“Martin’s story was the absolute best! He was the unassuming background guy all through their youth then all of a sudden he’s a rockstar!! A lovable guy I was really rooting for! Best book of the series!” (reader review)Martin Whelan has always been a “middle of the road” guy, content with his lot in life. Granted, his lot was a fortuitous one. As rockstar bass player for Rogue, the world-famous … the world-famous Irish band, he’d gladly ridden the coattails of his more passionate and inspired bandmates. He was proficient and dependable at his part in the band, and that was enough for all concerned.
Having at a young age gone straight from his mother’s overprotective arms to his wife’s, Martin settled into married life and quickly became the father to three boys he loved more than anything in the world. His wife, Celia, ran their lives with both precision and restraint, and Martin took comfort in the boundaries she set. It was a welcome counterbalance to the reckless lives his bandmates led.
Everything was fine.
Until Celia found his text messages.
That discovery sets Martin on a journey that will lead to epic highs and lows. Together with help from his bandmates, he’ll forge ahead to finally find his rhythm. But what will he have to sacrifice to get it?
This book has an HEA, but the series continues with two more Rogue Series “Extras.”
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I couldn’t put this one down until I finished it in the wee hours of the morning. There were so many of the “typical” expectations from Martin because he’d married while young, and he didn’t know any better than the life he’d had with his wife, Celia. He’s always been the butt of jokes and had people putting him down, from his bandmates to his wife. And he’s never been much for working out like the rest of the band, so he’s a bit out of shape. That is until he meets the woman who is supposed to be helping Danny Boy stay clean. She shows him the man underneath the man who has been at the bottom of the totem pole. When all of the changes start having an affect on his marriage and his public image, he begins drawing the scrutiny of the tabloids as the rest of the band before him. We are left wondering if he will cave and go back to the life he worked so hard and went through so much trouble to overcome or if he will finally find the kind of happiness he didn’t realized he’d been longing for.
I felt so sorry for Martin when his story began. It was tough watching him hang in the shadows of everyone around him. And when he stepped out into the light, he had no idea how to handle it and ended up tripping over himself. It was tough to watch but growing experiences are never easy.
It was fun catching up on the other members of the band and seeing what kind of mayhem Martin could get himself into. This was one of those stories you can see coming, know it’s going to wreck, and you can’t help watching it anyway. I knew it was going to be difficult from the first time he caught a medicine ball, but it was amazing to see him push through all of it. This one brought tears to my eyes and made me chuckle.
I’m glad I had the chance to read this series. It was full of teenage angst, growing pains, hard truths and moving forward. I really enjoyed it. And I look forward to finding out how Danny Boy fares in the next book.
Another exceptionally well-written trip into the lives of Rogue. While this one delved into Marty’s journey to discover himself, we still get the alternating focus on the supporting cast. It is so refreshing to read a series where the story of all the characters is woven throughout each book. Often there is a jump from one couple to another with only snipits of the previous couples. Lara Ward Cosio has a unique way of keeping all the characters relevant by sharing the spotlight along the way. It is a style of writing that i didn’t realize i wanted until now. You get to fall in love with each character or couple over and over again. I still can’t get enough of ALL of them.
At first I didn’t think I would like Martin. He was so boring for much of the earlier books. He was boring, that was his problem. But when he snapped out of it, we got to see a man struggling to figure himself out at a time when most are settling down. Call him a late bloomer or a mid-life crisis…either way, he certainly found a new path forward to create a life worth living. Even as he struggled to be true to himself while sowing his wild oats, he never waivered on his commitment to his boys.
I was a skeptical coming into book 4 of the Rogue Series as it has a heavy focus on Martin who is a quiet, stand back, go with the flow kinda guy. Martin’s life has been much different from that of his band mates having been married for many years to a someone who’s not impressed with his rockstar status or work. So what is there to write a story about? Holy cow! Martin, Martin, Martin! Yeah, I love him and wow! Martin goes through some life altering changes in this book and in doing so he discovers himself as do I, and….Martin is yummy!! And as in Lara’s proven fashion in the previous Rogue books, she includes Gavin, Conner and Shea and their families in this book very regularly and oh my heart – Connie and Sophie’s heart to heart in chapter 34! I am totally 100% for Gavin & Sophie but, like Sophie, will always wonder about “in another world.” And Gavin & Conner getting back to 100% in chapter 56. I am so vested into this series I am already mourning the end and I still have five more to go!
On to Danny Boy in book five. I’ve learned my lesson about doubting the next book. But Danny Boy overall has proven to not be in a good place, reliable, or overall a good person. Can he win me over!? Hmmmm