A twist of fate proves wildly explosive in New York Times bestselling author CD Reiss’s smart and sexy Hollywood romance about the cost of running from your past to get to your dreams.
Cutting all ties, Kayla Montgomery drives cross-country to Los Angeles. New start. New life. And an unexpected new job: assistant to Justin Beckett.
The Justin Beckett.
The boy band rebel with the cocky attitude … Beckett.
The boy band rebel with the cocky attitude and dreamy bed head who casts a spell over his fans and tests the patience of his handlers.
Now at the peak of Mount Adulthood, he has to build a clean-cut, movie star image. It’s in his contract. No partying. No attitude. No groupies.
To tie it together, he needs a normal girl.
Suddenly, Kayla’s swept up in Justin’s glamorous world, and his arms. But the most dizzying thing is Justin himself. Sweet, generous, reliable, and as eager to shed his past as Kayla is hers.
About that…
Those ties she thought she’d cut? They’ve followed her across the country with her secrets in tow, and they’re about to test Kayla’s courage, Justin’s loyalty, and a love that wasn’t part of the deal.
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Justin Beckett is deemed the bad boy. He’s left a pile of chaos in his wake. His band is broken up, he’s accused of cheating with his bandmates wife and partying too hard. He feels very much at a loss for how to put the train back on the tracks. Justin is hoping that his breakout acting role will help him on his way.
Kayla is escaping New York and coming to LA with hopes of becoming a fashion designer. What she hadn’t planned on was becoming Justin’s phone answering girl. But the more time Kayla spends with Justi, the more she starts to see past what he is portrayed as and she can’t help but like who he is underneath.
But the past is coming for both of them. Will they survive? Definitely one-click this now, you won’t be disappointed.
4.5 Stars for this Captivating Hollywood Romance!
I was completely captivated by this sexy Hollywood romance from the very first scene. There is just something about having a glimpse into the private lives of very public stars that is enticing and enlightening. This story is hilarious, and sexy but also poignant, emotional, and passionate. Justin Beckett is a famous boy band bad boy who is trying to turn his career around. Kayla Montgomery has just moved back to LA looking for a fresh start designing her own fashion line. She has a painful past she is trying to forget when she gets a random call on her new cell. That starts the crazy meet cute with Justin and his Grandmother. Justin talks Kayla into helping him and she isn’t sure what it all means. She just wants to stay under the radar and create her own brand that she has always dreamed about. But Justin isn’t easy to ignore, his easy charm always gets him what he wants, and Kayla is in his sites. He was totally fascinated by her and is confused by her indifference to him. She tries to keep him at a distance but soon learns there is more to Justin than what the tabloids say. The quiet way he takes care of those he loves is too hard to resist. They have a fiery attraction they can’t ignore, but they also understand each other in a way no one else does. Justin is the kind of character that is hard to like at first but you can’t help wanting to. He was funny and sometimes a bit of a douche bag, but he has this endearing quality, and caring nature that reels you in. Kayla is thoughtful and caring but has a strength and resolve that I love to read about. They are both such vivid characters, I thought their vulnerability and flaws were authentic and their growth throughout felt honest. I loved their witty banter and their sizzling chemistry. The secondary characters were all genuine and added fun, tension and intrigue. I especially loved Justin’s quirky Grandmother. This is a beautiful and poignant story of redemption, forgiveness, and second chances. It was so well written, with very human characters that you want to cheer for. Their journey isn’t easy, it’s messy and complicated as they maneuver life in the public eye but it is so worth the fun and bumpy ride, and I loved every minute of it.
******3.5 STARS*******
C.D. Reiss is one of my top favourite romance authors and Lead Me Back is a light contemporary romance from her. Though this story had the moments of brilliance that made me C.D. Reiss fan, overall I failed to connect with the story.
Kayla has come to LA to escape her old life as designer assistant in New York. And on the first day, she is facing a whole lot of problems. She was provided with boyband superstar Justin Beckett’s old phone number from the store. As her new number. After series of wrong calls and miscommunication, Justin helps her to get a job in the set of the movie he is working. He is rebuilding his damaged image after his band broke up and he is not supposed to stay in touch with his past. But they are his family and so he needs Kayla’s help. This thing is going to get complicated.
I couldn’t connect with the characters. I loved Kayla for her sassy and hard attitude but within the relationship, she came across as finicky. I feel the pain from her past but i don’t get her present decisions. And I was so excited about Justine! Bad boy rockstars with broken heart could have been pure gold coming from C.D. Reiss ( like it has before). But he was a superficial character. He is funny, impulsive and reckless. The author tried to give him a balance of bad and good. But somewhere down the line, he wasn’t someone who could hold my attention. I didn’t feel their chemistry. I felt they spent almost no time together and they were saying I love you’s. I missed the heartaching emotions and intense passion that I get from CD Reiss. The writing was smart ( sometimes too smart) and the details were impeccable.
I wouldn’t recommend this book if you are new to C.D. Reiss. But if you love Hollywood romance or rockstar romance, this one is worth giving a try.
Received ARC from Netgalley for honest review.
Contact PassionFlix because I have your next hit movie. Lead Me Back read like the perfect summer romcom. Adorable, quirky female who gets the old cell phone number of a former boy band singer turned movie star. On paper they were magic, on cinema they would be gold!
Justin Beckett is trying to rebrand his image after a falling out with his former bandmates. A horrible misunderstanding that of course the media blew out of proportion which only drew a deeper wedge between him and his lifelong friends and colleges. So part of cleaning up his image was giving up his old cellphone number which then ended up in the hands of one Kayla Montgomery, a new resident to California.
Kayla was running from her old life in NY and that meant giving up her old phone. She wasn’t expecting a call right away after leaving the phone store, considering no one had her new number, but when a seemingly confused older woman asked her to bring flowers for her date later, Kayla didn’t exactly have anything else to do so she showed up with said flowers on Justin Beckett’s grandmother’s doorstep.
Their meet-cute wasn’t exactly cute or intentionally a meeting. He was rude and actually asked her to be his call girl…well not in the sexual relationship sense. He wanted her to take messages if anyone called for him. As much as she tried to tell him no, he just didn’t understand that word. Soon Kayla found herself immersed in his world and she wasn’t sure what to think about it.
Their back and forth is hilarious fun, they both need it more than they know, especially while navigating through their sticky life situations. Lead Me Back is a page-turning summer good-time read.
Okay first of all, I liked how these two didn’t bs and hide their feelings. It wasn’t always easy but it was honest. Justin is unlike most romance heroes I read (every time he said the word “Nah” I laughed). But I totally got a picture in my mind of him, and when I read the Afterword, I found I was on the right track. This poor guy is trying to dig out of a hole in his career and in the media with a fresh start, but they cut him off from everyone and it’s not like his new interest, Kayla, is drama free.
Kayla ran from New York to Cali, trying for her own fresh start. She’s got sass and class, is hardworking, and genuine. I love her dad and sister, oh and now I mention it, I totally love Justin’s crazy grandma too. But dating for these two isn’t like for you and me. Their careers and pasts can complicate everything.
One more thing, the very very end cracked me up. Oh and this cover is awesomesauce.
I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads, so here is my review.
Kayla has left New York from a bad situation and Los Angelos doesn’t seem to be starting off any better. She gets a traffic ticket, a new phone number turns out to be the old number for a famous singer/movie star. But on a good note, she gets a call from Louise, who is said singer’s grandmother, and she thinks Kayla is Justin’s assistant and wants roses delivered to her house.
Justin is trying to revive his image after the boy band broke up. He is working on a movie that he hopes will help with that. When he sees the girl standing in his grandmother’s kitchen wanting money, he thinks she is a reporter. He likes Kayla from the start. She is feisty, apart and doesn’t take or want anything from him. She just wants her money back from the roses and to leave.
Can Justin convince Kayla to work on the movie set so she will be close to him? Will Kayla accept the job as a way to get her name out for her own career? Will there be a chance for a relationship for Justin and Kayla?
I really liked this story but there were parts I rushed through that seemed to drag on. This is a first for me from this author and I look forward to reading more from her.
**Wicked Reads Review Team**
Justin needs to stay out of trouble!
Kayla Montgomery moved to Los Angeles to hopefully start her own clothing business, so she got a new phone number to go with her new phone. She started getting calls for Justin from his grandmother and since she had time, she decided to help decided to help her out. The number had belonged to singer/actor Justin Beckett’s assistant and he asked her to be his assistant and takes messages quietly after the implosion of his band.
Lead Me Back by CD Reiss is more about Justin finding the person that treats him just like a normal person and not some star to use for connections because Kayla wanted to make her own career after being blackballed by her former boss.
Celebrity romances are fun to read, and they are real people too.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I’ve been a fan of Christine’s books from the moment I was introduced to Jonathan Drazen. The Drazen Seriesi is more intense and a much darker series, so if you’re looking for something lighter, she writes a very enjoyable celebrity romance. I’m not a big fan of celebrity/Hollywood romances, per se, which says something about her writing style when I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Kayla & Justin. Justin is not your normal hero but by the end of the book he redeems himself quite nicely. Kayla is spunky and a spitfire! This author always grabs my attention and keeps me turning the pages no matter what she writes. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC for NetGalley.
Unlike some of the other romances I’ve read lately that have had an annoying tendency to sag or lose their way in the middle, Lead Me Back started off on an enjoyable, 4 star level, but continued to build until by the end it was solidly in 5 star territory. I loved this book. The characterization of Justin, the bad boy lead singer of a boy band that spectacularly self-destructed was particularly strong. Initially Justin came off as a decent guy who’d been corrupted by fame to the point where he took it for granted that the world should revolve around him and his needs. When he meets Kayla, he just assumes that she has nothing better to do than to fall in line and do what he wants, regardless of her own goals and desires. It comes as quite a shock to him when she figuratively gives him the finger and walks away. Justin initially appear to be a spoiled brat, BUT, such is the magic of C.D. Reiss’ writing that she slowly redeems him, showing the truly good guy underneath and having him evolve to the point where he becomes a worthy partner that any woman would be lucky to have.
As for Kayla, she was the type of heroine I love, strong, sure of herself and her own abilities, not willing to put up with any BS, and also not willing to sacrifice her own dreams and ambitions just because she happened to catch Justin’s attention. She never hesitated to stand up for herself or to back away to keep from getting swallowed up by the drama that seemed to swirl around him, no matter how much she was attracted to him. The romance itself was kind of a slow burn which fit the story perfectly, since Justin needed to mature a bit before he became someone that Kayla could trust enough to be intimate with. Overall, 5 enthusiastic stars! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This a first of reading CD Reiss and I was definitely not disappointed. I love Kayla. She is a strong, confident woman. She wasn’t going to back down to anything. I love Justin. He is a famous singer that went through some stuff as well. He was just trying to help and that is not how the world viewed it. He is stubborn. I was cracking up at these two. They both just want to get back to a normal life. I love these two being together. I highly recommend this book. You won’t be disappointed.
I dont remember reading a book from this author before, but I read a lot of books and she gets good reviews
I grabbed it.. So we meet Kayla a struggling young fashion designer who had to deal with the fallout of sexual assault so already I was rooting for her after something like that. She gets a new cell phone number and is getting all these calls for a guy named Justin, and since he was famous decided to cut ties with his former members (yeah I understand that) but ok we have a story. Justin wants Kayla to work for him taking his calls and she would be the in between him and his boy band members. I liked tha kayla wasn’t wowed that she was meeting him.. So these two both got out of stressful situation and both are trying to reinvent themselves and now are dealing with each other, I liked Kayla, and Justin was ok he grew on me by the end but I struggled with him for a while he just seemed immature. at first…liked secondary characters, that always is the icing on the cake for me.
rcvd an ARC at no cost to author..(netgalley) voluntarily reviewed with my own thoughts and opinions.