Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Country Talk

SERIES: On the Radio #3

AUTHOR: Pandora Pine

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 262 pages

RELEASE DATE: December 6, 2016

BLURB:

Two tragic pasts, one last chance…

Grammy-award winning country music star Sam Lexington had it all, chart topping songs, a legion of loyal fans and the acclaim of the industry until a tragic tour bus crash killed his band mate and lover, Jonathan Hughes. Exposed as a gay man, he is shunned and reviled by the country music community and his fans. Sam disappears from public life while his records are banned from being played on the radio.
PRIDE XM Radio program manager Rhett Myers is fighting demons of his own. The former lead guitarist for heavy metal band King’s Creed is taking life one day at a time, struggling to keep his heroin addiction from reclaiming his life. He throws all of his time and energy into resurrecting the radio station to keep his mind off Sam, who he’s been pining for since the moment they met.
When Rhett makes a bet with Sam that he can be the first openly gay singer to get a song to number one on the country music charts, he never dreams Sam will ask him to co-write the song. Together almost constantly, Rhett’s not sure how long he can keep his feelings for Sam a secret.
Can Rhett and Sam conquer their demons and make beautiful music together? Or are they all talk?

REVIEW:

This series, for me, could not possibly ended any better. When I first started reading this series, I could have cared who Sam got with as long as he could find a good man and love again. He was so broken. Finding out it was going to be There, just made it even better. Rhett is exactly who Sam needs for more than one reasons. They even have VERY similar backgrounds and things that have happened to them. The difference was Rhett’s had a little more time to deal. But that doesn’t detract from the fact that some days are bad.

Sam didn’t think he would ever recover all he lost. It’s bad enough he lost his bandmate, but Jon was also his lover. And nobody knew. Jon wasn’t out. Distraught with grief, Sam had let it slip they were gay and together and it sent everything into a whirlwind. He couldn’t see his lover buried, he was kicked out of his band, and EVERYONE refused to play his music. He was truly lost. He lost everything. All he had left was his mom and with how low he was, she almost lost him from heartache and grief. Several months later, though, Rhett called him to have him come do a talk show for PRIDEXM. And it saved his life. While trying to pick up the pieces, Rhett was falling in love. He was patient. Never pushed. Sam finally decided, after 9 some odd months, it was time. But things haven’t turned out the way he hoped. He’s in love with Rhett just as much but Jon is fine with him. In order to be together, Sam has to decide if he’s really ready to move on. And they both have to learn to communicate better before decisions they make split them before they’ve gotten off the ground.

Gah…Sam. There is no way possible you can read Sam’s story and not ugly cry. Having to hide in the closet for years with your lover and then not being able to grieve at his funeral alone. If I was his mama I might have had to smack a few heads for what they did to him.  Oh my gah. And being a southerner myself just made it more like home for me with him. Sam has the sweetest disposition. He always seems to have a smile and a kind word. Until he’s behind closed doors. He doesn’t grieve as often anymore, but it’s still there. The grief, guilt, loss. It’s a never ending cycle it seems. And he’s always there for everyone in anyway he can be. He’s just so special. He just struck a chord with me. It really broke me when he lost his music. The one thing in life he had and loved, he couldn’t find the passion for anymore. Killed me.

Then we have Rhett. His story is a lot like Sam’s, yet different. But Rhett is perfect for Sam. To a point. The bad part about Rhett is he coddled Sam too much. Always adjusted things to make Sam happy. No relationship can withstand that kind of stuff. Resentment ends up getting involved, among the least. It’s not healthy. I understand why he did it. Especially if you love someone. Seeing their grief and being in love, you want them happy. When sometimes what that person may need is a swift kick in the ass. Just sayin. But I still loved Rhett for Sam. They were good for each other. They were each other’s strengths. And were there for the weaknesses.

But of course, you can forget the other clowns in this group lol. There are lots of surprises on the horizon all through this book. Most of which are very good. Especially Paul. So it’s a lot of fun, but you definitely need tissues because it also gets real. Again. Very real. And very real is not always pretty.

If you guys haven’t read this series, you need to. It’s a great trilogy. Just super. And I am super happy with how it all ended.

RATING:  

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