Synopsis

As rock star "Riff Rotten", Rick Rottenberg has enjoyed all the perks that fame can offer, especially now that he's reunited with his former band mate, Adrian "Digger" Graves. But despite his success, Rick is a mess. Still reeling from the death of his wife years ago and terrified his demons will end his career, he agrees to seek help for his anxiety.

Burned by a musician in the past, Sidra Sullivan has closed her heart to love. So when Rick walks into her yoga studio, she wants nothing to do with him--until the bad boy shows an unexpected soft side.

As Sidra and Rick work through their painful pasts, they realize just how strongly opposites can attract. But when a crisis threatens the delicate balance they've forged, they'll discover if their love is strong enough to weather another storm or just too broken to survive...

Review

This is the second full-length novel in the Love and Steel series and there was a sequel novella to book 1, Louder Than Love. It can be read as a standalone though I recommend following the whole series, these are some fabulous rockstar romances and always have something more in them.

I'd describe Rick and Sidra's story as an engaging, a rockstar romance of its own kind. Ms Topper gives the reader a beautiful mix of the world of rock-and-roll and the curious spiritual and physical world of yoga, mixed with Indian  (Eastern) philosophy and some Irish exuberance.

The story is told from dual POV and the romance is lovely but it's not the sole focus of the story. It's a beautiful tale of overcoming loss, of dealing with stress and anxiety, finding inner peace and learning to love (again).

Ms Topper masterfully creates complex characters, modern-day people with modern-day problems and add the gentles touches of philosophy and music.

One of the things I really liked in the story was the strong presence of NY in it. The author literally takes you there on NY streets and cafes and parks and yoga clubs and music stores. As someone who has never been to New York, or even USA, it was a fascinating journey and felt totally immersed in the world of Sidra (and Rick) where the city and the neighbourhood where she lived made a lot of who she was.

It's a slow-building romance, both Rick and Sidra have too many issues of their own to deal with. They don't really come together until late in the story. As I romance reader I wanted to romance to be stronger, more present, all-encompassing, but at the same time I appreciate how complex and multi-layered the lives the characters were and their slow coming together felt right and fitting. Like some of the other books Ms Topper, it's a very character driven story where the romance is strong and engaging but not the only focus. We experience the life of all the characters, including the supporting ones, in its richness and complexity.

I absolutely loved the mystic elements in the story - the Indian philosophy which means so much for Sidra, the restored Jewish faith of Rick, the intersections between them and how they fitted in the very much modern lives of the characters. It's a soulful journey for both Rick and Sidra (for different reasons) and it resonated deeply with my own understanding of love as the coming together of soulmates.

What worked well for me was the way Ms Topper brought the spiritual/artistic elements in the story - the process of making music, writing lyrics, performing, the elements of religion and philosophy of life, the intimate personal dreams and aspirations on the one hand and the routine, everyday issues - medical problems, alcohol abuse, social and work pressure.

Recommended read for fans of skillful storytelling and eganging romance with mature characters!

Louder Than Love (Love and Steel #1) - 4 stars
Deeper Than Dreams (Love and Steel #1.5) - 4 stars

What a sweet follow-up novella to Louder Than Love (review) that was. It read like a lovely and absolutely sweet extended epilogue to Kat and Adrian's romance and made me love all the characters in this series even more than already did.

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Why am I waiting for this? - I came across Louder Than Love (review) by chance last year when it was released. I took a chance on new author and ended up loving the book. There was no HEA epilogue for Adrian and Kat, so instead Ms Topper wrote a full follow-up novella and I'm sure that it will be just as good as their first book. Older hero, (ex) rock/metal star and a widowed librarian with an adorable daughter - sounds like a perfect romance to me.

Red Rocks. It’s an open-air concert amphitheatre in Colorado, nestled into the landscape. Because the stage is literally surrounded by rock, the acoustics are amazing, and the scenery is breathtaking. I once saw a double-rainbow appear over it, Magical!

2. Favourite food and drink

I am currently obsessed with Chuao maple bacon chocolate bars. The salty/sweet combo is addictive! My drink of choice is Crown Royal with ginger ale, and I tend to make the characters in my books drink it, too. 

3. Favourite music/genre/artist/song

Almost impossible to choose! I appreciate all kinds of music, depending on my mood. I’ll tell you what’s in my car’s 5-disc CD player right now: Sam Roberts Band, Iron Maiden, Black Eyed Peas (that might be my daughter’s CD), Arctic Monkeys and Chet Baker.

4. Favourite movie/TV series

When Harry Met Sally makes me laugh every time I see it. I don’t watch much TV, but Shameless is the one series I watch faithfully.

5. Favourite hobby besides writing, if you consider writing a hobby

Yoga, although lately I haven’t had much time to practice it.

1) Girl Goddess #9 – short stories by Francesca Lia Block. She is an auto-buy author for me, and the books she released in the 1990s made a huge impact on me.

(Young Adult, LGBT, Fantasy)

2) How to Kill a Rock Star - Tiffanie DeBartolo Best random library find ever – the title grabbed me first, then her voice hooked me.

(Rockstar romance, realistic)

3) Bad Haircut: Stories from the Seventies - Tom Perrotta. Clever and funny, even if you didn’t grow up in the 70s.

(Short stories, coming of age, humour)

4) The Collector – John Fowles. Not my usual genre, but so well done.

5) The One That Got Away – Bethany Chase. A new favorite, and a promising new Women’s Fiction author 

Jessica Topper is an ex-librarian turned rock and roll number cruncher. By day, she does bookkeeping for touring rock bands. By night, she creates books of her own. She is the author of two novels from Berkley: Louder Than Love, and Dictatorship of the Dress. 

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Her forthcoming release, Courtship of the Cake (Much "I Do" about Nothing #2), releases June 2nd. Here is the synopsis and you can also read an exclusive excerpt. Enjoy!

Synopsis

“Always a bridesmaid, never a bride” has suited Danica James just fine…until the mysterious man who crashed her sister’s wedding steals her heart, leaves a slice of groom’s cake under her pillow, and then disappears.

Hoping to forget her unforgettable fling, Dani takes a job as a backstage masseuse for a rock music festival, not expecting the tour’s headlining bad boy to make an offer she can’t refuse. Nash Drama needs a fiancée—and fast…

Mick Spencer is the best wedding cake designer in New Hope and the town’s most eligible bachelor. But despite the bevy of bridesmaids he’s sampled, Mick can’t get the evening he spent with Dani out of his mind.

So when she shows up for a cake tasting at the Night Kitchen—with his former best friend’s ring on her finger—Mick vows to charm the woman of his dreams into choosing a sweet and sinful ever after, with him.

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Exclusive Excerpt

I hope you enjoyed the blitz interview and the short excerpt from Courtship of the Cake! Make sure to stop by next Friday when my guest will be the amazingly talented Alexis Hall.

Review

 Pre-order links: Amazon / BN.com / iBooks / Kobo / Penguin

Waiting on Wednesday is a book meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and it features books that we are eagerly awaiting to be released.

Title: 

Author: Jessica Topper
Genre: Romance

Release Date: 

Add on Goodreads
Pre-order: Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Kobo

Genre/themes: Contemporary Romance, Musicians

On the surface, the cause for their break-up between Kat and Adrian was just a misunderstanding, but in reality, it was the fact that she had not opened up to him at all. I understood Adrian's doubts and frustration with Kat's unwillingness to share her fears and her pain. I liked how they eventually came to terms with the each other's past and were able to see a future for themselves together. 

On this note, I would have loved an epilogue showing us Kat, Abbey and Adrian as a family in the future.

A special mention should be given to all the musical references in this book. I really feel that the fans of rock and metal music will be very happy with this novel. From The Beatles to the bands of the 1990s, music was a main focal point both to the characters and to the story.

The sum it up: This books rocks :))) I strongly recommend it to everybody who loves emotional stories set against the background of the rock music scene.