A million reasons to go home. One hot reason to stay. From New York Times bestselling author Elle Casey comes the second book in the sexy Red Hot Love Series.Emerald Collins is nothing like her strong-willed sister Amber. When she found out her father was a member of the legendary rock group Red Hot, sensitive Em was determined to carry on as normal—she had no interest in finding out more about … finding out more about her dad or leaving her quiet sanctuary in Maine.
But while visiting Amber in New York, Em meets Sam, a tortured, sexy, and utterly unsuitable musician. Sam and Em are used to life behind the scenes but their undeniable attraction is about to put them right in the spotlight.
When Sam reveals a shocking secret about his past, Emerald has to make a choice. Will she follow her head and return home or is the magnetism between them and the excitement of the big city enough for her to follow her heart?
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3.75 stars–EMERALD is the second instalment in Elle Casey’s contemporary, adult RED HOT LOVE romance series focusing on three ‘sisters’-Amber Fields, Emerald Collins and Rose Lancaster. This is twenty-seven year old, rock musician and song writer Sam Stanz, and twenty five year old Emerald Collins’ story line. EMERALD can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading the series in order for back story and cohesion as there is an ongoing premise throughout.
NOTE: If you have not read book one –AMBER-there may be some spoilers in my review.
Told from first person perspective (Emerald) EMERALD follows the building relationship between twenty-seven year old, rock musician and song writer Sam Stanz, and twenty five year old Emerald Collins. Emerald’s sister Amber has fallen in love, and moved to New York, and our heroine misses her terribly. With an invite to visit, Emerald reluctantly sets her sights on the Big Apple but is unprepared to fall in love. Enter Sam Stanz, Ty Stanz’s (AMBER) younger brother, and the man with whom Emerald will fall in love. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Sam and Emerald, and the potential fall-out as Sam’s life begins to spiral out of control when ghosts from the past take center stage.
Sam Stanz is a song writer but struggles with the spotlight. Heading to New York to meet up with his brother finds our hero battling between the present and the past, a past that controls his head and his heart. Emerald is the quiet sister; shy and reserved but not afraid to defend the people she loves and protects. Meeting Sam Stanz stirs something deep without Emerald’s heart, a heart she is quickly losing to our story line hero. Still struggling with the truth about her mothers’ past, Emerald battles between curiosity, anger and rejection in light of the startling news.
The relationship between Sam and Emerald is one of immediate attraction but Emerald is only in New York for a short amount of time. With Sam’s home base in LA, Emerald struggles with the what ifs and whys of falling in love with a man whose own life is spiralling out of control. The $ex scenes are passionate and seductive without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
Once again, there is a large ensemble of colorful secondary and supporting characters. We are re-introduced to the members of Red Hot: lead singer Red Wylde, drummer Mooch Gyllenhaal, rhythm guitar Cash Stagger, bassist Paul Goldman, and their lawyer Greg Lister, former band member Darrell Ford, as well as Amber, Emerald and Rose’s mothers Barb Fields, Carol Collins and Sally Lancaster.
EMERALD is, like Amber, a story of family and secrets, revelation and acceptance, heart break and loss. The premise is captivating; the characters are affectionate, spirited and real; the romance is tender, sweet and encouraging. EMERALD is an emotional and inspiring tale of love, loss, and acknowledgement.
I love the premise of this series. Amber, Emerald, and Rose grow up with their mothers in a hippy commune as sisters. One day, a lawyer shows up at their house with an offer of 30 million dollars from the band Red Hot as recompense for not knowing their daughters were alive. Their mothers were groupies for that band and the bandmates are their fathers. They don’t know who has fathered whom and are happy being group fathers. Each daughter gets her own story, and this novel is about Emerald, the shy, sweet, hippy.
After Amber ends up moving to NY to work for the band, she twists her sister Emerald’s arm to come for a long visit. Emerald really hates big cities, but loves and misses her sister so agree’s to the visit. When the band, who is touring Tokyo, has an emergency, Amber has to ditch her sister right when her boyfriend’s brother, Sam shows up on their doorstep. She enlists Emerald’s help in playing hostess to Sam and the chemistry between the two of them is immediate.
I really liked how Emerald and Sam seemed to fit so easily together. Yet, I hated that at the same time! I know, that’s a little wishy washy, but the two of them were so low key. What do you feel like for dinner, pizza? Hmmm, sounds good to me. Pizza it is! Even Sam’s tragedy back in LA doesn’t really bring any tension to a story that needed a little conflict. Not that I disliked them, I didn’t at all, it’s just that their story kind of hummed along. No grand theatrics or anything, yet somehow pleasant and enjoyable to read. Weird, I know.
I did like the progression of the story with their fathers in the band Red Hot. They are so excited to be fathers, it’s hard to not like them! Amber is now all in, working for the band, but Emerald and her sister Rose are a little more difficult. What do two hippy chicks have in common with a rock band? The series wraps up with Rose’s story and yes, I am going to read it because I’m invested in their story and want to see what happens.