With Ivan I found acceptance. With Anton, home in the dark. With Erik, I fear my undoing… Erik Hadley is a gifted violinist with a dark past and an even more troubled soul. His only place of safety, a glass room built to protect others from his violent outbursts. But it’s nothing more than a prison, and I have every intention of setting him free. It won’t be easy. There are those who want to keep … those who want to keep him imprisoned, who want to keep him from me and a life beyond those walls.
I can’t let that stand, I won’t.
Will I be able to sever the strings that hold his mind hostage? Am I strong enough to cast that first stone? The trouble is, this stone I hold might shatter more than just his prison, but what’s left of my heart as well.
Join Rose and the men of Browlace Manor in the third book of the Finding Their Muse series and sink further into this dark gothic tale of guilt, desire, despair, and redemption.
This is a reverse harem romance for 18+ readers.
Warning: This is a dark story that deals with mental health issues, PTSD and other topics that may be upsetting. Read at your own discretion
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*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
Just when I think Paige cannot possibly top herself when it comes to this series she releases another installment and proves me wrong. This book is so emotionally wrenching that it takes you from the very bottom all the way to the top when it comes to Rose, Erik, Ivan, and Anton. After her success with Ivan and Anton this time we focus on Erik after Ms. Hadley takes him away forcing them to find him. What follows is one traumatic roller coaster as we are taken deep inside these characters and all of the things that make them tick. The writing is just superb as we get one revelation after another leading us all the way to the ending that will leaving you dying for the final installment to see how this all is going to play out when it is all said and done. Dark yet respectful making it a total must read. I totally loved it so I give it 5/5 stars.
Bea Paige’s Strings should come with a warning like “won’t be able to read or write for two weeks after reading” or “prepare to cry, laugh, whimper, kick a pillow and shout at anyone who might interrupt”.
Probably the best I’ve read this year. Go read it. It’s amazing. The entire series is.
The third book in the Finding Their Muse trilogy blew me away.
I knew that Erik’s story would break my heart, but I did not expect Rose to break it again as well. Bea Paige has done a wonderful job of capturing how difficult it is for someone to live with PTSD. Though it is not just Erik who suffers from this affliction. In some ways, all of the characters do. I have always been drawn to the character of Erik and have been anxiously awaiting his story, but I wasn’t prepared for the extent of what he had gone through. I love how he is wiling to finally try to live again after so long of simply existing. I love that he is pushing Rose to do the same, and that she is finally willing to try to do so herself for her and for her men. Ivan’s offhanded invitation to Rose made me smile, and Ms. Hadley made my blood boil. I truly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read the conclusion to this wonderful series.
Oh man what to say about Erik and Rose’s story. The trauma and dynamic between them is both damaging and beautiful at the same time much like each of the other’s stories but unique in its own way. Now I can’t wait for Symphony to see how it is all going to work out!
This book. Erik. Rose. Where do I begin? This is the third book in this series and I am still searching for the words to describe the journey and potency that is this magical world created by Ms. Paige. So many feels ignited by passion and rich layers of depth upon more layers of perfection. I can’t this book, this series, or this talented author enough!
I love this series. I can’t recommend it enough.
“…this isn’t a fairy-tale. They aren’t my knights in shining armour who can save me from evil, and I’m not the perfect princess who can give them their happily ever after. They’re the predators of the story, the heartless king with a thousand lovers, the twisted artist trapping his victims’ souls on canvas, the punisher who rips out people’s hearts so he can devour them…”
I knew right before I read this book that Erik’s story will be devastating and downright heartbreaking. After all, how can such a beautiful, strong man like him get so broken that he felt the need to lock himself away from anyone? We knew a bit of his back story from the previous books, but it didn’t prepare me to the extent of his suffering. Or the depth of his pain.
I fell in love with Ivan’s vulnerability.
I am obsessed with Anton’s passion.
With Erik, I was ruined.
“Our kind of fairy-tale doesn’t exist. This is real life, it’s messy, it’s brutal, it hurts.”
Rose and Erik’s relationship dynamic is gut wrenching as it is cathartic. Erik who craves for love his whole life, Rose who craves the darkness to hide from love. Two tortured souls. Will they be each others salvation or be their downfall?
Everything in this book is perfection; from captivating story line, beautifully broken characters and seductively dark prose. It is a wonder really that I’m coherent enough to write a review when I’m still reeling with so much feels. Needless to say, I’m positively vibrating with excitement for the last and final book of this series. I need that final book ASAP.
Classical music…When Erik is found in yet another glass prison, Rose is determined to help him. Not all plans go as we think they will. Eventually Erik and Rose find that they are fighting monsters. Steam 9/10 * Sweet 10/10 * Alt 1st POV * RH * Cliffhanger
This author is so talented at the beautiful weaving of words that I find myself completely absorbed into her books, not just reading them, but experiencing them as well. Strings is the third book in a series that has riveted me since I opened the first. There is a fourth and final book coming, and I am anxiously awaiting its release. I can’t recommend Bea’s writing enough. Buy her books, enter into the world of these wounded, wonderful people, and experience the gauntlet of emotions so creatively expressed here. You won’t be disappointed.
I love this series and this is a perfect addition. There’s so much emotion and it’s utterly heart wrenching. It’s such a good story that is completely captivating, it’ll suck you in and keep you hooked to the very end.
Each book in this series has just gotten better, I can’t recommend it enough.
Great book. The characters are very well written and make you feel for them as you learn about them and really hope that they can help each other heal.
Wow….this series is amazingly emotional. The author doesn’t just show you the darkness and inner turmoil but draws you into it to embrace it alongside the characters. I have fallen in love with these characters. I’m so happy to find out there will be another book in this series!
No spoilers of any kind included!
This book like the first two books in Finding Their Muse series is awesome!
I climbed into this story and I could not climb out until I had gotten to the end of the book.
There’s so many twists and turns and ups and downs that I actually felt like I was on a amusement park ride!
Bea Paige definitely knows how to hook her readers and leave them wanting and needing more!
So yep it’s going to be a big HECK YEAH I most definitely do recommend this book but if you haven’t read the two books before this one then I highly suggest that you do because otherwise you will get confused with what’s going on and who’s who!
Oh. My. God. I have so many feelings after this book. This was so brilliant, heartbreaking, intense… I loved it. So many truths and revelations. Rose’s confessions, poor Erik and his reliving his pain, heartbreak, and torture. I felt like I was right there with them. I was worried that Rose’s breakthrough would be rushed but, it was perfect and realistic. I somehow felt even more connected to Anton. I think he just has a piece of my heart. I’m a bit broken over the end. Just when you feel like there’s hope, they all let trauma close them off again. I’m ready for the symphony coming next.
This being the third book in this series we all already know how heart wrenching this series is and how much emotion these characters pull from us. I don’t want to give anything away so there isn’t a lot to say other than this has been my favorite of the series. Erik has been my favorite character from the very start and after reading all he has endured, all he is capable of, all he’s willing to do and how shockingly gentle he can be, I’m even more in love with his character. Ms. Hadley shows her true colors finally, but we are still left with the mystery that her past and after that ending I very much look forward to reading about how they heal each other even more and deal with all that happens. Bea did an amazing job writing this, especially so with how difficult some of the scenes must have been and I felt every emotion throughout it all, thank you Bea.
Bea Paige outdoes herself yet again!
I can’t even tell you how much my heart is bursting after reading Strings, book 3 in Bea Paige’s Finding Their Muse series. I have been waiting to read Erik’s backstory since Steps and this book did not disappoint!!! I think Strokes might still be my favorite of the 3 so far, which is crazy surprising since Anton is the one I didn’t connect with in Book 1 as much as Ivan and Erik. I think because I have vision issues myself, that Anton’s struggle really spoke to me. I think after all of this, Ivan is still my favorite of the 3 men from Browlace Manor, especially with what happens in this book
So let me talk about the story without giving away anything that would spoiler it for you. This book deals with Erik who we all know has issues with his past trauma while in the armed forces, which has caused him immense PTSD, enough that he has sequestered himself from all he loves to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else. Strokes left off with Rose, Ivan, and Anton finding out Erik had left with Ms. Hadley and gone back to where he grew up, before he hurt Rose and his brothers. The intensity in this book is more than I think Strokes and Strings and the backstory is even more gut wrenching. We learn some really awful stuff about Erik and get to see a ton of walls being broken down with all the characters.
Erik has to overcome a lot in this book and we get to see a lot of flashbacks of his time as a teenager and in the armed forces with the horrible woman we won’t speak of. What makes me love this book so much is that the book is also about Rose’s fight against her self/past as much as it is Erik’s. I was pleasantly surprised that Rose and Erik had to work on themselves together/let each other heal the other. They couldn’t do it alone and even Ivan nor Anton could really help besides being their as support. The ending was beautiful to say the least. The lead up had me sometimes having to stop and collect myself before moving forward, because of the pain the characters have had to endure. Its so raw and real, Bea is spectacular at drawing from some inner darkness of her own (if not, she is even more brilliant) to create these immense feelings and heart pulling situations, but makes them so reasonable, like they could really happen to people outside of my little bubble; it makes it so much more powerful. If that makes sense haha.
Be forewarned, when the trigger warning says there are triggers/this has dark aspects to it, it is not kidding. No, its not the darkest thing I have read, but it does have dark moments. I think this one has some equally beautiful, light moments too. I can’t wait to see what Bea does in the finale, Symphony! I think it will be the best yet and am dying to get my hands on it already. I can’t wait to see more of the D/S relationship between Rose and her 3 guys. We got to see Ivan, Anton, and Rose finally get to an amazing spot in terms of that, and we are only getting started with Erik and his dominant personality (can’t wait for more rope action hehe).
Ok one last thing in my long ramble….the evil villain in this story is even better than what I thought she was in book 1. I cannot wait for her to get what she deserves in the end. The twists in this series regarding her and Anton’s dad I think will be incredible and the confrontation has only just begun. Ahhhh I want Book 4 her faster, but I also don’t want this series to end. Best series of Bea’s by far. She needs to stay in this lane and give us these angsty, dark, gritty moments for years to come
Strings is the third book in the Finding Their Muse series. Like the first two books, this book is told in a multi-POV style, using present events and flashbacks for the storytelling. And, like the first two books, we don’t get to see a lot of the group dynamic, as this book is focussed on Erik and Rose.
This… is a heavy book. I mean, the series isn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows, but even for the series it’s pretty heavy and tackles a topic that’s still very sensitive, PTSD. We already know that Rose has been through a lot, and a lot of it has already been uncovered/shared. Likewise, we know from previous books that Erik has been through a lot and suffers from PTSD. This book is very much about Erik’s past, but Rose is still involved in the story. Where Anton and Ivan have both had singular, main events that have changes who they are, Erik has had two, very big events shape who he is. Both of those are in this book. And while this book is about Erik’s past, it’s still very much about Rose and Erik in the present. This book is similar to Strokes in some ways, as a lot of the story seems to occur in this bubble that caused the outside world to fade away.
The one thing we’ve yet to really see, that I’m hoping we get to see more of in book 4, is the group dynamic or the every day dynamic. This group hasn’t really had a break yet, and I’m hoping that we’re going to get a glimpse of what they are going to be like. That said, there are some big bombs that are hinted at at the end of this book, and I don’t think it’s going to be an easy ride just yet. I wouldn’t say it’s a cliffie, but I’m definitely look forward to book 4 to find out more.
Wow. I don’t think I have the words for this. I’m utterly speechless. Emotional. Blown away.
“Our kind of fairy-tale doesn’t exist. This is real life, it’s messy, it’s brutal, it hurts.”
This quote from the book pretty much sums up the story. It literally hurt to read it. So much pain and darkness bled through every page of this book. Messy doesn’t even begin to describe what I just read.
Yet there was beauty in the ugliness. We begin to see true healing amongst all of them. And no matter how twisted it was to get to the healing it was magnificent to witness.
And then the end… man I will be counting down the days until the last book releases. I need to know what secrets still remain. And I can’t wait to see them all get their HEA.
Wow, just wow. Strings is breathtaking, from the first word to the last. Erik’s story is heartbreaking, and Rose is along for a bumpy ride. As mentioned by others, it’s dark and emotional. Ivan and Anton even learn a little they didn’t know about Erik’s background too.
We learn a bit about Ms Hadely too and her true colours. I can’t wait for the last book where we get more about her. Definitely recommend Strings!