Jesse Lee is the worst!He’s a multi-millionaire, triple-platinum-selling, Grammy-Award-winning man-slut—a worldly, self-indulgent heathen. I wouldn’t sleep with him if he were our last chance to ensure survival of the human race. The only reason I put up with him is because he’s my boss’s brother. Whatsherface is one of those holier-than-thou types.She’s bossy, has a horrific singing voice, and … horrific singing voice, and she’s so ordinary, she practically blends in with the eggshell-colored walls—the complete opposite of anyone I’d bang. The only reason I put up with her is because my career is on the line.
Playing by Heart is an enemies-to-lovers romance where opposites not only attract, they ignite.
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This rockstar read was a little different than usual, but it all came together and kept me turning the pages. I finished in one sitting.
I love everything JB writes! This one is so right in my sweet spot.
A-MA-ZING! This what the new book from JB Salsbury is! Just brilliant! And it’s not just that we get here a typical naughty boy who finds a way to our heart anyway. Playing by Heart is also a story about the power of words and about the fact that we often abuse them unnecessarily.
Jesse Lee is a typical rock star. A total manwhore who sleeps with every willing woman. He regularly abuses alcohol and drugs. But when he makes another mistake and his further career is under a big question mark, he’s sent by his manager for a three-month rehab. But this is not the random rehab. His recuperation is to take place under the supervision of his brother, who is a pastor, and with whom he hasn’t had contact for years.
Bethany is a good girl who’s a nanny of the pastor’s daughter. She has recently been dumped by her boyfriend and she’s still suffering from it.
Their first meeting is not very pleasant and Jesse’s rudeness awakens in Bethany a terrible dislike. However, they are doomed to see each other every day, so the stinging episodes begin to slowly become a friendly teasing. But how to distinguish between true feelings and illusions, if you have throw your love declarations to the right and left? And how to believe words, since in the past they didn’t have any coverage?
„Anyone can say I love you
The word is disposable…”
Playing by Heart can be described as slow burn and a story from enemies to lovers. The affection between the main characters developed slowly but when it saw the light of day it blinded with its power. Jesse’s improvement was almost spectacular and Bethany is such a wonderful character that I would be friends with her right away. And let’s not forget about secondary characters! Both Jesse’s brother and Bethany’s friend are really great. I hope they will get their own book!
JB Salsbury deserves great applause for this story! Until now, it was Split that was my favorite book from this author. At the moment I can admit with a hand on my heart that Playing by Heart pushed it off the pedestal! I’m delighted!
I have mixed feelings about this review. For the first few chapters I wasn’t even certain I would finish the book. That’s how much I disliked Jesse and Bethany. Jesse was a complete jerk and Bethany was immature, even for someone so young. But I love this author’s books so I kept reading. And I’m really glad I did.
Yeah Jesse is a jerk! But he didn’t get to be one without a lot of mitigating factors. And WOW, there were some doozies! And while I still think Bethany’s character was exceedingly naive well into the book, maybe she wasn’t as immature as I thought she was. More that she had rose-colored glasses with REALLY thick lenses.
Anyway, about half way through I started understanding the characters more and I started falling in love with them. And the last quarter of the book I freaking adored them and was really rooting for them.
Great story! I look forward to reading Skipped a Beat because I LOVED Ryder Kyle!!!
Omg I loved it!!
This is so much more than the typical bad boy rocker falling for a good girl. SO. MUCH. MORE!
Jesse has hit rock bottom. His label has dropped him. His band has walked out on him, and between the drugs and the booze he doesn’t know what day it is or who is in his bed. His manager has given him one last chance…90 days to get it together… but not in some fancy rehab center. He’s going to stay with his brother, Ben. Ben is a single father and a pastor of a small congregation in Arizona, who Jesse hasn’t seen or spoken to in years.
Bethany is Jesse’s opposite in every way. She is super sweet, kind, and a tad naive. She works hard as Ben’s nanny and at the diner, and the last thing she thought she’d have to deal with was an arrogant broody rock star.
I loved this story so much. It’s a true enemies to lovers. They are both dealing with things from their past, and a rollercoaster of emotions as they grow as individuals and grow closer to each other. Their love story is a slow burn full of fun witty banter, passion, and all the feels as these two opposites find their way into each other’s hearts.
This was a fantastic read from start to finish! I loved Jesse and Bethany and all the secondary characters too! Salsbury fans will be excited to see the connection to the Fighting Series as well definitely read this book!
Oh wow, forgive me father for I have sinned my fantasies now involve a pastor,,, oh holy hell on fire !!!!!!!
J.b.salsbury brings us another amazingly addictive read that will send your pulse wild and your heart soaring.
I absolutely adore Ashleigh she’s strong and sassy and doesn’t take crap from anyone….but she doesn’t believe shes good enough for ben due to a past she hides I really just wanted to keep hugging her. Pastor Ben is still living in the memory of his wifes death 6 years earlier little does he know Ashleigh is about to change everything he thought he would be for the rest of his life……
An absolutely brilliant story beautifully written to keep you hooked with every turn of the page these characters have all got a special place in my heart and I cant wait to read Ethan’s story,
Thank you j.b.salsbury your words are a pleasure to read.
We get an up close and personal view of lead singer and songwriter Jessie Lee’s fall from grace. He hits rock bottom in the ugliest way.
Jesse’s behavior is pretty unlikable for most of the book but coming off of years of boos, drugs and sex cold turkey would do that to anyone. Dropped from his recording contract and forced to get sober and clean up his life at Ben, his estranged brother’s house, who happens to also be a pastor, makes him even more surly.
Bethany is Ben’s daughter nanny and she and Jesse do not like each other at all. Bethany is still pining, on the border of stalking, her ex and his new girlfriend.
The one thing these two do have in common is they have the most messed up skewed version of what love really is.
The book easily infused dark subject matter with unexpected time of laugh out loud humor. The band isnt front and center in this book as it mainly deals with Jesse getting clean and a getting his mojo back for writing songs. Having already read the second book in the series in that book they are front and center in case anyone was wondering.
I was hooked after reading this book and couldn’t wait to start the second book which is also out now.
I really enjoyed the love story of Jesse and Bethany. Jesse is a rock star who has fallen into a cycle of drugs, alcohol, and sex. When he is given an ultimatum about losing his career or getting his life together he reluctantly goes to live with his estranged brother. Bethany is the nanny to Jesse’s niece, she is still reeling from being dumped by her boyfriend when she first meets Jesse. They do not get along at all, but as time goes by they begin to see each other in a different light. Will they be able to begin a life together or will Jesse’s fame and addictions keep them apart? Another great read from this author.
Loved this enemies-to-lovers, rock star romance! Well-written with all the feels, making me smile and swoon the whole way through.
I have such a mixed feeling about this book. I love J.B. Salsbury’s writing. I definitely find myself totally absorbed in her stories. That being said, I felt like Bethany wasn’t completely fleshed out. Was she a strong person? Naive? A stalker? There was such great character development for Jesse. He was such a pig for 2/3 of the book that my heart ached for him when he finally understood what real love looks like. But Bethany never really grew. She was a doormat where Wyatt was concerned, but showed real spirit to Jesse, and then became a bit of a doormat for Jesse. And although Bethany’s personality rubbed me a bit wrong, I did still really enjoy the story!
Not going to lie, this book took patience. Jesse does not start out swoony. At all. I think enemies to lovers is putting it mildly. But I knew better than to give up. Great storyline, intense moments, laugh out loud times and a slow burn that scorched when it was the right time. I hope we get books about some of the secondary characters.
Wow..Just WOW! Trying to think of a way to explain this romance isn’t easy. First of all, JB Salsbury is in her own genre when it comes to romance. They’re dark in a different way, with non-traditional heroes who are tough to love at first. And that can definitely be said with Jesse. Jesse is an ASSHOLE at the beginning of Playing by Heart. I hated him at first, but in the best way. Reading his level of dirty, you just KNOW there’s going to be an epic redemption of his soul. A womanizer to the extreme is his least offensive description. He’s an alcoholic and a drug addict. He shows no concern for anyone, not even himself; and has a tendency to self-destruct at the most inopportune times.Now his only option to salvage the wreck of his life he’s made is to spend time with his religious and estranged brother.
There’s a brief snippet at the beginning in to Beth’s chaos but by the time her and Jesse’s paths cross, she’s focused and on a path to find happiness. They are complete and polar opposites; Jesse is mid-withdrawal and Beth is in a place of solitude and commitment. Beth seems demure and peaceful when Jesse is a storm of self-hate and bad habits. Somehow…SOME HOW…Salsbury has the ability to win readers to Jesse’s side. He may be self-destructive but as you read into his past and where it all comes from, you can see its from a place of loss. Not of a loved one or a dream, but Jesse has lost his creativity. Jesse Lee used to write amazing rock god anthems and stardom sucked him down it’s dark hole. Beth becomes a beacon of hope in his darkest moments to pull him out.
The more time he spends with her, whether its teasing and riling her up or seeing her side of life and finding happiness, she slowly eases her way in to his heart. Slowly, Jesse finds his way back to the heart and soul of his music. Songs begin to pour out of him and the rock star side of Jesse becomes more appealing again without the temptation of the dark side of fame. But that’s when Beth begins to fear how her heart feels for him. She’s been focused for so long on winning back her ex and Jesse threatens that happy dream shes’s always had. But even more, Beth decides that her future is hers and no one else’s. Cocooning herself away from Jesse, she misses his heartfelt revelation of love to her. But now that Jesse’s won the fight against himself, he’s ready to fight for HER. This love story is all a tale of what a person can handle when it comes to self-love before loving anyone else and Salsbury does it ABSOLUTE justice.
Jesse Lee has singlehandedly destroyed his career one drink of alcohol, one line of coke, and one lewd and promiscuous act at a time, leaving Mr. ‘Coast-to-Coast Casanova’ with no other choice then to follow his manager’s dictates and face a past that he thought he left behind over a decade ago as well as one infuriating woman who calls him on his shit and refuses to allow this ‘self-indulgent heathen’ to destroy her heart anymore than it already is.
I can wholeheartedly say that I was not the least bit impressed by rockstar Jesse Lee at the beginning of Playing by Heart; in fact, I found him to be quite the self-absorbed jackass who thought he was god’s gift to the music industry and to females all over the world, and while it’s clear that he was once a successful musician and that women still aggressively pursue him due to his notoriety, his attitude, his addictions, and his treatment of Bethany, his niece, and his brother only added to my negative feelings towards him.
But even though I had a less than stellar initial impression of JB Salsbury newest hero, I knew she would reveal the real man behind Jesse’s out of control rocker persona and that his new clean and sober demeanor as well as a certain nanny/waitress who would not only help him find his way back to his music and perhaps even understand what it truly means to play by heart.
Bethany is an intriguing heroine – one who, in some ways, seems too good to be true, but in other ways, she’s someone who struggles with self-esteem and seems to be unable to move on from her ex. Readers also aren’t privy to what exactly happened between her and the man she thought loved her, the reasons she’s still so obsessed with him, or the secret she’s not willing to reveal.
The interactions between Jesse and Bethany start off quite volatile, but as the story continues and these two spend more time together, their attraction intensifies and the sexual tension that’s been building finally overpowers Bethany’s rationale side, leading her down a path she’s definitely not ready to pursue, but it’s also one she can no longer deny she wants.
In Playing By Heart, JB Salsbury delivers an important message about the idea of love and how it’s meant to be shown instead of spoken and with that necessary insight, Jesse and Bethany as well as readers truly understand what it means to play by heart.
4 Poison Apples
Wow!!!!! What an amazing, addicting 6 star story. One that consumed me from the very first page read to the last one.
Jesse is a washed up rock star. Either he gets clean or he loses everything he’s worked for. Ending up at a preachers house for 3 months is not what he expected. Then he comes face to face with a strong, honest and selfless Bethany. She doesn’t take his crap and she’s not shy about telling him either. Sparks will fly.
I loved everything about this story. An amazing storyline that really sucked me in and I didn’t want it to end. The characters were perfectly created to make this story that much more amazing. The author nailed with Playing by Heart. Bottomline this is a must read.
Standalone told in a dual POV with an HEA. I strongly recommend this story.
I was 100% sure, about a quarter of the way into Playing by Heart there was no way I would ever get on board with Jesse as a good guy. JB Salsbury did a marvelous job of sending him on a journey of healing and self-reflection that made me see him in a different light, and eventually, I loved him just as much as I was led to believe I would.
Enemies-to-lovers can sometimes be a hard sell for me. It’s hard to make me love someone who proves himself from the beginning to be a jerk. Add into that the famous rockstar aspect, and it’s even harder for me to find redemption. However, Playing by Heart totally delivered in making me hate Jesiah (Jesse), then make me root for him, and finally make me fall in love with him.
The substance abuse facet of Playing by Heart was a big part of the appeal for me. I loved how JB Salsbury used it as a device to develop Jesse’s character, then make him grow. The fact that Ms. Salsbury kept his recovery and cravings for his substances of choice in the forefront for the entirety of the novel made it all feel more real.
While Jesiah may have been the star of this novel, Bethany also had a great growth arc. She was so timid and self-deprecating when the novel started, I wasn’t sure how she could ever hold her own with such a huge personality as Jesiah. Watching her shed her old skin and learn her worth was heartwarming and, though her healing wasn’t as profound as Jesiah’s, it was just as important.
One of my very favorite parts of Playing by Heart was something Jesiah’s brother, Benjamin, said to him. Often in the world of romance, everything is predicated on the feeling of love, but there is so much more to it than that. Ben told him love isn’t a feeling; it’s a choice. I have told the same thing to my children and husband, so it was an incredibly poignant moment for me.
Playing by Heart combines two tropes that are very hit-or-miss for me: enemies-to-lovers and rockstar romance. So, I took a minute before deciding that I couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to revisit J.B. Salsbury’s writing and, frankly, she had me at “Whatsherface…”
And?
I’m so glad I went for it! Y’all this book just feels good. I mean, don’t get me wrong, there’s a fair amount of angst and some moments where I wanted to knock some sense into both Jesse and Bethany, but I smiled my face off for the vast majority of this story – and I never wanted to put it down.
This is indeed a true “enemies-to-lovers storyline, but I feel like Ms. Salsbury got the chemistry just exactly right. It’s antagonistic, but always with this sparky, sexy undertone that makes it feel a bit like foreplay. It’s never overtly mean. There’s always a playful undercurrent and the recognition that there’s a connection forming, even if the characters themselves don’t always want to acknowledge it.
The story also dives a little deeper than the average manwhore rockstar meets good girl plain jane. Both Jesse and Bethany have some healing and growing to do, and I feel like there was adequate space given in the storyline to allow that to happen. I loved their character arcs. I loved the role they played in each others growth/healing. And I loved the depth this gave to their story.
In all? This was an easy, compelling, and completely satisfying read. I was sucked in immediately and had trouble putting it down to deal with my pesky real world obligations. It just felt good to read and the ending left me with an epic book high. I am so glad I took a chance on this story, and cannot recommend it highly enough!
3.5/4 STARS
My first J.B. Salsbury’s book and I really enjoyed it!
I love rock stars romance, but I’m really picky with the plots.
I love Jesse’s character, his cockiness and his broken pieces, all his imperfections. It really felt realistic.
Bethany is his total opposite, no excess, no spotlights, no façades… and that’s what I liked about her, she is “real”.
I appreciated how the author dealt with the beginning of their relationship, all the clashing and the sexual tension…
And one of my favorite part also was the whole potential story between Ben and Beth’s best friend. I mean, they need their own story!!!! Another opposite attracts plot I wouldn’t mind reading!
The only “but” would be those Jesse’s words… they felt a little rushed for my liking, but after reading the whole book, it makes sense, especially in his world, lacking authenticity and where words are overused
So, if you’re looking for a rock star romance, steamy, funny and the right touch of angst, with a sexy, broken rock star, and a “plain” heroine who can’t sing to save her life, great and endearing supporting characters, this book is for you!!
I definitely will look for more J.B. Salsbury’s books!
***ARC Provided by the Author for an Honest Review***
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***4.5 Stars***
Rockstar romance coupled with an enemies to lovers trope?
Yeah. Not going to deny that I jumped at the chance to get my greedy hands on this baby and to say I got totally sucked into Beth and Jessie’s tumultuous story is an understatement BUT what was also all kinds of real was how much my eyes (from all the rolling they did) and head ached because of these two.
They tested me. They did. But in the end, the pain was so worth it.
So, Jessie and Bethany…I ended up adoring them…but it took a minute to get there because they both needed to grow and boy, was it a trial. I actually wanted to gut Jessie with a spoon when I first met him…like, literally when I FIRST met him. And Beth…I honestly liked her, because she is a seriously good and sweet person. but the need to reach into my Kindle and Gibbs smack some sense into her was STRONG. But once they collided, well that’s when things got really interesting all around.
Now, I could spoil things for you, but I won’t…well, at least not intentionally. But from the moment Jessie and Beth collided things took a turn for the better. They did even though this was all kinds of slow burn for them. And though the antagonism was high, they flowed. They had that indescribable “it” factor thing going on that had me wanting them to get their shit sorted out, which took a minute as well, so they could be together despite how bat shit crazy they drove me. And though I’m still waffling over how I feel about that situation that dropped the sword of Damocles on their heads, I cannot deny that the “groveling” was epic!
Now. I totally enjoyed this book, but I gotta be honest and say that the path that was taken surprised me. It is a tragically beautiful story of forgiveness, redemption and truly understanding what love is and how it can tear you to pieces even as it’s sewing you back together again. And as for the supporting cast of characters, which you all know I have a weakness for…let’s just say that I’m crossing my toes that Ben and Ryder get their own books at some point down the road cause they are kind of everything.
~ Copy provided by the author & voluntarily reviewed ~
Can I just say how much I love this book!!! Jesse is the quintessential rockstar bad boy but his last stunt might of caused not only him, but his band a major setback. To get back on track he is sent to the last place he wants to go to get help. Bethany is working over a broken heart by jumping into work. She nanny’s for her Pastor ,Ben, and when he asks her for a favor she say yes. Little does she know that might be the beginning…or the end of her sanity, depending on the day. Can Bethany and Jesse exist in the same space together or will their hatred for one another turn into something more? Jesse can really push the nanny’s buttons! Told in dual POV; this is a clever enemies to lovers rockstar romance and it is fantastic. I love the banter between Bethany and Jesse! A must read if your a fan of this author’s work!
Playing By Heart is an enemies-to-lovers, rock star romance that is hot, sexy and really funny! Jesse Lee has hit rock bottom. His career is on the line. He has to get it together and follow some rules. Not so easy for this bad boy of rock. He is used to partying and having it his way. With career at stake he must abide by the rules set by his record company to get him back on track. But did I mention rock bottom… It is certainly a long climb back to the top. He is such an egotistical jerk!
“He’s made it clear from day one that all he’s interested in is finding the next available vagina.”
Bethany Parks lives a simple life. She works hard and enjoys what she does. Her life is predictable and she’s ok with that. Jesse comes storming in like a typhoon. But Bethany is immune to his charms. She has had her own issues to deal with. She is sweet, honest and caring.
“She’s so ordinary, she practically blends in with the eggshell color walls.”
Things start to change as Jesse and Bethany spend time together. Their walls come down as well as their preconceived misconceptions that they had about each other. But can they fit into each other’s worlds? I was so annoyed with Jesse in the beginning of the book but that is a good thing! JB Salsbury brought that emotion out of me! There is definitely a build up between Jesse and Bethany.
It was nice to see Jesse’s transformation from a total self-centered jerk to a decent, caring guy. There are lots of laugh out loud, tender, and heart breaking moments as well. A surprise crossover character from the Fighting Series joins the band (guess who!).
Playing By Heart is fast paced and pretty straight forward. It is on the contemporary side. I enjoyed Jesse and Bethany’s story. There are definitely secondary characters who also have a story to tell like Bethany’s best-friend/roommate Ashleigh as well as other band members!
4 stars!
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