Leaving to Stay

Baby Fever #1

by Nicole Casey

I have everything: women, fame, money.
But the only thing I need now…is Geneva.

Several years ago…
I gave up everything else to pursue my rock star dream.
Including her.
I left that f*cking little town.
I became a world-known rock star.

And now…
I’ve tried so many times to move on. To forget.
Something is missing in my life, but I don't know what.
I don’t expect to see her again…
Yet fate brings us back together.
And when she comes back into my life,
It’s like no years have passed.

I'm addicted again, but this time I'm hooked on her.
And then she whispers something that turns my world upside down
…She has two twin babies, and I’m their Daddy.

Leaving to Stay is a bad boy secret baby standalone romance with an HEA and no cliffhanger!

Genres: Romance, Music, Second Chance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Novella

302 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 15, 2018

About the author

Nicole Casey is a Contemporary Romance Author born and based in The City of Angels. She writes steamy contemporary romance with a happily ever after.

When she isn’t penning sultry scenes, Nicole Casey loves getting lost in her daydreams, going for long nighttime walks, and fine dining. She is also a red wine aficionada and bookworm. Above all, she enjoys nothing more than spending quality time with her loved ones in both human and cat form.

Subscribe to Nicole Casey's newsletter to get her steamy short story and be the first to hear about new releases: https://authornicolecasey.com

Reviews

[Paula (on hiatus) · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is just too much of a hot mess to even bother giving it a full detailed review. It really deserves a '0" rating because the writing is awful and the main characters are so unlikable.

[☆☆Hannah☆☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this was an enjoyable read. At times I wanted to punch both Jude and Geneva though. The main thing that helped this was that it was a short book. If it was longer I'm not sure I would have been able to handle their personalities. Thankfully they got their act together in the end and got their HEA.

[Dainy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jude and Geneva are two incredible music artists, Geneva, who has connections, helps Jude become a famous rock star. However, Jude ends up leaving town and Geneva heartbroken without telling her the reason why he's leaving town. A few years later, Jude is a very famous rock star and Geneva decides to go back into the music industry. This is when they meet up again and truth's are revealed.

Overall, this was a short story and pretty good. However, there were times when the hero got on my nerves for being such an a$$ and I just couldn't connect with the characters.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character is pretty skeezy and man whore. He is not thought very well of by town people in the small town. I did not like Geneva either as she was pretty wishy washy. I like the cover.

[Janet · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[April Symes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first part of the book takes place 4 years before and the characters are in the music business. They met and were only a one night stand. Jude ran off on Geneva which is what made their one night a one night stand. Fast forward to 4 years later, and the two meet again and Geneva has something to tell Jude regarding their one night stand. It had some really good moments when there wasn’t anyone causing them conflict. Will Jude do the right thing or will he up and run again? Geneva and Jude's romance is full of drama, tension, angst, push/pull feelings and pretty intense emotions.

My Rating: 4.4 stars *****
“I received an advanced copy of this book from the author at no cost to me."

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - I had high hopes for this book and at the start - it did not disappoint. It had hot insta sex, chemistry between the bad boy ne'er do well and the woman who turned her back on everything he craved. But together they brought to the table something each was missing. Even the "angsty" parts were enjoyable, where the book started to nose dive for me was the last 1/4. We had a great build up to the confrontation, where from this point on, I felt the Author was done and rushed us through what could have made this a 5 star read.

[Tiffany Copple · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 for Leaving to Stay by Nicole Casey. This is book one in the Baby Fever series. Geneva and Jude killed me in this book. Both are musicians but struggling. They have different views on being famous and what it means. This is a short secret baby rockstar romance. I enjoyed it but I wanted Jude to be more likeable. I feel like he did nothing to make himself redeemable. It was still worth reading.

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, it quickly drew me in and had me wanting to know what was going to happen next. The characters are complex, at times frustrating which makes them more believable. Told from each character’s point of view, it helps give insight into what the character is thinking and feeling. Overall, an enjoyable story.

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starts off with choppy writing. Geneva is living in a trailer park and drinking copious amounts of alcohol. She seemed angry and jealous that some man who she had a brief fling with months ago has finally made it big in the music industry. Then she finds out she is pregnant and I feared that her children would suffer fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

Jude 28 is an aspiring musician. His job is to mow the grass at a cemetery. He finally dumps the woman he has known since childhood and he occasionally sleeps with. He crashes the party held for Geneva at a mutual friend’s house. Jude finds out that Geneva had a music contract but she stupidly walked away and they have a quickie and then proceed to have a semi relationship for a few weeks. [Always with unprotected sex.' They write songs together and sing at bars. He wonders if his new success and fame is due to Geneva and begins to resent her. The OW tells him she is pregnant so he wants to be able to provide for his child and he sees fate looking down on him when he is offered a recording contract without Geneva.

Four years has now passed on Chapter 11. [Such weird writing.]
Geneva has three-year-old twins Cheyenne and Wyatt. She hasn’t gotten a job in four years instead she is a parasite living off her brother and infertile sister in law. She gets a musical record again and hopes to finally provide for her children. She hasn’t had a relationship with anyone since Jude.

Jude is now a multimillionaire Rockstar and a coke addict who has been sleeping with any woman to cross his part. He frequently uses the songs Geneva wrote but she never gets any royalties for them.

Jude and Geneva meet again at a party so of course they once again have unprotected sex in a bathroom. Geneva luckily doesn’t get a disease or infection from him. She tells him about their children so he gets angry and accuses her of being sick and trying to get money from him. She follows him to his concert in Paris with her two children and they oddly end up together.

In the epilogue TWO YEARS later he asks her to marry him. I don’t believe that these to will make it. They were both unlikable characters.

[B. C. Booklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice

This was a perfect book for a relaxing Saturday afternoon. It was my favorite genre, rock star, music related, second chance romance, it was all here to enjoy.

Jude & Geneva met thru mutual friends after she gave up a potential career as a country singer in Nashville & moved to be near friends in Louisiana. Jude lived in this small town his whole life & was dying to get out, become famous for his music. Even though Gen's friends warned her to keep away from him, he was considered bad news, slept around alot, but she followed her heart & kept on seeing him. They had the music in common even if his was rock & hers was country. They wrote songs & performed locally together, she wasn't sure if it was the right move for her but he was loving it, so she did it anyway.

Jude ends up getting a recording contract that doesn't include Gen but when he tries to tell her about it, she snaps out on him. They fight, she won't listen & she boots him out of her life for good He reluctantly leaves, to her ultimate regret. She finds out she's pregnant later, but decides she's never going to tell him.

They both live different lives now, her as a mother to the children he has no clue about, him as a lonely, partying rock star who thinks about her constantly.

A chance industry party brings them face to face after 4 years, but how will they both handle suddenly seeing each other again after 4 years apart.

Read & see. Although the entire book was great, I soooo loved the last chapters & the epilogue. Another new to me author which I feel like I keep finding lately. I really enjoyed her writing style so much, the dialogue she writes just seems very real to me. I will have to see what else she's got out there now.

[Raecharmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jude and Geneva met through mutual friends when she gave up her music career. Things with Jude got heated pretty quickly and soon they were writing and performing together. While performing locally an agent saw them and was only interested in Jude and offered him a contract. Just as he got the news someone from his past drops some news on him that he doesn't want to know. When he goes to tell Geneva about the contract she lashed out at him and throws him out. Jude doesn't want to leave and plans to get in touch with her again but things get busy for him. Not long after Jude leaves Geneva discovers that she's pregnant and makes her friends promise not to tell Jude about the baby or where she was moving to. Four years later they run into each other at a party and Geneva has started singing again. When they see each other its like no time has passed. Will Geneva tell Jude about their twins? Can Jude convince her to give him another chance?


This was a great story once I started it I couldn't put it down. The chemistry between Jude and Geneva was blazing hot. This is a well written and very entertaining story. I would recommend it to any of my book friends.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[MJM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Boy! That Jude annoyed me - what a selfish jerk he could be. But then again, when you read this you're going to find out that there is so much more to him. As for Geneva...she loved him and he left her to pursue his big dreams but now he's back. Only this time, it's not just the two of them. last time he was home he left her with precious presents and they are just so cute! I loved Nicole Casey's love story of Jude and Geneva. It starts in the present and then takes you back to when all their story really started. Geneva is just so easy to like and her friendships are believable and so worthwhile and she certainly needed them throughout the years! Girl power was definitely needed. Will Jude and Geneva have a HEA together? Will you want to give him a good 'shove' to get him to realise what he needs to do? This is a real page turner and will keep you engrossed form page one to the very last. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED

[Evelyn Dotson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geneva left stardom behind after they wanted her to change everything about herself. She was done and burned out~ Jude had aspirations to make it big but lacked the motivation to get there. He just broke up with a local girl he has been seeing off and on their entire lives. He meets Gen and instantly they meshed! They hook up immediately, against her friends’ advice. Several weeks later, they are playing gigs together and he believes it is because of her and not him. They fight and he ends up at the gig alone. He gets signed for a record deal and the local girl tells him she is pregnant…fast forward several years later and Gen is about to immerse herself once again into stardom because she has no choice! She is raising twins that Jude left behind but had no clue about! The other claim was false and he paid the price in many ways~ Now, they run into each other again…what will happen? Will she tell him about the twins? Will they try again? I received this as an ARC and am leaving a voluntary review.

[Kristen Lewendon · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when a bad-boy rocker desperately searching for his break meets a good girl who turned her break down because she’s searching for herself? You get something like this little angst-y, drama-laden tale. Geneva told her big break to “get lost” because the industry wanted something from her that she wasn’t. Jude has talent and dreams too big for his small hometown, he just hasn’t found his chance to escape yet. Each of them could be the answer the other seeks, but they have to make it through judgmental and interfering friends and acquaintances first. I like the connection we see right away between Geneva and Jude. Their behavior made me want to bang their heads together, though. The ending is adorable and I’m still smiling over how sweet it is.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book.

[Caroline Doig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fantastic read and it’s my favourite genre Rockstar stories. This is the story of Geneva and Jude, Geneva left the music business because they wanted her to change her style but she refused to. Jude was wanting to get into the music industry and he would do whatever it takes to get there, once they met there was an instant attraction then things changed and they both started to sing in a club. Jude was given a music contract but Geneva wasn’t and he just left. That’s all I’m giving you so if you want to know more then you will need to get this book. Great storyline and characters and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author. A 5 plus +++ ⭐️ read and I highly recommend this book it’s definitely well worth the read.

[Joanne Carr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Geneva was a singer songwriter writer and was off to a good start until she realized that she didn’t want to change anything about herself or be lead around by the nose. She winds up going to her brothers house with his wife Elsa. Geneva meets Jude which everyone told her to stay away from but didn’t listen. They get together and then he leaves suddenly when he finds out his ex girlfriend was pregnant and he needed to get his life together. He took the offer that was handed to him a record deal and Geneva found out she was pregnant with Jude’s twins. Next thing she knows is that she runs into Jude who was surprised to see her and she blew him off. Will he ever find out his children or had she had enough. Twists, turns and a surprise. Fast read

[Elizabeth Mularski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book with no requirement for leaving a review. This review is being left voluntarily and any and all opinions are my honest thoughts on this book and the authors work. This is a second chance, rockstar, secret baby romance. This story centers around Jude and Geneva, their music careers and lack of career, past mistakes and a renewed love. It is filled with drama, some angst, and twists and turns. It is written well and is engaging. This author has some strong writing skills. I would definitely one click for a great afternoon read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sara Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just a thought, but maybe don’t bring up the fact that a character is plus-sized almost every time you mention her. “Shooting the chunky brunette a warning look”, “The chubby woman shrugged and nodded”. You can mention a woman’s body type (relatability, visibility) but you only bring up *her* body type, no one else’s. You are making it her *one* defining featuring, and you do it at times when it is unnecessary (like in the examples above). Constantly pointing out that someone is plus-sized is performative woke-ness and actually turns into fat phobia at some point. Moreover, it’s lazy writing and fucking annoying to read.

[Destiny Bridwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I am a sucker for a good second chance romance as the next girl, but this one pulled at me for other reasons. Gen and Jude were lovely and overly emotional characters. The music was good from country to rock. I liked the story being told from both of their points of view. It let me know what they were thinking and pain and frustration life was throwing at them. Now if you want to know if they go there moment you are going to have to pick up a copy for yourself. I will never tell. 

[Brigitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that I really liked to read. It is musical romance with all the drifferent types of occurrences all throughout the book. It has many of the elements needed for a good book - if not alll that are needed. For me the difference is just this tiny thing that I cannot put a finger on, but makes the difference between four and five stars. This one has a lot - it has the love, the difficulties, the struggles, the +18scenes the highs and the lows, all in all a good story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great comeback

Whoa must admit i almost gave up on this book but realized only 15 chapters was too infested at chapter 8 and continued. It was worth the continuation even though the very ending felt rushed. From the pick up there was room for a longer novel.

Gen had the life..so her small minded hometown thought..therefore, they deemed her crazy waking away. Jude lived in a dreamworld..so his small minded community assumed and deemed him a life wasted. However together they lived life their way

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent contemporary rock star romance. Geneva fell for Jude after she gave up a recording contract. Jude didn’t understand why she’d do that and Gen tried to explain they wanted to make her into someone else. Jude left to peruse his career using songs Gen and he wrote together. The story has lots of angst and Jude changes and enjoys the women and all the vices. Ms. Casey developer these characters with real feelings that take the reader on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I look forward to reading future books by Ms. Casey.

[Michelle Quintana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

I enjoyed reading Geneva and Jude's story. Both being musicians, their souls were drawn together. However, Geneva had walked away from a chance in music and Jude was looking for a chance in music. They each receive unexpected news that ends up pushing them away from one another for a few years. When they do reunite, they are still drawn to each other. Geneva gives Jude another surprise, which he doesn't handle well. I did like the way the book ended, even though their story could have lasted longer.

[Merry Jelks-Emmanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jude and Geneva are dynamic characters in this story about two music artist who in their own way aspire to be at the top of the music world. It is Geneva that gives Jude his break but in doing so he cuts his losses and leave town without giving Geneva a reason until the end of the story when the truth comes out. By then Geneva has a bombshell of her own to land at Jude's feet. Can these two put aside past mistakes and forge a bright musical future? I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Demetra · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book! Nicole Casey never disappoints!! This is the story of Geneva and Jude and their second chance in love! I loved every second of the book. I was hooked from page 1 and I couldn’t wait to see how things would play out.
This book was amazing even though a little short, I really needed more from Jude and Gen. I can’t wait to see what comes next from the author!!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Giofab21 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever wants something so bad but not prepared on how you'll get it? For Jude it ends up NOT the package deal with Geneva that he thought of. Once you make a choice it's hard to come back, and why would Gen want him back when he didn't choose her first. A reunion that sets off on a track almost forgotten. Check out this couple....love ain't always what you think.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Brittania Dancer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written and quick paced book. The characters are likable but something was missing for me to really enjoy them. Jude and Geneva are both musicians. One wants to make it big and one wants to leave the business. Jude and Geneva meet again after years apart and get a chance to rekindle that spark despite past insecurities rear their ugly head. The plot flows well with the story and has a twist.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Laila Viking · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice story and enjoyable read. But the main characters annoyed me so much sometimes. It is a big mess and they have to open up and mature. Their personalities are not what I would like them to be. They are almost unlikeable and so cruel towards each other that it hurts reading the story. But apart from that it is a nice and easy read. It is rather short and does not flow easily of the pages.
Has a mix of manwhore, secret children, drama and emotions.

[Paganalexandria]

01/21/19 currently free in Love, Again: A Second Chance Romance Collection by Nicole Casey
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...