(Starstruck #3 - can be read as a stand-alone)
Publication date: Feb 24 2015
Genres: New Adult, Romance
Stars: 5 *****
The Blurb
Another standalone Starstruck romance from the HarperCollins author
who brought you Amazon #1 bestseller Before He Was Famous and Before He Was
Gone
“What if we can’t choose
Every battle we win and lose
What if we decided years before, to live this life, to fight these wars
And all the dreams we ever thought were ours
Were written in the stars”
Waiting tables isn’t exactly what singer/songwriter Stephanie has in mind for her move to Nashville, but memories of the past and a case of writer’s block mean inspiration isn’t coming easy. When brooding pianist Conor Judge opens his mouth in a smoky bar he proves music can heal, and even help you re-write your story, but a history of his own means the one thing he starts to want most is always just out of reach. Stephanie.
Enter Travis Flynn – an upcoming star who won’t take no for an answer, and a record label intent on helping Stephanie shine, without Conor. As fame comes knocking as hard as the ghosts of their pasts, it soon becomes clear that no matter how hard you might fall in love, having the perfect songs doesn’t always mean perfect harmony.
The main characters in book one are Noah Lockton and Chloe Campbell, and they have fast become one of my favourite couples in a book ever. I love how Becky creates relationships and characters that stay with you and have such an impact. She does exactly the same with her two leading characters in Before He Was A Secret, Stephanie Jackson and Conor Judge.
We are first introduced to the character of Stephanie in book 2 when she is one of the contestants on the reality tv show Deserted however Before He Was A Secret has a totally separate storyline and can easily be read as a standalone novel. Steph's life was turned totally upside down by the death of her parents when she was in her teens leaving her responsible for her 2 younger brothers. After being on Deserted and with the financial burden of having to support her brothers, Steph decides to follow her dream of having a music career and moves to Nashville.
A financial burden is not the only burden Steph carries. She blames herself for her parents' accident and has carried the guilt and hurt from that fateful day for a long time. So the last thing she is looking for when she reaches Nashville is a relationship. She just wants to keep her head down, write music, wait tables and make enough money to be able to keep the family home. With that in mind it is just as well that Conor has just come out of a serious relationship and isn't looking for romance either.
Conor Judge, part time musician who works in his family's music store. He's good looking, writes his own songs and at the start of the book he has just split up from his long term girlfriend. Although no one is supposed to know that they've split up as they both come from very religious backgrounds and it has always been expected that they would get married. This secret makes it very difficult when the inevitable attraction between Steph & Conor grows.
There is just so much to love about Before He Was A Secret - the setting, the characters, the writing. The Nashville setting was a big hit for me especially with my recent addiction to the TV show, Nashville & Becky Wicks does a fantastic job of making you feel as though you are right there, soaking up the country atmosphere. The initial friendship between Conor & Steph is so warm and real and you are totally on their side willing it to turn into something more.
Both Steph & Conor are haunted by their ghosts and their family issues but this just makes them fight that little bit harder for what they believe in. I loved that we got to see Noah & Chloe again in this book and how Becky manages to weave the whole Starstruck series together. This was another 5 star read for me which gives Becky Wicks full marks from me for the entire series. Each book is so different yet full of Becky's unique charm and warmth. Character driven storytelling at it's very best.
A word of warning though, Becky writes books that once you start them you just can't put them down and once again I was up way past my bedtime as I raced to finish Before He Was A Secret.
“What if we can’t choose
Every battle we win and lose
What if we decided years before, to live this life, to fight these wars
And all the dreams we ever thought were ours
Were written in the stars”
Waiting tables isn’t exactly what singer/songwriter Stephanie has in mind for her move to Nashville, but memories of the past and a case of writer’s block mean inspiration isn’t coming easy. When brooding pianist Conor Judge opens his mouth in a smoky bar he proves music can heal, and even help you re-write your story, but a history of his own means the one thing he starts to want most is always just out of reach. Stephanie.
Enter Travis Flynn – an upcoming star who won’t take no for an answer, and a record label intent on helping Stephanie shine, without Conor. As fame comes knocking as hard as the ghosts of their pasts, it soon becomes clear that no matter how hard you might fall in love, having the perfect songs doesn’t always mean perfect harmony.
My Thoughts
Last summer I read an amazing book, one of those books that stayed with me & that book was Before He Was Famous by Becky Wicks. This was book one in the fantastic Starstruck series & I devoured it in one sitting, immediately starting book two, Before He Was Gone and staying up way too late. Becky Wicks has a very special way of telling a story which is why I am so happy to be part of her blog tour for book three, Before He Was a Secret. You can check out the rest of the tour schedule over on Xpresso Book Tours.
The main characters in book one are Noah Lockton and Chloe Campbell, and they have fast become one of my favourite couples in a book ever. I love how Becky creates relationships and characters that stay with you and have such an impact. She does exactly the same with her two leading characters in Before He Was A Secret, Stephanie Jackson and Conor Judge.
We are first introduced to the character of Stephanie in book 2 when she is one of the contestants on the reality tv show Deserted however Before He Was A Secret has a totally separate storyline and can easily be read as a standalone novel. Steph's life was turned totally upside down by the death of her parents when she was in her teens leaving her responsible for her 2 younger brothers. After being on Deserted and with the financial burden of having to support her brothers, Steph decides to follow her dream of having a music career and moves to Nashville.
A financial burden is not the only burden Steph carries. She blames herself for her parents' accident and has carried the guilt and hurt from that fateful day for a long time. So the last thing she is looking for when she reaches Nashville is a relationship. She just wants to keep her head down, write music, wait tables and make enough money to be able to keep the family home. With that in mind it is just as well that Conor has just come out of a serious relationship and isn't looking for romance either.
Conor Judge, part time musician who works in his family's music store. He's good looking, writes his own songs and at the start of the book he has just split up from his long term girlfriend. Although no one is supposed to know that they've split up as they both come from very religious backgrounds and it has always been expected that they would get married. This secret makes it very difficult when the inevitable attraction between Steph & Conor grows.
There is just so much to love about Before He Was A Secret - the setting, the characters, the writing. The Nashville setting was a big hit for me especially with my recent addiction to the TV show, Nashville & Becky Wicks does a fantastic job of making you feel as though you are right there, soaking up the country atmosphere. The initial friendship between Conor & Steph is so warm and real and you are totally on their side willing it to turn into something more.
Both Steph & Conor are haunted by their ghosts and their family issues but this just makes them fight that little bit harder for what they believe in. I loved that we got to see Noah & Chloe again in this book and how Becky manages to weave the whole Starstruck series together. This was another 5 star read for me which gives Becky Wicks full marks from me for the entire series. Each book is so different yet full of Becky's unique charm and warmth. Character driven storytelling at it's very best.
A word of warning though, Becky writes books that once you start them you just can't put them down and once again I was up way past my bedtime as I raced to finish Before He Was A Secret.
About The Author
Becky Wicks lives in Bali and scribbles books, and she’s mostly powered by
coffee. Her first book in the Starstruck Series, Before He Was Famous recently
reached #1 in Amazon’s Coming of Age and New Adult & College categories, and
her three travel books, published by HarperCollins are online to make feet nice
and itchy. Mostly though, she loves to write love stories. She blogs most days
at beckywicks.com and always welcomes
distractions on Twitter @bex_wicks. Especially if you have photos of cats.
Giveaway
Tour-wide
giveaway (INTL)
- Five copies of Before He Was A Secret, plus a character named after them in Becky's next book!
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