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Encore: A Spicy Rockstar Romance Novella
When a broken-hearted animal rescue owner meets a rising country star ten years her junior, sparks fly, but can their connection survive the real world?
Autumn Winters has sworn off men. At thirty-four, she's got enough on her plate running a struggling animal rescue without adding relationship drama. Then she locks eyes with Cole Stone across a crowded bar, and every rational thought vanishes.
He's twenty-four. A musician. Everything she's told herself to avoid.
But Cole sees past her walls, her insecurities, and her dog-hair-covered wardrobe. He wants her... age gap, trust issues, and all.
Three days. That's all they have before his tour takes him away. Three days to decide whether this combustible chemistry is worth the risk.
Because falling for Cole means believing she deserves a second chance at love. It means trusting that someone won't leave when things get hard. And it means figuring out if their different worlds can somehow collide without destroying each other.
Sometimes the best encores are the ones you never saw coming.
Autumn Winters has sworn off men. At thirty-four, she's got enough on her plate running a struggling animal rescue without adding relationship drama. Then she locks eyes with Cole Stone across a crowded bar, and every rational thought vanishes.
He's twenty-four. A musician. Everything she's told herself to avoid.
But Cole sees past her walls, her insecurities, and her dog-hair-covered wardrobe. He wants her... age gap, trust issues, and all.
Three days. That's all they have before his tour takes him away. Three days to decide whether this combustible chemistry is worth the risk.
Because falling for Cole means believing she deserves a second chance at love. It means trusting that someone won't leave when things get hard. And it means figuring out if their different worlds can somehow collide without destroying each other.
Sometimes the best encores are the ones you never saw coming.
156 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 5, 2026
About the author
Carly Bryant
3 books23 followersCarly Bryant writes contemporary romance with messy emotions, awkward charm, and characters who learn to love themselves as much as each other. When she’s not writing, you can find her watching true crime documentaries, overthinking everything, or trying to keep her houseplants alive. She believes love stories should be equal parts swoon and sincerity.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
I got to read an early copy of this, courtesy of the author.
This was such a fun novella. I LOVE the fact the FMC (Autumn) is a vet tech and working in an animal rescue. (we've done volunteer work in this area for years) Bryant did a great job of creating a character who is lovable but broken, trying to find her spark.
Enter Cole, a decade younger and on the verge of his music hitting the big time. He takes one look at Autumn and bends over backwards to know her better. He's caring, he's giving, and he works so hard to show her she's worthy of love. And the feral cat scene...gold!
The banter is good, the spice is great, and I love the reverse age gap.
My only dislike was that it sped through their struggles when his tour started. I would've totally dug a full-length novel so that it could have been drawn out. But only so much you can do with page constraints!
Give this one a read, you won't be disappointed.
This was such a fun novella. I LOVE the fact the FMC (Autumn) is a vet tech and working in an animal rescue. (we've done volunteer work in this area for years) Bryant did a great job of creating a character who is lovable but broken, trying to find her spark.
Enter Cole, a decade younger and on the verge of his music hitting the big time. He takes one look at Autumn and bends over backwards to know her better. He's caring, he's giving, and he works so hard to show her she's worthy of love. And the feral cat scene...gold!
The banter is good, the spice is great, and I love the reverse age gap.
My only dislike was that it sped through their struggles when his tour started. I would've totally dug a full-length novel so that it could have been drawn out. But only so much you can do with page constraints!
Give this one a read, you won't be disappointed.
March 14, 2026
Beautiful love story
This is a beautifully written love story. In this reverse age gap novella, Autumn and Cole struggle to find balance between her busy career running an animal rescue and his blossoming music career.
Can their relationship survive all the things life throws at them? Can they find happiness amid the chaos? Is love enough to make it through?
I really enjoyed this book. This was my first romance by Carly Bryant, but I have read all of her thrillers under the pen name Carly Black. She is equally talented in both genres. I highly recommend that you check her out!
This is a beautifully written love story. In this reverse age gap novella, Autumn and Cole struggle to find balance between her busy career running an animal rescue and his blossoming music career.
Can their relationship survive all the things life throws at them? Can they find happiness amid the chaos? Is love enough to make it through?
I really enjoyed this book. This was my first romance by Carly Bryant, but I have read all of her thrillers under the pen name Carly Black. She is equally talented in both genres. I highly recommend that you check her out!
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received an early copy of this novella from the author. This must be every girls fantasy to be picked from the crowd by a Rock/Country star and have him bring her backstage. This is the only short story that I have read from the book The Desire Diaries, but judging by this story I need to read the whole thing! Carly Bryant added just the right amount of spice, with characters that are everyday and lovable. I did end up wishing the story was a bit longer but that was only because it so good, it lacked nothing.
February 16, 2026
Fun read with a reverse age gap. I always love a good music industry romance. Check it out if you like watching a couple navigate how life changes and keeping the romance alive while apart. It's not always easy, but sometimes you have to work for the love you want. The spice is nice and it was a quick fun read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
A cute little story, reverse age gap, a little relationship drama, what more could you ask for!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews