Julian Woods is an emotionally repressed rock star. I’m the woman he left heartbroken and betrayed. After years of hard work, after sacrificing everything to hit it big, Julian walked out on me. He walked out on our band. He walked away from everything we’d worked so hard to achieve. He left me vulnerable. He left me defenseless. He left me to be preyed upon by those with malicious, deceitful … those with malicious, deceitful motives.
Now, years later, after being blackballed from the music industry, I’m desperate for a fresh start. I’ll take any job that gets my foot back in the door.
Even if that means accepting a songwriting gig with the smoldering, secretive man who shattered my heart.
* * *
Hard Rock Muse is the third novel in the Cherry Lips series, but can be read as a standalone with a HEA. It is the 12th book in Athena Wright’s Hard Rock ‘verse.
Other Books:
Cherry Lips
Hard Rock Crush
Hard Rock Kiss
Hard Rock Muse
Darkest Days
Hard Rock Tease
Hard Rock Fling
Hard Rock Sin
Hard Rock Deceit
Hard Rock Heat
Feral Silence
Hard Rock Gaze
Hard Rock Voice
Hard Rock Touch
Hard Rock Heartmore
Another great read by Athena Wright!
Highly recommend this smoking hot rock star romance. Another five star winner in the Cherry Lips series.
I loved this book!
After Julian leaves Everly, she’s left hearthbroken, vulnerable and defenseless.
After a few years, Ever’s desperate for a fresh start, and when she’s hired by Cherry Lips to help Julian write a few songs on their last album, sparks will fly.
The connection and chemistry between Everly and Julian is enormous, and they will have to deal with all this while working together.
I loved the story, the characters and especially the ending.
I highly recommend the reading.
This is book 3 in the Cherry Lips series but it can absolutely be read as a stand alone. However, I do recommend the books before this one just so you can see the relationships between all the characters and how things came about. This one is about Julian and Everly. Julian, Julian’s best friend, and Ever were all together in a band years ago when everything fell apart, including Ever’s and Julian’s relationship. The man she thought would never leave her, left her behind in a heart beat. And never looked back. Now Ever is trying to start over after going through a horrible time and Julian has been thrown back in her path. Her only option to have any kind of career in music is to work with him on writing a song for Cherry Lips next album. And now that they are forced to spend time together again, will she be able to find the person she once was? Or will Julian break her even more than she already is?
I really liked this book but there were some things about Julian and Ever that I just couldn’t fall in love with. Julian seemed to let the things that happened to him in his childhood affect every single aspect of his life, right to the point that it helped ruin the best relationship he ever had! Ever was horribly abused but is attempting to move on from it, but only after she is pushed by her sister to do so. For someone who seems to have so much strength it just seemed strange to me that she had to have her teenage sister be the catalyst for her change. The story itself is great and I liked how things moved in it. I was definitely glad that they figured out how to actually talk about things by the end instead of jumping to conclusions. All in all, it was a good read but it wasn’t my favorite of the series.
This book took me in all different directions and ended up hitting me directly in my heart. There is so much I want to say about this story. However, in deference to the author I won’t. It wouldn’t be fair to her. There was so much tackled in one story and at times it tore me apart. I applaud the author for dealing with subjects that were once an issue people really wouldn’t talk about. Seriously there is a lot packed in one book. It brought to light situations in our culture that many times people ignore or sweep under the carpet. It dealt with this issue on both sides of the sexes. I was extremely pleased to see that a once taboo issue was treated as normal. The fact that this author wrote it in such a commonplace manner made me smile.
What didn’t make me smile was the gut wrenching story. Julian and Everly pulled at every heartstring I have. As much as I felt for Everly I felt twice as much for Julian.
Through a series of miscommunication or lack there of their lives were changed in a direction that should have never happened. People who read this may wonder why I feel more for Julian than Everly. Well, it’s not a question of feeling more for him over Everly. It’s more a question of his life situation. At one point I was actually a little miffed at Everly for not coming clean with her feelings and situations and for not speaking out about her concerns. If she had her life would’ve taken such a different direction. That being said, isn’t it what we do in our everyday life? We assume. We decide we know the reason. We play mindreader cause we’re so smart or so insecure in ourselves we decide that our reasoning for why things are the way they are must be right. So we end up screwing ourselves over and blaming the other person. I’m not saying Julian is without blame. He was guilty of much of the same things. His way of handling things were different but pride and insecurity are dangerous traits that affect everyone at one time or another. Immaturity also plays a major part in this story. There isn’t an age for immaturity some people never mature.
If I sound like I’m focusing on issues and problems don’t worry there is so much more to this story. You get the heat, really amped up heat. With this is also passion and love, smiles, and laughs. You also get a villain. Trust me you will love to hate the villain.
I was also so thrilled to see characters from past books back again. It seems every time this author writes a book we get a more in-depth look into these characters as well. I myself am hoping there is another book to come in this series so we get to see where Seth’s story is going.
As you can tell by this rambling review I really enjoyed this book. I sat up to almost 3AM to finish this book. I was sorry when I had no pages left to turn. This is a story with so much depth it deserves to be read. Although, it’s a romance there is so much more to it. There are life lessons to be told if you really think about this book while you’re reading the story. Or you could just read the story and fall in love with these individuals. No matter what I really think you’ll enjoy this book!
This was one of those books I did not want to put down once I started. Everly and Julian’s second chance love story is amazing. As always Athena grabs you from the beginning and doesn’t let you go until the end. Always love not only catching up with the rest of the band, but seeing visitors from her other series as well. Can’t wait to see Seth’s story!
Miscommunication and misinformation lead to their band breaking up, leaving Everly in a vulnerable spot and broken she turned to the wrong person. After finally taking herself out of a bad relationship Everly is trying to get back into the music business. Problem is she has to work with the man she felt betrayed by. Julian and their drummer Seth had found a new band, but now he needs her help writing a song. Plenty of feels, frustrations and struggles this story take you on an emotional ride trying to untangle the complicated glamorous life of a rockstar.
Ever Darling. Everly Davis. Ev, Ever, Everly. She’s been them all. Now she has to take control and decide who she is and what she wants out of her life. Once she was the lead singer for a band with her lover and best friends but they left her. Now they are with Cherry Lips. Solo, she was left vulnerable and at risk to an abusive producer. When she left him, he ruined her music career. Now she’s trying for a fresh start under a new name as a songwriter. Unfortunately, the job turns out to be for Cherry Lips with the very man who broke her heart. Is this a second chance or is she asking for more pain? One man broke her heart, another her spirit. It’s time for Ever to take control once again.
Hard Rock Muse triggered me. I’m not a pink-haired rock goddess. I’m a natural ginger who only rocks in the car. But I am Ever. Keith could have been my ex-husband. This is how I know how accurate, how well-written these characters are. I know first-hand how you can go from a confident, intelligent, young woman to a shattered soul scared to offer an opinion on pizza toppings. I know how you can be cut off from all friends, family, all support and the abuser becomes your total focus. But you don’t even realize that he is an abuser. It’s so gradual, so subtle. I know how hard it is to break away, to trust yourself again. I don’t know how it is to trust others again or to love again, so Ev is ahead of me there. I maybe shouldn’t review this book because I am too close to Ev. But I will. It’s clear how I feel about Ever. I am protective of her. She is as real to me as a character can be. Flawed, a little broken, healing. Keith won’t be mentioned. He serves a purpose but I can’t say any more. I have mixed feelings about Julian and Seth. They walked away. Lovers, best friends DO NOT DO THIS. I don’t accept the way it played out. They abandoned Ever. . Yes, Julian came back and it was too late (maybe) but what about Seth? Nope, there was never enough of an apology. I could never trust these two again. So my story would end there. But I am not Ever and this is not my story. Still, Julian with his inability to speak continued to cause emotional damage. Again, I don’t accept the explanations. Ever was abandoned, abused, and now she has to make allowances for his childhood and his emotional repression. Actions can be enough without words unless your actions were to walk away and break a person’s heart. Now you have to man up and talk. She would never be able to trust him without words and actions. Over and over. Trust may be impossible with everything she’s been through even then. The fact that each time they hit a rough patch, Ever had to be the one to go back to him did not sit well with me. He had a grand gesture at the end and I swooned along with everyone else but it was difficult getting there.
So, yes, I am torn. I can recommend this 100% for others. I can’t imagine that they would feel as strongly about Julian as I do. Seth and Abby, huh? Is that where we are going next? It should be able to handle since he betrayed her sister, not her and Ever has forgiven him. The cute little bookworm and the drummer. I’ll read it!
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
This was a lesson that Everly was going to learn when it came to Julian Woods. Julian and his best friend Seth used to be in a rock band with Everly and had a bright future ahead of them before everything came crashing down. Julian and Everly were very serious with each other as well until one day Julian and Seth left the band and Everly behind. She was devastated. What could have possibly broken up the band and the relationship?
Years later and things are coming back around but this time Julian and Seth are in a famous rock band Cherry Lips and Everly is struggling making ends meet and came out of a seriously abusive relationship. Now Julian and Everly find themselves in the same room trying to write a song for Julian and his current band. Will things ever be the same especially because Julian still has an issue with three words and he has no clue of the issues that now face Everly? She is not the woman he remembered.
The relationship between Julian and Everly was thriving and struggling all at the same time. Everly was also realizing how much she missed her old band as well as missing her old self. The connection between these two was hot and this was a book that I had a hard time putting down. If you love rock romance and haven’t yet picked up the rest of the books in the Cherry Lips series do so now. You won’t regret it.
Everly, or Ever Darling, or Ev, is looking to move on from her sabotaged solo career. She is going to write songs, and it turns out her first writing partner is going to be Julian from Cherry Lips. Her ex. Oh and the man she thought he chose over her. She is a ghost of her former rock star self. And he has grown but the creative fire he had with her hasn’t been burning. They are on-fire together.
I love rock stars and I love a good second chance romance and this book satisfied both of those loves! It’s steamy, angsty, and sweet. Oh, and Julian finds his ‘muse’ again and Everly finds herself again. Delicious as always! Plus we get to see some our favorite rock stars, their loved ones, that little hole in wall they all seem to love so much, and of course, Seth’s disgusting shots. Loved! I received an advance copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
OH MY GOD!!!! This one was amazing! LOVED Julian and Everly is a sweetheart. I think this is one of my favorites; especially the ending. It totally check-marked all the boxes for me. I’m hoping that Seth and Abby are destined to end up together at some point.
Another great romantic read encased in the rock and roll arena. Great characterizations of not just the two main male and female characters, but of the entire ensemble cast, which was quite large. The main male character metamorphized and faced his demons successfully. The main female character, who suffered self-esteem issues due to a previous verbally abusive situation, started to re-emerge into a strong, secure and mature woman. Loved the brooding sensuality of the main male character. He was totally yummy! Great read! Take the time and read it!
I voluntarily received an advance review copy of this novel and I am leaving an honest and unbiased review. I have no affiliation to this author.
I didn’t think these books could get any better but Athena obviously had other plans. I loved it! A rock star plus a second chance…gah! Nathan and Becca may be my favorite Cherry Lips couple but this was hands down my favorite story. It has all the feels! Julian and Everly’s connection is strong, even after their years of separation. The ending made my heart happy. Can’t wait for Seth’s book!
4 1/2 Stars! Book three in the Cherry Lips series. Can be read and enjoyed as stand-alone. Julian and Everly were young and in love. Their band was on the verge of being signed when Julian walked away. They had miscommunication as well as some outside forces causing their young selves to make mistakes. Years later a chance meeting has them working together. They are both still hurt from their mistakes from the past, but their chemistry is still there. This is a second chance romance and has all the back story and buildup of their new relationship. Learning to trust and communicate with each other again causes a little angst. Julian and Everly both drew me in, I loved them both and I couldn’t put the book down until I had finished their story. Super sweet epilogue!! I am looking forward to Seth’s book, please!
This was a good read. The writing flowed well, as it always does with this author’s books. I wasn’t really sold on Julian and Everly in the beginning. Everly had the circumstances that made Julian walked away wrong. She had never talked to him after that, so she had harbored some pretty hard feelings toward Julian and her former band mate Seth. Julian was okay. I’m not really a fan of the silent type, and he wasn’t as strong a male character as I usually like. They made a good couple eventually, but her obsession with Julian saying “I love you”, got a little old after a while. I liked seeing the people from the previous books, and even a cameo from Cameron from Darker Days 🙂 I was happy that these 2 got their HEA, and I can’t wait to find out what happens with Seth.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.
Rock, inspiration and manipulation
I loved these characters and their interactions. The story is very well written and I loved the way we are in the head of Everly, former singer and author of a group that took off before parting, her frailties and the way she is rebuilding herself piece by ppiece after fleeing a nauseating and unhealthy relationship for her. She has nothing left when she finds Julian.
Everly and Julian have a second chance after a separation of several years as their group separated. However, once they meet, their attraction is even stronger than before, and the past begins to erupt, especially with Keith who had handled Everly. From this relationship, Everly managed to escape almost broken and she meets Julian again when a job with him is offered. She is far from the same because she has fears brought by her previous experience, and Julian feels that she has not told him everything, but he does not have the words to comfort her or express what he feels for her.
Very beautiful romance.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book
4.5 stars Hard Rock Muse is an entertaining, sweet, second chance romance. In this book, words have meaning as do actions. What one cannot communicate in words can be just as strongly revealed through music and actions. And that words, are not always kind and true, but can also be a form of manipulation and abuse. Hard Rock Muse is the third book in the Cherry Lips rock star romance series and while it can be read as a standalone, there is some character overlap.
Everly has had it tough. Her hopes, dreams, and heart were crushed along with her future career path. Desperate for a job and to get back into the industry, she agrees to work with her former lover and former bandmate, Julian. Many times my heart broke for her. She is very likable character who found her young naive self sucked into the music industry and later spit out as a different person. She survived, but only after losing and then finding herself again. I don’t want to give anything away, but this book hit me hard as I could really identify with Everly.
Oh how I loved Julian! The keyboardist for Cherry Lips, is emotionally closed off and has difficulty expressing his feelings with words. While I am more like Everly and prefer to hear the words, it is evident through his actions just how much he cares for her. I wouldn’t exactly call Julian an alpha hero and while I usually go for those types of characters, I couldn’t help but love him. He is strong, but also has a vulnerability to him as well as a big heart. He may be my new book boyfriend!
Hard Rock Muse is told entirely from Everly’s POV. I do, however, wish we could have gotten a few glimpses into Julian’s mind. Nonetheless, I loved the book. Both Everly and Julian have explosive chemistry and I loved the chapter about them reminiscing on how they met. You cannot help, but want them to get their HEA. I also liked the secondary characters – the other Cherry Lips band members (esp. Seth!) as well as Everly’s younger sister, Abby. As always, this author weaves a great story with likable character who are well developed. She continues to tackle some difficult topics in such a way that is informative, respectful, and touches your heart. It is evident she does her research while writing her books. I am really looking forward to the next book in this amazing series! I received this book as an ARC and I voluntarily leave this review.