After his mother dies, rock star Ace White—lead singer of the red-hot band Wicked White—is done with the celebrity game. The phony people, the meaningless one-night stands: he doesn’t want any of it anymore. Quitting in the middle of a sold-out tour, Ace sets out to find some place—any place—where he can be alone.
Aspiring singer Iris Easton’s life has never been easy. First, her mother walked out on her when she was a kid. Now she’s buried in debt, weeks after losing her beloved grandmother. When a mysterious and sexy new guy moves in next door, Iris can’t help but be drawn to his soulful gaze. She can tell there’s something from his past haunting him—something he’s not telling her.
Just as Ace starts falling for Iris, the media go on a worldwide hunt to find the missing rocker. Will true love conquer all, or will the truth be the very thing that tears the couple apart?
The death of the woman who brought him up as her own son acts as a catalyst for Ace White, lead singer of Wicked White to escape from the living hell that it his life. He's tired of been exploited by his manager and record company; not having any artistic license to perform the kind of music he believes whilst performing with musicians he can't relate too. He's had enough! So walking off stage and disappearing under the radar seems like a good idea. Only, he wasn't expecting to find any distractions in the trailer park in a backwater town in Ohio that becomes his new temporary home.
Iris Easton is back in Ohio after her Gran died and left her to run the trailer park where she was raised. She's left behind the bright lights of New York where she works as a waitress until she achieves her dream to tread the boards on Broadway. She's up to her eyeballs in debt so when an enigmatic man who shows up looking for a temporary home she happy to rent out a vacant trailer, not knowing that he'll indirectly help her reach her dream too.
I adore Ace as a hero. I love a man who is clever and intelligence oozes from his pores. He's far from perfect but his character flaws only add to to his overall appeal as we get to know more about him. It is refreshing that he isn't portrayed as a stereotypical rock star, even though he's indulged like a typical rocker. He has more depth even if he judgement is completely off.
Overall this was an enjoyable and solid read that has me invested in wanting to continue with this series. Both protagonists are likable and their chemistry palpable. However, Wicked White lacked that certain je ne sais quoi which would add sparkle and make this a higher rated book for me.
3½ Stars
***ARC generously supplied courtesy of Montlake Romance via NetGalley***
