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Second Sets #2
Sweet Strings
Long before the world bowed down to the band Whispered Words. They shattered me to pieces when they walked away. Now, after five years apart, they're back to fix what they broke. If I let them... Before our fall—Callum, Rad, Kieran, and Asher—were mine. My everything. My rock stars. My future. Until they weren't. All it took was one night. One massive lie. One false accusation. And they were gone. Leaving me with a broken heart, a restraining order, and a baby on the way. After being presented with a new job and an inheritance, I move on with my life and build an empire of my own. But there's more to my life than meets the eye. A stranger lurks in the shadows, stalking my every move. Planning nefarious things, I can't even comprehend. And then there's them…. The four boys who broke my heart. They're back in my life in the most unexpected way. But I'm not the girl they once knew. I'm their band manager now. Their boss for the next six months. Can we survive? One by one, our secrets crumble to ashes. Confessions shatter us, and lies become irreparable truths. My name is River West, and this is the story of how Whispered Words broke my heart, repaired it, and made me whole.
*Sweet Strings is book 2 of 2 in a duet and will end in a HEA. *Sweet Strings is a full-length mature, contemporary, new adult romance. Full of love, spice, rock n' roll, and reunions. This book is meant for a mature audience and is recommended for 18+ *Sweet Strings is a whychoose novel, meaning the FMC has more than one love interest. FMMMM. And does NOT have to choose at the end.
*Sweet Strings is book 2 of 2 in a duet and will end in a HEA. *Sweet Strings is a full-length mature, contemporary, new adult romance. Full of love, spice, rock n' roll, and reunions. This book is meant for a mature audience and is recommended for 18+ *Sweet Strings is a whychoose novel, meaning the FMC has more than one love interest. FMMMM. And does NOT have to choose at the end.
572 pages, Paperback
Published June 10, 2023
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3184 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 566 reviews
June 4, 2023
Not only was Pretty Girl a bad nickname, it’s used 189 times in this book. This alone made me want to dnf but I was too far in to quit. The nicknames they gave her were very overused, it ruined the purpose of having one.
I was not a fan of how little groveling these four did before she forgave them. None of them redeemed themselves in my eyes. They basically said “We’ll be better now🥺” and kept it pushing. I think this was a big reason why I got so bored halfway through reading. They really didn’t do anything. Stepping up to parent a child was the absolute bare minimum they could do.
The whole stalker situation was definitely something. I guessed who it was right away. There were no other suspects that made sense.I wish it had been a bigger part of the story. Not only was nobody taking it seriously until shit hit the fan, once it got “resolved” it wasn’t brought up until the very end again. How did nobody question a four year old talking about a “ghost” tapping on her window?
I was not a fan of how little groveling these four did before she forgave them. None of them redeemed themselves in my eyes. They basically said “We’ll be better now🥺” and kept it pushing. I think this was a big reason why I got so bored halfway through reading. They really didn’t do anything. Stepping up to parent a child was the absolute bare minimum they could do.
The whole stalker situation was definitely something. I guessed who it was right away. There were no other suspects that made sense.I wish it had been a bigger part of the story. Not only was nobody taking it seriously until shit hit the fan, once it got “resolved” it wasn’t brought up until the very end again. How did nobody question a four year old talking about a “ghost” tapping on her window?
June 12, 2023
Since I have a new acquired trauma of reading books where the grovel doesn’t match the mistake, I skipped book 1 and went straight to this one to see if it was worth it.
Spoiler: it wasn’t. 😃
The mistake: Letting her psycho stalker ex on the loose to attack her, even implying that after they’re out the picture she would probs go back to him.
This led to River (who had just lost her mom) going through pregnancy alone, on a dead end town without support, not even checking on her once after he left her alone. Fixing her car and arranging a plot for her dead mom count? No, he didn’t even ask how she was.
But you know what? I could’ve live with that, God and my kindle know the kind of fucked up shit i read and enjoy, if only this wasn’t so fucking boring and annoying.
Asher fucked up, but out of the 4 that were so in love with River, at least I understood his reasoning. Trauma has weird ways of poisoning people, and i only fault him for the way he did it and for actually endangering her, I don’t really give a fuck about the she-was-cheating thing.
Now….. Man-Child Kieran? Dropped-too-many-times-as-a-baby-Rad? Woe-is-me-Cal? They could suck my left nut if I had one 🙄
They loved her soooo much that after 5 years, when she appears in front of them they start thinking: hey, that thing back then seems kinda sketchy, ya know?
They were so in loooove with her that in 5 years they didn’t even try to look her up in social media? Check if she was alive?
When they find out the truth they kept blaming Asher like they didn’t all walk away from her, sure he manipulated them, but how old are they? They can’t keep for themselves? Take some fucking accountability.
Biggest Ick:
if you forgive Asher then fucking forgive him. Don’t say “I forgive you even though you fucked up SOOO much” 82738282x 🙄
Not them talking about how nice her mother was after skipping her funeral. Have some respect!💀
And River… My god, at least her name makes sense. River. A body of water. No backbone whatsoever. This is where daddy issues really come to play, just because you didn’t have a daddy and your mommy didn’t talk about him doesn’t make her a monster, I’ll tell you a grownup secret: just because a man donated the sperm that made you, that doesn’t make him a daddy, ok sweetie? It’s degrading to keep reading books talking about no matter how shitty a man is, he still has a right to be a father and knowing his child.
These men supposedly told her to get an abortion, that she was a slut basically and wanted nothing to do with her baby. And she goes ahead and tells the girl: those are your daddies, they just weren’t ready but one day they will be. She didn’t know they didn’t say that and didn’t even know, but she was willing to put her child through that? As parents, sometimes is necessary to “hurt” our child, for the sake of not hurting them more later. Just how the saying “rip the bandaid” came to be.
Protecting your child from a “bad” parent, isn’t bad parenting.
Spoiler: it wasn’t. 😃
The mistake: Letting her psycho stalker ex on the loose to attack her, even implying that after they’re out the picture she would probs go back to him.
This led to River (who had just lost her mom) going through pregnancy alone, on a dead end town without support, not even checking on her once after he left her alone. Fixing her car and arranging a plot for her dead mom count? No, he didn’t even ask how she was.
But you know what? I could’ve live with that, God and my kindle know the kind of fucked up shit i read and enjoy, if only this wasn’t so fucking boring and annoying.
Asher fucked up, but out of the 4 that were so in love with River, at least I understood his reasoning. Trauma has weird ways of poisoning people, and i only fault him for the way he did it and for actually endangering her, I don’t really give a fuck about the she-was-cheating thing.
Now….. Man-Child Kieran? Dropped-too-many-times-as-a-baby-Rad? Woe-is-me-Cal? They could suck my left nut if I had one 🙄
They loved her soooo much that after 5 years, when she appears in front of them they start thinking: hey, that thing back then seems kinda sketchy, ya know?
They were so in loooove with her that in 5 years they didn’t even try to look her up in social media? Check if she was alive?
When they find out the truth they kept blaming Asher like they didn’t all walk away from her, sure he manipulated them, but how old are they? They can’t keep for themselves? Take some fucking accountability.
Biggest Ick:
if you forgive Asher then fucking forgive him. Don’t say “I forgive you even though you fucked up SOOO much” 82738282x 🙄
Not them talking about how nice her mother was after skipping her funeral. Have some respect!💀
And River… My god, at least her name makes sense. River. A body of water. No backbone whatsoever. This is where daddy issues really come to play, just because you didn’t have a daddy and your mommy didn’t talk about him doesn’t make her a monster, I’ll tell you a grownup secret: just because a man donated the sperm that made you, that doesn’t make him a daddy, ok sweetie? It’s degrading to keep reading books talking about no matter how shitty a man is, he still has a right to be a father and knowing his child.
These men supposedly told her to get an abortion, that she was a slut basically and wanted nothing to do with her baby. And she goes ahead and tells the girl: those are your daddies, they just weren’t ready but one day they will be. She didn’t know they didn’t say that and didn’t even know, but she was willing to put her child through that? As parents, sometimes is necessary to “hurt” our child, for the sake of not hurting them more later. Just how the saying “rip the bandaid” came to be.
Protecting your child from a “bad” parent, isn’t bad parenting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2023
2.5 stars. This angsty RH rock star duet ended up being a letdown.
Book 1 ended with the set-up for SUCH a big grovel from the guys: they ditched the heroine, River, after her mom died, leaving her to grieve alone, AND she was pregnant on top of that (they didn’t know about the baby, but still!) They went on to become a famous band – and she was instrumental in helping them achieve that. But, they left her behind. So, they wronged her in so many different ways.
This book is about 4 years later, when they all meet again. The grovel is there, it’s not nonexistent. But considering how ENORMOUSLY they wronged her, the grovel is underwhelming. It’s mostly the guys bulldozing her, just showing up and being in her face, and also stepping up to be dads to her kid – which is the bare minimum of what they SHOULD be doing, in the first place!
We do get some good suffering and regret from Archer’s POV, since he’s the guy who’s most at fault. But, River is nice to him way too soon. Yes, he is one of her daughter’s dads. But, River could easily just tell the girl that Archer had to go away for a bit, and distract her with her other 3 dads. So, that felt like a weak excuse. It felt like this book was using the kid as a plot device for River to let the guys off the hook too easily.
The “grovel” part of the plot also gets lost in the woods, when a stalker plot appears. The culprit in that is SO obvious, the reveal scene feels insulting to our intelligence.
This book also kept throwing random new side characters at us, and mentioning their life situations. It looks like the author only has 1 other series. So, I guess it’s supposed to be setting up more books? But it’s clumsily done. There’s no character development, or gradual way to weave them into the story and make us actually curious. It’s just throwing a bunch of names at us.
It’s not a terrible read. But if you want RH with grovel, there are MUCH better ones than this. In Lyrical, the guys do meaningful stuff to make the heroine’s life better (For example, they buy her new clothes and food when they realize she can't afford it). In Triad's Curse one guy does public penance. Pack Darling: Part Two has the guys upend their entire pack structure, and take classes on how to treat the heroine better. And in Dukes of Madness the hero who's groveling agrees that the heroine is right to punish him, and he also takes big actions to prove that he’d die for her and kill for her. ALL of those are better, more meaningful grovels than the one in this book.
The first book in this duet was flawed, but decently angsty. But, it all turned out to be pretty shallow and surface-level, in the end.
Book 1 ended with the set-up for SUCH a big grovel from the guys: they ditched the heroine, River, after her mom died, leaving her to grieve alone, AND she was pregnant on top of that (they didn’t know about the baby, but still!) They went on to become a famous band – and she was instrumental in helping them achieve that. But, they left her behind. So, they wronged her in so many different ways.
This book is about 4 years later, when they all meet again. The grovel is there, it’s not nonexistent. But considering how ENORMOUSLY they wronged her, the grovel is underwhelming. It’s mostly the guys bulldozing her, just showing up and being in her face, and also stepping up to be dads to her kid – which is the bare minimum of what they SHOULD be doing, in the first place!
We do get some good suffering and regret from Archer’s POV, since he’s the guy who’s most at fault. But, River is nice to him way too soon. Yes, he is one of her daughter’s dads. But, River could easily just tell the girl that Archer had to go away for a bit, and distract her with her other 3 dads. So, that felt like a weak excuse. It felt like this book was using the kid as a plot device for River to let the guys off the hook too easily.
The “grovel” part of the plot also gets lost in the woods, when a stalker plot appears. The culprit in that is SO obvious, the reveal scene feels insulting to our intelligence.
This book also kept throwing random new side characters at us, and mentioning their life situations. It looks like the author only has 1 other series. So, I guess it’s supposed to be setting up more books? But it’s clumsily done. There’s no character development, or gradual way to weave them into the story and make us actually curious. It’s just throwing a bunch of names at us.
It’s not a terrible read. But if you want RH with grovel, there are MUCH better ones than this. In Lyrical, the guys do meaningful stuff to make the heroine’s life better (For example, they buy her new clothes and food when they realize she can't afford it). In Triad's Curse one guy does public penance. Pack Darling: Part Two has the guys upend their entire pack structure, and take classes on how to treat the heroine better. And in Dukes of Madness the hero who's groveling agrees that the heroine is right to punish him, and he also takes big actions to prove that he’d die for her and kill for her. ALL of those are better, more meaningful grovels than the one in this book.
The first book in this duet was flawed, but decently angsty. But, it all turned out to be pretty shallow and surface-level, in the end.
June 23, 2023
✩‧₊˚ 𝟐 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
★¸.•☆•.¸★ 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ★⡀.•☆•.★
𝐊𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐦 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞, 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐠𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐲 (𝐇) have not been in contact with 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 (𝐡) for five years after she “betrayed” them and they had to continue living their dreams as rockstars. However, now that the band is falling apart, she is the one who will help put them back together. With lingering questions about why she “cheated”, why they left without an explanation, and a child most of them didn’t know existed, it is a test of the strength of their relationship. Among all that drama, there is a stalker after River and she is not safe knowing there is someone threatening the safety of her and her child.
_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
⋆◦•●♡ 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 ♡●•◦⋆
𝐊𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧 + 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫: “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶? 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘮𝘦.”
For a person who claimed to be her best friend and knew her as a child, he never gave her the benefit of the doubt. He UNDERSTOOD what it was like to have an absent parent in his life, and he still never called to check on River when she was pregnant. I understand that he thought the child was Van's, but why couldn't he at least be concerned for a person who was a major contributor to his success? Kieran was a major problem in the book. While Asher initiated the downfall, it reflects poorly on the others for allowing a simple RUMOR to destroy their perception of River. There are so many ways the scene could have gone differently if they had all asked her directly instead of relying on what they saw. It makes me angry that they just thought a simple apology would be enough to redeem themselves. Kieran tells River that he couldn't get it up for anyone, but that was not enough "punishment" for the years she endured alone. He missed out on YEARS of his daughter's life because he never stopped to think that cheating was out of River's character; it's ridiculous. He's a good father to Lyric, but he could have had it all if he wasn't so prideful.
𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐦 + 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫: “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶?” 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘮 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘭. “𝘞𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘵! 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶… 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘶𝘴!”
He blamed everyone for making him leave River, but at the end of the day, he is his own person, and no one was forcing him to make that choice. At any point in his life, he could have looked for River instead of relying on fights to avoid the pain of losing her. He was inflicting harm on himself and going down a spiral that was easily preventable if he stopped accusing others of his mistakes. It was his fault for believing River would cheat when he supposedly knew her better than that. It all comes down to miscommunication and their inability to talk like adults. Callum reverted back to his old behavior of isolating himself and shutting people out, but it was not River’s obligation to keep him together. He is a grown man and he is old enough to clarify misunderstandings if he wanted to. Again, it’s ridiculous.
𝐑𝐚𝐝 + 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫: “𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘴?” 𝘐 𝘢𝘴𝘬, 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘦, 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘱. “𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭, 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵…”
For Rad to say, they would have come back if she had said something was a BOLD statement and very infuriating. Especially because she attempted to contact them, they pushed her away and gave her no option but to raise her child ALONE. He tried to sweet talk his way to forgiveness, and unfortunately, it worked. While I am glad that River didn't automatically forgive them and make them grovel, Rad worms his way to her heart again by being his flirty and charming self. It doesn't excuse the silent treatment and cold dismissal they gave her or the part where they didn't care to find out how she was doing over the years. Why didn't he seek her out alone if he loved her so much and never fell out of love? Why did he need permission from the guys? He is also a great parent to Lyric and loved her without hesitation, but it is upsetting that they got a place in their life again, like the years lost weren't a big deal.
𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 + 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫: “𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘐 𝘢𝘮,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. “𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘵. 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺. 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸—”
I will never understand what he went through as a child, so I can’t be the one to say that what he did was unforgivable. He wanted out of his father’s abuse, and the only way he felt that was feasible was to leave everything behind. It doesn’t absolve his behavior but adds a different lens behind his impulsivity and need to succeed alongside the guys. What he did to River was terrible, and throughout the book, his regret and guilt are apparent, but he does attempt to be a better person. His forgiveness is earned, and it cost them many years of their child’s life, but he understood the consequences of what he did. It was almost as if his guilty conscience turned him into a different person because he had a new personality than in book 1, and River had to coax that side of him to come out again. Asher isn’t the best character, but there was a notable development and he cared for River in his own way.
*•.¸♡ 𝐎͢𝐕͢𝐄͢𝐑͢𝐀͢𝐋͢𝐋͢ ♡¸.•*
I don’t mean to be harsh towards them, but just because this is a romance book doesn’t mean their actions are redeemable because of a cute few words. Their actions damaged and inflicted pain on River and Lyric because she grew up wanting to know about her father. Also, the stalker plot was very unnecessary because we all knew who it was; there was no doubt about it. It was just a LONG book when it didn’t have to be.
★¸.•☆•.¸★ 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 ★⡀.•☆•.★
𝐊𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐦 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞, 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐠𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐲 (𝐇) have not been in contact with 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 (𝐡) for five years after she “betrayed” them and they had to continue living their dreams as rockstars. However, now that the band is falling apart, she is the one who will help put them back together. With lingering questions about why she “cheated”, why they left without an explanation, and a child most of them didn’t know existed, it is a test of the strength of their relationship. Among all that drama, there is a stalker after River and she is not safe knowing there is someone threatening the safety of her and her child.
_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐
⋆◦•●♡ 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 ♡●•◦⋆
𝐊𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧 + 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫: “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶? 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘮𝘦.”
For a person who claimed to be her best friend and knew her as a child, he never gave her the benefit of the doubt. He UNDERSTOOD what it was like to have an absent parent in his life, and he still never called to check on River when she was pregnant. I understand that he thought the child was Van's, but why couldn't he at least be concerned for a person who was a major contributor to his success? Kieran was a major problem in the book. While Asher initiated the downfall, it reflects poorly on the others for allowing a simple RUMOR to destroy their perception of River. There are so many ways the scene could have gone differently if they had all asked her directly instead of relying on what they saw. It makes me angry that they just thought a simple apology would be enough to redeem themselves. Kieran tells River that he couldn't get it up for anyone, but that was not enough "punishment" for the years she endured alone. He missed out on YEARS of his daughter's life because he never stopped to think that cheating was out of River's character; it's ridiculous. He's a good father to Lyric, but he could have had it all if he wasn't so prideful.
𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐦 + 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫: “𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶?” 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘮 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘭. “𝘞𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘵! 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶… 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘶𝘴!”
He blamed everyone for making him leave River, but at the end of the day, he is his own person, and no one was forcing him to make that choice. At any point in his life, he could have looked for River instead of relying on fights to avoid the pain of losing her. He was inflicting harm on himself and going down a spiral that was easily preventable if he stopped accusing others of his mistakes. It was his fault for believing River would cheat when he supposedly knew her better than that. It all comes down to miscommunication and their inability to talk like adults. Callum reverted back to his old behavior of isolating himself and shutting people out, but it was not River’s obligation to keep him together. He is a grown man and he is old enough to clarify misunderstandings if he wanted to. Again, it’s ridiculous.
𝐑𝐚𝐝 + 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫: “𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘴?” 𝘐 𝘢𝘴𝘬, 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘦, 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘱. “𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭, 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵…”
For Rad to say, they would have come back if she had said something was a BOLD statement and very infuriating. Especially because she attempted to contact them, they pushed her away and gave her no option but to raise her child ALONE. He tried to sweet talk his way to forgiveness, and unfortunately, it worked. While I am glad that River didn't automatically forgive them and make them grovel, Rad worms his way to her heart again by being his flirty and charming self. It doesn't excuse the silent treatment and cold dismissal they gave her or the part where they didn't care to find out how she was doing over the years. Why didn't he seek her out alone if he loved her so much and never fell out of love? Why did he need permission from the guys? He is also a great parent to Lyric and loved her without hesitation, but it is upsetting that they got a place in their life again, like the years lost weren't a big deal.
𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 + 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫: “𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘐 𝘢𝘮,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. “𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘵. 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺. 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸—”
I will never understand what he went through as a child, so I can’t be the one to say that what he did was unforgivable. He wanted out of his father’s abuse, and the only way he felt that was feasible was to leave everything behind. It doesn’t absolve his behavior but adds a different lens behind his impulsivity and need to succeed alongside the guys. What he did to River was terrible, and throughout the book, his regret and guilt are apparent, but he does attempt to be a better person. His forgiveness is earned, and it cost them many years of their child’s life, but he understood the consequences of what he did. It was almost as if his guilty conscience turned him into a different person because he had a new personality than in book 1, and River had to coax that side of him to come out again. Asher isn’t the best character, but there was a notable development and he cared for River in his own way.
*•.¸♡ 𝐎͢𝐕͢𝐄͢𝐑͢𝐀͢𝐋͢𝐋͢ ♡¸.•*
I don’t mean to be harsh towards them, but just because this is a romance book doesn’t mean their actions are redeemable because of a cute few words. Their actions damaged and inflicted pain on River and Lyric because she grew up wanting to know about her father. Also, the stalker plot was very unnecessary because we all knew who it was; there was no doubt about it. It was just a LONG book when it didn’t have to be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2024
Asher does not deserve her she is way too forgiving I can see her forgiving the other about never him. Being abused does not excuse your behavior. Her pity does not absolve him of his guilt. What an awful person
The bad guy so obvious from the first time they mentioned a stalker I knew immediately who he was it was so obvisous
The bad guy so obvious from the first time they mentioned a stalker I knew immediately who he was it was so obvisous
August 2, 2025
WHAT TO EXPECT:
- why choose
- rock stars
- second chances + groveling
- co-parenting
CW: Stalking/threats. Fighting. Blood. Flashbacks of childhood abuse and discussions about it in detail. Drug mention and flashbacks of drug usage. Mentions of parental deaths and graveside visits. Flashbacks and discussion of previous SA and physical assault that happened in the past.
- why choose
- rock stars
- second chances + groveling
- co-parenting
CW: Stalking/threats. Fighting. Blood. Flashbacks of childhood abuse and discussions about it in detail. Drug mention and flashbacks of drug usage. Mentions of parental deaths and graveside visits. Flashbacks and discussion of previous SA and physical assault that happened in the past.
December 1, 2024
This got way too repetitive, to the point I started skimming just to get to the point. I liked the characters for the most part, and the story was good, just too long for the number of times they repeated the same thing over and over.
June 30, 2023
“Our story isn’t written in pencil. We can’t erase the things we’ve done with a few swipes and move on like nothing ever happened. We’ll continue our broken tale on damaged paper riddled with marks and scars, filled with old wounds and betrayals.”
★ ~ 3.95 stars
🌶️ ~ 2.25
This is the story of Whispered Words and the girl they so desperately loved, forgot, ruined, and pieced back together.
Rockstar
Why Choose
Second Chance
(Full Review To Be Posted)
★ ~ 3.95 stars
🌶️ ~ 2.25
This is the story of Whispered Words and the girl they so desperately loved, forgot, ruined, and pieced back together.
Rockstar
Why Choose
Second Chance
(Full Review To Be Posted)
Read
May 2, 2024I didn't finish this one too. It will have a happy end. And the stalker? I bet you guessed right who that is 😉. This Duet wasn't for me and read way to much of it. No rating because again I didn't hit the 50% mark.
October 19, 2023
For what the boys did to her, which in my opinion was UNFORGIVABLE, she forgave them way to damn quickly. Literally on page like 100 she’s already forgiving them. You’re kidding me. Absolutely not. I’ve read to many books where the author promises groveling and then no grovel happens so dnfd this asap bc i don’t have time for that.
January 3, 2025
3.5 stars the second book was definitely way better than book 1
They fucked up and were groveling in the whole book and I loved how they all softened up because they became daddies
They fucked up and were groveling in the whole book and I loved how they all softened up because they became daddies
May 21, 2024
I absolutely loved reading the final book for them!! Last book left me wanting more & this book did not disappoint with all the tears, laughs, & wth moments lol. I can't wait to read about Journeys book!
June 6, 2023
this was honestly pretty disappointing. here are my main points of content in it
1: asher did not beg enough and everything was forgiven WAY too easily considering he literally sent someone who is a known predator (taking videos without her knowledge, setting up a literal ATTACK on her) to her house and left her there with them at the end of book one
2: all the boys especially kieran and asher kept blaming their decisions to leave and asher’s decision to lie to the guys on kieran’s mom gloria but when they did this they were literally like 21/22 they were grown enough to know what they were doing so it’s frustrating that the kept blaming it on someone else no matter how awful she was they still did something bad and even when trying to make up it was like “i’m so sorry i know that i did this horrible thing but also it’s not all my fault cause my mommy manipulated me” like no take responsibility for your actions and understand that you were a grown adult at the time as well
3: the whole stalker thing was easy to guess right away that it was the boyfriend. also there was so many inconsistencies within the whole climax of the book here are my WTFS with that
1: why is it that asher and river were able to run to the location lyric was at yet it took sooo long for help that was called WHILE THEY WERE RUNNING THERE to get to the place considering they now had a heads up like liv mentioned needing a car to get there but they were inside an amusement park and river and asher were able to run it??
2: i feel like altering and then bringing up the party again was a bit unnecessary like we already understood he was a horrible person why did we need to reopen this HORRIBLE wound for her
3: the whole veritas agency that is apparently SO powerful and amazing yet they couldn’t trace the first “stalker” back to Van as he mentioned he was his COUSIN??? or the fact that the security company was vans like how did they not make that connection when he was a suspect to begin with??? also how did they not know he was in the states and kept saying he was “still in europe” like again they are supposed to be this all powerful agency yet can’t confirm someone’s location?? they were also so thoughtless like when they found out her phone was gone why didn’t they take down the cameras, change the password, the company, etc. like there was so many things that just did not line up with what these people were supposed to be
overall just not what I was expecting and a bit of a let down but at least I have closure from the first book cliffhanger
1: asher did not beg enough and everything was forgiven WAY too easily considering he literally sent someone who is a known predator (taking videos without her knowledge, setting up a literal ATTACK on her) to her house and left her there with them at the end of book one
2: all the boys especially kieran and asher kept blaming their decisions to leave and asher’s decision to lie to the guys on kieran’s mom gloria but when they did this they were literally like 21/22 they were grown enough to know what they were doing so it’s frustrating that the kept blaming it on someone else no matter how awful she was they still did something bad and even when trying to make up it was like “i’m so sorry i know that i did this horrible thing but also it’s not all my fault cause my mommy manipulated me” like no take responsibility for your actions and understand that you were a grown adult at the time as well
3: the whole stalker thing was easy to guess right away that it was the boyfriend. also there was so many inconsistencies within the whole climax of the book here are my WTFS with that
1: why is it that asher and river were able to run to the location lyric was at yet it took sooo long for help that was called WHILE THEY WERE RUNNING THERE to get to the place considering they now had a heads up like liv mentioned needing a car to get there but they were inside an amusement park and river and asher were able to run it??
2: i feel like altering and then bringing up the party again was a bit unnecessary like we already understood he was a horrible person why did we need to reopen this HORRIBLE wound for her
3: the whole veritas agency that is apparently SO powerful and amazing yet they couldn’t trace the first “stalker” back to Van as he mentioned he was his COUSIN??? or the fact that the security company was vans like how did they not make that connection when he was a suspect to begin with??? also how did they not know he was in the states and kept saying he was “still in europe” like again they are supposed to be this all powerful agency yet can’t confirm someone’s location?? they were also so thoughtless like when they found out her phone was gone why didn’t they take down the cameras, change the password, the company, etc. like there was so many things that just did not line up with what these people were supposed to be
overall just not what I was expecting and a bit of a let down but at least I have closure from the first book cliffhanger
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2023
Okay so I loved apocalypse society and was so excited for this duet - honestly such a let down.
There’s zero chemistry between them and they’re not possessive in a way that’s attractive is just kind of gross. The spice scenes (besides the dialogue) are the best bit about the books honestly. Cal is still a background character (I couldn’t even tell you his eye colour) and is so boring honestly, Rad & Kieran are just so irritating and stupid. There’s some pretty deep/serious things that happen in this duet and honestly it’s all kind of glossed over or just thrown in.
Asher is forgiven far too easily - I mean I’m sorry and I shouldn’t of done it - really?! That’s all it takes - it completely goes against rivers whole character. The whole duet feels so rushed even though they’re both 600+ pages long. The fact the harem wouldn’t haven’t gotten back together if it wasn’t for lyric is another reason this book is so crappy. It’s nice that kaycee features in this book, as I liked them from AS. I give it 2 stars - 2.5 if I’m being generous.
ALSO don’t get me started on the whole stalker part - that bit is just so unnecessary in the whole book, it just adds shitty drama for no reason - like why not call the police? I mean who stalks for 3 years seriously
There’s zero chemistry between them and they’re not possessive in a way that’s attractive is just kind of gross. The spice scenes (besides the dialogue) are the best bit about the books honestly. Cal is still a background character (I couldn’t even tell you his eye colour) and is so boring honestly, Rad & Kieran are just so irritating and stupid. There’s some pretty deep/serious things that happen in this duet and honestly it’s all kind of glossed over or just thrown in.
Asher is forgiven far too easily - I mean I’m sorry and I shouldn’t of done it - really?! That’s all it takes - it completely goes against rivers whole character. The whole duet feels so rushed even though they’re both 600+ pages long. The fact the harem wouldn’t haven’t gotten back together if it wasn’t for lyric is another reason this book is so crappy. It’s nice that kaycee features in this book, as I liked them from AS. I give it 2 stars - 2.5 if I’m being generous.
ALSO don’t get me started on the whole stalker part - that bit is just so unnecessary in the whole book, it just adds shitty drama for no reason - like why not call the police? I mean who stalks for 3 years seriously
June 4, 2023
Only reading in the hopes of some kickass revenge on the fuckwits she fell into bed with and whoever set her up. Who could it be?
You would hope with a reverse harem that there would be at least one sentient being with some brain cells, but these losers are not only dumb as dirt but the biggest bunch of pussies.
You would hope with a reverse harem that there would be at least one sentient being with some brain cells, but these losers are not only dumb as dirt but the biggest bunch of pussies.
June 30, 2023
NOT. ENOUGH. GROVELLING. I wanted to see those guys on their goddamn knees. It was like…”We’re sorry. We’ll do better. “ and then they fell into her vagina…over and over again. 🙄 Honestly, this duet could have easily been told in one book.
May 3, 2024
3.5 Stars
This felt like an appropriate conclusion and I enjoyed it, but I did feel like it was a bit drug out. This could have been 200 pages shorter and it would have been fine 😅
This felt like an appropriate conclusion and I enjoyed it, but I did feel like it was a bit drug out. This could have been 200 pages shorter and it would have been fine 😅
June 13, 2023
One tiny inconsistency... The song the guys wrote for River in Bitter Notes was called "Roaring River", but in this book, it's called "Rushing River".
While it started to feel a little drawn out, the book was sweet. It's hard to stay mad at Asher when he had a semi-reasonable excuse but also didn't know how much he has been deceived and didn't know what he was leaving behind. The other guys also stepped up and proved to River they would always be there for her.
The ending was predictable, but I didn't pick up a romance book for a shocking twist. lol
Truthfully, I could have been fine without the Stalker plotline - just having the guys grovel and get revenge on Gloria would have been more than enough.
Full spoilers below:
While it started to feel a little drawn out, the book was sweet. It's hard to stay mad at Asher when he had a semi-reasonable excuse but also didn't know how much he has been deceived and didn't know what he was leaving behind. The other guys also stepped up and proved to River they would always be there for her.
The ending was predictable, but I didn't pick up a romance book for a shocking twist. lol
Truthfully, I could have been fine without the Stalker plotline - just having the guys grovel and get revenge on Gloria would have been more than enough.
Full spoilers below:
January 9, 2025
i'm not sure how this book has such a good rating, but i'm here to tell you that it r o y a l l y sucked. with an average of five swear words per paragraph, nausea-inducing nicknames, and a main character that mentally never left middle school, this was an absolutely awful read. it was also approximately 400 pages too long. i do wonder how many pages this would be with just the curse words, and my guess is 112. anyway, if you hate yourself but you're not quite ready to seal the deal and commit, just read this book! by the end, you'll want to have both feet firmly in the grave 😌
June 16, 2023
I really wanted to like this. It started strong after the ending of the first book, but it dragged a little. I DNF at 57% and then just read the epilogue. The nicknames started to annoy me when they were constantly used and the paragraphs between each piece of dialogue was so long.
Sorry x
Sorry x
July 15, 2023
Utter Rubbish.
Long winded, overblown, convoluted plot. Weak, inept, ridiculous characters. Repetitious inner monologues. There are so many holes in the plot that it would make a better fish net than a book. Just an awful read all around.
Long winded, overblown, convoluted plot. Weak, inept, ridiculous characters. Repetitious inner monologues. There are so many holes in the plot that it would make a better fish net than a book. Just an awful read all around.
October 25, 2023
I’m sorry…but some things aren’t forgivable…certainly not THAT quickly!!
I REALLY REALLY wanted to love this book. It’s the second part of the Second Sets Duet, and concludes the story of River, her daughter Lyric, and River’s harem…the boys she fell madly in love with years ago, only to have them abandon her without a word.
**SPOILERS**
River is now the “head honcho” at the record company her father left her in charge of. One of the bands she manages happens to be the band comprised of the boys she loved when she was younger who had promised to “take her away with them” to California when they left their small town…but disappeared without a word, leaving her heartbroken and pregnant!
Years later, she’s now their “boss,” and although she’s bitter, and angry…and vastly annoyed at how they are treating her like shyte - like SHE IS TO BLAME FOR THEIR ABANDONMENT - she’s determined to successfully manage their band AND even let them get to know “their” daughter (who is biologically Kieran’s daughter) the member who has been the most cruel to River since learning she’s their manager.
Eventually the truth comes out. The boys left River on the belief that she had been cheating on them behind their back. But it had all been an elaborate “ruse,” a set-up orchestrated by one of her guys, Asher - who was DESPERATE to leave his crappy home life and was afraid that his brother and fellow best friends (band mates) wouldn’t leave their small town because of their love for River. So he made the guys believe River had deceived them all.
When the truth comes out everyone is obviously furious. But by this point, Asher has already “made friends with,” and fallen in love with his “daughter,” Lyric (his brother’s biological child) and is harboring so much guilt over what he did, that he accepts everyone’s fury, but begs River to allow him to stay in Lyric’s life.
So, here’s the thing…I get that River’s the better person here. I understand that she didn’t want Lyric to grow up not knowing her dad(s) so she told her about them, showed her photos, and kept their memories alive for her little girl…but to FORGIVE THEM SO EASILY…especially Asher?!! Uhmmm just no…absolutely not!!
It’s simply NOT believable that no matter how sorry the guys are, that within like a week River has allowed bygones to be bygones. And by the end of a few weeks she has forgiven them, AND jumped back into bed with them!! These guys LEFT her. They didn’t listen to her. They didn’t believe her! They took the word of Gloria (a known liar and all around bad person) over the love of their life!! And even if River could forgive the guys, even Kieran who was a complete a-hole to her ALL THROUGH BOOK ONE and most of BOOK TWO, forgiving Asher…heck no!! I don’t care how bad or guilty he felt…his actions not only led to their separation from River…but to the heinous rape River endured at the hands of her monster of an ex-boyfriend!!! Asher SENT Van, River’s ex to her apartment! He told Van where River lived…knowing full well that Van was unstable and River had always told them she was scared of him. And, gah, we can’t forget a-hole Callum, although he didn’t set the circumstances into motion, his actions were almost equally as bad! He could’ve stopped River from being raped!! Instead he saw Van kiss/maul River and just assumed that River was reciprocating, and cheating on him!! He called her all sorts of foul names in his mind, watched Van push his way into River’s place, and left, disgusted - thinking that River WANTED to have sex with her ex-boyfriend!! And when he, and Asher and the rest of the band found out she was pregnant…they called her all sorts of foul names, said they were glad that they’d walked away from her, and assumed the baby was Vans. Yup. They took Gloria’s no-good word for it - AGAIN!!
No. It just wasn’t believable. There is no way guys hurt the woman they love that deeply, only to have her (still working with them) letting them back into her life and bed after like…a week of “soul searching” *eye roll*. Frankly I thought their actions, ESPECIALLY Asher, Callum and Kieran’s were pretty unredeemable, Asher being the worst (due to the rape scenario). But if River WAS going to let them back into her life and her heart, it sure would’ve taken more time than it did. She literally forgives Asher in like, less than two weeks, even going so far as to say, “I forgive you. I understand you. I understand why you did what you did. You had to get out of a bad situation.” Are you kidding me?! With some “adult” communication Asher could’ve cleared up everything, and voiced his “concerns” to his brother and fellow band mates. They could’ve still taken River with them to California! But to believe pictures, grainy (old video clips), and Asher over River, the woman they claimed to love so much - they didn’t even go to speak to her to ask her if the accusations were true- was deplorable, and so ridiculously STUPID I was flabbergasted!!
So, yes, I was really disappointed with the second book of the Second Sets Duet. I felt as if the strong, bad-a&& River we saw in book one totally caved in book two. After one chapter of being mad (after the awful reveal) and a few chapters of being wary of her exes…she’s like “all in,” and ready to play “happy family” with the men that devastated her! And her men…seriously…her harem were DOGS! I don’t care if Callum hadn’t slept with another woman in five years, or that Kieran “couldn’t get it up,” Ashton slept with anything in a skirt, Asher kept his awful secrets, and Kieran dated and tried to sleep with anything that moved!! Seriously, these guys were 100% NOT WORTHY of River or of Lyric! They certainly didn’t deserve forgiveness in less than a month!!!
Ugh! Lately it just seems as if authors are “selling” us supposedly “strong” female main characters, only to flip the script suddenly, have AWFUL things occur to our FMC’s at the hands of her men, and then have the FMC take them back with minimal if no groveling at all!! I’m seeing this trend too often in RH’s, both contemporary and paranormal ones. The “crimes,” or pain or horrible deeds committed against the FMC’s are always “explained away,” “brushed off,” “excused,” and quickly completely FORGIVEN! It’s not only completely unbelievable, but rather nauseating. You begin to lose all respect for the heroines when they lose their backbone and just cave under the pressure and pretense of “Oh, but I love them. They didn’t mean it. Maybe it’s time to let the past remain in the past,”…and best one yet *throwing up a little in my mouth* - “Maybe it was MY FAULT…maybe I did this…I pushed them away, I didn’t listen, I wasn’t completely honest,” yada yada yada! What a load of BS!
Soooo yes, if you enjoyed the first book in this duet, you’ll probably pick this one up too. Just be warned…IMO it was really dissatisfying. Not only was the stalking situation cleared up too quickly, and the ending rushed like heck…but River becomes less and less likable as the book progresses, and her harem…well, they’re useless!
I REALLY REALLY wanted to love this book. It’s the second part of the Second Sets Duet, and concludes the story of River, her daughter Lyric, and River’s harem…the boys she fell madly in love with years ago, only to have them abandon her without a word.
**SPOILERS**
River is now the “head honcho” at the record company her father left her in charge of. One of the bands she manages happens to be the band comprised of the boys she loved when she was younger who had promised to “take her away with them” to California when they left their small town…but disappeared without a word, leaving her heartbroken and pregnant!
Years later, she’s now their “boss,” and although she’s bitter, and angry…and vastly annoyed at how they are treating her like shyte - like SHE IS TO BLAME FOR THEIR ABANDONMENT - she’s determined to successfully manage their band AND even let them get to know “their” daughter (who is biologically Kieran’s daughter) the member who has been the most cruel to River since learning she’s their manager.
Eventually the truth comes out. The boys left River on the belief that she had been cheating on them behind their back. But it had all been an elaborate “ruse,” a set-up orchestrated by one of her guys, Asher - who was DESPERATE to leave his crappy home life and was afraid that his brother and fellow best friends (band mates) wouldn’t leave their small town because of their love for River. So he made the guys believe River had deceived them all.
When the truth comes out everyone is obviously furious. But by this point, Asher has already “made friends with,” and fallen in love with his “daughter,” Lyric (his brother’s biological child) and is harboring so much guilt over what he did, that he accepts everyone’s fury, but begs River to allow him to stay in Lyric’s life.
So, here’s the thing…I get that River’s the better person here. I understand that she didn’t want Lyric to grow up not knowing her dad(s) so she told her about them, showed her photos, and kept their memories alive for her little girl…but to FORGIVE THEM SO EASILY…especially Asher?!! Uhmmm just no…absolutely not!!
It’s simply NOT believable that no matter how sorry the guys are, that within like a week River has allowed bygones to be bygones. And by the end of a few weeks she has forgiven them, AND jumped back into bed with them!! These guys LEFT her. They didn’t listen to her. They didn’t believe her! They took the word of Gloria (a known liar and all around bad person) over the love of their life!! And even if River could forgive the guys, even Kieran who was a complete a-hole to her ALL THROUGH BOOK ONE and most of BOOK TWO, forgiving Asher…heck no!! I don’t care how bad or guilty he felt…his actions not only led to their separation from River…but to the heinous rape River endured at the hands of her monster of an ex-boyfriend!!! Asher SENT Van, River’s ex to her apartment! He told Van where River lived…knowing full well that Van was unstable and River had always told them she was scared of him. And, gah, we can’t forget a-hole Callum, although he didn’t set the circumstances into motion, his actions were almost equally as bad! He could’ve stopped River from being raped!! Instead he saw Van kiss/maul River and just assumed that River was reciprocating, and cheating on him!! He called her all sorts of foul names in his mind, watched Van push his way into River’s place, and left, disgusted - thinking that River WANTED to have sex with her ex-boyfriend!! And when he, and Asher and the rest of the band found out she was pregnant…they called her all sorts of foul names, said they were glad that they’d walked away from her, and assumed the baby was Vans. Yup. They took Gloria’s no-good word for it - AGAIN!!
No. It just wasn’t believable. There is no way guys hurt the woman they love that deeply, only to have her (still working with them) letting them back into her life and bed after like…a week of “soul searching” *eye roll*. Frankly I thought their actions, ESPECIALLY Asher, Callum and Kieran’s were pretty unredeemable, Asher being the worst (due to the rape scenario). But if River WAS going to let them back into her life and her heart, it sure would’ve taken more time than it did. She literally forgives Asher in like, less than two weeks, even going so far as to say, “I forgive you. I understand you. I understand why you did what you did. You had to get out of a bad situation.” Are you kidding me?! With some “adult” communication Asher could’ve cleared up everything, and voiced his “concerns” to his brother and fellow band mates. They could’ve still taken River with them to California! But to believe pictures, grainy (old video clips), and Asher over River, the woman they claimed to love so much - they didn’t even go to speak to her to ask her if the accusations were true- was deplorable, and so ridiculously STUPID I was flabbergasted!!
So, yes, I was really disappointed with the second book of the Second Sets Duet. I felt as if the strong, bad-a&& River we saw in book one totally caved in book two. After one chapter of being mad (after the awful reveal) and a few chapters of being wary of her exes…she’s like “all in,” and ready to play “happy family” with the men that devastated her! And her men…seriously…her harem were DOGS! I don’t care if Callum hadn’t slept with another woman in five years, or that Kieran “couldn’t get it up,” Ashton slept with anything in a skirt, Asher kept his awful secrets, and Kieran dated and tried to sleep with anything that moved!! Seriously, these guys were 100% NOT WORTHY of River or of Lyric! They certainly didn’t deserve forgiveness in less than a month!!!
Ugh! Lately it just seems as if authors are “selling” us supposedly “strong” female main characters, only to flip the script suddenly, have AWFUL things occur to our FMC’s at the hands of her men, and then have the FMC take them back with minimal if no groveling at all!! I’m seeing this trend too often in RH’s, both contemporary and paranormal ones. The “crimes,” or pain or horrible deeds committed against the FMC’s are always “explained away,” “brushed off,” “excused,” and quickly completely FORGIVEN! It’s not only completely unbelievable, but rather nauseating. You begin to lose all respect for the heroines when they lose their backbone and just cave under the pressure and pretense of “Oh, but I love them. They didn’t mean it. Maybe it’s time to let the past remain in the past,”…and best one yet *throwing up a little in my mouth* - “Maybe it was MY FAULT…maybe I did this…I pushed them away, I didn’t listen, I wasn’t completely honest,” yada yada yada! What a load of BS!
Soooo yes, if you enjoyed the first book in this duet, you’ll probably pick this one up too. Just be warned…IMO it was really dissatisfying. Not only was the stalking situation cleared up too quickly, and the ending rushed like heck…but River becomes less and less likable as the book progresses, and her harem…well, they’re useless!
June 8, 2023
⭐️3.5/5! Was it a cute book? YES. Was it the perfect amount of groveling and spice? Hell yess. However was it about 150 pages too long? Very much. I loved Lyric and River so so much -and the men ofc who doesn't love a good why-choose romance? The groveling, spice and fluffiness were perfect but the plot line was a bit too much - just dragged for no reason. Personally, I felt like this could've been one big book instead 500 pages each, like a 600 page big book (300 pages first book, 300 pages -five years later - second book. Ending was a bit rushed, nothing was happening then all of a sudden something happens with barely anytime to process however the epilogue made up for that! Happy they got their happy ending.
Overall I love River such a badass FMC, she deserves all the happiness in the world. The Men are all amazing, was a bit off with Asher first book and halfway through the second book but he has proven himself in my opinion. I'm a Kieran and Callum girl but an Asher girl in the bedroom (IFYKYK)
Overall I love River such a badass FMC, she deserves all the happiness in the world. The Men are all amazing, was a bit off with Asher first book and halfway through the second book but he has proven himself in my opinion. I'm a Kieran and Callum girl but an Asher girl in the bedroom (IFYKYK)
September 21, 2023
4.5 ✨
This was a duet and basically like the words by Ashley jade mixed with harlequin crew by Caroline peckham and Susanne valenti.
So, if you liked either of those, you will probably really enjoy this duet.
Honestly, the entire ending was super predictable with the stalker stuff, I’d have liked to see more there. I’d also have really enjoyed getting more from the side characters. Maybe they have their own books, I’ve actually never read anything by this author before but every character seemed to have a good backstory there just wasn’t enough of it given.
Either way, the duets worth a read if you like RH but fyi book 1 ends on an annoying cliffhanger - but book 2 is out so you can instantly jump into it.
This was a duet and basically like the words by Ashley jade mixed with harlequin crew by Caroline peckham and Susanne valenti.
So, if you liked either of those, you will probably really enjoy this duet.
Honestly, the entire ending was super predictable with the stalker stuff, I’d have liked to see more there. I’d also have really enjoyed getting more from the side characters. Maybe they have their own books, I’ve actually never read anything by this author before but every character seemed to have a good backstory there just wasn’t enough of it given.
Either way, the duets worth a read if you like RH but fyi book 1 ends on an annoying cliffhanger - but book 2 is out so you can instantly jump into it.
May 18, 2023
Yet another superb conclusion to a long and winding, yet heart-wrenching journey!
This book takes place 5 years after everything that went down between River and her men: Kieran, Asher, Callum, and Rad. There are A LOT of issues that needed to be addressed and I’m not going to lie… I was really nervous with how Miss Beck would go about it, but I shouldn’t have had any doubts as she did a fantastic job!! Honestly, I was blown away; I was also an emotional wreck but that’s besides the point.
Not rushed, patiently woven together, Sweet Strings wraps itself up beautifully, offering up its HEA with bittersweet undertones, promising that nothing good ever comes easy or without pain and struggle.
"𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤. 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐧 𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐱𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝. 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡."
The ending was magnificent and I wish the story could go on forever. I love these characters who become more like family. Definitely cant wait to see what else this lovely author has in store!!!
This book takes place 5 years after everything that went down between River and her men: Kieran, Asher, Callum, and Rad. There are A LOT of issues that needed to be addressed and I’m not going to lie… I was really nervous with how Miss Beck would go about it, but I shouldn’t have had any doubts as she did a fantastic job!! Honestly, I was blown away; I was also an emotional wreck but that’s besides the point.
Not rushed, patiently woven together, Sweet Strings wraps itself up beautifully, offering up its HEA with bittersweet undertones, promising that nothing good ever comes easy or without pain and struggle.
"𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤. 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐧 𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐱𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝. 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡."
The ending was magnificent and I wish the story could go on forever. I love these characters who become more like family. Definitely cant wait to see what else this lovely author has in store!!!
January 14, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Our story isn’t a short book. It’s long. Fucking tragic. Filled to the brim with angst and betrayal. It’s four hundred thousand words of our start, our middle, our tumultuous end. Bringing us to the unexpected reunion. The tears, shouts, fights, and finally—our new beginning.
We’ve come full circle.
In the very place that started us.
This is the story of Whispered Words and the girl they so desperately loved, forgot, ruined, and pieced back together. Only this time, I’m getting my happy ending. No matter what.
📚 Book Review 📚
Five-star plus!!
I adored this second half of River’s story. It is easily worth more than five stars. I cannot even begin to put into words how much I loved the duet. Book one broke me, and book two was everything I needed to rebuild my heart. Second chances, atonement, forgiveness, and the overarching threat of a stalker, followed by the most satisfying HEA you could ask for.
I needed the guys of Whispered Words to atone for their leaving River in Central City without a word and pregnant with their child. Their redemption arcs were better than I could have hoped for. Aly more than delivered; she exceeded expectations. Asher was on my permanent shit list after orchestrating the betrayal that prompted the guys to leave River, but he was able to prove himself and show his worth.
His manipulations destroyed a bit of all of them. Coming clean to his bandmates and River was the first step in healing the festering wound that was pulling the band apart, and that left River raising their daughter alone. The hurt and regret they all felt once they discovered Lyric’s existence never could be healed entirely, but they jumped in 100% and showered her will love once they learned of her. She became their entire world.
I thought I wanted a scorched earth response with River ruining Whispered Words' career, but I was surprised how I actually appreciated her more adult response. She kept them alive in Lyric’s life, showing her videos, playing their songs, tell their stories. She protected her heart and made them earn their forgiveness but didn’t require them to crawl through a field of broken glass. The way they were with their daughter, Lyric, was so beautiful. Seeing their softer side made forgiveness easier.
It is slower burn than the first book, as forgiveness takes time. Time and motherhood have only increased River’s beauty in her men’s eyes, a fact they are only too happy to share with her. They are almost reverent (but still hot).
I am going to miss River, Lyric, and Whispered Words. This will definitely be a duet I grab in paperback. Highly recommended!
🎧 Audiobook Review 🎧
Same as the first book, this was so well done! I loved listening to the second half of one of my favorite duets. I felt every bit of the angst and joy. Both narrators were amazing.
I highly recommend this audiobook duet.
Genre: Contemporary Rockstar Romance
Tropes/Features: Second chance, forced proximity, redemption arc, atonement, forgiveness, betrayal/secrets, surprise child, rockstars, stalker
Narrator: Multiple 1st Person POV
Narration Type: Dual-style
Narrator(s): Lance Greenfield and Avery Reid
Relationship Type: Why Choose – MFMMM, medium burn, spicy
Book Type/Ending: Part Two of duet, HEA
TW/CW: Available in book
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Our story isn’t a short book. It’s long. Fucking tragic. Filled to the brim with angst and betrayal. It’s four hundred thousand words of our start, our middle, our tumultuous end. Bringing us to the unexpected reunion. The tears, shouts, fights, and finally—our new beginning.
We’ve come full circle.
In the very place that started us.
This is the story of Whispered Words and the girl they so desperately loved, forgot, ruined, and pieced back together. Only this time, I’m getting my happy ending. No matter what.
📚 Book Review 📚
Five-star plus!!
I adored this second half of River’s story. It is easily worth more than five stars. I cannot even begin to put into words how much I loved the duet. Book one broke me, and book two was everything I needed to rebuild my heart. Second chances, atonement, forgiveness, and the overarching threat of a stalker, followed by the most satisfying HEA you could ask for.
I needed the guys of Whispered Words to atone for their leaving River in Central City without a word and pregnant with their child. Their redemption arcs were better than I could have hoped for. Aly more than delivered; she exceeded expectations. Asher was on my permanent shit list after orchestrating the betrayal that prompted the guys to leave River, but he was able to prove himself and show his worth.
His manipulations destroyed a bit of all of them. Coming clean to his bandmates and River was the first step in healing the festering wound that was pulling the band apart, and that left River raising their daughter alone. The hurt and regret they all felt once they discovered Lyric’s existence never could be healed entirely, but they jumped in 100% and showered her will love once they learned of her. She became their entire world.
I thought I wanted a scorched earth response with River ruining Whispered Words' career, but I was surprised how I actually appreciated her more adult response. She kept them alive in Lyric’s life, showing her videos, playing their songs, tell their stories. She protected her heart and made them earn their forgiveness but didn’t require them to crawl through a field of broken glass. The way they were with their daughter, Lyric, was so beautiful. Seeing their softer side made forgiveness easier.
It is slower burn than the first book, as forgiveness takes time. Time and motherhood have only increased River’s beauty in her men’s eyes, a fact they are only too happy to share with her. They are almost reverent (but still hot).
I am going to miss River, Lyric, and Whispered Words. This will definitely be a duet I grab in paperback. Highly recommended!
🎧 Audiobook Review 🎧
Same as the first book, this was so well done! I loved listening to the second half of one of my favorite duets. I felt every bit of the angst and joy. Both narrators were amazing.
I highly recommend this audiobook duet.
Genre: Contemporary Rockstar Romance
Tropes/Features: Second chance, forced proximity, redemption arc, atonement, forgiveness, betrayal/secrets, surprise child, rockstars, stalker
Narrator: Multiple 1st Person POV
Narration Type: Dual-style
Narrator(s): Lance Greenfield and Avery Reid
Relationship Type: Why Choose – MFMMM, medium burn, spicy
Book Type/Ending: Part Two of duet, HEA
TW/CW: Available in book
May 26, 2023
I was soooooo excited for this book ever since the first book’s KILLER CLIFFHANGER....
I was ready for this heroine to make these boys EAT ALL THE CROW.... But... that didn’t happen and I was a littttleeee annoyed.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the book, but for some reason it just felt like a very different tone than the first book.
The first book had all the steam and this book seemed to just glaze over it. I also felt like the boys seemed kind of clingy and annoying... their voices just weren’t as strong or angsty as the first book. Their complete turn around because of Lyric just didn’t seem as genuine to me. I thought it was cute, but I felt like they did more for her than her mother and I was kind of annoyed by that.
Overall, the book was cute, but I just wish River made them eat dirt a little more so we could’ve had that love/hate banter that I was so desperately hoping for....
I was ready for this heroine to make these boys EAT ALL THE CROW.... But... that didn’t happen and I was a littttleeee annoyed.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the book, but for some reason it just felt like a very different tone than the first book.
The first book had all the steam and this book seemed to just glaze over it. I also felt like the boys seemed kind of clingy and annoying... their voices just weren’t as strong or angsty as the first book. Their complete turn around because of Lyric just didn’t seem as genuine to me. I thought it was cute, but I felt like they did more for her than her mother and I was kind of annoyed by that.
Overall, the book was cute, but I just wish River made them eat dirt a little more so we could’ve had that love/hate banter that I was so desperately hoping for....
May 17, 2024
I loved this series so much!!! I can’t wait to read more of Aly’s books! So so good!
Genre: Contemporary Rockstar Why Choose Romance 🖤👏🏽
Genre: Contemporary Rockstar Why Choose Romance 🖤👏🏽
May 17, 2023
4.5/5 ⭐️
What an absolutely incredible end to this duet. The way I fell even harder for these characters and truly appreciated their journey. We see so much character growth, groveling, joy, sadness, love, and pain in this book. It was just filled with moments I could talk about forever. Seeing the boys with Lyric was so emotional for me. They truly adore and love their daughter so much. The groveling for River was also just top tier. You could see that they knew they needed to fix their broken relationship and these men worked hard. I also just admire River so much for being an incredibly strong woman and mother. She went through so much in her life and deserved the happily ever after that she got.
Aly Beck has just gotten even better as she releases her books. I am proud to have been apart of her ARC team from the beginning. So thank you so much for allowing me to read about Whispered Words and River before they were released 🤍
What an absolutely incredible end to this duet. The way I fell even harder for these characters and truly appreciated their journey. We see so much character growth, groveling, joy, sadness, love, and pain in this book. It was just filled with moments I could talk about forever. Seeing the boys with Lyric was so emotional for me. They truly adore and love their daughter so much. The groveling for River was also just top tier. You could see that they knew they needed to fix their broken relationship and these men worked hard. I also just admire River so much for being an incredibly strong woman and mother. She went through so much in her life and deserved the happily ever after that she got.
Aly Beck has just gotten even better as she releases her books. I am proud to have been apart of her ARC team from the beginning. So thank you so much for allowing me to read about Whispered Words and River before they were released 🤍
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