ABOUT NEVER FALL IN LOVE WITH A ROCKSTAR:
“My name is Clover Calloway and I’ve lived two separate lives.
The first, I like to call “my past.” I never talk about it. I try not to think about it. My rockstar days of playing in one of the hottest bands on the planet are over. Along with the most volatile, beautiful, tragic love story of all time.
Over the past five years, I’ve settled into my second life. My “normal life.” The one where I work a normal job, hang out with normal people and fall in love with a normal, but wonderful guy. The life where I’m admittedly a little bored, but also safe.
My past wasn’t boring. But my past broke my heart into a million, unfixable pieces. So, I’m determined to keep it where it belongs—behind me.
And the man responsible for the shattering of me? Malachi Porter, lead singer and mastermind of Bright Tragedy, should stay there too. Far away from me and this idyllic life I’ve carved out for myself.
But what happens when my two lives collide?
When Malachi comes crashing into my perfectly normal world, he threatens to destroy it, promises to annihilate everything I’ve replaced him with.
He upends everything I thought I wanted and forces me to question the reasons I left Bright Tragedy all those years ago.
But I didn’t walk away five years ago, I ran. As fast as I could go. And while my heart is whispering that it’s different this time—that he’s different—my brain is screaming for me to run again.
Malachi Porter isn’t a normal guy. And he doesn’t belong in my “normal life.” But, nevertheless, he’s bound and determined to make a place for himself here.
I just hope my heart can survive him, that we don’t burn into another bright tragedy.”
EXCERPT:
“I hardly recognized you,” I told him, breathless with surprise. “Those glasses totally do the trick.”
He touched the frames. “Yeah?”
“No,” I laughed. “Not even a little bit.”
His smile was genuine, big, breathtaking. “Brennan said I can’t be seen. I’m supposed to be in Belgium.”
“And why aren’t you in Belgium?” I asked him as he moved slowly toward me.
He shrugged. “We have a break. And you and I need to finish our song.” His toes bumped into mine before he stopped walking. I had to crane my neck back to look at him. “I missed… my guitar.”
What? “Your guitar?”
“The Fender I left at your house? It’s my road guitar. I never leave home without her.”
Rolling my eyes, I jumped to my feet and started collecting my things. “I wish you would have told me that sooner,” I murmured. “I already sold it.”
“You did what?”
I looked at him, unblinking. “Do you know how much a Kai Porter signed guitar goes for?”
“It wasn’t signed.”
“By you,” I pointed out. “But they don’t know that.” Pausing for dramatic flair, I added quickly. “Those schmucks on eBay will pay high dollar for anything.”
Color drained from his face. “You signed my favorite guitar and sold it? On eBay?”
I suppressed my smile, although it wasn’t easy. “Was I not supposed to do that?”
He lunged for me, grabbing hold of my messenger bag strap and tugging me to him. Just when I thought we would crash into each other, his hands landed on my sides, squeezing, tickling, torturing.
“No, you weren’t supposed to do that,” he growled, laughing at my absolute hysterics.
I screamed indelicately in the middle of Macy’s and then dissolved into laughter. People were stopping to stare at us. Probably wondering if this guy was murdering me or kidnapping me. “We’re fine,” I wheezed as I wrestled away from him. “Nothing to see here, folks.”
MY REVIEW:
I enjoyed this sweet, slow-burn romance featuring real, down-to-earth characters. Rachel Higginson’s stories always contain romance and a happy ending and ‘Never Fall in Love with a Rockstar’ is no different!
Clover has traded in life on the road as the member of a popular rock band for a life of relative anonymity in the Midwest. She is seemingly content if not a little restless but has an amazing relationship with a wonderful boyfriend and a quiet, steady, “normal” life.
“This was just me. Clover Callaway, completely natural. Completely ordinary. Completely anonymous. Nobody expected the red curls. They were my new signature. And I was slowly learning to love them. Just like I was slowly learning to love this life.”
When her former band comes to town, Clover is reunited with Kai, her former love. Clover had abruptly walked away from the band and blamed herself for her decision. Kai eventually convinces Clover to rejoin the band because they were never the same when she left. I enjoyed the story line and liked how the author dealt with serious topics like addiction and destructive behaviors. Ms. Higginson obviously knows a lot about music and it shows in the details.
Kai’s background was heartbreaking but I never felt truly emotional about any of these characters. I loved how strong and determined Clover was, which is what kept me invested in the story. I would not call this a deeply emotional book but I did enjoy the supporting characters and the romance between Clover and Kai. I am a fan of slow-burn romance and that is exactly what this one was.
Rachel Higginson’s books are always refreshing and enjoyable and you should definitely pick this one up if you like rock star romances. This was not my favorite of her books but it might be for you. Happy ever after guaranteed!
“Tragedy made me leave. Fear kept me away. But this bright, bright love brought me back in the most beautiful way.”