Reviewed by Carissa
TITLE: Shine Forever
SERIES: Missing Butterfly #3
AUTHOR: Megan Derr
PUBLISHER: Less Than Three Press
LENGTH: 147 pages
BLURB:
Dai gave up everything when he ran away with his cousin, traded a life of wealth, power, and security to create their band and live the way they want. The one thing he refuses to do is hide; he’s worked way too hard, and given up way too much, to pretend to be something he’s not.
Cooper never anticipated he would trade rodeo fame for country music stardom. But the secret he had to keep for his own safety is now a secret he has to keep to protect his band. The one thing he can never do is make his sexuality public; he’s sacrificed far too much to risk it all by airing personal matters.
But when a chance meeting turns into a passionate night that neither can forget, a tenuous relationship neither wants to let go, someone is going to have to break the rules..
REVIEW:
I was so happy to hear that this book was being written, because ever since I read Love You Like a Romance Novel, I’ve been dying to know about Dai and Cooper and their ‘secret’ relationship. While this is the third book in the series, chronologically it happens between books one and two, and hints (wonderful, gloriously hilarious hints) about what has happened (or will happen) in the other books, I do believe that this can be read as a stand-alone novel. That being said, I am desperate to go back and reread Love You Like a Romance Novel now, because Jet and Jason are some of my favorite characters in this series.
Cooper has had a ‘crush’ on Dai for a while now–though it was the crush of someone who doesn’t believe they will ever meet the rock-star they are crushing on–but he never expected the short rocker, with ever changing hair, to return the feeling. Little did he know that Dai was smitten from the first time he heard Cooper’s voice. But Dai is famously out and proud, and Cooper is in the closet to almost everyone he knows. Which is alright for a one-night-stand, but a bit of a challenge for a relationship between two men who are constantly in the public eye. Not that a relationship based on texts and the occasional phone call, is likely to succeed, anyways. But as their feelings grow into something more powerful, and their secret gets harder to hide, they might have to choose between what they are to each other, and what they want the world to see.
This was oh so very good. I really liked the romance that these guys had, and it was a blast seeing some of the characters from previous books in more depth. And I really really loved all the hints about Jet and Jason. God, that was good.
Dai and Cooper are both great characters. Usually I’m not one for stories about rock stars, but this series is definitely one of my exceptions. I love Dai’s constantly changing hair and his penchant for indulging in fancy underwear. And I absolutely adore Cooper’s reaction to said underwear. Because of the way their lives work they are not always in the same place at the same time, so you could totally tell that when they were, they tried to make every second count. Even if some of those seconds were only filled with sleeping beside each other. Maybe it was because of those moments that I bought their relationship. If it was constant sex, and no emotional connection, then I can’t help but feel that they would have easily broken under the pressure of so much time apart.
Despite the long gaps in time between when the MCs get to see each other, I really liked how this book handled their relationship. Mostly because those gaps felt realistic. These were two men on strict touring schedules that didn’t exactly coincide, and being together was something they had to work for, not something that just happened. Usually, I have a hard time with the long gaps in the story, I get the feeling that I’m missing out on a lot of the relationship, and it makes it harder for me to buy the romance, but here you could tell when the space and time lost was wearing on their relationship, and I liked that. Would I have loved to see more of them? Absolutely, but I just want more story altogether, because I really liked these characters.
This was a great addition to the series (and hopefully not the last). And with all the Jet/Jason going on in this, I will no doubt be pulling out my copy of book two relatively soon. This book was hot, and sweet, and seemed to take a realistic look at the type of relationship you can expect when dating a rock/country star. It was a lot of fun to read. I really do recommend it.
RATING:
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