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Replay #2
Play it by Ear
The Heart Always Knows
Lando
My muse is gone, and I haven’t written a word of music in over a year. Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is Dawson. Nine years ago, just before Downward Spiral’s first major tour, I met my soulmate and then I walked away. Now that I’ve finally tracked him down again, things have changed. I’ll have to make him fall for me all over again. But is it possible I put our single weekend together on a pedestal or could Dawson really be The One?
Dawson
A traumatic brain injury nine years ago left me deaf and with spotty memory of the first twenty years of my life. When one of the biggest rock stars in the world shows up and seems to know me, I’m not sure what to believe. Is it possible he’s telling the truth when he says he’s been in love with me for nine years, even if I can’t remember ever meeting him?
***Play it by Ear is the second book in the Replay series. Each book in the series will focus on a different band member getting a second chance at love. Each book can be read as a stand-alone.
Lando
My muse is gone, and I haven’t written a word of music in over a year. Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is Dawson. Nine years ago, just before Downward Spiral’s first major tour, I met my soulmate and then I walked away. Now that I’ve finally tracked him down again, things have changed. I’ll have to make him fall for me all over again. But is it possible I put our single weekend together on a pedestal or could Dawson really be The One?
Dawson
A traumatic brain injury nine years ago left me deaf and with spotty memory of the first twenty years of my life. When one of the biggest rock stars in the world shows up and seems to know me, I’m not sure what to believe. Is it possible he’s telling the truth when he says he’s been in love with me for nine years, even if I can’t remember ever meeting him?
***Play it by Ear is the second book in the Replay series. Each book in the series will focus on a different band member getting a second chance at love. Each book can be read as a stand-alone.
254 pages, ebook
First published June 29, 2018
269 people are currently reading
483 people want to read
About the author
K.M. Neuhold
100 books3,320 followersK.M.Neuhold has long since been a romance junkie. When she’s not writing she’s reading or spending time snuggling with her husky or her husband. She fell in love with M/M romance last year and hasn’t been able to turn back. There’s nothing she loves more than love in all its forms.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
July 19, 2023
Dnf 70% Exceptionally boring and the amnesia trope was so so underwhelming.
July 4, 2018
~2.5~
I haven't read the first book in this series but didn't feel like I was missing anything. All the members of a rock band named Downward Spiral find love and happiness simultaneously during a break they take to regroup and decide if they want to continue making music together.
This book, which focuses on the bassist/song writer and his longlost weekend lover, is narrated in an alternating, first-person, present POV, definitely my least favorite narrative style (it's the present with which I have a problem, not the first-person).
Both MCs are sweet if cookie-cutter characters, and there are tender moments and raunchy sex.
Some of the story flashes back to a weekend nine years prior when the men first meet. The flashbacks aren't too drawn out, and I didn't mind them much. The tentative HEA is hopeful, if a little rushed.
Sadly, I had quite a few logistical niggles that lowered my rating:
1. The relationship development is nonexistent. One weekend together does not a lifelong partner make. I've had these magical experiences where I thought I'd pine after a certain person forever, but the human mind is fickle. We may not forget, but memories fade, and we move on.
2. Lando, who we're told over and over is a famous rockstar, loses his phone. Someone finds it and exposes his and Dawson's relationship to the public. I call serious bullshit.
First of all, a celebrity would have their phone locked within an inch of its life: fingerprint swipe or a code at the very least. That doesn't make it impossible to crack, but it provides time for something called Remote Security Administration, which allows a third party to remotely wipe your phone. Even Android and iOS have programs you can download to enable this feature.
When Lando loses his phone, his manager doesn't even blink, just sends him a new phone. At no point does anyone go, Hey, we should totes wipe the confidential info from Lando's phone. I mean, COME ON. I don't buy it.
3. But my biggest gripe is the way Dawson's deafness was handled. It's rare but not impossible to entirely lose your hearing due to a traumatic brain injury, and since Dawson was not born deaf, he had a better feel for speech patterns and, thus, lip reading.
Even so, reading lips allows members of the Deaf community to understand approximately 30 to 50 percent of what's being said, and that's if the context is familiar and the discussion limited to simple topics. In the story, Dawson can lip read literally everything Lando says, from major confessions to long discussions about music, food, and life.
If you're going to write a disabled MC, make the disability real. Don't sugarcoat it. Don't pretend it's easy for someone who's d/Deaf to navigate a hearing world.
I haven't read the first book in this series but didn't feel like I was missing anything. All the members of a rock band named Downward Spiral find love and happiness simultaneously during a break they take to regroup and decide if they want to continue making music together.
This book, which focuses on the bassist/song writer and his longlost weekend lover, is narrated in an alternating, first-person, present POV, definitely my least favorite narrative style (it's the present with which I have a problem, not the first-person).
Both MCs are sweet if cookie-cutter characters, and there are tender moments and raunchy sex.
Some of the story flashes back to a weekend nine years prior when the men first meet. The flashbacks aren't too drawn out, and I didn't mind them much. The tentative HEA is hopeful, if a little rushed.
Sadly, I had quite a few logistical niggles that lowered my rating:
1. The relationship development is nonexistent. One weekend together does not a lifelong partner make. I've had these magical experiences where I thought I'd pine after a certain person forever, but the human mind is fickle. We may not forget, but memories fade, and we move on.
2. Lando, who we're told over and over is a famous rockstar, loses his phone. Someone finds it and exposes his and Dawson's relationship to the public. I call serious bullshit.
First of all, a celebrity would have their phone locked within an inch of its life: fingerprint swipe or a code at the very least. That doesn't make it impossible to crack, but it provides time for something called Remote Security Administration, which allows a third party to remotely wipe your phone. Even Android and iOS have programs you can download to enable this feature.
When Lando loses his phone, his manager doesn't even blink, just sends him a new phone. At no point does anyone go, Hey, we should totes wipe the confidential info from Lando's phone. I mean, COME ON. I don't buy it.
3. But my biggest gripe is the way Dawson's deafness was handled. It's rare but not impossible to entirely lose your hearing due to a traumatic brain injury, and since Dawson was not born deaf, he had a better feel for speech patterns and, thus, lip reading.
Even so, reading lips allows members of the Deaf community to understand approximately 30 to 50 percent of what's being said, and that's if the context is familiar and the discussion limited to simple topics. In the story, Dawson can lip read literally everything Lando says, from major confessions to long discussions about music, food, and life.
If you're going to write a disabled MC, make the disability real. Don't sugarcoat it. Don't pretend it's easy for someone who's d/Deaf to navigate a hearing world.
July 2, 2018
I know there's only two out so far but this one is absolutely my favourite one yet! It has way less of the angst than the first book but it still has enough tensions to stop it from being a one-dimensional read.
Lando has been pining for a guy he met over a heady weekend in Miami nearly a decade ago. After the events of book one (this could be read as a standalone however as there is enough catch up as to the situation) he decides to head back to Florida and the same beachfront house he rented to see if it will help his writer's block.
Fate, of course, lands his lost love back in his lap but there's been a big change and Dawson is now deaf and has no memory of the weekend he spent with Lando, a horrific car accident at the end of that weekend while on his way home has robbed him of both his hearing and parts of his life.
As these two vulnerable men get to know each other all over again, the narrative is carefully woven through present and past scenes to give the reader the glimpse into the long-lost weekend which changed both their lives so dramatically.
While on the surface it may seem like Dawson is the more vulnerable of the two men, his deafness and fears he may have more memory lapses are a strong presence in the plot, Lando is actually the one who is on the edge as he's terrified of losing the man he's never stopped loving.
The pacing of this book is very good, it never dips or drops off but tootles along in a gently comforting fashion as Dawson begins to see himself and his missing memories through Lando's lense of love.
I adored both these characters and, as this book is happening concurrently with the others in the series, we get to see more glimpses into what the other members of Downward Spiral are up to including back to Lincoln's traumas in book one.
I'm seriously stoked for what's going to happen in Jude's story and I'm still intrigued as to where Benji's is going to go and I loved the little drop in of tattoo artist Royal from this author's Heathen's Ink series :)
#ARC kindly provided by the author in return for an honest and unbiased review
Lando has been pining for a guy he met over a heady weekend in Miami nearly a decade ago. After the events of book one (this could be read as a standalone however as there is enough catch up as to the situation) he decides to head back to Florida and the same beachfront house he rented to see if it will help his writer's block.
Fate, of course, lands his lost love back in his lap but there's been a big change and Dawson is now deaf and has no memory of the weekend he spent with Lando, a horrific car accident at the end of that weekend while on his way home has robbed him of both his hearing and parts of his life.
As these two vulnerable men get to know each other all over again, the narrative is carefully woven through present and past scenes to give the reader the glimpse into the long-lost weekend which changed both their lives so dramatically.
While on the surface it may seem like Dawson is the more vulnerable of the two men, his deafness and fears he may have more memory lapses are a strong presence in the plot, Lando is actually the one who is on the edge as he's terrified of losing the man he's never stopped loving.
The pacing of this book is very good, it never dips or drops off but tootles along in a gently comforting fashion as Dawson begins to see himself and his missing memories through Lando's lense of love.
I adored both these characters and, as this book is happening concurrently with the others in the series, we get to see more glimpses into what the other members of Downward Spiral are up to including back to Lincoln's traumas in book one.
I'm seriously stoked for what's going to happen in Jude's story and I'm still intrigued as to where Benji's is going to go and I loved the little drop in of tattoo artist Royal from this author's Heathen's Ink series :)
#ARC kindly provided by the author in return for an honest and unbiased review
January 25, 2024
Possible Triggers amnesia and mental/physical disabilities.
The “Downward Spiral” band has canceled their tour, because their lead singer Lincoln, was hospitalized once again and the band needed to regroup. Lando knows exactly where he is headed…back to the beach in Miami where he last saw the love of his life who vanished without a trace after their "special" weekend. Then he sees Dawson at the bar he just knows his luck is changing. However, it doesn't take long for him to discover that something is very wrong... Dawson isn’t the same man he loved and lost nine years ago. When Dawson’s past "object of lust", Lando, taps him on his shoulder and starts talking to him, he is truly completely confused. "Who is this man"? "Does he or should he know him"? The accident 9-years ago had left him not only clinging to life due to a traumatic brain injury, but it also robbed him of nearly every memory of his life before the accident and took away his hearing as well. Dawson soon learns that Lando was a part of the missing weekend just before the accident. Lando is doing everything in his power to convince the now skeptical and shy Dawson, that he still loves and wants him and not just the man that disappeared from his life and heart, nine long years ago. Seeing how these two men moved forward and grew to be the one that the other one needed, was incredibility special. Lando had to face the fact that the man he's continued to love for the last nine lonely years, was never in a million lifetimes, completely ever be that man again. Lando did everything he could to show Dawson how much he still loved him and that he accepted and loved him for who he was now. He even learned sign language so that he could better communicate on a more personal level. Lando had not only found Dawson but was willing to do anything to keep him. Dawson slowly began to learn to take some risk, not because Lando was a famous rock star, but because he was learning to trust and love him.... again. I can’t find enough good words to describe this book. It gives the reader only a mere glimpse into how lives, can be forever changed by the actions of a carelessness act with severe; never to be undone; consequences. This is a hard book to read if you have experienced something similar or are close to someone that has.
The “Downward Spiral” band has canceled their tour, because their lead singer Lincoln, was hospitalized once again and the band needed to regroup. Lando knows exactly where he is headed…back to the beach in Miami where he last saw the love of his life who vanished without a trace after their "special" weekend. Then he sees Dawson at the bar he just knows his luck is changing. However, it doesn't take long for him to discover that something is very wrong... Dawson isn’t the same man he loved and lost nine years ago. When Dawson’s past "object of lust", Lando, taps him on his shoulder and starts talking to him, he is truly completely confused. "Who is this man"? "Does he or should he know him"? The accident 9-years ago had left him not only clinging to life due to a traumatic brain injury, but it also robbed him of nearly every memory of his life before the accident and took away his hearing as well. Dawson soon learns that Lando was a part of the missing weekend just before the accident. Lando is doing everything in his power to convince the now skeptical and shy Dawson, that he still loves and wants him and not just the man that disappeared from his life and heart, nine long years ago. Seeing how these two men moved forward and grew to be the one that the other one needed, was incredibility special. Lando had to face the fact that the man he's continued to love for the last nine lonely years, was never in a million lifetimes, completely ever be that man again. Lando did everything he could to show Dawson how much he still loved him and that he accepted and loved him for who he was now. He even learned sign language so that he could better communicate on a more personal level. Lando had not only found Dawson but was willing to do anything to keep him. Dawson slowly began to learn to take some risk, not because Lando was a famous rock star, but because he was learning to trust and love him.... again. I can’t find enough good words to describe this book. It gives the reader only a mere glimpse into how lives, can be forever changed by the actions of a carelessness act with severe; never to be undone; consequences. This is a hard book to read if you have experienced something similar or are close to someone that has.
July 7, 2018
This is my first time reading this author's work. I really liked it. Her writing style is light and easy to read, story flowing effortlessly. This is a cinderfella/second chance romance. I enjoyed the humor, the smexy times of which there were many but despite that fact there was plenty in this story to keep me interested. The characters were well developed, entire story was nicely paced.
The thing I didn't like was that there was very little angst, everybody was so accommodating, so helpful. I mean they are rock stars, they should be more volatile, subjected to mercurial mood swings and rebelling against everything under the Sun. Here it was all very mellow and happy. Another thing I wish were different was Dawson's deafness and how unfinished it felt when no more talk or thoughts about the experimental surgery were mentioned. I was left hanging about what's going to happen there. And the ending was kind of rushed and I thought there should have been more than just Lando telling what he did and what's going to happened. It felt abrupt and unfinished to me.
Otherwise it was a wonderful book, superbly edited, well paced but very low angst. For those who love low angst this will be perfect. So I do recommend it!
The thing I didn't like was that there was very little angst, everybody was so accommodating, so helpful. I mean they are rock stars, they should be more volatile, subjected to mercurial mood swings and rebelling against everything under the Sun. Here it was all very mellow and happy. Another thing I wish were different was Dawson's deafness and how unfinished it felt when no more talk or thoughts about the experimental surgery were mentioned. I was left hanging about what's going to happen there. And the ending was kind of rushed and I thought there should have been more than just Lando telling what he did and what's going to happened. It felt abrupt and unfinished to me.
Otherwise it was a wonderful book, superbly edited, well paced but very low angst. For those who love low angst this will be perfect. So I do recommend it!
July 5, 2018
When I read the first book in the Replay series by author K.M. Neuhold, I was fascinated by the author’s ability to weave very difficult topics into a love story and she does that again in Play it by Ear. One spectacular weekend 9 years ago left one man longing to find out what happened to the man who has inspired his music for almost a decade and left the other man wishing he could remember what happened the weekend before an accident left him with a year missing from his memory and his hearing gone. This was an interesting romance because one man had such fantastic memories of a weekend that he’s never been able to forget and longs to rediscover and the other trying to figure out if the man he is now can compete with those memories of the man he was then. I loved this book right up until the unsatisfying ending.
Unable to write a song his band Downward Spiral so desperately needs, Lando is burned out and to be honest a bit pi$$ed off at his band mate Lincoln who was suppose to help with the songwriting but in two years has only produced to songs one of which followed an incident that almost killed him. With his band falling apart and their world tour cancelled while two band members try and sort out the mess their lives have become, Lando heads to Miami, the last place he was truly happy hoping to rejuvenate his soul and maybe, just maybe find the man who was his muse and who disappeared without a word.
Nine years after a car wreck left Dawson deaf and with a traumatic brain injury, his life is bland. He lives on his own, he goes to work, he sees his sister on occasion, but he is lonely. He has a rich fantasy life that involves his celebrity crush, Lando, the bass player for Downward Spiral and he can’t even remember a time when he heard their music. He certainly doesn’t remember the weekend he spent with him prior to the accident that changed his life.
I loved the unique situation the author set up for these two and the fact that they ran into each other again in the same city where they met purely by accident. I felt the joy in Lando when he discovered Dawson in a dive bar as well as the fear and disbelief that Dawson felt when he discovered he actually had not only met Lando before but spent a sexy weekend with him. There was so much uncertainty between these two because for Lando he was just so happy to have Dawson back in his life but feared that his feelings for him would scare him away. For Dawson he was just trying to cope with the fact that he knew Lando before the accident and the fact that most of the songs he’d read the lyrics to over the years were about him. I appreciated that while there were a few bumps in the road as they rebuilt their friendship and relationship, that this book was mostly drama free and while the book ended with them in a good place, it felt unfinished and anticlimactic leaving me a bit unsatisfied as a reader.
Unique, emotional, and interesting I loved the blossoming romance in Play it by Ear and look forward to the next book in this series.
February 1, 2019
Audiobook reviewNine years ago Lando and Dawson met on a plane, they connected and then spent an unforgettable weekend together. Well, unforgettable for Lando, he's spent the coming nine years writing about that weekend, longing for the man he fell for so long ago. The man who vanished without a word. For Dawson, the last nine years has been anything but easy. A car accident erased some of his memories and took his hearing. It made him afraid of losing what he had left and he now lives his life in details; writing everything down and never taking any risks. Many memories has been pieced together by family and friends, except that last weekend right before the accident. No one knows where he was or with who, and there is a part of Dawson that just know that something important happened over that weekend.
Play it By Ear is the second book in the Replay series and while it could probably be read as a standalone without any issues, I still recommend starting from the beginning. Each book is set during the same frame of time. The band, aptly named Downward Spiral, or rather it’s members are spiralling out of control, so in an effort to get back on track they each go their separate ways, to regroup, to think. Lando decides to head back to the last place he was truly happy, and just maybe finding the man he’s been dreaming of for so long. However, when he does find him, sans memories of their weekend together he realises he has a challenge on his hand – to make Dawson fall for him all over again.
This is mostly a sweet and sugary romance, there’s not a lot of angst or heaviness. Nor is it very credible, at least not the actions of our two main guys, well Lando mostly. I mean take his nine year obsession with Dawson, it would stand to reason that he’d at least try to find him again, social media stalking at the very least – but nothing. Then we have the timeline; that weekend changed them both, and that weekend had them ready to fully commit to each other, can you say insta-love? I’m not a huge fan of this. Finally there is the whole security issue – I mean you lose a phone and you are going to freak out just a tiny bit, the information that’s on it and so on. I mean I would freak out – and I don’t have much interesting stuff on there. So how Lando (and his manager) could just shrug their shoulders, buy a new phone and just forget about the first one is beyond me… But you know what? I was in the mood for this story. I didn’t need to believe in it all 100%, I just needed to enjoy the love story for what it was. And I did, and sugar fix gotten I am now a very happy girl.
Kenneth Obi is not one of my favourite narrator, and not that long ago I think I might have said I would stay away from his narrations from now on.... But then this book showed up on my radar and I just had to listen to it. I don't regret a thing. I can't explain it but this time I was engaged, I enjoyed the narration and generally had a great time listening to Dawson and Lando's story. I did have one problem though, and that was the (few) times Dawson was actually speaking rather than signing or writing Obi made his speech sound off, mispronouncing words and wrong intonations and so on. I would have bought that if Dawson was born deaf and then learnt to speak, but he was hearing, and speaking, for the first twenty years of his life so it just didn’t work for me.
That being said I am looking forward to the next audiobook in this series, I need to know how it all will play out in the end.
A copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
June 22, 2020
3.5 Stars. I really loved the first book and I really enjoyed the second although obviously not quite as much as the first. Be prepared to suspend your sense of disbelief for this book - it's VERY sweet with not a lot of angst and the premise is just a bit unbelievable.
Lando is a rock star but he's obsessed with Dawson who he had an amazing weekend with 9 years ago before the band really hit it big. First off I have a hard time believing he would be obsessed with someone for 9 years who he only spent a weekend with and then would do nothing to track the guy down. At the very least you'd think he'd look him up on social media just to find out about him. (Come on we all do it so I bet Lando would to). At least Dawson has no memory of the weekend due to the car accident he was in that caused him to lose his hearing. I enjoyed the flashbacks (which I don't always like in books) but again these two were practically ready to spend their lives together after one weekend - a bit too instant for me. Then of course there is the idea that the two of them end up in the same bar, in the same place they met 9 years later. But again I was willing to just go with it and when I did what I had was a very sweet, entertaining romance with two characters that I very much liked and wanted to see happy with each other. I loved watching Lando get Dawson to fall for him again.
As for the audio it wasn't bad - not one of my favorite audio performances but I enjoyed the narration. The only thing that bothered me a little was Dawson's voice - he wasn't deaf for the first 20 some odd years of his life so I don't think his pronouncement would have been as off as it sounded in the book - he sounded more like someone who was born deaf but that's a fairly minor quibble.
I'm definitely looking forward to reading or listening to the next book in this series.
Lando is a rock star but he's obsessed with Dawson who he had an amazing weekend with 9 years ago before the band really hit it big. First off I have a hard time believing he would be obsessed with someone for 9 years who he only spent a weekend with and then would do nothing to track the guy down. At the very least you'd think he'd look him up on social media just to find out about him. (Come on we all do it so I bet Lando would to). At least Dawson has no memory of the weekend due to the car accident he was in that caused him to lose his hearing. I enjoyed the flashbacks (which I don't always like in books) but again these two were practically ready to spend their lives together after one weekend - a bit too instant for me. Then of course there is the idea that the two of them end up in the same bar, in the same place they met 9 years later. But again I was willing to just go with it and when I did what I had was a very sweet, entertaining romance with two characters that I very much liked and wanted to see happy with each other. I loved watching Lando get Dawson to fall for him again.
As for the audio it wasn't bad - not one of my favorite audio performances but I enjoyed the narration. The only thing that bothered me a little was Dawson's voice - he wasn't deaf for the first 20 some odd years of his life so I don't think his pronouncement would have been as off as it sounded in the book - he sounded more like someone who was born deaf but that's a fairly minor quibble.
I'm definitely looking forward to reading or listening to the next book in this series.
October 18, 2019
I liked this one better than the first of the series -- it's good to see Lando in love and also see Dawson light up and come out of his protective cave. Now that I have a little more idea what happened between Bennett and Archer, I'm really interested to see how they straighten out Jude together....
June 26, 2019
4.5 Stars
I love a handicapped MC and Dawson was so sweet and cute and perfect and I loved how Kenneth Obi read his voice, all timid and unsure.
Both MC's were patient and kind and so deserving. I just really LOVED this.
I love a handicapped MC and Dawson was so sweet and cute and perfect and I loved how Kenneth Obi read his voice, all timid and unsure.
Both MC's were patient and kind and so deserving. I just really LOVED this.
May 20, 2023
3 stars
Slightly better than the first one, the writing was definitely better but still couldn’t quite get into the story. I really liked Dawson and Lando though!
Slightly better than the first one, the writing was definitely better but still couldn’t quite get into the story. I really liked Dawson and Lando though!
May 9, 2021
This is my favorite thus far!
You had my heart tied up in this from the first chapter. How hard it would be to go through what they both did. Love found, love lost, new love found.
You had my heart tied up in this from the first chapter. How hard it would be to go through what they both did. Love found, love lost, new love found.
July 22, 2018
Ein schrecklicher Autounfall raubt Dawson sein Hörvermögen, seine Erinnerungen, aber auch seine Zukunft. Neun Jahre nach dem Unfall lebt er ein unbefriedigendes Leben als Barkeeper in Florida. In seinen Träumen wird er von Erinnerungen heimgesucht, die er nicht zuordnen kann. Zudem fehlen ihm sämtliche Erinnerungen an das Wochenende vor seinem Unfall und Dawson schwärmt heimlich für den Bassisten Lando der Band Downward Spiral. Irgendwie ein bemitleidenswertes Leben, auch wenn Dawson versucht das Beste daraus zu machen. Doch der Mann vor dem Unfall ist nicht mehr. Vorbei sind seine Träume, seine Hoffnungen und vor allem sein Mut und die Lebenslust. Doch eines Tages steht der Mann seiner Träume vor ihm und erklärt Dawson, dass sie sich schon einmal begegnet sind.
Das Wochenende mit Dawson ist Lando all die Jahre in Erinnerung geblieben. Umso grösser ist der Schock für Lando, dass Dawson sich offenbar nicht erinnert. Dass es ihm nichts bedeutet hat. Doch ganz so einfach ist es dann doch nicht und Lando begreift sehr schnell, dass es kein Desinteresse sondern eben die Folge des Unfalls ist. Lando, der sich an einer Weggabelung seines Lebens sieht, beginnt Dawson zu umwerben. Er will diesen neuen Dawson kennen lernen. Und auch dieser Mann berührt ihn zutiefst. Doch Dawson hat Zweifel und Ängste. Lando selbst ist ebenfalls auf der Suche und noch einmal will er dieses Glück, diesen Mann, nicht mehr verlieren. Egal was es ihn kosten könnte.
Teil zwei der Replay Reihe von K.M. Neuhold hat mich eine halbe Nacht Schlaf gekostet. Das Buch konnte ich einfach nicht zur Seite legen und es hat mich unglaublich berührt. Ja, der Plot ist jetzt durchaus vorhersehbar. Durch Rückblenden, die jedoch sehr kurz und knackig gehalten sind, erfährt der Leser von dem besagten Wochenende und lernt so die Helden besser kennen.
Die Autorin hat einen wunderbaren Schreibstil und bei diesem Buch ging sie doch sehr in die Tiefe, ohne dabei die eigentliche Erzählung aus den Augen zu verlieren. Langeweile kommt nie auf, auf unnötige Sexszenen verzichtete sie und setzt sie gezielt ein. Viel mehr ist es eine warmherzige, hoffnungsvolle und auch humorvolle Geschichte, die sehr zu Herzen geht. Lando mag zwar ein erfolgreicher Rockstar sein, aber im Grunde seines Herzens ist er noch immer ein netter und herzlicher Mensch, der einfach nur geliebt werden möchte.
Genauso Dawson, der noch immer an den Folgen des Unfalls leidet. Erst durch Lando entdeckt er sich neu, wird wieder mutiger und will wieder jener Mensch sein, der er vor dem Unfall war. Dass das nicht alles so einfach ist, ergibt sich natürlich aus der ganzen Problematik. Und es ist auch keine Geschichte, wo Liebe und Sex jetzt wieder alles gut macht. Ganz gewiss nicht. Aber sie lernen beide, ziehen neue Herausforderungen in Erwägung und ergreifen diese zweite Chance.
Das Wochenende mit Dawson ist Lando all die Jahre in Erinnerung geblieben. Umso grösser ist der Schock für Lando, dass Dawson sich offenbar nicht erinnert. Dass es ihm nichts bedeutet hat. Doch ganz so einfach ist es dann doch nicht und Lando begreift sehr schnell, dass es kein Desinteresse sondern eben die Folge des Unfalls ist. Lando, der sich an einer Weggabelung seines Lebens sieht, beginnt Dawson zu umwerben. Er will diesen neuen Dawson kennen lernen. Und auch dieser Mann berührt ihn zutiefst. Doch Dawson hat Zweifel und Ängste. Lando selbst ist ebenfalls auf der Suche und noch einmal will er dieses Glück, diesen Mann, nicht mehr verlieren. Egal was es ihn kosten könnte.
Teil zwei der Replay Reihe von K.M. Neuhold hat mich eine halbe Nacht Schlaf gekostet. Das Buch konnte ich einfach nicht zur Seite legen und es hat mich unglaublich berührt. Ja, der Plot ist jetzt durchaus vorhersehbar. Durch Rückblenden, die jedoch sehr kurz und knackig gehalten sind, erfährt der Leser von dem besagten Wochenende und lernt so die Helden besser kennen.
Die Autorin hat einen wunderbaren Schreibstil und bei diesem Buch ging sie doch sehr in die Tiefe, ohne dabei die eigentliche Erzählung aus den Augen zu verlieren. Langeweile kommt nie auf, auf unnötige Sexszenen verzichtete sie und setzt sie gezielt ein. Viel mehr ist es eine warmherzige, hoffnungsvolle und auch humorvolle Geschichte, die sehr zu Herzen geht. Lando mag zwar ein erfolgreicher Rockstar sein, aber im Grunde seines Herzens ist er noch immer ein netter und herzlicher Mensch, der einfach nur geliebt werden möchte.
Genauso Dawson, der noch immer an den Folgen des Unfalls leidet. Erst durch Lando entdeckt er sich neu, wird wieder mutiger und will wieder jener Mensch sein, der er vor dem Unfall war. Dass das nicht alles so einfach ist, ergibt sich natürlich aus der ganzen Problematik. Und es ist auch keine Geschichte, wo Liebe und Sex jetzt wieder alles gut macht. Ganz gewiss nicht. Aber sie lernen beide, ziehen neue Herausforderungen in Erwägung und ergreifen diese zweite Chance.
December 4, 2023
PLAY IT BY EAR was really sweet and not as heavy as the first in the series. Lando and Dawson spent a magical weekend together 9 years ago, right before Downward Spiral went on tour. When Lando left he gave Dawson his number and told him to reach out but he never did. Lando has never forgotten him, in fact, he's written a ton of songs about Dawson that have left fans wondering who the mystery muse is. When Lando and Dawson are reunited while on respective vacations in Miami, Lando discovers that the day he left, Dawson was in a tragic car accident that took his hearing and his memories. This was quite the set up for Lando and Dawson's love story and their journey to a real and lasting love was really sweet and emotional.
Lando was such a genuinely nice guy and he's held a torch for Dawson ever since they met. He's tried to move on, tried to date other men, but he's never forgotten Dawson or that weekend. When he sees his second chance he's determined to do whatever it takes to be with the man he still loves. But Dawson isn't the same adventurous and outgoing guy he was 9 years ago. His accident and his struggle with his memories has made him fearful to try new things and kept him from really reaching for his dreams. But reconnecting with Lando reminds Dawson of all the things he once wanted and it was great to see Dawson come out of his self-imposed shell. Dawson has such a big heart but he's locked it away and never really knew why thanks to his memory loss.
The road is a bit rocky for these two but overall this story was pretty light in terms of angst. Most of it comes from external factors and the hardships that come with dating someone in the spotlight. Things move quickly at first but then I liked that Lando and Dawson settle into regular dating and this gives them the time to fall in love with who they are now and not just the memories they have from before.
Content Warning: references to a side character struggling with depression, manic episodes, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts
Lando was such a genuinely nice guy and he's held a torch for Dawson ever since they met. He's tried to move on, tried to date other men, but he's never forgotten Dawson or that weekend. When he sees his second chance he's determined to do whatever it takes to be with the man he still loves. But Dawson isn't the same adventurous and outgoing guy he was 9 years ago. His accident and his struggle with his memories has made him fearful to try new things and kept him from really reaching for his dreams. But reconnecting with Lando reminds Dawson of all the things he once wanted and it was great to see Dawson come out of his self-imposed shell. Dawson has such a big heart but he's locked it away and never really knew why thanks to his memory loss.
The road is a bit rocky for these two but overall this story was pretty light in terms of angst. Most of it comes from external factors and the hardships that come with dating someone in the spotlight. Things move quickly at first but then I liked that Lando and Dawson settle into regular dating and this gives them the time to fall in love with who they are now and not just the memories they have from before.
Content Warning: references to a side character struggling with depression, manic episodes, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts
July 8, 2018
4.25 Stars!
Play It By Ear is the second book in the Replay series and while it can be read as a standalone, which is what I did, I strongly suspect the experience would've been better had I read it in order after book 1. As it is, I'll certainly be playing catch-up at some point to read Lincoln and Jace's story.
Lando and Dawson met on a plane 9 years before and after spending a passionate weekend together and exchanging phone numbers and promises to stay on touch, Dawson disappeared on Lando. Unable to forget Dawson and needing a break from the band he's a bassist on, Spiral Downward, Lando take off back to Miami to see if he could find Dawson again. What he doesn't know is that Dawson suffered an accident the day they said goodbye at the airport and lost his memories of their magical time together, along with his hearing.
I am the first to admit that I'm not overly fond of going back and forth between past and present, I find it frustrating and I think it interrupts the flow of the story. I know some people enjoy it, it's just not for me, no matter how well it's written, which is why I enjoyed the last 65% of the story better than the first portion, because there were fewer trips back to the past and the action remained on the present, for the most part.
I really liked Lando and Dawson, the first part of their relationship was very instalovish on both their parts, but it worked due to the circumstances. And later, when they met again, they took things slower, since Dawson was more cautious after his accident and losing so much of himself. I loved that Lando was so patient with him and tried not to be as pushy as he wanted to be and I adored that Dawson finally took a chance in their love, even if he had his reservations over belonging in Lando's world. They had fantastic chemistry and Ms. Neuhold certainly knows how to write intense sex scenes that are filled with passion and love.
I'm very intrigued about Lando's bandmates, Lincoln, Jude and Benji and their agent, Archer, who was refreshingly nice and I'll be looking forward to their stories. I loved Royal's cameo, too, since I loved him in the Heathens Ink series.
Overall, this was a really good, low-angst, sexy read that left me wanting to know more about Spiral Downward and I definitely have no trouble recommending it.
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
Play It By Ear is the second book in the Replay series and while it can be read as a standalone, which is what I did, I strongly suspect the experience would've been better had I read it in order after book 1. As it is, I'll certainly be playing catch-up at some point to read Lincoln and Jace's story.
Lando and Dawson met on a plane 9 years before and after spending a passionate weekend together and exchanging phone numbers and promises to stay on touch, Dawson disappeared on Lando. Unable to forget Dawson and needing a break from the band he's a bassist on, Spiral Downward, Lando take off back to Miami to see if he could find Dawson again. What he doesn't know is that Dawson suffered an accident the day they said goodbye at the airport and lost his memories of their magical time together, along with his hearing.
I am the first to admit that I'm not overly fond of going back and forth between past and present, I find it frustrating and I think it interrupts the flow of the story. I know some people enjoy it, it's just not for me, no matter how well it's written, which is why I enjoyed the last 65% of the story better than the first portion, because there were fewer trips back to the past and the action remained on the present, for the most part.
I really liked Lando and Dawson, the first part of their relationship was very instalovish on both their parts, but it worked due to the circumstances. And later, when they met again, they took things slower, since Dawson was more cautious after his accident and losing so much of himself. I loved that Lando was so patient with him and tried not to be as pushy as he wanted to be and I adored that Dawson finally took a chance in their love, even if he had his reservations over belonging in Lando's world. They had fantastic chemistry and Ms. Neuhold certainly knows how to write intense sex scenes that are filled with passion and love.
I'm very intrigued about Lando's bandmates, Lincoln, Jude and Benji and their agent, Archer, who was refreshingly nice and I'll be looking forward to their stories. I loved Royal's cameo, too, since I loved him in the Heathens Ink series.
Overall, this was a really good, low-angst, sexy read that left me wanting to know more about Spiral Downward and I definitely have no trouble recommending it.
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
May 8, 2020
Cuando la banda decide tomar un descanso cada uno de sus miembros agarra caminos diferentes, incluso diferentes ciudades.
Landon decidio volver a Miami-Florida para ver si ir al lugar donde estuvo con Dawson hace 9 años e intentar recuperar la inspiracion para escribir mas canciones.
La hermana de Dawson le regala una semana en una cabaña en Miami donde pueda ir a relajarse e intentar que sus palabras vuelvan, ya que despues del accidente que lo dejo sordo y con daño cerebral no ha podido escribir un sola hoja para un libro.
Ambos se encuentran, y Landon se da cuenta que Dawson no lo abandono, solo tuvo un accidente y ahora no lo recuerda, ahora esta decidido a volver a enamorarlo y llevarlo con el a New York. Dawson, no puede creer que haya conocido y haya tenido un fin de semana con el hombre que ha estado obsesionado todo el tiempo despues del accidente y decido tratar dejarse llevar.
La inseguiridad de Dawson y la fama de Landon seran sus mayores enemigos, pero haran funcionar su relacion y asi comenzaran a fluir las letras de ambos.
Una bonita historia, con algunos cliches (como lo de la perdida de memoria), pero en general te hace pensar en muchas de las cosas que damos por sentado y en como la vida se puede ir en un momentito, y que es mejor vivirla que esconderse para no sufrir.
Hasta ahora la serie ha sido interesante, hay varios puntos de cruce con el primer libro, y muchos cruces con el tercer libro, esta muy bien llevado y poco a poco te adentran en lo que pasa con la banda despues de las vacaciones.
Landon decidio volver a Miami-Florida para ver si ir al lugar donde estuvo con Dawson hace 9 años e intentar recuperar la inspiracion para escribir mas canciones.
La hermana de Dawson le regala una semana en una cabaña en Miami donde pueda ir a relajarse e intentar que sus palabras vuelvan, ya que despues del accidente que lo dejo sordo y con daño cerebral no ha podido escribir un sola hoja para un libro.
Ambos se encuentran, y Landon se da cuenta que Dawson no lo abandono, solo tuvo un accidente y ahora no lo recuerda, ahora esta decidido a volver a enamorarlo y llevarlo con el a New York. Dawson, no puede creer que haya conocido y haya tenido un fin de semana con el hombre que ha estado obsesionado todo el tiempo despues del accidente y decido tratar dejarse llevar.
La inseguiridad de Dawson y la fama de Landon seran sus mayores enemigos, pero haran funcionar su relacion y asi comenzaran a fluir las letras de ambos.
Una bonita historia, con algunos cliches (como lo de la perdida de memoria), pero en general te hace pensar en muchas de las cosas que damos por sentado y en como la vida se puede ir en un momentito, y que es mejor vivirla que esconderse para no sufrir.
Hasta ahora la serie ha sido interesante, hay varios puntos de cruce con el primer libro, y muchos cruces con el tercer libro, esta muy bien llevado y poco a poco te adentran en lo que pasa con la banda despues de las vacaciones.
August 17, 2018
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.5 stars
K.M. Neuhold has released the second book in her Replay series, Play It by Ear. For those unfamiliar with the first novel, I agree with the author this really could be read as a standalone, but honestly, I feel there is so much more to be enjoyed in this book if you read the first as well. The focus of the series is on the band members of Downward Spiral—an apt name when you begin to discover just how dysfunctional this group of four guys has become as they have ridden their way to the top of the music industry. In this story we learn more about the bassist of the group—Lando.
Play It By Ear was a genuine love story—a gentle journey of rediscovering a memory of someone only to find the alterations of the past more appealing than the original. Lando and Dawson don’t simply build on what they once had together, but instead create a future and that means accepting the differences both of them have adopted in their lives and finding common ground once again. It takes strength and compassion to do that and these characters have that in spades. It is a beautiful story and one that I can easily recommend.
Read Sammy’s review in its entirety here.
4.5 stars
K.M. Neuhold has released the second book in her Replay series, Play It by Ear. For those unfamiliar with the first novel, I agree with the author this really could be read as a standalone, but honestly, I feel there is so much more to be enjoyed in this book if you read the first as well. The focus of the series is on the band members of Downward Spiral—an apt name when you begin to discover just how dysfunctional this group of four guys has become as they have ridden their way to the top of the music industry. In this story we learn more about the bassist of the group—Lando.
Play It By Ear was a genuine love story—a gentle journey of rediscovering a memory of someone only to find the alterations of the past more appealing than the original. Lando and Dawson don’t simply build on what they once had together, but instead create a future and that means accepting the differences both of them have adopted in their lives and finding common ground once again. It takes strength and compassion to do that and these characters have that in spades. It is a beautiful story and one that I can easily recommend.
Read Sammy’s review in its entirety here.
June 25, 2018
This was a sweet and joyful book to read. Now I'm not a huge Rock-star book fan but I have undoubtedly enjoyed the hell out of this series so far! It doesn't play into typical gimmicks and gives you sweet love without the excess angst of most rock-star stories. I love a story that steps outside the box of your typical MC and gives me something unexpected and this book certainly had that. There is just something so sweet and power about this book and I am a sucker for second chance love. With plenty of sexy and sultry through out the book this was a total joy to read. I can't wait to see where she takes this series but I hope we get some glimpses of Lando and Dawson! Also the next book teases were perfect!
March 21, 2023
5 stars…
Struck gold again with a Neuhold series. Won’t be reading #3 since I only read monogamous stuff (just my preference not hate) but this one was amazing. Lando was so sweet and nervous and the fact he wrote all those songs and pined for sooo long! Adorable. And Dawson? Poor boy deserved to get his memories back but I’m so glad they found each other!!
I loved the representation and I really enjoy ASL and would love to learn some day so books with deaf characters I always find really interesting!
2/5 on spice. 1/5 on kink. 1/5 on tears. This one was less trigger happy than the last.
Struck gold again with a Neuhold series. Won’t be reading #3 since I only read monogamous stuff (just my preference not hate) but this one was amazing. Lando was so sweet and nervous and the fact he wrote all those songs and pined for sooo long! Adorable. And Dawson? Poor boy deserved to get his memories back but I’m so glad they found each other!!
I loved the representation and I really enjoy ASL and would love to learn some day so books with deaf characters I always find really interesting!
2/5 on spice. 1/5 on kink. 1/5 on tears. This one was less trigger happy than the last.
September 6, 2018
Dawson and Lando
This is book 2 in the Replay series, and I need the next one now! No heavy angst like the first book, but boy oh boy it is a sweet one. I really liked them as a couple; they both have super sweet personalities and have been pining for each other for nine years. Dawson just didn’t know it. The plot was interesting - showing the results of a traumatic brain injury. The setup for the rest of the series is well done and really drew me in. All of the characters are well developed and fascinating, leaving me impatiently wanting to hear their voices. Well done!
This is book 2 in the Replay series, and I need the next one now! No heavy angst like the first book, but boy oh boy it is a sweet one. I really liked them as a couple; they both have super sweet personalities and have been pining for each other for nine years. Dawson just didn’t know it. The plot was interesting - showing the results of a traumatic brain injury. The setup for the rest of the series is well done and really drew me in. All of the characters are well developed and fascinating, leaving me impatiently wanting to hear their voices. Well done!
October 3, 2018
Second chances
What an addicting love story. Landowners and Dawson met nine years ago.
They had the perfect weekend and their connection was undeniable. Unfortunately Dawson got in an accident and lost his memory.
Nine years later they meet again. Even though Dawson could not remember there was something familiar about Lando.
This was a sweet romance that makes you believe in second chances.
What an addicting love story. Landowners and Dawson met nine years ago.
They had the perfect weekend and their connection was undeniable. Unfortunately Dawson got in an accident and lost his memory.
Nine years later they meet again. Even though Dawson could not remember there was something familiar about Lando.
This was a sweet romance that makes you believe in second chances.
July 13, 2018
The blurb sounded really interesting and the story started really strong.
However, unfortunately for me this didn't work.
It dragged and I lost interest somewhere in the middle of the story.
Nice enough to finish, but not good enough to recommend it.
3 stars
However, unfortunately for me this didn't work.
It dragged and I lost interest somewhere in the middle of the story.
Nice enough to finish, but not good enough to recommend it.
3 stars
January 1, 2019
Super sweet book. I enjoyed Lando’s story.
March 15, 2019
I wasn't engaged in the story. Or them. It's nice enough, I just felt that everything was on the surface, no depth.
March 24, 2021
Lando lost Dawson after their magical weekend together and now they have to find eachother again and a balance in their personal life. Love it! Can't wait to read the other books
November 5, 2025
I loved this so much.
Lando and Dawson's story was so sad in the beginning 😭
Lando and Dawson's story was so sad in the beginning 😭
June 23, 2018
I knew from reading Lincoln’s story, that Lando was having issues. I never thought that it would be something like this. This story is sweet and moving. KM keeps getting better and better.
July 14, 2018
This is the second book in the Replay series which tells the stories of the members of Downward Spiral, an epically professionally successful band where the members are falling apart. Or at least, the band is on the verge of falling apart because of some of the members. This one tells the story of Lando, who in the first book was a rock, a support of the other band members. At the end of book one, Face the Music, there was a very clever set up for the books to come and I was very happy that Lando was next.
Lando was supposed to be one of two of the song writers for the band but in reality he has been doing it all. From trying to keep Lincoln from hurting himself and keep Jude from self destructing to being responsible for all the song writing and it has taken a toll on him. “I feel wrung out physically and emotionally. I’m a battery with only ten present life left and no charger in sight.”
When their manager, Archer, suggests everyone take a vacation after the tour has to be canceled, Lando packs up and heads to Florida. Nine years ago he had a weekend in Florida with someone he fell in love with. He gave his phone number and they promised to keep in touch but it never happened. So for the past nine years the songs he’s written have been about Dawson, his muse and his long lost should have been. “I”ve written a dozen songs about him. I’ve stayed up nights thinking about him. I’ve gotten drunk and cried over him. I hardly know him, but in nine years, I haven’t been able to shake him.” He is thinking maybe he will see Dawson there, even if he isn’t totally hopeful. “Maybe there’s something wrong with me. Surely it can’t be normal after nine years to still want him so much.” But he has his grandfather’s story of knowing immediately upon meeting her who he would marry to make him think love at first weekend is possible.
Except, lo and behold, Dawson is also taking vacation at the same time and he does run into Lando. This meeting was a little coincidental but I was okay with. The problem? Dawson had an accident nine years ago and lost not only his hearing but also his memories. While Dawson has had a serious crush on Lando as the bass player for Downward Spiral, he doesn’t remember spending the weekend with Lando, the man. Dawson is a writer who’s words have deserted him and he’s now working as a bartender, sort of just existing. He was this fearless man before and things have changed. He has the support of his wonderful sister, Parker, but that is sort of it.
The book is told in first person point of view, alternating Lando and Dawson. In addition, it has flashbacks from nine years ago and today, cleverly titled Track, Side A or B. While I used to dislike first person, it has definitely grown on me because now I like getting into the mind of each character. Here in particular it’s helpful because Dawson is deaf and he does have memory gaps, so understanding where he is coming from was beneficial. It is a little heartbreaking when you realize that he puts everything into his calendar because he is terrified of forgetting. “Most days, the fear of forgetting something is worse than the actual forgetting.” He puts in what he did that day just to make sure he remembers.
When they run into each other at a bar in Florida Lando is overjoyed and then shocked when he find that Dawson, the man he’s dreamed of for years, doesn’t remember him at all. “He doesn’t recognize me. I’ve been obsessing over im for nine years, and he doesn’t even remember me. Could I be any more pathetic?” It was a hard moment. “I’ve spent all these years falling in love with the memory of a man who doesn’t exist anymore.”
But then he’s happy to get to know this new Dawson, who is a big fan even if he can’t remember what the songs sound like. And while he thinks Cherry Lane (the song Lincoln wrote about Jace) is “….okay, but the rest of the album is much ….more. They’re poetic and captivating. They’re original and beautiful.” So he loves the songs that Lando wrote, and happen to be the songs Lando wrote about him.
Lando does convince Dawson to spend some time with him and they work on getting to know each other again, this time with text messages and notepads instead of conversation with some bittersweet moments when Lando knows things about Dawson that Dawson can’t remember. Lando is so sweet, trying to learn ASL so he can communicate better. He is not the spoiled selfish rock star that you would expect. He is kind and gentle. This book is definitely softer than book one, because Lando is softer than Lincoln and it comes across.
They have obstacles to overcome, including paparazzi, a lost phone, trying to reconcile the past with the now and trying to get past the writer’s block they both seem to have. Lando hasn’t been able to write any songs, Dawson hasn’t been able to write any stories. Lando’s advice was so apt: “instead of trying to write a book that will change the world, let yourself try to write a book that will change one single person’s world.” We get to see Dawson try to find that fearless man he used to be and you just know how difficult that is. “Can I be brave again? Is that still in me?”
Dawson has some great insights into Lando. “I wonder if he ever does things because they’re what he wants the most, instead of what makes everyone around him happiest.” That sums up Lando well and he deserves to be happy himself. There are a few times that Dawson doesn’t react well to things Lando reveals but you have to give him that – for Lando it’s been nine years of longing whereas for Dawson it’s really the first time he’s with this man.
Archer, the manager, is so amazing and takes care of so much I was really looking forward to his book. Unfortunately, from the teasers in this book I have a feeling his is going to take a turn towards a theme I don’t care for so I may have to skip it. I will be bummed if so.
I liked the first book and I loved this one. There was just something about it that grabbed my heart and held on. I wanted so much for these guys. Even more, I was so happy that there was no magical fix of Dawson’s loss of hearing because in the real world it doesn’t work like that. Lando was in love with the man, unconditionally. Just what we all should have.
The cover art by Inked Design depicts Lando with the city in the background and the beach in the foreground. I found it very fitting and both books in the series have covers that show the band member almost exactly as I pictured them.
Lando was supposed to be one of two of the song writers for the band but in reality he has been doing it all. From trying to keep Lincoln from hurting himself and keep Jude from self destructing to being responsible for all the song writing and it has taken a toll on him. “I feel wrung out physically and emotionally. I’m a battery with only ten present life left and no charger in sight.”
When their manager, Archer, suggests everyone take a vacation after the tour has to be canceled, Lando packs up and heads to Florida. Nine years ago he had a weekend in Florida with someone he fell in love with. He gave his phone number and they promised to keep in touch but it never happened. So for the past nine years the songs he’s written have been about Dawson, his muse and his long lost should have been. “I”ve written a dozen songs about him. I’ve stayed up nights thinking about him. I’ve gotten drunk and cried over him. I hardly know him, but in nine years, I haven’t been able to shake him.” He is thinking maybe he will see Dawson there, even if he isn’t totally hopeful. “Maybe there’s something wrong with me. Surely it can’t be normal after nine years to still want him so much.” But he has his grandfather’s story of knowing immediately upon meeting her who he would marry to make him think love at first weekend is possible.
Except, lo and behold, Dawson is also taking vacation at the same time and he does run into Lando. This meeting was a little coincidental but I was okay with. The problem? Dawson had an accident nine years ago and lost not only his hearing but also his memories. While Dawson has had a serious crush on Lando as the bass player for Downward Spiral, he doesn’t remember spending the weekend with Lando, the man. Dawson is a writer who’s words have deserted him and he’s now working as a bartender, sort of just existing. He was this fearless man before and things have changed. He has the support of his wonderful sister, Parker, but that is sort of it.
The book is told in first person point of view, alternating Lando and Dawson. In addition, it has flashbacks from nine years ago and today, cleverly titled Track, Side A or B. While I used to dislike first person, it has definitely grown on me because now I like getting into the mind of each character. Here in particular it’s helpful because Dawson is deaf and he does have memory gaps, so understanding where he is coming from was beneficial. It is a little heartbreaking when you realize that he puts everything into his calendar because he is terrified of forgetting. “Most days, the fear of forgetting something is worse than the actual forgetting.” He puts in what he did that day just to make sure he remembers.
When they run into each other at a bar in Florida Lando is overjoyed and then shocked when he find that Dawson, the man he’s dreamed of for years, doesn’t remember him at all. “He doesn’t recognize me. I’ve been obsessing over im for nine years, and he doesn’t even remember me. Could I be any more pathetic?” It was a hard moment. “I’ve spent all these years falling in love with the memory of a man who doesn’t exist anymore.”
But then he’s happy to get to know this new Dawson, who is a big fan even if he can’t remember what the songs sound like. And while he thinks Cherry Lane (the song Lincoln wrote about Jace) is “….okay, but the rest of the album is much ….more. They’re poetic and captivating. They’re original and beautiful.” So he loves the songs that Lando wrote, and happen to be the songs Lando wrote about him.
Lando does convince Dawson to spend some time with him and they work on getting to know each other again, this time with text messages and notepads instead of conversation with some bittersweet moments when Lando knows things about Dawson that Dawson can’t remember. Lando is so sweet, trying to learn ASL so he can communicate better. He is not the spoiled selfish rock star that you would expect. He is kind and gentle. This book is definitely softer than book one, because Lando is softer than Lincoln and it comes across.
They have obstacles to overcome, including paparazzi, a lost phone, trying to reconcile the past with the now and trying to get past the writer’s block they both seem to have. Lando hasn’t been able to write any songs, Dawson hasn’t been able to write any stories. Lando’s advice was so apt: “instead of trying to write a book that will change the world, let yourself try to write a book that will change one single person’s world.” We get to see Dawson try to find that fearless man he used to be and you just know how difficult that is. “Can I be brave again? Is that still in me?”
Dawson has some great insights into Lando. “I wonder if he ever does things because they’re what he wants the most, instead of what makes everyone around him happiest.” That sums up Lando well and he deserves to be happy himself. There are a few times that Dawson doesn’t react well to things Lando reveals but you have to give him that – for Lando it’s been nine years of longing whereas for Dawson it’s really the first time he’s with this man.
Archer, the manager, is so amazing and takes care of so much I was really looking forward to his book. Unfortunately, from the teasers in this book I have a feeling his is going to take a turn towards a theme I don’t care for so I may have to skip it. I will be bummed if so.
I liked the first book and I loved this one. There was just something about it that grabbed my heart and held on. I wanted so much for these guys. Even more, I was so happy that there was no magical fix of Dawson’s loss of hearing because in the real world it doesn’t work like that. Lando was in love with the man, unconditionally. Just what we all should have.
The cover art by Inked Design depicts Lando with the city in the background and the beach in the foreground. I found it very fitting and both books in the series have covers that show the band member almost exactly as I pictured them.
July 12, 2018
A sweet, feel good read. I loved both Dawson and Lando and they were a great addition to the series. My only complaint is the ending was very abrupt, but I assume that is because the where the next book will start.
September 5, 2018
so so good
Gosh I love the fact that this is again a series that author K.M Neuhold absolutely rocks!
more please!
Gosh I love the fact that this is again a series that author K.M Neuhold absolutely rocks!
more please!
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