Bad boy punk rock star Reale Lynxx never expected to see his ex-girlfriend, Amanda Simmons, again. And after she’d stomped on his heart and walked out on him six years ago, he’s not so sure he wants to. Certainly Reale never imagined he would rescue Amanda and her son, Johnny, from drowning. But all it takes is one evening with her and Reale is ready to leave the past behind and try again.Amanda … again.Amanda never meant to hurt Reale and happily jumps heart-first into rebuilding their relationship. But when she confesses she left him to secretly raise their son, Reale grows livid, fighting her and gaining custody of Johnny…When Reale realizes he was wrong for taking Johnny away, he tries to win Amanda back. But can she forgive the man who took her son? And can she ever trust Reale again, no matter how much she loves him?
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I loved the first book in Cathrine Goldstein’s “New York Artist Series”, so I jumped at the chance to read an advanced copy of the latest installment in the series. The Risk of Happiness did not disappoint.
This book also turned out to be another one of my favorite romance reads––the story of a second-chance at love. Amanda and Reale had been in a serious relationship when he was an up-and-coming punk rocker. Now he’s a rock superstar, and Amanda is a single mom and diner waitress on Long Island. They’ve both made mistakes in the past, no spoilers––but there is one in particular that seemed unforgivable to me––and this is the story of what happens when they meet up six years after their ugly break-up before his fame. It was hard for me to see how they could overcome some of the history between them. However, Goldstein has the knack for creating well-developed characters, who are so vividly portrayed they seem like real people, and by the end I was rooting for these two to get their happy ending. I really enjoy Goldstein’s writing style, her characters and descriptive settings are really well done. I felt like I’d taken a trip to New York City by the time I’d finished The Risk of Happiness, and it was with a hot punk rock star too––what could be better?
Note: I was given an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Will Johnny’s parents get back together?
The Risk of Happiness: The Punk Rocker by Cathrine Goldstein is a brilliant book about second chances at love. The two main characters struggle to find their path to co-parenting but trusting each other with their hearts is more difficult. I was rooting for Amanda and Reale to get back together. Everyone deserves happiness, even a punk rocker.
Amanda Simmons:
Amanda Simmons is the main female character of this book, and we follow her mostly throughout. She is only twenty-seven years old and is raising her five-year-old son who is very adorable. Amanda has done quite well for herself and her son, Johnny, for these past six years.
What I like about her is that she is a great mother to Johnny and cares deeply for him. That even after all these years Amanda still loves Reale and hopes that he will come back. What I don’t like about her is that she kept Johnny away from his dad. I get why Amanda did it, but that is still a terrible thing to do. The last thing is she is a bit of a control freak. However, her life wasn’t easy, and she grows so much throughout the book.
Reale Lynxx:
Reale Lynxx is the main male character of this book and follows him at times. He is thirty-six years old and is a famous punk rock star. These two do belong together much more now than they did six years ago and they make a cute couple. Reale is a great person when he is with Amanda. He does tend to worry about her.
What I like about him is that Reale seems to be a great dad, even though he had a hard time process that he was Johnny’s dad. Another thing I like about him is that he does love Amanda and Johnny and he shows it. What I don’t like about him is that he tried to take Johnny away from his mom. I feel children need both parents unless one is abusive.
Five Star
The Risk of Happiness: The Punk Rocker by Cathrine Goldstein is the first book I have read by Ms. Goldstein, and this was a marvelous book. I enjoyed reading it so much that I couldn’t get these characters and their story out of my mind. The author definitely knows about New York, and I felt like I was there with Amanda and Reale. Ms. Goldstein’s comprehension of what would happen in this situation and how it would affect the characters was outstanding. I never doubted one word. This book is incredible, and I highly recommend it.
Anyways until the next time enjoy this review brought to you by,
Baroness Book Trove.
I received this book for free from YA Bound Book Tour in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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