“A rock star with no rhythm is a man with no soul.” – Stone Lockhart As the lead singer of one of the hottest bands to hit the rock scene, f*cks are free, drugs come easy, and music is life. For as long as Stone can remember, Willow has been his music – the notes that weave his soul together. His rhythm. Until he threw her away. All he has left is a handful of pills and a few lines of powder to … lines of powder to make him forget her. And he tries, over and over.
Clean and ready to make things right, he’s faced with the fact that Willow’s moved on. She’s not the same girl he cast aside. Willow’s a woman sure about her purpose in life. Sure about who she’s meant to love.
Stone may be lost without his rhythm, but Willow has found so much more.
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“People always say that actions speak louder than words, but with Stone it’s just the opposite. His words hold all of his meaning.”
This was my first time to read a Mandi Beck book. Yeah, I know. Where the hell have I been, right? Of course, after reading the synopsis I chose this one to start with because I’m addicted to rockstar romance. I couldn’t wait to meet Stone and his other band members, but especially to meet Willow… his addiction.
Reading this amazing story in dual POV was a workout. I’m emotionally exhausted. The love, the pain, the passion, and the beautiful lyrics. Each page took me deeper into their connection. That unseen but deeply felt tether that kept them from getting over each other and moving on. Too much to forgive, too much to forget, too much to give up. Can they find a way to get past the past and make music together again?
Mandi Beck, prepare to be stalked. Now that I’ve found you, you won’t be escaping me again. My bestie has a t-shirt that says, #AuthorStalker and that’s what I’m gonna be as well. I floved this book so hard and can’t wait to jump into the rest of the Wrecked series. The line forms here…
5 “All the feels” Stars
This book has to be one of the most “real” books I have read this year. Mandi Beck drags you into this story from page one and grabs a hold of your heart and holds it hostage until the end when “all the feels” are steadily pouring down your face. I admit I am an emotional person and can be a bit of a crier, but damn! I was constantly wiping that wetness from my eyes while reading this magnificent story.
Stone, the lead singer of Wrecked, is the total bad boy rocker. Sex, drugs, women, and totally out of control. So out of control and desperate for that next high that he loses the most important thing to him…Willow. Willow has been with Stone since the beginning and he has slowly killed her with his addictions and she’s finally had enough. Not believing anyone that she’s really left him and is gone, when he finally gets home from an eight month tour to an empty home, he realizes she’s really gone and finally hits rock bottom. I wanted to not feel bad for Stone, but I just couldn’t help it. My heart broke for him with his determination to get clean and get Willow back and the fight and struggle he endures to get there.
Willow is one of the strongest female characters I have ever read. Leaving the only love and family she has left, she slowly begins to rebuild her life and find herself again. Just when she’s finally back on her feet and finally giving dating another shot, Stone finds her and is determined to get her back.
I have never personally dealt with someone in my life that has had an addiction, but after reading this book I feel as if I have. That is how deeply invested I was in this story. Through their love for each other and their love of music and lyrics, the connection Stone and Willow have is nothing short of amazing, and the hell they go through is unbelievable. And even though this book is full of angst and heartache, it is one of the most beautifully written love stories I have ever read and will definitely be added to my list of re-reads.
Angela – Alphas Do It Better Book Blog
Great story about drug addiction and how you realize that you made mistakes and correcting those by seeking forgiveness
Loved it! These two clearly make music together and despite the shit he put her through, their harmony is palpable even when they’re fighting it.
The demons he’s fighting are only an obstacle, and will take strength and honesty to co Tony’s to overcome. Her demons revolve around him and one terrible experience. She has this ability to see beauty where others might not. Lyric is that beauty, and it draws them even closer.
This is no easy love story but it’s filled with love. Willow and Stone are great characters and she is truly a strong heroine.
Stone and Willow are going to make it hurt so good. Willow walked away from the man who was her soul when it the her world crashed down around her. Loving Stone was never the issue, even through addiction and his betrayal she stood by him, but some trials are insurmountable. Stone was lost in the drug haze and it took really losing Birdie to finally comes to grips and turn everything around. Their love is a force to be reckoned with but so is Willow and she will not be won back with words or actions. The damage inflicted was deep and ever-changing to his Songbird so he will need to go back to his roots if he want to get his girl back.
So, I’ve been a stalker of Mandi’s for a while now. She will always been one of those author’s that I will read anything she writes. No questions asked. Her Caged Loved Series is in my list of Top Books of 2015. So when I found out about Stoned, I’ve been dying to get my hands on it!
Stone Lockhart has become your typical bad boy rocker. He lives his life chasing his next high through drugs and sex. He has the love and support of his long-time girlfriend but eventually his behavior and his desire for drugs pushes her away. When his life spirals so far down, he is forced to make a change. Realizing that he no longer has the love of his life, he goes to rehab to get clean for himself and for the woman he needs in his life. Is it too late to win her back?
Willow Avery has loved Stone since they were teenagers. After all these years, she didn’t see this coming. Being forced to leave behind the man that she’s always loved. Now she is moving forward with her new life. As far aways from Stone as possible. Unfortunately, the one man she needs to forget is the one man she can’t seem to stop thinking about.
This is a beautifully broken yet inspiring story. Both the hero and heroine are struggling with some major situations that they have to overcome. Their story, both individually and together, will most likely inspire some people that have either gone through this or know someone that has.
My favorite part of this is how integrated music is into their lives. Both Stone and Willow breathe music and I loved the passion that they have. Music plays an important role in my life and it’s just a beautiful thing to see how passionate people become. When their music is their soul.
“This girl has always been my home. The music in my soul and the lyrics of my fucking heart. My rhythm.”
I really enjoyed the writing style and thought that all of the characters were well developed. Everyone has a place in each other’s life and they all worked together as “family.” The only thing that held me back just a little was that I wanted a little bit more Stone and Willow. More of who they were together before she leaves him. We do get flashbacks in his relentless and amazing determination to show Willow how much they belong together, but I just wanted a little bit more. I think I might have been a little bit more emotionally connected with them. DO NOT get me wrong. I was connected to them and their story and I really liked it. I could feel the love, pain, heartache, hope, etc between them. I just wasn’t fully connected enough to feel it WITH them. If that makes, sense.
Overall, I really did enjoy this book and I will certainly recommend it to everyone. If you are looking for an angsty book with a bad boy rocker chasing after the love of his life, then this is absolutely the book for you.
4
Spanish & English Opinion
ESP ::
Calificar este libro fue muy difícil. Los temas son súper fuertes, los personajes tienen muchísimas emociones complicadas y leer cada lado de la historia es empatizar con todos los ángulos y aprender.
Emitir el juicio de “me gusta el héroe” o “la heroína hubiera…” es por demás. La fuerza de este libro justo está en la enorme capacidad de hacernos sentir con mucha fuerza y de entender cómo la realidad de cada persona puede ser distinta a la nuestra, pero no la hace menos verídica.
La mejor forma de disfrutar el libro es simplemente leyéndolo.
ENG ::
This book was hard to rate. It’s a very raw and emotional book, with complicated topics and lots of strongg FF emotions. Every single point of view makes us empathize and learn.
There’s no place for judgmental thinking because there’s no right and wrong. This book is made for us to feel and to understand that everyone’s reality is important even though is not the same as ours.
So, without telling anything more about the plot, the best advice is to just jump into it.
4.5 STARS!!!!
This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I enjoyed it a lot. I love Rockstar reads so this book being one was an added bonus. Stone and Wills (Birdie) have been through so much but the one thing they can’t deny is their love for each other. The characters in this story were wonderful and the flow of the story was perfect. This story deals with drugs, rape, betrayal, secrets, regrets, pain, redemption, love and so much more. The only thing I wish this story had was an epilogue because I thought the ending could have been a little better. It was a good ending but I thought Stone and Birdie’s relationship deserved a better ending, especially after everything they’ve been through. This is a story worth reading and I will be recommending it to family and friends.
The feels with this books were all over the place! Such a great story. I felt everything the characters felt because Mandi’s is that good!
Stone is your bad boy rockstar. I love his passion. His commitment. His drive.
Willow is such a strong person! I absolutely love her.
What makes the book even better is listening to the playlist while reading. So good!!
Mandi Beck literary gutted me!! With this beautiful and yet poignant story! Let’s say I was up to 4 am in the morning reading. I couldn’t put it down. I felt as if I would stop. My heart would just crumble into a million pieces. Yes, I was shattered at times. As if I could feel Willows and Stones pain. With every word you’re drawn deeper into the word of “Stoned.” Its a beautiful fucked up love story that will forever hold a piece of my heart! Yes while writing now! Tears are streaming down my face. I can still feel these characters so vividly. That’s it’s almost breathtaking to the point.
Mandi Beck you have blown me away!!! I will be forever grateful having been able to arc read Stoned!!!
“You’re like this inferno. This big damn burning house. Flames consuming every inch of it, every inch of you. But I love you. God, I love you. So I hold on, and when you push, I hold on even tighter until you’re throwing fire at me as well. I let you burn us down because leaving you was never an option. I’ve held on for so long, you’ve finally killed my flame. I can’t fight fire with fire if mine is gone. So now what? Do I just stay here with you, and try to dig us out of the ashes of what’s left? I can’t. I can’t let you touch what’s left of me.”
This is the first book I have read of Mandi’s and I can honestly say it won’t be my last!
The writing flawless and I was hooked from the prologue – I could not put it down! I felt every emotion with Willow & Stone and at times it was gut wrenching. Make sure you have the tissues ready!
Such an amazing read – don’t put it off like me!! You won’t regret getting this book!
Wow! Phenomenonal read. This read will anger you, break your heart, make you feel torn and slowly, seductively mend your heart back together. Then make you crave lollipops. A must read!
This is a great book. I listened to it on audio and it was wonderful. I definitely recommend this book, this author and this series
This book was such an emotional experience. You live the journey that these Characters go through. I have no words that can do justice to the feelings that you encounter. Willow is strong and you can’t help but want to befriend her, Stone well no spoilers, you will have to read about him all on your own and believe me you will live every single syllable. Then we have Joaquin hmm the man and what about Law, I can go on and on every character you have such a strong connection with. This story from the beginning just grabs you and you need to be ready. This is such and Amazing story of love and forgiveness and the road back.
Absolutely friggen solutely loved this book. Most rockstars are self indulgent asshats Stone is no different. He fucks up majorly and ruins his relationship with his Willow. After rehab he’s back to claim her in a grovel on your knees kinda way. His relentless ways are swoony.
Stone, a rockstar with a problem. Willow, a woman who just can’t hang on any longer.
Drunk and on drugs, Stone sends Willow away because hell, he’s a god among men. No one can touch him.
Until it all ends.
When Stone ends up in rehab, will he be able to work through everything and get the love of his life, Willow, back?
This story broke me. I went through every single emotion with this book. It seems to be a re-occurring theme with a Mandi Beck book. She should send a bottle of wine and a box of tissue along with every one of her books.
Excellent story, I highly recommend it.