One wouldn’t expect a sexy-as-sin rocker like Eli Renard to spend time with a woman just as a friend, but that’s exactly what Emersyn Wallace is to him. Just a friend. Even though she’s matured into a beauty, Eli still doesn’t remotely see his childhood pal as a sex-object. When tragedy brings her back into his world, Eli moves mountains to help Emersyn get back onto her feet by finding her a job as a backup singer for Jacob’s Ladder. At first, Eli is thrilled that Emerysn is along on tour, and he sets out to do his best to help her forget her sorrow through a range of crazy friend dates. But after spending so much time with her in such close quarters, Eli finds his feelings beginning to shift. He no longer sees Emersyn as the once awkward young girl he played some of his first songs with. Soon it’s not only his body that reacts to her, but it’s also his heart. He’s about to learn what a dangerous game it is to dry a widow’s tears.

After losing her husband and singing partner in a tragic accident, Emersyn Wallace spent the last eight months drowning in a sea of grief. With the bills piling up and her family and friends concerned about her emotional welfare, she reluctantly agrees to join the Jacob’s Ladder’s tour. While recapturing her lost love of singing and performing, she finds both comfort and healing in Eli’s gregarious personality and outrageous sense of humor. But as the anniversary of her husband’s death approaches, she finds herself in turmoil over her new amorous feelings for Eli.

Can Eli and Emersyn find the perfect melody to transition from friends to lovers, or will their relationship end out of tune?

Eli Renard is supposed to be the more easy-going, friendly, and charming of the Renard twins where as his brother, Gabe was the moodier, more serious one. He's been a playboy, but deep down would like to settle down like his brother and sister.

He has been best friends with Emersyn since they were ten years old. And now that Emersyn is dealing with the loss of her husband who was also her musical partner, Eli is there as her friend, confidante, and protector. She is lonely, sad, lost, and fading away. And in an attempt to help pull her out of her funk, he invites her to join Jacob's Ladder and tour with them.

They had always  just thought of each other as friends. But close quarters on the bus, some friend dates , and newfound jealousy start to make them see each other in a different light. Suddenly there is some tension and some unresolved, hidden feelings brewing. As they are thrust into situations that test their resolve, it just gets more magnified. Temptation, changing feelings, and attraction are overshadowed by fear and guilt.

Eli knows she is vulnerable and not ready. She doesn't think Eli wants a relationship or thinks about her in that way. They're stuck in friend-zone limbo and afraid to push at the boundaries and afraid to risk losing each other. But the sexual tension, emotional turmoil, and feelings cast them into a situation neither is really prepared to deal with and ends up causing even more issues. And soon they are facing the one thing that they did not want to happen...their close bond turning awkward and the possible risk of losing a lifelong friend. Emersyn has already known terrible loss that nearly destroyed her, and she still has serious fears, confusion, and a tendency to try to avoid difficult situations. And Eli is a man who wears his heart on his sleeve and is afraid he will never live up to a ghost. My heart seriously hurt for him as he struggled with his feelings and pain.

This will come down to fighting themselves, their fears, and even each other...but will they be able to win the fight for each other's heart and a future together?

I loved Eli and Emersyn! It was important to get both of their points of view since they were in their heads a lot. Their history and closeness made them so strong in some ways, but also made changing their dynamic challenging. They had so much to lose, but the potential to gain much more...but it was a big risk due to how tied up their lives were.

I enjoyed getting more with Gabe and Rae, and Abby and Jake. I like their close bonds, interpersonal dynamics, and humor. This story seemed more emotional than Gabe's and really tugged at my heartstrings as they struggled with their changing emotions. But it was also funny, sweet, romantic, and sexy. I love these characters and have thoroughly enjoyed revisiting these siblings in this Jacob's Ladder series.

I was gifted a copy. 

Katie Ashley is a New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Best-Selling author. She lives outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her daughter, Olivia, and her two very spoiled dogs. She has a slight obsession with Pinterest, The Golden Girls, Harry Potter, Shakespeare, Supernatural, Designing Women, and Scooby-Doo.

With a BA in English, a BS in Secondary English Education, and a Masters in Adolescent English Education, 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.