Twenty year old, Allison Slater has been in love with her brother’s bandmate, Rhys McGowan, since she was fifteen years old. But to him, she’ll always be Jake’s little sister and off limits. Now a college sophomore and licking her wounds from a bad breakup, she sets her sights on making Rhys see her as someone he could date…maybe even love. Her opportunity comes when Rhys visits his parents in Savannah where she is attending college. But the night she’s dreamed of turns to heart-break, and she realizes she’ll never be the one for Rhys. For Rhys McGowan, his nightmare began when he woke up, naked and hung-over, next to his bandmate’s little sister. Unable to remember a thing from the previous night, he only makes matters worse by lying to Allison about not being interested in her. The truth is he’s spent the last year to ignore his body’s reaction whenever Allison is around. His resolve is tested when Allison comes on tour with Runaway Train, as both Jake and Abby’s nanny and to fulfill her fashion design internship. The more time he spends with her in the close quarters of the bus, the harder it is for him to resist. Will Rhys realize that having a relationship with Allison is worth fighting for even if it means that he has to fight his best friend for a chance? Buy Links: Amazon US: http://amzn.to/NABSl6 Amazon UK: http://tinyurl.com/pmydmoh Amazon CA: http://tinyurl.com/oq5ugj4 Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/NACeYQ

Review

I’m a big Katie Ashley fan. Every one of her books that I’ve read always tells a fantastic story with just the right mix of angst, steam, and storyline. Her characters are flawed, and they struggle to achieve what they want, which makes them easily relatable for Ashley’s readers. I love musician stories; music and books are a huge part of my life – they both serve as an escape for me, so when I saw that she was writing the Runaway Train series, I knew it would be a perfect fit. I loved Abby and Jake’s story; reading about a beautiful and down to earth woman reforming a bad boy always does it for me, but I have to say, in my opinion, Rhys and Allison’s story is even better. There’s just something about a young girl falling in love with someone she thinks is unattainable and then realizing that perhaps she’s what he needed all along to help him understand what it feels like to be loved and have a home. Their story is not an easy one to read because there’s heartache, regret, and a large amount of self doubt, but despite all of the pain, it shows that the best kind of love is the type that you have to fight for and be willing to risk it all for just to have the chance to be with that person for a lifetime. Rhys McGowan is a complicated man who has been left jaded by his parents’ views on love and how life should be lived. No one truly knows the life he left behind or the path his parents believe he should take. He keeps his carefree persona on at all times when he’s around the band, but when he spends time with Allison down in Savannah, she sees through the façade and understands who Rhys is down his very core, which scares the hell out of him. Rhys knows he has feelings for Allison, but he doesn’t want to acknowledge them because he believes it’s wrong – she’s his best friend’s little sister…she’s Allie-Bean. So even when he does give into his feelings for her, he ruins it by over thinking and breaks her heart. Things only get further complicated when Runaway Train’s tour begins, and Allison ends up joining them as Abby and Jake’s nanny and the band’s fashion intern. Will Rhys be able to hide his true feelings for her or will he finally put his happiness first and get the girl that he truly wants and perhaps needs? I loved Allison Slater. She’s an old soul with a huge heart. She gives of herself so freely, never asking for anything in return until Rhys. He’s had her heart since she was a teenager, and she thought after their night together, everything would change for them; it definitely does, but not in the way she hopes. Rhys crushes her heart, but no matter what he does, she’s still in love with him. My heart broke for her every time Rhys pushes her away. I really didn’t know how she was going to get through to him because he wouldn’t acknowledge how he truly felt. She definitely runs through the gamut of emotions trying to forget about Rhys and move on but still holding out hope that he’ll see what she means to him. Strings of the Heart is a story about finding where you truly belong and holding onto that for all it’s worth. It’s about realizing that sometimes what everyone says you shouldn’t want or have no right to have is exactly what you need to feel alive and like you belong. Rhys and Allison’s path to happiness is full of dishonesty, hurt feelings, and anger, and at times, it all seems insurmountable, but any love worth having is worth fighting for; they just have to be willing to be honest with not only each other but those around them as well because there are more people who will be affected by their actions than just them. One great thing about a series is that readers are given an opportunity to see how the couples from the previous book are doing. We get to catch up with Jake and Abby as well as AJ and Mia and see what their lives are like after everything they’ve went through, which only adds to Rhys and Allison’s story. I definitely recommend this book and the series as well. You can never go wrong with rock stars finding love! A complimentary copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 poison apples   “Take a shot,” he commanded, his expression tense, his eyes unreadable. Goosebumps pebbled my arms at his assertiveness. I wasn’t used to him being so forceful. For a moment, I couldn’t process his words. It was like the tone of the entire conversation had veered off course. Reluctantly, I followed his orders. When I started to reach for a lime, he stopped me. As I eyed him curiously, he took the shaker of salt in his hand. Tilting his head, he shook the bottle along his neck. Then he leaned over and brought the shaker to my neck. My chest rose and fell in harsh pants at the nearness of him. But most of all, it was the way the tension crackled in the air between us. Nothing really had been spoken out-loud, nothing had been done to change things, but in that moment, everything was different. “Take a shot,” he repeated. With trembling fingers, I reached for the glass. I took it in one hand and the lime in the other. Leaning forward on the stool, I dipped my head down to his neck. My lips hovered over the warmth of his skin. Flicking out my tongue, I brought it against the stubble on his neck. Rhys sucked in a harsh breath at the contact. Slowly, my tongue trailed upwards over the faint line of salt, eliciting a small groan from Rhys. Once I finished, I pulled away. I didn’t dare look at Rhys—my skin burned just from the intensity of the stare I felt on me. Tipping up the glass, I downed it in one fiery gulp. As my eyes pinched shut in pain, I slammed the lime against my lips. My teeth cut through the fruit, as my mouth sucked off the juices. When I swallowed again, a shiver echoed through me. I opened my eyes to find Rhys still staring at me. His dark eyes shone with an intensity that I would’ve given anything to know what he was thinking. He reached for his glass and lime. His eyes never left mine as he bent over. I tilted my head to give him better access. At the feel of his warm tongue on my neck, I shuddered, and I remained trembling even after he pulled away. He then downed the tequila without even bothering with the lime. “Another?” “Yes.” We repeated the process again. And again. Until we had downed five shots and licked and sucked our way up each other’s necks. My skin still tingled from the feel of his tongue. Of course, my entire body was tingling from the strong alcohol pumping through every cell and molecule. It made me feel so alive. While it had just been his tongue on my neck, the feel of his hands as they brushed on my shoulders, whispered across my collarbone, had driven me crazy. I could only fantasize that his tongue was following the same path across my chest and down to my breasts. More than anything in the world, I wanted this man, and tonight I was going to get my wish. From the lust-filled looks he been giving me, along with the groans of pleasure when I had licked his skin, I knew what was going to happen. I was finally going to have Rhys.

SOUNDTRACK

(songs mentioned in the book)

You and Tequila – Kenny Chesney

Weakness in Me – Joan Armatrading

Am I The Only One -Melissa Etheridge

You’re beautiful–James blunt

Say something – A great Big World

Portland, Oregon—Jack white and Loretta Lynn.

Same Mistake – James Blunt

Goodbye My Lover – James Blunt

Conga – Gloria Estefan

Drunk in Love – Beyonce

Katie Ashley is the New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Best-Selling author of The Proposition. She lives outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her two very spoiled dogs and one outnumbered cat. She has a slight obsession with Pinterest, The Golden Girls, Harry Potter, Shakespeare, Supernatural, Designing Women, and Scooby-Doo. She spent 11 1/2 years educating the Youth of America aka teaching MS and HS English until she left to write full time in December 2012. She also writes Young Adult fiction under the name Krista Ashe. WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS