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Blurb
From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new, STANDALONE novel…
No one but me knew why I was actually in the California desert that day.
Nestled deep within the desolate, rocky area was a recording studio.
When a door suddenly opened, a man mistook me for someone he was supposed to be interviewing for a job.
The next thing I knew, I was whisked inside.
The position? An assistant on the upcoming tour for one of America’s most famous rock bands.
Pretty exciting opportunity for a twenty-two-year-old, just out of college.
Not surprisingly, I bombed the interview.
When I ended up mistakenly walking into the men’s room on my way out, I struck up a conversation with a stranger—not realizing it was the lead singer, Tristan Daltrey.
He seemed to like the fact that I had no idea who he was, that I saw him as a normal person.
That night, I got a call offering me the job.
So began my complicated story with Tristan.
Millions of women loved him.
Yet for some reason, after the shows, he only wanted to hang out with me.
Late-night talks. Casual dinners in his hotel room.
I wasn’t supposed to be fraternizing with the band’s frontman.
Despite our fifteen-year age difference, Tristan and I had a connection.
But I had a secret.
One that would eventually lead to my leaving the tour.
And one that would lead Tristan and the band straight to the small town where I came from.
Review
4.5 stars
A gorgeous age-gap, forbidden(ish), rockstar romance, and the beginning of a new series of standalones from Penelope Ward. This is beautifully written love story with twists and turns and heartwrenching emotion, and I loved it.
Emily is a 22 year old who is struggling to find her place in life when she wanders into a recording studio and ends up scoring a job as a runner on tour for rock band, Delirious Jones. It was her accidental run-in with lead singer, Tristan, that got her the job. She had no idea who he was, but their short interaction was sweet and easy, and intrigued the rocker, so once she starts working on their tour, he creates every opportunity he can to spend time with her.
It’s fun and flirty, and I loved the playful dynamic between these two. Emily is not taken in by the celebrity of it all, she’s there to do a job and happily escapes the reality of ‘real life’ for a while and embraces all of her new experiences, and Tristan loves that. They hang out together, they talk, they become friends, and they find a sense of peace and ease together. They can open up to each other in ways that can’t with other people, and they grow close. They’re both feeling an attraction, but Emily is hesitant to actually get involved with a 38 year-old rockstar who is used to having a string of different women in his bed. That doesn’t stop them from crossing the line a few times in scenes that are hot, steamy, and sweetly emotional, showing the growing depth of their feelings for each other. But Emily has been keeping her distance for a reason, and when her truth is revealed, it will turn their worlds upside down.
As always, Ward has thrown a twist in this book which shifts the direction of the whole story and I, in no way, expected this one. I loved the shock factor, and the change that it brought to the story and though it was clever, and so well done. It’s dramatic and emotional and the feels are intense, and I couldn’t put the book down.
I was so invested in these two as a couple. I love that the age gap isn’t a problem between them, they own what they’re feeling, and they embrace it, despite their differences. They have challenges to face and hurdles to overcome, and they’re open about those too. They definitely have a complex situation to navigate, but they do it honestly and they’re there for each other, and I loved watching their story unfold.
“You brought me back full circle. You brought me home.”
Tristan’s bandmates, Atticus and Ronan, are lots of fun, and I really enjoyed the teasing, brotherly dynamic between the boys. And Penelope Ward is not done with the boys of Delirious Jones just yet! Atticus’ second-chance-romance is hinted at in this book, and I’m so excited that we will be back with more books for these boys before too long.
This is a really beautiful story. I loved the romance, and I loved the heartfelt journey of these two characters.
I loved it – 4.5 stars.
The audio is narrated by Andi Arndt and Connor Crais, and they do a great job, as always. I really enjoyed listening to this one!
Delirious Jones Rockstar Romance
The Rocker’s Muse (#1) (Tristan & Emily)
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The Drummer’s Heart (#2) (Atticus & Nicole)
To be released 24 February
Pre-order: Amazon
Third book to come.
About the Author
Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.
She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.
With over two million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over thirty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.
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