Ross Macalester is forty-three, rich, famous, and plain worn out. Life has been nothing but sex, drugs, and rock and roll for twenty years, and he’s not sure he can stomach one more minute of the party. When an invitation to his twenty-fifth high school reunion shows up, Ross decides he has nothing to lose–after all, he already lost his daughter’s love and a fair amount of self-respect. So he … catches a flight back to his hometown, but when he walks in the door of the high school gym, his gaze lands on someone he never expected to see again.
Carly Ellis is busy, getting by, and most days pretty happy. Life hasn’t always been easy, but she has her teenage son, a good job in real estate, and an ex who doesn’t cause too much trouble. Granted, she’d rather skip her high school reunion, but when your best friend is on the organizing committee, there’s no getting out of it. Then she walks through the door of the high school gym and her gaze lands on someone she never expected to see again.
Once upon a time, Carly was Ross’s high school prom date. One very sweet night that both of them knew didn’t mean a thing. Now they have a chance to do it again. Same conditions. Same game. But after a night in Carly’s arms, Ross isn’t sure he wants it to end. Could she be the answer to everything he’s been missing? A key to the future he secretly wants? With life offering him a second act, will Ross be able to pull off his most important encore ever?
Encore is an uplifting rockstar, second-chance, single parent, high school reunion romance with a hero who needs a little reboot, a heroine who’s strong enough to give it to him, two sassy teens, a perfect HEA, and an iguana named Chuck–just because.
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This is the story about Carly and Ross. Carly and Ross had been friends in high school and they went to Prom together and they were each other’s first.
Ross left and became a Rockstar and Carly stayed in their home town of Grove City. Craig a friend of Ross’s lets him know that their 25-year school reunion is coming up and ask him if he is coming? Ross decides to go to the reunion and he meets up with Carly again. The feelings they had back in school are still there and they end up spending the night together with the deal of if being just that one night. As Carly and Ross reconnect, he tells her his feelings about wanting to leave the band and staying in Grove City with her. When Ross calls the band to let them know he doesn’t want to finish the tour, Stone, one of the band members gets mad and told Ross he would sue him. Things are going good for Ross and his daughter and she is throwing a party and Stone shows up to talk to Ross except Stone brings with him a reporter who questions Sara and says things that upset her. Now, Christine, Sara’s mom calls Ross and tells him to bring her back to L.A. Ross has to go and tell Carly that he is leaving and he asks her what about them, she told him that there was no them. Now 6 months later, Ross asks Sara what she wants to do for the summer and she tells him, she wants to go back to Grove City. Ross asks her why and she told him that when he quit the band, he wanted 2 things – to become her dad again and to live in Grove City with Carly. Sara has come up with a plan so that he can be with Carly. He tells her that he didn’t think that Carly would ever take him back and move to L.A. Sara tells him that she doesn’t need him around here all the time now and that he could come back to L.A. on weekends or twice a month or so. Carly comes home from work and finds Ross and Sara in her back yard with her son Quinn talking. Carly and Ross start talking and he tells her everything and that he wants her.
Can Carly believe the things that Ross is telling her and give him a second chance?
Will Ross get Carly to give him a second chance or will he lose her?
This was a wonderful book and I would recommend it to anyone.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The H and h are both matured with teenage kids already. Even though they met in high school, it was just a one night thingy. By now Ross has sown all his wild oats. He is tired of the debauchery of the rock star life. He went back to his roots, and found Carly. I’ll say their romance was heartwarming, and no cheating, drug use, drunkenness or, the annoying groupies. That made me happy. The twist when it came, I don’t agree with, but I guess that’s just me. You can chew, and walk at the same time Mr. Rockstar.
In all, I love reading about mature couples. Quinn and Sara were the best set of kids anyone could have.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Ross Macalester has the live many dream about. He is the lead singer of a very successful rock band. After 25 years, he is tired. He has been an absentee father to his daughter and things are strained. During a break, he attends his high school reunion and things start to slip into place. He is connecting with old friends and his daughter. It looks like he can have life he wants. But of course nothing is that easy. Carly is a divorced real estate agent co raising her 16 year old son and his per iguana, Chuck, She is smart, independent and content with her life. when she and Ross hook up after the reunion, she thinks it’s temporary. Her life is in her small town in Illinois and he has a rock star life. Cute story about getting not only a second chance at love but also at the life you want. An older couple who have lived and enjoyed their first part of life get a HEA with the second half.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This isn’t your typical rock star story but it is so good all the same. I found myself being able to relate to the events in this story and I imagine others will too. I loved the storyline and the characters. I enjoyed the twists and turns throughout. A very enjoyable story.
A wonderful story of second chance
Even after 25 years apart, Carly and Ross have an intense chemistry that is so much more than just the physical.
I know, I know…this looks like just another rockstar story. Admittedly,Selena Laurence had me at rockstar. But this book was SO much more! It’s a beautiful story about family, going home, second chances, friendships, redefining happiness, and never giving up. Yes, it’s ALL that AND the reader gets a satisfying romance with lead characters in their forties! I was completely on board for a mature romance, with no games and honest conversations. *perfection* .
I read this one cover to cover and went through more than a few tissues!
Selena is on my #autobuyauthorlist because she writes emotional, character-driven stories. If cowboys are more your speed, I highly recommend her California Cowboys series. No matter which of her books you choose, the family/friend dynamics are excellent
Loved loved Carly. She is a strong, confident single mom with a great son and good career. Her high school prom date who has become a rock star returns for their 25 year class reunion. The story of them reconnecting is believable and the supporting characters add to the charm of their small midwestern town. I also loved Chuck!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I’m going to start off by saying that I did not read the blurb for this book, but wanted to read it based off someone’s recommendations. So, I honestly thought it was going to be a older man/younger woman rock star romance. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was in fact, a high school crush/rock star romance. The fact that the main characters were older, had children from other relationships really stuck with me. The fact that he was a rock star wasn’t the main focus of the story, and I love how the romance played out, along with the struggles that they both had to deal with. I devoured this book almost immediately, and absolutely loved it!
Please note that I did receive an ARC of this book, and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
This is not your classic rock star romance, and I think that’s why I loved it so much. Firstly, it stars a hero and heroine that are “past a certain age”. Ross and Carly are beyond the first blush of youth. They’ve got divorces and teenaged children as part of their emotional baggage. Ross isn’t a typical rock star in that he’s not courting the limelight and celebrity. In fact, he’s reached a point in his life where all that just tires him out. Carly isn’t the usual groupie, she’s not a groupie at all. She’s his long-ago prom date and a friend he didn’t realize was missing in his life. Where this story does follow the classic rock star romance formula is in the big angsty emotions. (Could it be a Selena Laurence title without them?) I loved that this story gets real with our lead characters. I thought the family and community dynamics were accurately portrayed and done with a gentle smoothing of the edges to still keep the story kind of light and fun. I think I’ve gone and fallen in love with Ross and Carly’s hometown. And even though everyone’s happily coupled up, I still was to read more about it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Booksprout.
Little slow to start, but I really enjoyed this take on the rockstar life. Ross knew what he needed to do, be a dad. Sweet story of second chance love.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Ross and Carly’s story was a fun read. Here you have a famous rockstar bringing his daughter back to his home town so he can get to know her. He has let his career get in the way of his child, now he wants to be a father. Throw in a reunion with his high school prom date, add in some steamy love scenes and you have an interesting story. My favourite character is Chuck the iguana, you just got to love this guard iguana! There is a scene in the epilogue with Ross and the iguana that had me laughing. Really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to all.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and the views and opinions are my own.
Ross has been in an epic rock band for over 20 years and not around dad to his daughter who is now 14. Needing a rest, he comes back to his home town for the 25 year class reunion during the band break and reconnecting with old friends. While there he found his daughter’s school burned and will be out 1 month. Ross hopes to become the dad he should have been by bring Sara to this small town with the help of an old girlfriend and longtime friends. The writer takes you on the real struggles of having a teenage daughter, changing his life and finding love. The characters are strong, smart and warm. Enjoyable feelgood book.
I really enjoyed this book. It gave me all the feels.
What if you get a chance to reboot the life you just can’t stomach anymore??? That’s exactly what rockstar Ross Macalester does. Tired of the road trips, groupies and even the sex, Ross takes up the invitation to go home to Grove City Illinois fit his twenty fifth class reunion for a chance to just be Ross not the rockstar. Ross has lost too much time being on the road to be a dad to his fourteen year old daughter Sara and is hoping to reconnect with her. What he doesn’t expect is to see Carly Ellis, his “friend” and prom date. Carly is a real estate agent and raising her sixteen year old son Quinn along with his pet Iguana Chuck. Carly doesn’t know what to expect if Ross actually shows up for the reunion and was not ready for the immediate connection that comes crashing back after ask these years. Carly and Ross lost their virginity to each other on prom night but life took them on different paths only to bring them together when the time was right…it is it. Ross is trying to reconnect with Sara and show her the real Ross and where he grew up with real friends and a real community. With the help of Carly, Quinn, Craig, Dee and others they see the change in Sara and the most significant change is when Sara calls Ross “Dad” for the first time in years. Ross is ready to make this his new life and give up the band no matter what. There’s contracts and bandmates to deal with but Ross is determined for a life with Sara, Quinn and Carly . What happens when a bandmate crashes the heaven Ross has found splintering the bond between father and daughter?? Carly is crushed when Ross goes back to L.A. with Sara but understands from a parent’s point of view. When love is meant to be it may take a couple of teenagers to bring their parents together for an encore of what should have been. A remarkable story that made my eyes leak and my heart flutter. The characters are real and will draw you into their lives like they are neighbors…and I love that they are of a more mature age. I just went on a Selena Laurence spending spree and can not wait to dive in. A MUST READ!!! I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book and purchased a copy for my favorites collection.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is refreshing to read about an older rock star who wants to change his ways. I can’t begin to imagine being on the road for so long at a time and not seeing your family. Now that his daughter Sarah is 14 he wants to be the father that he never was. He has always loved her, but was not around much. Of course going back to his home town to his 25 year reunion has helped him see what a wonderful life he had in his small Illinois town. Then meeting up with Carly again who was his prom date is the icing on the cake. Carly has a 16 year old son, her own real estate business, and her wonderful friends. I loved how her and Ross had feelings for each other even though they had only been friends when they were in high school. Ross is very blessed to have all his friends, especially Carly when he decides to have his daughter come live with him in this small town for a month. I loved watching him trying to do the right things to be a good dad. It made my heart feel good to see Ross and his daughter get closer. There is a twist towards the end that broke my heart. This is a good book that I encourage you to read. I was given a copy of the book and voluntarily wrote a review.
Another amazing book from Selena Laurence
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I don’t normally read books about rockstars, it’s not the story line I gravitate too. So the fact that I read this and COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN is a sign of how much I love the writing/the plot. Selena brings us a story about Ross, who is slowly realizing that he’s done with his rockstar career. When he returns to his childhood home he realizes two things, that he left a good life there, and that he also left a great woman behind too.
Carly is happy in her life, but it’s missing something. Something that she learns is love when Ross returns home and back into her life.
How do they find their way to happiness? Especially as they have careers and children to balance. This is that story. It’s beautiful, I almost cried a couple of times while reading it, its also full of the heat we expect in a Laurence book. Best of all this one has Chuck, who is always up for some mayhem.
As I have gotten older I am always searching for stories involving characters over 40. Encore gave me that as well as a second chance at love. Ross and Carly were high school friends but each had very different plans after graduation. Carly would go to college nearby their small Illinois town and Ross was heading across the country with with the dream of becoming a star in the music industry. Well it’s now 25 years later and both have achieved some of their dreams but both are missing pieces. Carly loves her job, son, friends and small town. She just hopes to one day meet someone to share the rest of her life with. Ross has fame, fortune, a daughter whom he barely sees and is burnt out from the rock and roll lifestyle. He heads back home to his 25th high school reunion to catch up with the people who knew him when and figure out what he wants for the next half of his life. What he doesn’t expect is to run into his prom date and have feelings pop up unexpectedly. So how are a midwestern realtor and a touring rock legend going to make a relationship work with distance and teenagers get thrown into the mix? Encore was a sweet and spicy, small town, low angst story and I loved that about it. It will bring a smile to your face and make you believe that love really does concur all! It was told from dual POV and I give it 4 1/2 heartfelt stars!
A sweet and sexy second chance rockstar romance. What happens when you are an over 40 rock star and the glamour has worn off? You head home to your hometown for a high school reunion of course. But when you run into your high school prom date and pick up where you left off 25 years ago the lat thing either Ross or Carly expect is to find love. Down to earth and very authentic, this love story is more than you expect and everything you need. Well done Mrs. Laurence.
I received this ARC for free in exchange of an honest opinion and I loved this story. I loved every single character, except for Chuck and Spike. The storyline was sweet, uplifting and sexy too. Great read :). Thank you Selena Laurence
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a really great story. It isn’t exactly a second chance romance, but it is as close as you can get. The characters are very well-formed. The kids are kids and the adults are adults. Ross is trying to create a real relationship with his young teenaged daughter and has some old friends around him to help him out with that—not only his good friend Craig and Craig’s family, but the girl who he had a crush on and took to senior prom as friends, Carly. The only thing I found wanting is would have liked to see Carly interact with her ex-husband.