up the illusion of their perfect life. It’s an interesting dynamic. Luke is real, raw and honest, and that doesn’t mesh well with Willow’s near-obsession with creating the perfect image and posting the perfect content. I’ve gotta admit, I found Willow to be a bit much at first, but there’s so much more to her than we initially know, and as the story goes on I found myself really feeling for her, and appreciating the depth of her character and why she is the way she is.

“It’s weird that online, a place that doesn’t really exist, is the only place I feel like I actually belong or where people actually want me.”

And the same is true of Luke. In all honesty, he’s been a bit of an asshole in the previous books, so getting the opportunity to get inside of his head and learn more about him was fantastic. His backstory is tragic and explains so much about him, and his struggle to deal with the pain of his past and the sudden and dramatic changes in his life have left him confused and hurting. He’s damaged, but trying to do the right thing, and their agreement confuses everything to the point where he doesn’t really have any idea of where he stands.

“It’s weird to see a version of yourself play out on video that isn’t really who you are. If it was real, it would be an amazing video, Will. Truly. But it’s not. And it feels duplicitous. I’m confused by it.”

Despite their fake relationship, I loved the honestly between Luke and Willow. They slowly get to know each other, they talk about their lives, and there’s a genuine affection between them. The lines are blurry from the very beginning, and as intense as their chemistry is, the romance feels like a slow burn, and I loved watching things shift and change for them.

“I could lose myself in you, Will.”
… “I’m pretty certain we aren’t losing ourselves, Luke. I think we are finding ourselves.”

In order to have a future together, they both have issues that they need to deal with, and that is a dramatic journey. But they have each other’s backs, and all of the drama and emotion plays out alongside their developing romance which is sexy and intense, and so freaking swoony.

“It’s because of you and this that my world is changing. And whatever it looks like at the end, if you aren’t there, then I don’t want it.”

Luke completely owned my heart in this book. He’s so damaged, and yeah, he’s been a dick to his friends and family, but he’s lost and hurting, and Willow and their baby coming into his life is the trigger he needs to sort himself out, and what a ride that is for him. And as he falls hard for her, he is a beautiful romantic hero who holds nothing back from his girl, and I loved that!

“I’ll slay any dragons for you, Will. Even my own. I promise you.”

And I really enjoyed getting to know Willow. She has her moments where she appears shallow and self-absorbed, but this book is a real journey for her, and the more we get to know her, the more I could understand her, and the changes in her and the way she began to find herself were really well written.

There’s a lot for these two to work through and it’s dramatic, and a little bit angsty at times, but the romance is beautiful, the character development is well written, and I loved watching Luke and Willow find their way forward together.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever really been anyone’s, but I’m yours.”

The rest of the Sad Fridays and their girls are a big part of the story of course, and I loved catching up with them. The relationships between the boys continue to develop as their lives completely change, and I loved seeing them continue to be there for each other, and stay true to themselves, even with of the massive upheavals they are dealing with.

This is a fantastic addition to the series. It’s a gorgeous story for Luke and Willow, and though it finished way before I wanted it to, I can’t wait to see more of them in future books.

I loved this one!

4.5 stars!

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

 

Excess All Areas

 

---

Meet the Author

The tattoo across my right hip says it all really. A Life Less Ordinary. Inked by the amazingly talented Luke Wessman at the Wooster Street Social Club (a.k.a. New York Ink). Why is it important? Well, it sums up my view on life. That we should all aspire to live a life that is less boring, less predictable. Be bold, and do something amazing. I’ve made some crazy choices. I’ve been a car maker, a consultant, and even a senior executive at a large retailer running strategy. Born in England, spent time in the U.S. and Japan, before ending up in Canada where I met my own, personal hero – all six and a half feet of him. Both of us are scorpios! Yeah, I know! Should have checked the astrological signs earlier, but somehow it works for us. We have two amazing kids, who I either could never part with or could easily be convinced to sell on e-bay.

I’ve wanted to be a writer for a really long time. Check through my office cupboards or my computer and you’ll find half written stories and character descriptions everywhere. Now I’m getting the chance to follow that dream.

I am represented by Beth Phelan at The Bent Agency, NY.

 

Instagram  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Amazon  |  BookBub  |  Newsletter