Release Date: February 12 , 2015
Emily Portman loves her job. A writer for Breakout! Magazine, she shadows and showcases up-and-coming bands. When her next assignment takes her to Austin, Texas, she can’t wait to add the city to her map of places she’s visited. Places she’s left without looking back. Her plan is to keep moving on, and the last thing she needs is a man holding her back. She’s not going down that road again.
Tyler Macy is stuck in a rut. Despite his exceptional talent as a musician, he has chosen to take a backseat with his music and let others grab the limelight. Wounded and mistrustful, he doesn’t appreciate his friends’ efforts to bring him back to center stage. Emily comes onto the scene and sees his full potential, but he fights to stay in the shadows, shutting her out before she can add to the scars another woman gave him.
For Tyler to find his music again, he needs to accept the help that Emily and their friends offer. When he discovers that his muse lies underneath Emily’s skin, it is still not enough to keep her from walking away. Neither will admit what they really want until it is too late.
Emily is once again thrown in Tyler’s path when she is assigned to join them on tour. Despite the pain in his past, Tyler sees that she is worth it, even if she’s stolen both his heart and peace of mind. In order for them to be together, they both must discover whether the music and their passion are enough to overcome the obstacles that separate them.
Maybe finding love is worth the risk.
Reading about music and the business of writing about it would be a dream job for me. This particular book is about trusting yourself again. Getting past your past actually. I love this author so much and was thrilled she got this story published!
One of the things that I love about Amber’s writing style is her ability to be inside of someone’s head. She shines a light on the music industry that reminded me of an episode of Nashville. Probably more because of the location that the storyline starts in, being Austin, Texas. No, the band that she is hired to write about isn’t a country band, but the first season on Nashville spent a lot of time on song writing and making a name with that kind of talent. Tyler has been hiding his talent for too long, until Emily comes into his life.
It’s slow motion watching him walk away and leap onto the stage. The smile Jon shoots my way is bright and hopeful, and even Hollis gives an encouraging grin, like maybe I owe her one for whatever has happened between her friend and me. Like maybe this will make things okay.
When he starts to sing, I have the briefest glimpse into what his future is going to look like. His voice? His voice is what contracts and sold-out amphitheaters are made of. It’s what girls cry to in their bedrooms and sing in their showers. His voice is the reason I am here.
I don’t care that this song makes me want to cry and makes my chest feel tight. His face while he sings is a sight to behold, and when he closes his eyes and grips the microphone, I’m bombarded with thoughts about his fingers and mouth until I have to lean forward and cross my legs. When the song ends, the place erupts with applause before the other band starts their music again. Tyler’s swagger when he walks back to the table is upped a notch. His friends are patting him on the shoulders, but his full focus is on me.
Emily attraction to Tyler, or Mase Face, the name she likes to call him, is fairly instantaneous even though it’s against the rules to fraternize with the talent. It would be difficult to remain neutral, if feelings get involved. But when Tyler is up on stage, who can resist him? Mid-story she hightails it out of Austin, to Seattle, thinking distance is the answer.
“You don’t get to tell me what I want. Maybe I would come back. Maybe I’d stay. Maybe I just want a one-night stand because I’ve already fucked up my job, so why not at least get what I want for just a few minutes?” His lips twitch. “It wouldn’t be few minutes.”
Every last wall I’ve built up, he’s infiltrated in less than a month. But I’m strong. If this is the end, I can figure things out in the morning. “You need to leave.”
He doesn’t make a move to go, so I take my sheet and wrap it around my body, not speaking a word until I get to my bathroom door. “Leave, Tyler. This never happened, and we’re not anything. You know the way out.”
Being rejected once is enough for any person in his or her lifetime. Opening myself up to have it done again just makes me feel unwanted in every sense of the word.
Her boss has other plans for Emily, when she is forced to travel the road with the band on their first national tour, blogging her experiences. The UST on the bus is simmering, but hilarious also.
There is this amazing scene with Tyler playing drums on stage, and I would highly recommend playing this song, while reading it at the same time if possible. Amber writes the beat and song perfectly through out the scene.
“Be Somebody” by Kings of Leon
So I am giving this story 4 amazing stars, instead of 5 for a couple of reasons. I am a visual person and there wasn’t any kind of description given for Emily. I had no idea what she looked like. Tyler was a bit more visualized, but I felt there was ample opportunity at the beginning of the story to get a better idea of what the main characters looked like. The secondary characters were described in great detail though. Also, if not for the summary, I would have been lost at what Emily and her friends were doing in Austin in the first place. There just wasn’t enough background given in the beginning. We get some bits and pieces later, on Emily and Tyler’s history, but more I think is still needed in places.
I adore live shows and would choose that over an expensive dinner any day of the week. Maybe is definitely written by someone who loves music also. For that reason alone, I highly recommend this book, and put it on my “favorites” and “top shelf fantastic reads” shelves on Goodreads.
***I was given an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for review. All excerpts are from that copy.***
Katiebird
A true child of music, Amber’s parents surrounded her with the loudest beats they could find, molding her into a girl who found inspiration and meaning in lyrics and chords. Raised on John Hughes movies, Luck Dragons, and pirate ships, she dreamed of love and adventure. When Amber began to create her own world, she envisioned a place where Happy Ever Afters do exist. Since then, she has authored several romance novels, all of which focus on songs and the way they can touch people’s lives. Music may not be able to fix a broken heart, but it can provide one hell of a soundtrack for healing.A full-time wife and mother with a full-time job, Amber finds her muse in everyday life and the people who bring her inspiration.
Katiebird! Thank you so much for this fantastic review that made me smile so big today. I appreciate you reading and being part of the Maybe blog tour!
xoxoxox
Amber
LikeLike