Reviewed by: Sue Eaton
TITLE: Grindstone’s Edge
SERIES: The Road to Rocktoberfest 2024
AUTHOR: Gabbi Grey
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 316 pages
RELEASE DATE:October 4, 2024
BLURB:
Axel
Last year, my band, Grindstone, hit the stage at Rocktoberfest, our big break at last. But in the middle of that triumph, my love life crashed into disaster. I’ve been in love with Hugo Threadgold for years, but he was once my high school music teacher, so I figured he was off-limits. Then, in Black Rock, I discovered he was aware of me too, and for a moment I thought I’d get it all. I came clean about my feelings, but my heart cracked when Hugo turned and walked away. I’m not giving up, though. I’m ready to lose my straight-guy image for him, if only I can make him believe in us.
Hugo
Ten years ago, Axel and his best friend, Ed, were my most promising students. I taught them everything I could about music, and watched them struggle to become the musicians they are today. But boys become men, and last October in Nevada, Axel told me he’d developed romantic feelings for me. I was rattled. I’d never let myself look at him that way. Now that he’s put the idea in my head, I can’t get him out of my mind. The man he’s become is someone strong and talented, determined and attractive. Someone I could fall for. But isn’t it my duty to keep things professional and walk away from the man who tempts me as no one else ever has?
REVIEW:
If you’ve ever pined for someone you thought was off-limits, Grindstone’s Edge will hit you like a power chord to the heart. It is a slow-burning, emotionally tangled romance between Axel, the soulful, tattooed frontman of Grindstone and Hugo, his former high school music teacher turned reluctant muse.
Axel, frontman of Grindstone, and the kind of guy who’s lived hard and feels everything twice as deep. Raised in East Vancouver by neglectful parents, he clawed his way out of addiction and grief, still haunted by the death of his girlfriend while he was in rehab. He’s got ADHD, a fierce loyalty to his bandmate Ed, and a soul that pours itself into music, especially the cringey, heartfelt ballads he wrote for Hugo back in high school. He’s not afraid to feel, but he is afraid to be rejected. Axel’s crush on Hugo was never just a teenage fantasy it was the emotional anchor that helped him survive. He is intense, and deeply wounded but also capable of profound emotional growth. His journey is about learning to trust love that doesn’t come with chaos.
Axel has been in love with Hugo for years, ever since Hugo taught him music in high school and quietly supported his dreams. But the student-teacher dynamic and Axel’s own internalized straight-guy image kept those feelings buried. Now, years later, Axel is sober, successful, and emotionally raw. When he sees Hugo again at Rocktoberfest, the dam breaks. One impulsive kiss, one night of vulnerability, and a whole lot of emotional fallout.
Hugo Threadgold is older, refined, and emotionally guarded. He was Axel’s high school music teacher, and he took that role seriously, so seriously that he subsidised instruments for his students out of his own paycheck. He’s spent years doing the right thing, even when it cost him personally. Hugo never allowed himself to see Axel as anything but a student, until Axel shattered that illusion.
Hugo, is a man of principle and pain. Seeing Axel again stirs up everything he’s tried to suppress desire, guilt, longing. He’s torn between professional boundaries and personal yearning, and when Axel storms off after their night together, Hugo is left chasing ghosts and trying to make amends. Once the idea of Axel as a romantic possibility takes root, Hugo can’t stop thinking about him.
Axel is devastated when footage of their intimate moment leaks. It’s not just the betrayal of privacy, it’s the fear that Hugo will retreat again, that Axel’s vulnerability will be punished. He lashes out, storms off, and goes radio silent. But beneath the anger is heartbreak. Axel has spent years hiding his feelings, and now that they’re exposed, he feels raw and unprotected. He copes by disappearing, refusing to answer Hugo’s calls or messages. He listens to Hugo’s voice messages and ballads, slowly realizing that Hugo’s retreat wasn’t rejection, it was fear. Axel begins to understand that love isn’t just about passion, it’s about patience, forgiveness, and showing up even when it hurts.
Hugo is mortified, not just by the leak, but by the possibility that his relationship with Axel could cost him his job and reputation. But more than that, he’s terrified he’s hurt Axel again. So, he does what he does best: he communicates through music. Hugo records heartfelt messages and songs, trying to reach Axel through the medium that first connected them. He faces the consequences at work but doesn’t hide. He owns his truth. Hugo stops running. He acknowledges his feelings, his mistakes, and his desire to build something real with Axel.
Their reconciliation isn’t dramatic, it’s intimate. Axel listens. Hugo waits. And when they finally speak again, it’s not about blame, it’s about possibility. They choose each other, not despite the fallout, but because of it.
Axel and Hugo are opposites in many ways; reckless vs. reserved, impulsive vs. principled, but they share a deep emotional resonance. Their relationship is built on years of unspoken connection, and when they finally confront it, it’s explosive.
Grindstone’s Edge is a romance that thrums with tension and tenderness. It’s about rewriting the rules, reclaiming your truth, and daring to love someone who once felt untouchable. Axel and Hugo’s journey is messy, melodic, and ultimately healing. Their love story isn’t just about romance, it’s about healing, rewriting narratives, and daring to believe that love can be both passionate and safe.
RATING: 
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