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Oh my! This book is so intense and emotional! It pulled me right in and held me hostage and I could not put it down!

Mia West is Lyrik's younger sister (Yes, that Lyrik from the band Sunder). She is a single mom whose life has been recently totally shaken up and now she is suffering fear, anxiety, and grief related to it. There may or may not be danger still following her so her brother has invited her and her children to stay at their Savannah house for the Summer.

Leif Godwin is the drummer for the band Carolina George. He is in a dark place, suffering from his past, dealing with guilt, and living for timely revenge. He fled LA a few years ago and has been laying low to a certain extent but he just could not give up music. When he is asked to fill in as drummer for Sunder on an album, it is another offer he cannot refuse. But it might allow his demons to know where to find him.

Summer in Savannah. These two make each other react in ways they cannot seem to control. Two people trying not to drown from the pain while avoiding threats that could be aimed at any of them. She makes him feel again but also ramps up guilt about his past. He tries to resist, but he also begins to want to be what he considers good enough for her, but doubts his ability to get there. She sees the good in him that he cannot and he is there as a protector when she needs one. They both have baggage. Their futures are a big question. They are combustible, undeniable, and inspire both hope and the fear of loss.

This book is so full of tension that it had me wound tight the whole time. There is a mystery about the past slowly unraveling. There is danger, and surprises and twists. This is a heartbreaking, intense, suspenseful, emotional, and inspiring story of hope, survival, and redemption.

I loved getting to spend more time with the boys of Sunder and their significant others and kids, especially Lyrik and Tamar. I am looking forward to more with Carolina George as the Falling Stars series continues and later with the possible Sunder kids' spin-offs. I love this group and this world A.L. Jackson has created and it is so much fun to go back and visit. 

Mia West needs a break from the stress that her life has become, with an unspecified threat hanging over her head in LA, it makes sense to spend the summer in South Carolina with her brother, Lyrik. Her children need the security that comes with being at Lyrik’s house, as well as the distraction of cousins to bring back normalcy.

Sunder, Lyrik’s band, has big plans for the summer, but being down a drummer for the upcoming album has them looking to Leif, the drummer for Carolina George and an acquaintance from the past, to fill the need.

From the moment Mia and Leif meet, it is clear the chemistry crackles between them. But neither is looking for attachments, especially having met in LA and reconnected in South Carolina. There is too much on the line. But someone’s past is catching up to them. The question is, who is the threat targeted at?

I had so many questions as I read Mia and Lyrik’s story. Though only a yard separated their spaces for the summer, there were other issues keeping them from jumping over the lines between them. I loved the way they circled each other, questioning, tempting, and testing boundaries.

The tension simmering in the background kept me turning pages to learn not only of the threat in the background, but also what it would take to have Mia and Leif throwing their apprehensions out the window.

I loved seeing the members of Sunder together and living their best lives. The addition of Leif to this group was interesting, with everything else going on in their world, but I loved seeing the mess of kids running around Lyrik’s house (with his kids at the head of the pack) and the camaraderie they have maintained as they have each settled down. I look forward to more from this expanding musical group. With the addition of Carolina George, and the Sunder kids getting older, there are plenty of avenues for stories to spin off and continue the narrative.