Breaking Stars

The Celebrity #2

by J. Sterling

An actress since she was fourteen years old, Paige Lockwood finds herself craving a little normalcy after a scandal rocks her otherwise predictable world. With everyone in her life attempting to control her, she takes matters into her own hands and leaves town without so much as a plan or a destination.

But the destination finds her as car trouble forces Paige to settle down in a small Southern town as she waits for repairs. There she meets the handsome, albeit standoffish, Tatum Montgomery, and both of their lives are forever altered as they learn that sometimes when you aren't looking for love, it finds you anyway.


But the real question is: Can you hold on to it when you're from two completely different worlds?

While each book in The Celebrity Series can be read as a stand alone, it is suggested that you read them in order for the most enjoyment. :)
Book #1- Seeing Stars, Madison & Walker
Book #2- Breaking Stars, Paige & Tatum

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, New Adult, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Celebrity Romance, Celebrity

260 pages, ebook

First published June 3, 2015

About the author

J. (jenn) Sterling is a New York Times and USA Today best selling author of multiple contemporary romances. She lives in California with her only son, Blake. If you can't find her sitting behind a computer screen writing new stories, then there's a good chance she's sitting in the bleachers of a baseball stadium watching him play.

Jenn enjoys traveling to new places, meeting her readers and spending time with the love of her life, the one & only, Jack F'n Carter! Oh yeah, it's true. <3

Stay in touch with Jenn here:
Newsletter: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/619557...
Website: http://www.jsterlingbooks.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJSterling
Instagram & TikTok: @AuthorJSterling

Reviews

[Steph's Romance Book Talk · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars / 2 Steam Fans

Video review available in Week 34: Aug 16 – Aug 22 weekly book reviews.

For other video book reviews, check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.

[Nicki - The Overflowing Bookcase · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Hollywood has become to much to deal with and she is questioning her career Paige takes off without a place to go but with just the wind in her hair. When her tire blows and she is left on the side of the road in a small country town,, she gets more than she bargains for when Tatum tows her car. Will Hollywood follow her to the country? Or will she finally find her direction and what happiness really means? With adorable characters and a heart warming storyline this was a great read. Paige and Tatum go from strangers to partners in a world win journey filled with love and hope.

[Samantha (WLABB) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved her. I loved him. I loved them together. I really enjoyed this book.

I liked that we had a good old Hollywood scandal, but we didn't have a meltdown-scarlet. She needed a break, and she didn't spin out. Instead, she went to a small-town and found some real and genuinely nice people to ride out the storm with. It was fun to have the characters from the last book play a little bit of a role in this book, and I was over the moon to get such a fabulous epilogue.

Overall: Fun, sweet, and sexy too.

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[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audible plus is aiding in expanding my horizons! So glad I fell upon this swoony Romance.
The infidelity at the opening attracted me.Luckily Paige soon exchanges the disingenuous , scummy cheating musician who appears to use her for narcissist supply and for media sound bites She takes off to parts unknown to get away from the uproar of the public scandal and lands in Louisiana due to a broken tire.Who is happening by but gorgeous ,but touched by tragedy southern drawling Tatum Montgomery.Paige snaps him out of his lamentable existence and both of their worlds implode\explode and as Paige describes her world goes from black and white to color and Tatum soothes,excites,fulfills ...as RED!
Not that this is devoid of angst,no...its just not cheating related as Yucky Colin is history! There are quite a few hurdles and emotional roadblocks ahead for our couple.Some involving significant ow\om drama! Tatum screws up but chases after his love,performing winning ,out of his comfort zone romantic gesture to get her back in his arms .Many moments made me emo brought tear to the eye.The overall experience of this audio book is positive and uplifting yet emotional bringing tear to eye,but just as many smiles,oohs and ahhs.Highly recommended!

[♡ Jeri's Book Attic ♡ Jeri the Romance Bibiliophile ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lame with a caption "L". Cheesy and forced plot line not to mention way to PG for my liking. I should've paid more attention that this was YA book. 2 bored stars

[April ♥"LOS" ♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a feel good story. When Paige leaves Hollywood after discovering her boyfriend cheated on her she finds herself in a small town in Louisiana. Although she has no intention of selling their the people she meets and the small town feel win her over.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

How am I just now reading this?

Seriously. How did I just now read this? It was so good! I really liked the development of both Paige and Tatum’s characters and the development of their relationship. Even though things happened fast, they didn’t seem too rushed or too fake

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio

Paige and Tatum - good story. Small town romance and filtered back to LA. Loved both characters. Not overly erotic but very cute and entertaining. Looking forward to. Next book.

[Carli · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute, small town romance available on audible plus. The celebrity trope generally isn't my cup of tea, but the author did a good job at creating a sweet storyline and realistic characters. I was a big fan of the duel narrating and it was short and sweet.

[Jo - •.★Reading Is My Bliss★.• · Rating 4 out of 5]

How often do you look at your favourite actor and think ‘if only.’ You see these hot celebrities dating other hot celebrities and think they have the dream lifestyle. We all assume that anyway, forgetting that we are all just people.

This is true for Paige Lockwood who got scouted at 14 years old and has been working as an actress in Hollywood for the last seven years. She is craving normal. She may have a glamorous life but everyday things are on her mind a lot lately.

After being humiliated and having her named dragged through the tabloids she decides that a bit of time away is just what she needs. She had no idea what she would find at the end of the highway, it’s like fate intervened when she had car trouble and the gorgeous Tatum Montgomery stopped to help her.

Tatum is a sweet, gorgeous southern guy. He has always had a bit of a crush on the actress Paige Lockwood and cannot believe his eyes when he finds her needing his help on the side of the road. She is even more beautiful in person and his senses are heightened even more just being near her.

Paige finds herself staying in this small town and finally gets the normalcy she has been craving, no paparazzi, agent or manager dictating to her. Time to reflect on her future and enjoy being 21 with people who want nothing from her apart from friendship.

Tatum is a hard nut to crack and when she manages to break through he is all warm and gooey inside like a marshmallow easter egg ☺ These two are really cute together and just goes to show that dating someone who isn’t in the ‘industry’ could be just what Paige needs in her life.

As ideal as this sounds, reality will come knocking soon and Paige will have to face her responsibilities, returning to her ‘real’ life. Tatum is a small town country boy and she knows that Hollywood is no place for a guy like him. How can she find a balance between happiness and responsibility without ruining her future?

This was such a fun read and I love this couple.

[Rachel Wheeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

3ish stars

Not sure how to rate this book, I listened to this book and it might have effected my view on the book (I didn't connect with the characters). Regardless I did get bored towards the end and skipped the last 40% of the book and read the epilogue. I can honestly say I don't feel I missed anything. I really loved the first book in this series so I might try one more book from this author before I throw the towel in.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh lord, I don't remember the first book any more and I am regretting reading this one. WHY? Well... because of the over the top nature of it all. Good lord, I feel like everything I read now has instalove or such strong cliches that I can pretend what's going to happen. Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me.

[Ricci · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS

A cute yet loveable storyline. Very unrealistic but I
Loved it more than the first book.

[K3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG.. I adore Tatum and Paige. Such a beautiful story about two people living VERY DIFFERENT lives and are struggling to find happiness.

Full review to come!

[RCA · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet YA read that is totally J Sterling style. Tatum and Paige are from different worlds brought together by a cheater and the paparazzi. It's LA meets the real world.

[Clorie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another in the series that I enjoyed. Good tie Ins to the previous story. It was cute and cliched and a HEA. Warm and fuzzy. Looking forward to the next and last one.

[Gabriella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. I liked it better that the previous one, just because it's longer, and has a little more angst.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful 5 stars

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm having a very hard time deciding which story I have liked the most in this series. It might be this one, but I enjoyed them both so thoroughly that it's hard to tell. While I was bummed this story didn't cover Madison's best friend, Paige and Tatum's story was fantastic.

When Madison ran into Paige and Collin at Walker's concert in book one, I wasn't sure how to feel about Collin. In this book, I decided (as I'm sure the author intended) that I didn't like him one bit. His behavior and ethics disgust me.

Paige meets Tatum when her car breaks down in his town during her aimless trek across the country. At first she believes he hates her because he's typically so rude to her. Regardless, Tatum's mother pushes Paige in Tatum's direction, asking Paige to give him a chance. It isn't long before Tatum can no longer deny his attraction for Paige and gives in to it, throwing out the jerk act. When Jason (someone I decided I liked just about as much as Collin for the same reasons in book one) and Collin show up in the quiet town to drag Paige back, Tatum pushes her away to protect himself. She doesn't believe the things he says, but they hurt nonetheless. With a shove from his mother, Tatum finally goes after her. When she doesn't believe him that he will stick around, he has to step completely outside of his comfort zone, with the help of Quinn and Ryson. This book was HEA with no cliffhanger. It was a great story and I will anxiously be awaiting the release of book three, Losing Stars. Until then, I will likely find other J. Sterling books to devour.

[Mary Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great story, Paige Lockwood is America's Sweetheart but when life is getting too much, she needs time to herself, some normalcy. But her agent is against it. So Paige takes off for some alone time.
She is riding along in the south when her tire blows, now on the side of the road, a truck pulls up. This super sexy guy steps out and offers help. She can't believe her luck or that he wants to help. What she thought was bad luck, turns out to be something good she needed.
Meeting Tatum Montgomery was the one thing she needed. That is until her agent and ex-boyfriend show up to take her back to Hollywood. She wants Tatum to tell her to stay with him, but he knows he can't compete with her world, so he tells her to go.
Both brokenhearted, can they work things out and make their two worlds work? Can she forgive Tatum for pushing her away?
I listened to the audio version and loved the way Tatum and Paige were together and the narrators of Erin Mallon, and Jason Clarke brought these two to life for me.

[Jdursi · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the heels of a very public breakup, Paige finds herself overdue for a much-needed hiatus from Hollywood. Having been an actress since her early teens she is now feeling as if she’s missing out on the normalcies of everyday life. She even dreams of being a “normal” college student. After repeated denials for time off from her management team, she decides to take matters into her own hands. She finds herself miles away from California with a flat tire in a small out of the way town. There she meets Tatum. While he takes her breath away he seems to have an instant dislike for her and she cannot figure out what she’s done wrong. Unfortunately, she reminds him too much of his ex. Once he lets down his guard I couldn’t get enough of these two. They were just so cute together. I always love a strong, smart and successful female lead and Paige fits that bill. I’m very much looking forward to the third book in this series.

[Jennifer Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

We see celebrities on TV all the time and we think man the life they have must be amazing but we some times forget that they are human and they have feelings. Paige is a young actress and when her boyfriend is caught cheating it is just too much for her to handle and she needs out. Out if LA away from drama and everything. So she does the only thing she could and pack up her car and take off and told no one where she was going. She needs to be away to clear her head and she can’t do that with everyone telling her what to think and how to feel. What she does not know is that her life is about to change in a way no one could have planned and she will become a whole new person at the end of this fabulous journey.
J Sterling did it again. With her words she truly makes you fall in love with every person, she knows just how to make you feel everything her characters feel. She does not disappoint in any way

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jenn Sterling is one of my favorite authors because she writes books like this one. Simple and sweet. Fun and endearing. (Oh and let's not forget the side of hot southern gentleman she threw in just for me.) She takes these characters which you think you aren't going to have anything in common with, and somehow writes them in so that you connect and relate. That's totally this story for me.

This was a touching, sweet, and also searing love story about a country boy with wounds to heal and a grown-up childhood actress who needs to learn who she is and how to be that person. Once they meet, you just know, they needed each other to make it happen. He helps teach her how to really be herself (and stand up for herself), and she teaches him that it's okay to reach for the stars.

You may cry (a tear or two), but you will also definitely LAUGH, and love. Tatum Montgomery and Paige Lockwood seem much more like friends I've met instead of characters I've read about.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, sweet and sexy read.

Paige is an actress who isn't happy with her manager and agent because they try to control her and make decisions she isn't comfortable with. When the video comes out that her celebrity boyfriend is cheating on her, she decides to get in her car and just drive to escape. She winds up getting a flat tire in a small town in Louisiana. Tatum Mongtomery runs the only mechanic shop in town and offers to bring her to the local bed and breakfast to stay while her car is being fixed. It just so happens his mom owns the bed and breakfast.

Tatum is angry and not so nice to Paige when they first meet and throughout the book he runs hot and cold. Once Paige's real life catches up with her, will Tatum step up or is it too much for him to handle? You have to read to find out.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet enjoyable romance. Like the volume before it, aspects of the plot have been used many times before. But the author is good at keeping the characters and storyline fresh somehow.

Paige leaves LA after finding out definitively that her boyfriend has cheated on her. She starts driving and only stops in a small town in Louisiana when her tire is shredded. She's rescued by a hot guy with issues, and ends up staying in his mom's B&B. She was an actress/star though most of her teenaged years and wants some real-life experiences.

I like that the h from the last book showed up in this one. It was a nice tie-in.

Themes: actress, LA, LA (Louisiana), big city v. small town, obtaining your dream

[Kendra Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been quite awhile since I've read anything by J. Sterling, for the life of me I can't understand why. This book was romantic, sweet and had a nice dose of drama as well. I loved it so much! Sterling tells a smooth and captivating story of a celebrity falling in love with someone outside the business.

The two narrators were two I hadn't listened to before. I loved both of their voices. In fact I loved Jason Clarke's voice so much I may just have to search for books by narrator. If I were to have any complaints about this book it would be that the two narrators pronounced a name differently throughout the whole book. I would have loved for that to have been corrected but I can't say it takes away from the book in any way at all.

[Nicole Olney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet, charming and romantic!!

A damn good realistic love story! Yep, I think Tatum is my new book boyfriend. A small town Southern boy, who respects ladies and loves his momma?! Yes please!! Not to mention the dark hair, beautiful eyes, tan skin and hard body formed by years of football and fixing cars...ah, like Heaven...except for the cold, broken heart of his. Cue in America’s Sweetheart. She’s a cute young movie star, recently skorned in a very public way, but is full of charm, kindness and hope. She sets out on a road trip to find herself and her happiness again, but can she hold on to it back home in LA? Would make a cute movie!!

[Sarah Quilt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cheesy romance and I am all in for it. The scary paparazzi were so intense. My heart went out to Paige and I think I'll look at real life celebrities differently now after seeing this side of it. This was fiction, but it still felt so real the drama these characters had to go through: the lies, the manipulations, the petty ex-girlfriend and the compulsive liar famous ex-boyfriend... wow. I've had some shitty exes, but these assholes were too much.

I listened to the audio book and I enjoyed the dual narration, though going back and forth hearing the female perform a voice for Tatum then the male doing a voice for Paige always feels weird to me, but what can you do.

[Marcellina T Reno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paige and Tatum

I loved the second book. Paige was such a sweet girl that really needed to take control of her life. She wants to find some normalcy she once had. I loved how she finally found her backbone after leaving to go find herself. Tatum in the beginning was not very nice to Paige because he didn’t want to have feelings for her. Finally he let himself feel and the fireworks erupted for them both. However, he did the dumbest thing by pushing her away. He realizes his mistake and finds the most romantic way to prove himself to her.