Stuck in Reverse

Bridge City Beats #2

by Stephanie Louise

Portland, Oregon, 1995. Their worst days should be behind them.
But the past refuses to let go…

Brewery owner Matthew Hall was a carefree twenty-four-year-old until being held captive, then nearly killed and framed for murder. He survived, but the trauma from the attack haunts him, even in his sleep. As Matthew struggles to heal, the family of his dead tormentor wants answers, but revisiting that night could mean losing everything.

Killing Daisies drummer Amber Jamison is riding high on the success of her band’s latest album and news of an upcoming European tour that promises to catapult them to the next level. Then, someone from her past resurfaces, reopening old wounds and threatening to derail her career by tarnishing her reputation.

When Amber witnesses a confrontation that spins Matthew into a panic attack, their bond grows, and she becomes determined to help him heal and feel strong again. Together, they have to discover how to hold onto what they need, and how to let go of everything and everyone holding them back.

Can they learn to trust and listen to their hearts despite their wounds?

Stuck in Reverse is a spicy friends-to-lovers romance set in mid-nineties Portland, Oregon. It’s book two in the Bridge City Beats series and contains dark elements tempered by humor and spice. Immerse yourself in the lives of a group of friends who need music to breathe, are loyal to the core, and love with all their hearts.

393 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 19, 2024

About the author

Stephanie Louise has been obsessed with books since Charlotte’s Web broke her heart when she was seven. She wrote short stories and poetry as a little girl, and now, she writes steamy, suspenseful love stories that keep the pages turning.

Stephanie lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband, two sons, and way too many crazy pets. She has a B.A. in English from Washington State University. When she’s not writing, she’s hiking in the rain, going to rock concerts, or cooking something loaded with garlic.

Reviews

[Kimberley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored returning to Portland, Oregon in the second book in the Bridge City Beats series with Stuck in Reverse. This is more than a romance story as we learn about the on going struggles Mathew faces after what happened in the first book A Perfect Fit. I loved all the returning characters from A Perfect Fit and adored seeing what they were up to. Mathew and Amber both have a past which they both have to overcome and we are taken on an emotional journey as they both face their struggles. Honestly they were so perfect for each other and I adored their growth. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read and would recommend both books in this series and personally I would recommend reading A Perfect Fit first.

I received a complementary copy from Booksirens.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matthew is part owner of a Micro Brewery with Evan. Matthew is the younger brother of Tyler, who is in a group called Tomorrow Mourning together with Zack and Adam. Tyler has looked out for Matthew since their father past away when they were younger. Tyler is getting married to Charlotte who is in a group called Killing Daisies together with Sandra, Amber and Luke. Matthew has always loved music and always around gigs/backstage with his brother. Charlotte is like a sister to him and he's always got on very well with all of the other band members too. Matthew was always a happy, confident, outgoing guy until and incident with Tyler's ex-wife and bodyguard who took him hostage. Since then he has suffered nightmares and severe panic attacks. Jessica is a nurse at the hospital where Matthew was admitted once freed and they develop a relationship.

Matthew is trying to cope the best way he can from the abduction but it's not working. He likes Jessica but she seems to taking him away from things he holds dear. His friends can see this but he can't. Amber has always liked Matthew, they get on very well together, there's always been an attraction there in the background.

After a disagreement between Matthew and Amber, she goes around to his to clear the air. Both feel that attraction but when Jessica arrives Matthew realises Jessica is not who he wants to be with.

Matthew and Amber eventually take the plunge and start a relationship but because of hurt in Amber's past, her father's abandonment of her and her sisters, she has issues with trust. Matthew still suffering from the kidnap, also brings baggage to the relationship. Both are dealing with these but the intense attraction which they now feels spurs them on. Both of them fall hard, their friendship has given them a good foundation for the relationship to succeed. But their past demons cause tiny fractures and misunderstandings. Eventually one crack causes the fracture to break.

Can both of them come back from this? Can Matthew ever be the man he wants to be for Amber? Can he lay his demons to rest and be the man he use to be? Can Amber overcome her heartbreak with her father and trust any man ever again?

A great story, with a good background and great primary and secondary characters. But shows that friendship, compassion, love, group dynamics and loyalty bond all of them together.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[kase · Rating 4 out of 5]

We’re back in Portland in the 90s and the gang is still together! What I enjoyed so much about this is, all of our side characters are still so actively involved in the new story. Charlotte and Tyler aren’t the main focus but they didn’t disappear into “no longer main character in this book” territory. You could probably get away without reading the first in this series, but I wouldn’t skip it.

Again we get a fully fleshed out story between two people who are growing and working on themselves being the best they can be. I enjoyed that we get more than just a romance plot, there’s Matthew’s healing from a traumatic event, Amber dealing with family issues and new fame, everyone worrying about friend dynamics changing with a baby coming along and more! Both characters have to and WANT to grow and I love that.

At times it felt so relatable I felt personally attacked! “Avoiding problems you need to face is avoiding the life you should be living.” Okay Matthews therapist I feel like I owe you a copay now… hahahahah.

Friends to lovers is such a good trope and its easy to see how Amber and Matthew have had their own sparks there the last few years and are finally to the point where all the good what ifs outweigh the “what if it doesn’t work and I lose a friend?”

This isn’t a fluff only romance so you do have to hold out hope when depression and stubbornness prevail. But it’s not quite as dark as what happens in the first! Have faith in our characters and the good people surrounding them to help them through. The found family Amber and Matthew have in their friends give me the most punk warm fuzzies ever!

Matty does start the book in a relationship with someone else but there is NO cheating!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Teri D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love Amber and Matthew. They fiercely confront their personal demons, always show love and loyalty to their friends and family, and huge passion for each other. As their story unfolds, little side stories and twists only add to the enjoyment of their journey. Highly recommend.

[Melanie Hitchens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book two the Bridge City Beats novels. Immediately, Matthew is struggling with PTSD from events that happened in book 1. He is dating one of the nurses, Jessica, who took care of him after his trauma and slowing realizing his feelings for his friend, Amber. The author does an amazing job with the manipulative, over-bearing character of Jessica because I did not like her at all!

Matthew grew on me as a character. It was a tad annoying everyone was so worried about him and his reaction to the trauma when Tyler and Charlotte went through the ordeal too. As the novel progressed, the author did a good job portraying how different people process trauma differently.

I really struggled with the first couple of chapters because I felt like I was reading a dramatic portrayal of overcoming trauma versus a romance novel. I did like the fact Amber, the female main character was the rock star of this novel and once we had some focus on her character, the novel became more enjoyable.

Though this could be read as a stand-alone, I would recommend reading book 1 first to get a more thorough grasp of Matthew and Amber's friendship. Also, Charlotte and Tyler are the main couple of the first novel. Without spoilers, there were some conflicts within their relationship that seemed extreme and didn't make sense if they were such good friends. Some of the issues with Jessica for example could have just been directly addressed in a conversation, which I thought they would do as good friends.

If you enjoy characters processing trauma and growing within a novel individually while navigating romantic relationships, then you will enjoy this book.

Romance Rating: Slow-burn
First kiss happens 39% into book.
First more than kiss contact happens 51.8% into book.
(I calculate by page number of event divided by total number of pages.)

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ashlyn’s Bookcase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Format: 🗒️ kindle

I really loved book 1- The Perfect Fit. I thought it was amazing and I ripped through it! After Stephanie reached out and asked if I’d like to read the second installment of the Bridge City Beats books, I was thrilled!

Reading it on my kindle in the summer means it took me a while to get through it. I think because of this it lost some steam for me, but overall it was still a fantastic story! I found Amber and Matt sweet and the fact that it picked up after APF ended was great. Matthew’s realistic battle with PTSD made the book and his character feel more rounded. Seeing all the characters back each other up at different points in the story was really touching and made me cheer them on in their own endeavors!

Hands down Jessica is so annoying when you’re trying to root for Amber, but she’s so typical of a burned lover. How Amber shows up after Tyler’s bachelor party and she’s at Matt’s. How Matt leaves Tyler and Charlottes to go see Jessica after she called and said she needed him….. on the first day him and Amber are together. Like ugh go away girl! It felt a bit juvenile and I would have liked to see the plot progress without those issues, but it was an important vehicle for Matt and Amber.

I got my wish anyways when Amber started helping Matt rewrite his bad memories with new ones, and when Matt helped show Amber she is worthy of love. Their story was touching and real. Kates mothering vibes was so sweet too with Nick! I’m so happy how that storyline worked out. I love how each Jamison sister has their own personality.

Stephanie Louise did it again with a complex book, multiple plot lines and problems, and satisfying endings.

Disclaimers/Spoilers:




















there is no HEA pregnancy (thank god) and there is a third act break up

[Marnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still more great Rockstar Reading.

Wow, still more great rockstar reading from Author Stephanie Louise who has delivered another amazing book with STUCK IN REVERSE, the second book in her Bridge City Beats series set in 90’s Portland, Oregon. I absolutely loved every moment with these characters and hit this book in a single sitting. I’m not sure I would say it stands-alone as a lot of what happens in STUCK was as a consequence of events that happened in book one, A PERFECT FIT, so I highly recommend you read it first and develop a love and affinity with the characters, because seriously, they deserve it.

Anyone who can describe a person or a character as ‘needing music to breathe’ understands just how soul deep the need for beats really is and the progressive punk/metal vibe I got in A PERFECT FIT continued but to a lesser degree in Matthew and Amber’s book. Whether it be the composers, artists or those of us who listen to music and need it in our lives to properly function, Ms Louise certainly infused this passion into her characters who made up the two bands of Tomorrow Mourning and Killing Daisies.

We first met Matthew and Amber as important secondary characters in PERFECT, and in here they absolutely shone in their imperfect beauty, both damaged by the influences of others or circumstances beyond their control. Ms Louise set them on a path of understanding, confrontation, healing and yep, even failing occasionally, everything needed to finally reach forgiveness and letting go. In romance, I always want my HEA, but what is most important is the journey taken to get there, and holy cow, what a journey!

While it’s not my favourite format, it’s written in the third person POV with chapters alternating between Matthew and Amber, and I found seeing the effect that PTSD had in stalling his life was heart-breaking. I can’t even pretend to know, and I thought Ms Louise handled his character with a truthful delicacy that didn’t shy from it’s brutal interference into his life, belaboured his symptoms or the events from A PERFECT FIT that caused them, even as she used the ironic sense of humour of our characters to ease the hurt. I’ll say here again that I really believe that it should be read first.

Amber’s musical talent lay in what I love most about the progressive metal/punk genre being the heavy beat of the drums and I truly felt her passion for playing come through strongly from Ms Louise, as did the deeply hidden self-doubt. She really was an enigma that Matthew just saw through to the heart of, and it was this damaging self-doubt and quick anger that might just rob her of the man she couldn’t admit to loving.

If I had to choose sides, I was with ... nah, no spilling of secrets! Simply put, I did understand where Amber came from, all while wanting to tell her to pull her head in and just, maybe offer out some of the understanding that she wanted for herself.

What I loved most was that family matters in this Bridge City Beats family whether it be blood or chosen and I loved seeing Tyler and Charlotte still having a heavy influence here. When the past came calling, when Matthew and Amber hit their watershed moments, all characters stepped up for each other and Ms Louise added another element here that I just loved. Accepting someone for who they are, not judging them for who they love. Just perfect.

All up, STUCK IN REVERSE is less about suspense and stalking as was the case in A PERFECT FIT, and more about the consequences and after-effects of the trauma, giving me all the feels and less enthral. And while readers are advised of these darker elements, I still found it to be reasonably easy reading especially when the characters use humour as a way to lighten a situation. It was a 4.5-Star-great-rockstar-read🎶💜🎵

#fbombromancereviews #mumsalwaysreading #bookblogger #bookreviewer #marnsreads #marnsj

[Adonia Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. I actually had tried to read it some time ago and I think I wasn't in the right headspace - Matthew's trauma is pretty difficult to read through at the beginning. But I kept thinking about the story and knew that I would give it another try. I finally did and it consumed me for its entirety.

Matthew and Amber's story is so sweet, and raw, and real. Both MCs felt realistic and relatable and Author Stephanie Louise really brings home the reality of living with severe trauma, and what it takes to find healing. Plus, the spice was so good!

I'm SO glad that I came back to this book and now I cannot wait to check out No Rules, the spicy novella in the story, and then the next book in the Bridge City Beats series, Don't Regret Me. Highly recommended!