REVIEWED by Jay V.

TITLE: Starting From Here

AUTHOR: Lane Hayes

SERIES: Starting From #3

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 290 pages

RELEASE DATE: September 30, 2020

BLURB:

Two bands, one goal, and a second chance…

Declan-

Everything is finally going well. I have a new band, a new label, and a debut album coming out. And then my drummer breaks his wrists. Just my luck. I need a quick replacement to record one more song, but my options are limited, and of course, the obvious candidate hates my guts. Okay, so I may have given him a few reasons over the years, but isn’t there an expiration date on holding a grudge?

Tegan-

I don’t trust Declan McNamara. Sure, he’s talented, smart, and has more sex appeal than any one person should be allowed. And yeah, he may be a rock star in the making, but beware—he’s trouble. However, our new record label’s survival may depend on a truce and extreme measures…of the fake boyfriend variety. If it’s our best shot at the big time, I’m willing to set the past aside and start over…here and now.

REVIEW:

The rock gods are back. Or they will be soon. Two bands under the new label are trying to prepare for album releases and tour under a new record label. There’s history between the bands but can they make it work? Can they tie the two together to create just enough drama to wipe away the negative past?

Declan, the guitarist for Jealousy, and Tegan, the drummer for Zero, had been friends when they were kids.  A move away, a coming back to play in a band that then created major drama, and now they’re navigating in two separate bands. They’ve built a wall against each other and the trust is gone. With a series of events, the two start to reconnect. They aren’t quite so bad as each other remembers. Maybe they can hash out a friends with benefits situation? When the PR person suggests that they be fake boyfriends on the upcoming tour to stave off other rumors and history from former band members, will things get dicey? Can they navigate through this situation?

The bands do have a history, which you get a sense of in the earlier books, but you can read this as a standalone and still enjoy this story. Hayes has created a fun universe where you get a true sense of trying to make it big in the music industry in these modern times. The two leads have a lot of back history and internal emotions to work through to try to connect with each other – both physically and emotionally. The story has a great pace and no manufactured huge climax, but a series of hurtles the two must get over. They must battle the subtleties of social media, the press, and a former band member who just loves to rile things up, not giving up trying to be in the spotlight. There’s some very hot interactions between the two but it helps move the story along, which I appreciate. Though there is a play of fake boyfriends, Hayes uses it mildly and isn’t a strong trope in the story.

Hayes has shown mastery in her writing through the series. She gets the nuances without being over the top. If you haven’t read the others, I highly recommend it, especially book two which I still say has one of the most memorable and truly horrible ‘villians’ I’ve read in a contemporary setting. Maybe because it’s so grounded in a reality that makes them just so wrong and really struck a chord with me. Still, this book is an excellent read and I recommend you fall in to the music world Hayes has created.

RATING:  

BUY LINK: 

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