Review
When I finished reading Book 1, Irresistible Refrain, I wanted to hear War’s story immediately. I needed to understand what was going on in his mind as everything played out between him, Lace, and Bryan. I wanted his voice; in fact, I craved it because out of all the band members, his story seemed to be the most painful and destructive, and I wasn’t wrong. I also knew that behind the bitterness and rage was a man who just needed the right woman to help free his blackened heart and bring lightness to his dark.
Forgotten. Discarded. Abandoned. Bitter. Betrayed. Damaged.
These are all words to describe the man Shaina Bentley meets one night on a bridge. They’re there for the same reason, but they couldn’t be more different. War’s armor is his don’t give a shit attitude, and he wraps himself in his demons, which allows no one to get close to him because he refuses to be destroyed by anyone else – at least anyone else but himself. But what he never expects is a beautiful stranger to work so hard to save him…more than that, he never thought he would want her to, but Shaina captivates him, and she just may be what he needs to let go of a past that has torn him down for far too long. The only question is, will War allow Shaina to help him or will he end up doing what he seems to always do – waste the goodness and light that looks to surround and protect him.
Shaina has her own demons; they’re just masked behind a pretty face and a good girl persona. She’s been the key to everyone’s happiness for a long time, but to her, it’s only a role; one she’s an expert at playing both in front and behind the camera. She’s extremely skilled at pretending, but each day, it gets harder and harder, which makes her feelings for War make complete sense to readers. She can be her true self with him. She doesn’t have to act a certain way or make sure she doesn’t do anything that would make him look at her differently because he doesn’t care about any of that. Shaina is just as captivated by War as he is by her; the only difference is that Shaina’s willing to see where their relationship can go, but War, no matter how much he may want to, won’t admit she’s exactly what he needs to be saved.
Can these two broken people fix each other piece by piece, or will War allow his self loathing and destructive personality to destroy another person he cares for all because he doesn’t know how to handle all of the feelings Shaina brings out in him?
War and Shaina’s story is the best in the series. It completely consumed me; once I started reading, I couldn’t stop because I needed War to redeem himself; I needed him to allow Shaina to save him and to save her right back. The tender and romantic moments they share definitely show the War behind the darkness, but because he’s so consumed by negativity, he screws things up royally, and at one point during the story, I tweeted Michelle that I wanted to junk punch him. War doesn’t have to work too hard to be a bastard. I felt as defeated as Shaina did when he fucks up, and I didn’t know if they could get past it, but I never lost hope that they would.
Both characters grow exponentially in this story, and readers are there to witness it all. We watch War turn his life around and fight for once in his life to fix things instead of destroy them, and we witness Shaina finally take control of her life and make decisions, both good and bad, for herself. The dual point of views is definitely a necessity to this text. I don’t think it would have been delivered the same without it. Understanding where they are both coming from and hearing it from them personally provides depth not only to their characters but to the storyline as well.
This is a must read story that will completely captivate its readers as we watch War and Shaina bridge the gap not only with each other but with their friends and family as well. It has the perfect blend of angst, drama, and steam. Bring on more Tempest rock stories!
A complimentary copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
5 poison apples
Captivating Bridgespotify playlist
3 PRIZE PACKS – enter below
FAN -Black Cat Records bumper sticker & tat, Tempest tat, all 3 ebooks
GROUPIE – all of that, plus Soul of the Rose earrings just like War’s tat in CB, plus all 3 ebooks
ULTIMATE GROUPIE – all above, plus necklace like War’s tat in CB, Janis Joplin sticker, GNR limited edition playing cards, plus all 3 signed paperbacks
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