Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: Strike A Chord

SERIES: Chaotic Abyss (Book 1)

AUTHOR: TL Travis

PUBLISHER: Sapphire Publishing

LENGTH: 289 pages

RELEASE DATE: April 19, 2024

BLURB:

Josh Gray has made bad decisions and regretted them all, but it’s the rock ‘n roll lifestyle, so no problem, right? However, karma is a bitch.

Mistake one…sleeping with the then boyfriend of the lead singer of one of the top bands, Social Sinners, which leads to Josh being fired as Ryder Hampton’s backup guitarist.

Mistake two…signing on with Nicholas Shane Management, who promises a new band that’s the perfect fit. It turns out Nick is dealing dirty, and his company collapses when he’s sent to prison.

Josh’s world is in ruins and starting over is next to impossible. Word gets around that he’s screwed over rock ‘n roll’s poster children, and he can’t get an audition. The future is now an endless stream of empty whisky bottles, and a surly server that no matter how hard Josh tries, refuses to sleep with him.

If you’ve read the Social Sinners or Maiden Voyage series, you’ll understand the tough road that lies ahead for Josh. Is redemption possible, or should he just throw in the towel and walk away once and for all?

Strike a Chord is book one in the Chaotic Abyss rockstar romance series featuring hurt/comfort, second chances, and a bartender who just wants to be left alone.

REVIEW:

I couldn’t wait to read this book. I still remember how devastated Joey was that Lucas cheated on him with that roadie/crew member of Maiden’s. I knew that anyone that had signed on with Nicholas Shane was doomed and Josh had been. They say three strikes and your out but it only took two and Josh didn’t stand a chance. But how long does one have to pay penance for being dumb and thinking with the wrong head?

Josh had a hard road to journey on and I wasn’t sure that I could be that forgiving of him. But then I thought about it. Josh was a slut. He held no bones about the fact that he was free and loose back then. And Lucas was acting on his father’s orders to seduce Josh to sign with their company. And it was Lucas that cheated on Joey. Yes, Josh isn’t innocent. Anyone who were around Social Sinners and Maiden Voyage knew that Lucas was with Joey. So Josh wasn’t that naïve. And I get why Josh did it. He was feeling like he was on the verge of making it and getting a little from Lucas plus basically spitting in the face of the others because he thought he was the next superstar, yeah…young, stupid and immature for sure. But I forgave Lucas, which was much harder than forgiving Josh, for what he did after his sleazy father forced him. And I believe that we make mistakes and that everyone deserves a second chance. When you are young and seemingly invincible you make stupid mistakes. Mistakes that can be long lasting. But Josh learned his lesson. And when I heard his back story, you can’t help but hope that he gets a second chance. The fact that he’s a wickedly talented guitarist and knows how much his youthful actions effected his career is grounds, in my mind, for a second chance. Thankfully Chaotic Abyss saw his talent, gave him a chance to redeem himself and prove to everyone, fans and musicians alike, that he truly is repentant, after ten years, and has matured from that cocky young musician of the past. He has paid his dues and deserved that chance.

I will say that Josh could have been a bit more reserved when the guys from SS and MV confronted them when they were just about to head on stage at Rocktoberfest. But that punch from Lucas, who was just as much a victim of Nicolas and participated in cheating on his boyfriend, was totally uncalled for. Yes, Josh has no filter and tends to run his mouth at inappropriate times, but Lucas, being the one that propositioned him for his dear old dad and was literally “riding him” when he was caught cheating, then some how made Josh the only bad guy. That was totally uncool. Thankfully Lucas did come through on the end that they all forgave him (of course Shadow had a large part in that forgiveness) and needed to give the same chance to Josh!

And back to Josh’s childhood and backstory. Talk about gutting me. That slime bag pimp that was “raising” him was such a piece of garbage and deserved to have everything done to him that he pulled on his sex workers. And he could care less about anything besides his pocketbook and how his workers could make more money for him…no matter how old they were or if they even consented, because what he did amounted to Rape! Plain and simply put. He used for his own ill gotten money and didn’t give a darn about what happen to his stable!

But it was Reagan that got to my soul. Once Daniel got through to Reagan that he and Josh had been dancing around each other for years at the bar and they need to try giving it a chance. And when Reagan fell for Josh completely there is nothing he wouldn’t do for his true love. And thankfully Josh felt the same way. But that’s no surprise on Reagan part because I loved his mom, Becky! Becky is the Mom of Mom’s and the Mom Josh never had but needed so desperately. She showed him what real parent was suppose to be like.

I am really stoked about this new band that the Masterson’s signed. And I love that we are getting to interact with all the guys from Social Sinners, Maiden Voyage and Embrace the Fear as they help mentor this brand new band into their circle.. Rock on guys and I will be right there fan-girling  y’all! 🎶

RATING:

BUY LINKS:

Amazon