My proper southern belle mama might disagree, but I say I was born to be a rebel. From the second I got my hands on a pair of drumsticks, my future was sealed. I never fit in anyway, not with my rocker soul and curves that never take a day off.But what’s a drummer without a band? Oh, that’s right. A cocktail waitress.That is, until the chance of a lifetime falls into my lap—Unrequited needs a … lifetime falls into my lap—Unrequited needs a drummer, and I happen to have an ‘in’ with the band.
The only trouble is, Santiago Garza, Unrequited’s broody, scowly bassist, doesn’t want me in his band, which is kind of funny, considering he was the one who took my heart and stomped all over it five years ago.
My career is far more important than hurt feelings though, so Santiago can suck it up and deal. That’s what I’m doing, no matter how many times I remember the feel of his lips on mine. I won’t fall for him this time. I’m done being anyone’s second choice.
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I was already a HUGE fan of Julia Wolf, but this book is really something special. It’s much lighter than her other rock star romances, but that doesn’t make it any less awesome. I FLOVE Maeve. Like, she’s legit one of my favorite heroines ever. She’s sugary sweet, feminine, but also a badass rocker. She owns who she is like a boss and makes no apologies.
Santiago is broody, sexy, and although he fights it, he really is the perfect match for her. There’s not a single thing I would’ve changed about this book. I highly recommend it.
My Kind of Book!!!
Holy crap guys, this is my first read from Julia Wolf and she has combined my absolute favourite tropes together in this book, and I loved it! Rocker romance, dual POV and enemies-to-lovers with a history, all written by an author who seems as addicted to music and its’ drummers as I am.
I also absolutely adored her writing style, her sense of humour, and her love for colloquialisms that are some of the favourites in my everyday use. I was so invested in this book, and more than resented any interruption of real life that took me away from it.
The chemistry between Maeve and Santiago, was off the charts, and TBH, I couldn’t help but agree with her assessment that she didn’t misunderstand his verbal and body language five years ago. If it wasn’t for his own admittance of his words to her, I wouldn’t have believed he’d been that damaging to her psyche. What a twat!
One of my favourite scenes is where Santiago is on stage singing the words to the band’s top song, Eighty Nights that he and former drummer, Diego, co-wrote. Music is everything in my life, I listen to it almost continually in some form, always trying to suss the meaning behind them, and, Santiago’s lyrics in Eighty Nights are just beautiful as he sings words of longing and regret. I cried with the romanticism of it all.
Both of our characters had been through tough times that marred their view of life, and Santiago’s initial rejection of Maeve certainly had far reaching effects that he could not have foreseen. Even as he tried to be honourable, he went about it the wrong way. Hearing his POV made me love him all the more, but I couldn’t help but wonder if the initial unrequited crush that kept them apart, would somehow resurface. Absolutely 5 stars, and I am thankful to have found Julia Wolf’s books, because she rocks!
Have you ever read a story that the beat of their hearts becomes a rhythm in your head and in your soul, well this story is one of those. Unrequited is a story in some ways that is about second chances and finally putting yourself first. Santi and Maeve have history and they both carry the scars of their past. Words spoken, meanings misconstrued, hearts broken all in the name of love. Their story was like a dormant love just waiting for the right light to have it finally bloom into something so blinding that there would be no chance of looking away. The hurt, misunderstandings and the actions to protect one at the cost of another were felt deep under your skin. Maeve was a character that stole your heart and had you wanting to hold her and show her that she was beautiful inside and out. She was the rebel with a cause and that was to shine like the brightest star in the sky. Santi at times frustrated me, made me want to scream and yell but then the words would flow and this character owned me. A story that is beautiful, heartfelt and nothing short of poetic.
4.5 Stars
Unrequited was my first-time reading Julia Wolf’s writing and I wasn’t disappointed. Unrequited is a slow burn second chance romance with an intriguing cast of characters that are relatable, flawed, but also realistic.
Maeve is a curvy female drummer. She’s strong, resilient, hardworking and sassy yet charming.
Santiago is a complex and stoic hero. Gruff, yet big hearted, he’s a strong, sexy and loyal bass player.
With heat, heart and humor and euphemisms galore, I can’t wait to see more of this cast of characters in future titles.
Mauve left her southern belle lifestyle to forge her career as a drummer. She never thought she would be in his band. Good read and romance.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Julia is at it again…… making me fall in love with her rock stars. 😉 Although this go around I have a major GIRL CRUSH on Maeve O’Day! It’s so hard to find a book that features an amazing heroine that isn’t the “perfect size 4”. As a female that has never been and will never be a size 4 or anywhere near it, I really and truly could relate to this character. Julia did an amazing job writing this beautiful, inspiring heroine.
As for Santi….. who doesn’t love a grumpy, brooding, bad boy rocker? I mean, I know I do. *shrug*
Maeve & Santi’s love story was complicated, but I truly enjoyed “watching” these two finally get there happily ever after.
After reading this first book of her newest series I can’t wait for the next story! Mo & Murray were amazing supporting characters in this story & I can’t wait to see them get their HEAs too!
I am binge reading Julia Wolfs stories having started with the Blue is the Color series, then moved to the Never Blue duet (re-read) and now having finished Unrequited. Julia’s writing is incredible! All the feels! Maeve and Santi’s beginning was doomed due to an age gap at her young age of 18 when they first met. But the story’s focus is when they reconnect/reunit3 when she is 23, a bit more acceptable for Santi now. After trying not to let it happen, they come together during the same time that Maeve joined Santiago and his band mates as their drummer of Unrequited. She rocks! They fall in love, have a misunderstanding and work it out resulting in the HEA. Captivating story keeping my interest throughout the entire story. Another great read by Julia!
Loved this book, my first Julia Wolf book and it won’t be my last.
Loved the characters and along with the story it had me hooked.
This second chance romance was heartbreaking, sweet, and humorous all wrapped into one rock and roll package. Santiago and Maeve were both emotionally charged characters who when mashed together exploded in a chemistry whirlwind of lust, longing and energy. I cannot wait to read the second book in this series!
This book was effin fantastic! Santiago and Maeve have history, one that didn’t go so well in the past. The heat was there, but the timing was against them. Santiago ends up leaving Maeve crushed, only to have her fall back into his life years later, at a critical moment of needing a drummer for the band. And just what does Maeve excell at? They need her, want her for the band, ready to help her take her drumming pro in exchange for helping them rock their tour. But what does Santiago want? What he wants and needs may not be what he is willing to accept. You have to read this rockstar romance, it is worth every word!
Maeve is a strong Southern belle with dreams of making it big as a drummer in a rock band. Until then, she’s a cocktail waitress having to deal with men putting their hands all over her and trying to earn enough in tips to live. Then her friend from their teenage years, Yael, walks into her bar, and Maeve is transported back to her first big heartbreak – Santiago and the time he rejected her and ripped her heart out as he said he she wasn’t his type. Ouch.
But when Yael’s brother offers her the chance to finally live out those drumming dreams, will she take it and thumb her nose at Santi? How can these two live in such close proximity during a tour when it’s obvious that Santi was lying when he told her all those years ago that she wasn’t his type?
First off, let me just say how much I love Maeve! She’s strong and independent and stands up for herself and knows her own worth. She doesn’t let people (men) put her down, and she is determined for them to see her as an equal, which she most certainly is. Now let’s discuss Santiago…I can’t say that I really liked him that much, but I admired his love for and loyalty to his brother. Other than that, though, he didn’t do much for me. Maeve is really too good for him, but she loves him, broody ass behavior and all. Aside from Santiago, though, this is a great story – sweet and fun rockstar goodness. Maeve and co (minus Santi) are a great cast and I can’t wait for Mo’s story next.
4 stars for Unrequited by Julia Wolf. This is my first book from this author but it will not be my last. Maeve is a drummer, a “hard rock snow white” and southern belle all rolled into one amazing female. She is a big beautiful women and she embraces it. I loved that she might have let somethings people said get to her, she never tried to change who she really was. She meet Santiago 5 years ago but he broke her heart. Now Santi’s band needs a drummer and in comes Maeve. The relationship between these two is interesting and has to grow. I love that its slow building and not instant. I loved everything about this book. The side characters, the music, the romance, the steam, and the drama. If you love Rockstar romances and BBW who are strong then this is a book for you.
Get ready for a romance about a drummer and a music player in a well known band with tons of feelings they thought were in secret. This is the first in this series and Julia Wolf created a kick ass, take no prisoner, easily love drummer and not just a drummer girl. Maeva not only made me love her but man the chemistry she has with Santiago is more than love/hate between them. Now Santiago is one older, sexy and bad ass musician as well but with a past that Maeve cannot forget. The thing is that there is some well problems that Santiago is not keen of sharing especially with Maeve which in some cases in this book caused tons of tension between these two. All in all this was a great start for a series that not only rocks with great music but rocking characters making you want more.
“I received an eBook copy from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own.”
This was my first book by Julia Wolf but it won’t be my last. She’s an awesome writer. Santi is so poetic and so romantic. He just wants to take care of everyone and is conflicted when the people he loves have conflicting needs. Mauve is someone who has been knocked down one too many times. Her confidence has been shattered but she’s still fighting. All the characters are so real. They are written beautifully. The HEA is beautiful and well deserved. I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for the rest of the bands stories.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book so much! It’s a story about a Southern belle who also happens to be a drummer and the bassist of the rock band she just joined. They have bad past history so their reunion was interesting. What made this story so lovely for me was Maeve’s Southern belle’s manners and how she was so forthright, even while being so ladylike. Poor Santiago had no chance when she killed him with kindness!
Maeve fooled everyone with her ladylike appearance and her southern accent. Inside was a rebel rock drummer who had abandoned her demanding parents and had been living on her own for years. One night, working at her job as bar waitress, she met with old friends from school. These friends have a band called Unrequited and their bassist was an old crush gone sour. They had just lost their drummer and begged Maeve to audition.
Poor Santiago was conflicted. Five years ago he had rejected Maeve’s advances and acted like a jerk. So there’s bad blood between them but the opportunity was too good for Maeve to decline. Santi didn’t want her in the band because she would be too distracting but was outvoted. And now Santi has to deal with a scorned woman to whom he was always attracted but deemed to young for him (a mere seven years!).
The story was fun because Maeve was close to the other characters and she was having a great time, but always scorning Santi. Poor man was attracted and irritated and just plain jealous. The other band members, Mo and Murray were clownish and fun and like brothers to Maeve. There are great fun moments between them all, and with Jael, Mo’s sister who comes to visit often. When they leave on tour, it’s only Maeve with the guys, and Santi always in protection mode.
Santi looked like a hard core rockstar, very rugged and tatted. He had a rough youth and it shows. To some he would look scary, but for Maeve, he spelt safety. In spite of “hating” him, his presence and his scent never failed to make her weak at the knees. There’s an inner core of good values and protectiveness that was always present, even when Mae got snarky at him.
Other characters in the story are Haven, Maeve’s bestie and roommate, their cat Theodore Ignacius Longbottom, and Haven’s brother Liam. Also Santi’s parents and brother. His brother Diego was the band’s drummer who suddenly left. And here was another part of the conflict.
The story was well developed, great pace, I loved all the characters and had such a great time reading. “ It was entertaining and warm hearted and so lovely to read! I love rockstar romances and this one is a winner!
I enjoy rockstar books, but I LOVE them with female drummers. I knew when I saw the blurb I needed to give this author and book a try. This book brought angst and sexual tension to a level of epic proportions.
Mae was described as a “hard rock Snow White,” and I never did quite get the image of a tatted-up Snow White out of my head. I think a lot of her growth happened in between the timelines thoroughly showed, but her learning to let people in for a second chance was shown well. Besides, I am a sucker for a smart-mouthed pixy type, and she fit the bill.
Santiago was fascinating. I enjoyed piecing his quirks, demons, and thoughts together to get the complete package. He played the part of pseudo and former bad boy rocker to the T.
Overall, I am so delighted to have read this book. I am looking forward to trying out more from this author, and I am sure it won’t disappoint.
A bad ass drummer and she’s also a woman? Yes please! Throw in a main character that is fat and I’m sold! So many romance books are about “perfect” girls and it is nice to see yourself in a book (not that I am a bad ass drummer haha.) But yes I think that is great of course. In addition, I really love rockstar romance books anyway!
I really like this book! I thought it was a relief to read about a girl like me, one who was not very slim with curves in all the right places… ..but just someone who has a thicker belly, a firm butt and where the male lead doesn’t want her to lose weight.
Like everyone else I like to see myself in books and in romance books that does not happen very often. I really liked Maeve, she is bad ass and not afraid to say what she wants. But I found her honesty about her doubts about her body and how she looks really refreshing. Although I am really in favor of body positivity, it is good to see that it is not always so easy to think positive about yourself.
But enough about Maeve and her appearance because that is of course not the only thing in this book! The main thread through this book is of course the relationship between Maeve and Santiago. At their first meeting you already feel that there is chemistry between the two of them, but that they are also too deep into their own mess to do something with it. Of course, what has happened in the past also creates uncomfortable situations.
From the moment Maeve goes on tour with the band, the story really starts to get going! Because then Maeve and Santiago are even more dependent on each other. You see them grow a little closer together, but also share their own concerns and that is why I love their relationship.
But it would not be a good romance if it does not go wrong anyway, if there is not a small obstacle and that happens of course here. I especially liked seeing how Maeves friends received her when this happened. I shed a tear for that because we all deserve such friends!
This book just has a happily ever after, a great tempo and the playlist at the end of the book is really cool! I can recommend everyone to pick up this book and read it.
5 UNREQUITED STARS!! If you love Rock star romance, you will love this book. Santiago and Maeve’s book was perfect with angst, sexy rock stars and love. This book will hit all your emotion button and some more than others. I can’t wait for the next book.
So far Julia Wolf has hit me in all the feels with all of her books. Unrequited was no exception! These characters are far from perfect and own that in every aspect of their life. This is a second chance romance I didn’t knew I needed and I’ll definitely think about frequently.
Our main character Maeve has definitely become a favorite of mine. Maeve isn’t your perfect girl. She has curves and owns them. Of course she has her insecurities at times, but Maeve won’t let anyone treat her badly or without respect. I loved this about her. Maeve is a strong woman who is a drummer and fights for what she wants to do. I loved this so much!! It was nice to see a character who doesn’t fit society’s image and just be herself.
Santiago is a tough man with a big heart. I loved slowly learning things about his past. There was so much more to him than we know from the start. For me in the end he was just one big teddy bear. His father made sure to teach him how to treat women well and that definitely shows. Santiago is protective of the ones he loves and it does backfire on him every once in awhile, haha. It was so interesting to see him let his walls down and love.
Their relationship was a very interesting one. Five years before Maeve starts drumming for Unrequited there were definitely moments between these two characters. The flashbacks were perfect and really added some extra emotion to this story. I loved that it took time for them to find each other again and when they did there wasn’t too much angst. Yes, there were obstacles, but it wasn’t too much!
Besides an amazing romance, there is also an amazing cast of characters. All of the band members, Maeve’s best friend and Yael really made this story special! If I could, I would want all of them to have their own story! Haha. Julia Wolf did it again and I can’t wait for her next book.
Unrequited by Julia Wolf
Maeve is waitressing by day and rocking the drums by night with two of her good friends. Playing the drums in a rock band has always been her dream.
Santiago plays bass guitar for Unrequited a band of the verge of a European tour. When his brother unexpectedly leaves the band they are in need of a new drummer to take on tour.
They first met years ago when Maeve was just 18 and Santiago was 25. He pushed her away before anything between them happened. A chance emcounter reunites them and she heads out on tour with the band where a relationship between the two blooms.
This book was so easy to read and the characters were so likeable – the kind you could see yourself being friends with. I am so looking forward to the next in this series. Julia is a brilliant writer and has created a great group of characters in this rock star world.