Review Tour: Muses and Melodies: Rebecca Yarros
Muses and Melodies
by Rebecca Yarros
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Release date Oct 6, 2020.
If I can keep Hush Note’s leading guitarist, Nixon Winters, on the straight and narrow for the next six months, I’ll finally get my own band to manage—assuming we don’t kill each other first.
The egotistical, irritating rock star is fresh out of rehab, but it’s obvious his demons followed him home—and now I’m sleeping down the hall. I’ve watched him self-destruct every summer, and with album deadlines and tour dates looming, I can’t let it happen again. My career is in his hands.
But tattoos can’t cover every scar, and I’m starting to see through his trademark, irresistible charm to the damage beneath.
Everyone wants the rock star.
I’m falling for the man.
If he doesn’t let me in,
he’ll never break the cycle—
And when these six months are up,
I might be the one left broken.
These two go from antagonistic banter and challenging each other to an understanding and truce. The quiet of a small town and muse might just be what Nixon needs to find his creativity again without the help of drugs or alcohol. But anything between them is off-limits and acting on any attraction could be quite messy for both of them. Nixon has a lot to face while trying to transition to his sober life and would be a huge risk for Zoe. Perception is everything in her job especially when she has bigger goals. And Nixon is feeling things much differently as a sober man, but he still has secrets that are the cause of his self-destructive behavior.
Could the reward be greater than the risk? And which one would be taking the bigger risk?
This is a forbidden, opposites-attract, enemies-to-lovers, rock star romance with lots of emotions, angst, and push and pull. The fight or flight is strong with these two! This is also Nixon's road to redemption journey towards finding trust, hope, healing, and the possibility of real happiness. My heart hurt for him and how he tried to keep his pain locked in, but was limited on his outlets. He had such self-worth issues, but deep down he wanted to escape the pain and be a better man and deserve her. But there was no easy fix or way out. Ultimately no matter who wants to help him, no one can change Nixon but himself. But I admired Zoe's strength and support even when her heart and career were being put on the line. But she had her own insecurities too.
It brings back Jonas, Quinn, Ethan from the previous books and ties up their stories with a fast forward sweet epilogue. I loved how they tried to support Nixon even when he pushed them away. But the love these three have for one another shines through. My only disappointment with this trilogy is I wanted to see more of Ethan's possible romantic story hinted in the first book, but it was never addressed in the last two books. I will just have to make it up in my own head.
We have seen Nixon struggle with addiction and apparent depression in the other two books. He has some demons that seem to have a hold on him and it is hard for him to deal with them. After nearly dying, he finally took himself to rehab and did a short program since he wants to be able to get back on the road with the band. After getting sober he is angry, easily annoyed, and self-loathing. He does not think he really deserves happiness himself, but wants to help his band have success in both their professional and personal lives.
Zoe Shannon is the assistant to the band's business manager. And she has won the task of being Nixon's sober partner aka babysitter after rehab. She is professional, intelligent, compulsive, observant, and highly organized. She is determined to keep him safe and get him back on the road, but he is not going to make it easy on her. He thrives on getting under her skin. He has been attracted to her for a while but knows he cannot act on it. She does not think he would ever be interested in her. They are thrown together in close quarters and a new environment that brings change to their dynamic.
Zoe Shannon is the assistant to the band's business manager. And she has won the task of being Nixon's sober partner aka babysitter after rehab. She is professional, intelligent, compulsive, observant, and highly organized. She is determined to keep him safe and get him back on the road, but he is not going to make it easy on her. He thrives on getting under her skin. He has been attracted to her for a while but knows he cannot act on it. She does not think he would ever be interested in her. They are thrown together in close quarters and a new environment that brings change to their dynamic.
These two go from antagonistic banter and challenging each other to an understanding and truce. The quiet of a small town and muse might just be what Nixon needs to find his creativity again without the help of drugs or alcohol. But anything between them is off-limits and acting on any attraction could be quite messy for both of them. Nixon has a lot to face while trying to transition to his sober life and would be a huge risk for Zoe. Perception is everything in her job especially when she has bigger goals. And Nixon is feeling things much differently as a sober man, but he still has secrets that are the cause of his self-destructive behavior.
Could the reward be greater than the risk? And which one would be taking the bigger risk?
This is a forbidden, opposites-attract, enemies-to-lovers, rock star romance with lots of emotions, angst, and push and pull. The fight or flight is strong with these two! This is also Nixon's road to redemption journey towards finding trust, hope, healing, and the possibility of real happiness. My heart hurt for him and how he tried to keep his pain locked in, but was limited on his outlets. He had such self-worth issues, but deep down he wanted to escape the pain and be a better man and deserve her. But there was no easy fix or way out. Ultimately no matter who wants to help him, no one can change Nixon but himself. But I admired Zoe's strength and support even when her heart and career were being put on the line. But she had her own insecurities too.
It brings back Jonas, Quinn, Ethan from the previous books and ties up their stories with a fast forward sweet epilogue. I loved how they tried to support Nixon even when he pushed them away. But the love these three have for one another shines through. My only disappointment with this trilogy is I wanted to see more of Ethan's possible romantic story hinted in the first book, but it was never addressed in the last two books. I will just have to make it up in my own head.
Nixon’s addiction has driven many of the choices his bandmates have made for years. But a few wakeup calls had him choosing rehab and this time he plans to make it stick. Those around him are less confident in his ability to stay clean though, and his manager has given him a babysitter for the foreseeable future.
Zoe Shannon has plans for her career and if it takes babysitting a rockstar to get where she wants to be then she will suck it up. She has her reasons for being so driven, but until she makes it to her goals, nothing else matters, even the annoyance of dealing with Nixon all day every day.
Nixon is good at getting under people’s skin, but in his quest to entertain himself at Zoe’s expense, he finds he actually likes the fiery red-head who is sharing his space. He has his own demons he is battling, and though he accomplished his first goal of getting through rehab, those demons won’t go away on their own and he’ll have to figure out how to deal with it if they show up in his life again.
There was more going on in this story than I imagined, and their connection (and baggage) kept me on my toes throughout the book. I enjoyed both of the characters. Zoe was strong, reliable, and determined. But she has scars she hides well that drive her determination to succeed. By many other definitions, she has already made it, but it isn’t just any definition that pushes her to continue to reach. I’ve mentioned Nixon’s demons before but even with his rehab stints he hasn’t faced them. I was shocked when we learned just what he was hiding and hurt for the man.
All three band members are back together for parts of this book, as Jonas, Quinn, and Nixon are a family, and though Jonas and Quinn have new families they want to continue to support Nixon as they spend time away from the band. I loved how this trio healed their broken edges, found their muses, and made it to the end (of the trilogy) with a stronger band than they started. I would love to see more from some of the side characters, but loved the journey this rock band made through their three stories.
Rebecca is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of over fifteen novels, and is always ready to bring on the emotions. She's also the recipient of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence for Eyes Turned Skyward from her Flight and Glory series.
She loves military heroes and has been blissfully married to hers for eighteen years. She’s the mother of six children, ranging from kindergarten to law school, and is currently surviving the teenage years with two of her four hockey-playing sons. When she’s not writing, you can find her at the hockey rink or sneaking in some guitar time. She lives in Colorado with her family, their stubborn English bulldog, and a feisty chinchilla. Having fostered then adopted their youngest daughter, Rebecca is passionate about helping children in the foster system through her nonprofit, One October.
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