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Review

4.5 stars

A fun, exciting and gorgeously emotional romance, and a fantastic story of a troubled rockstar on the rise. This series continues to own my heart.

This is book six in the Cake series, and though each book is about an individual character, please note that it’s a continuous story, very closely interlinked with the other books in the series, and there has already been a lot of backstory and development for Quinn, so I wouldn’t recommend reading this one as a standalone.

Quinn is the youngest son in the McKallister clan, and he has spent his life living in the self-perceived shadow of his older rockstar brother, Jake. He is desperate to prove himself and craves the fame and success that his brother has, but he hasn’t been able to make it happen. Now, he’s taking a potential shot at stardom by appearing on an American Idol-ish reality show, but it all goes horribly wrong. He’s betrayed and he reacts badly, running from the show, and his big chance, and straight into an unsuspecting ride share.

Jess is an ex wild child, now responsible 26 year old, working hard to make ends meet and working two jobs, the second of which as a driver. When Quinn jumps into her car and they share a spark, he asks her to take him away and give him an afternoon of fun (but not too much fun), and she figures why not? So she throws off her responsibilities for the day and finds the free-spirited, playful part of herself again, with a sexy and intriguing man by her side.

Everything between Quinn and Jess is easy, natural and full of chemistry. They laugh, joke, banter and flirt, they talk and share their feelings, and one afternoon together is all it takes for the two of them to be completely smitten. But then Jess is urgently called away for an emergency, and they hastily and reluctantly separate.

They both know that what they experienced together was something rare, something deep, and something with the potential to be everything. And while they’re both wanting to follow their hearts, Jess knows that she can’t. Their lives are heading in different directions, and her priorities lie elsewhere. But Quinn is one determined man. He knows the spark he felt with Jess is not normal, he knows she could be the one for him, and he’s not prepared to let her slip away.

It’s a fun set-up, and I was surprised at the way this story played out. After the initial excitement of their meeting, there’s a lot of time spent establishing Quinn and Jess’s individual stories. We get to know and understand them, and in particular we see quite a bit of change in Quinn’s life. He has been a background character in the series so far, and we have seen that he has a weird dynamic with Jake. While he admires, respects and loves his brother fiercely, there’s also this element of competition. Even though Quinn was only six when his family endured its tragedy, it still left an enduring and devastating mark on him. He feels forgotten about in his family, and he is driven to achieve fame and the level of success that Jake has – even to surpass him. It’s this need to prove his worth that has driven so much of his life. He’s made questionable decisions along the way, but in this book we finally see him move forward in his career, which I loved to watch, and as Quinn’s star rises, he uses every trick he can to try and track his girl down.

“Jess was someone I could see myself with, not just for a night but for life.”

And it’s well worth the wait, because when the romance comes, it’s on! Intense, passionate, and all-consuming, Quinn and Jess are a storm of feels, and I love them together so much! After all it took for them to come together, there’s no messing about, no more angst and drama, it’s honest, it’s functional, and it’s so beautifully swoony as they effortlessly fall into life together, and it’s just the kind of romance that I love!

It wasn’t just the way he looked or the things he did to me to slay me. It was that I wanted him right down to my core. I’d never been so sure of anything in my life.

The book still brings some drama, external to the love story, which tests Quinn and Jess in ways they never could have expected. I felt it all with them, and loved watching them work through it and get their happy ever after – together, individually, and with the family.

Quinn is such a special character, I love him so much, and as much as I loved the romance in this book, I was equally thrilled to follow his journey as he finally achieves the success he’s longed for, and recognise his place in his family.

The family, of course, is a big part of the story. We see Quinn’s relationship with his parents and siblings, which I loved, and the scenes with them all together are just gold. The introduction of Noah is awesome, and I loved the relationship that he has with Jess, and the relationship that he develops with Quinn and the rest of the McKallisters. I freaking love this family so much!

I am so obsessed with this series, and after seeing the amazing connection between Quinn and his younger sister Grace – and a glimpse at her love interest – I cannot wait for her book out soon!

I listened to this as an audiobook, narrated by Andie Arndt and Zachary Webber, and I loved every moment of it. I highly recommend listening to this one.

4.5 stars!