Country music’s bad boy falls for a straight laced plus sized accountant.
Wilder Mann is accustomed to sneaking out on groupies before they wake up, not chasing them down the hotel hall barefoot in his boxers to keep them from leaving with a part of his heart. Then again, Serenity is no groupie. She’s not even a fan.
Despite her best efforts Serenity Breedlove can’t resist Wilder’s charm and falls for the caring and vulnerable man behind the country singer’s bad boy swagger. But she learns dating a star has its pitfalls when her weight becomes the topic of national discussion. While Serenity loves Wilder the man, she is not a fan of Wilder the persona.
I get being reserved but Serenity took took it to a whole new level. The idea of a beautiful, intelligent Black woman being desired and pursued I loved. But the prude act was over the top.
This is such a classic romance! I loved every chapter and character! I’m such a fan of the bad boy/girl famous person tamed by love trope and this one hits all the right notes: great MCs, flawed, real; a fun cast of secondary characters; and fabulous meet cute (the best I’ve read in a good long while) I’d definitely recommend this book and I’m pretty sure that I’ll be re-reading it! ~Jam
This was truly a surprise hit! After an earth-shattering night of passionate sex, Wilder and Serenity decided to slow things down to focus on building a relationship. You can genuinely feel the love blossoming between the two of them. They both had their baggage but learned to work through them. Serenity's body positive message was beautiful, inspiring, and not overbearing.
This was my first time reading anything by this author and I am glad I picked up this book.
As someone who doesn't know much about county music, I can relate to Serenity and loved the chemistry between her and Wilder.
Security's strength and positivity jumps off the pages and Wilder 's loyalty to his Gram and friends is admirable. Their romance is both funny (fun) and hot!
This was a quick read about an accountant (Serenity) who catches the eye of a country music star (Wilder). The fact that she’s black and he’s white is not the sole point of the story, but is weaved in such a way that you dint feel like you’re beat over the head about it. The story was interesting but tended to jump around. I sometimes found it difficult to follow the flow as it could be hard to know which character was speaking, but the author write good characters. I really liked Serenity’s sisters and especially loved the names the author gave them. Not sure I’ll read the next book in the series but I thought this was a good book. *While an HEA, all sex occurs off page.
Wow! I thought this read would be the typical musician/country star meets "thick" girl and fall in love, yada, yada. But, this was so much more. These characters were so authentic, flawed, with multiple layers that they became more and more beautiful over time. Serenity, a straight laced, rule follower can't believe that a celebrity, a country star no less is interested in her. She has body image issues, that she tries to hide, but they are again rearing their ugly head. Wilder, the wild child, country singer, is becoming tired of his image and wants more; something real. Upon meeting Serenity, at the VIP reception, he is intrigued by her as she is not acting out like a typical fan in his presence. When he approaches her, and chats with her for a moment, he realizes she is the breath of fresh air that he has been looking for. He chases, she runs until he is finally able to get her to see that he believes she is beautiful, and that he really wants to get to know her. Watching their love unfold was amazing! They both had the ability of bringing out areas of the other, that had lay dormant. Wilder was able to get Serenity, to open up to some fun, and not be so rigid. Serenity, brought calm and normalcy to his life. He didn't have to be "Wilder Mann" the celebrity, he could just be with her. Loved the comic relief from Serenity's sisters, as well as Gram. She was hysterical! I was heartbroken for Serenity, when Wilder acted out after suffering another loss, however, when it was revealed why he felt he was poison; you felt for him as well. I was pleasantly surprised, and really enjoyed this read. Will look forward to reading about the other Breedlove sisters. Great job.
This is the fourth 'musician falls for ordinary person' story that I've read in the last couple of months (the first three were all OWYM), my second favourite of those four but definitely the funniest overall.
My criticisms are about the whole Robert plot and AW's response to what happened to him, which is one of the most cliched ways for an MMC to act towards the FMC in the climax of a romance book. Also, it wasn't clear how old they were. At one point I thought I saw something about AW being 26 but that was contradicted by most of the rest of the story so I couldn't tell. And it was a touch insta-love-y.
But I loved how much Serenity stuck to her guns on certain things and didn't allow Robert or her nasty boss to badmouth her without speaking up for herself, which happens far too often in books for the sake of female propriety. She made AW (Wilder) work for her love too and that was great to see.
And given that she admitted her insecurities, Serenity's comments about beauty and the flower metaphors she used (after being fat-shamed in the media) was so powerful and had me tearing up. Grams (AW's) was THE BOMB, her whole chapter had me ROLFing and Lydia (Serenity's mom) was a lower-key Bomb character too... her fish dreams had me giggling like a teenager.
Overall, it was a cute story that had lots that I like and very little that I dislike in romance and I really look forward to Mercy's story next.
It was a good story if not predictable. However there were a few errors that were consistent throughout the book. The language and sentence structure was odd at times. The author bounced back and forth between past and present tense a few times as well. Overall it just really needed an editor. The authors own name was even misspelled on the author’s page at the end of the book! It was like the final draft not the finished product. The actual story was very predictable but it was still sweet. Some things though seemed to be thrown in in an effort to flesh out the story that ended up harming it. The whole Roger dying while they were getting married seemed forced just to invoke emotions. The big showdown at her job was lackluster and came too late as we already knew she wouldn’t quit. And the biggest issue I had was the blinders AW inexplicably put on when it came to his manager. It didn’t make him look like a trusting friend. It made him look stupid and his inability to face it was awkward. He was a strong lead who went after what he wanted but turned into a little kid when it came to his career? It didn’t mesh well with his established personality. About 3 chapters in the figured this would be a light breezy read but I was pleasantly surprised. It held my attention and the story was good. I’d have given it 5 stars with better editing and a few character consistency tweaks.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Wilder and Serenity had an interesting story. I felt that Serenity was too analytical but then Wilder made her open up while she made him tighten up. I really liked Wilder. He was nothing more than a sweet man tripped in the image of a bad boy. I liked that he spoke his mind about Serenity and, he was playful with his "No take-backs". I still don't know how I felt with the reveal of his heritage. I think for me, it may have taken away from the story a tad bit. Wilder experienced a lot of emotional pain. He needed Serenity to be his strength almost. I wondered how the audit that Serenity went through went. I hoped that she was given a lot of money so that she could open her own firm.
Overall, I liked the love story of Wilder and Serenity. I think Serenity should have given the man more sex. I liked the song, "Whiskey Kisses". I would recommend it to my reading friends.
This is my first read by this author. This was story of Serenity and A.W. aka Wilder Mann and from the start it was a struggle to keep my attention. It wasn't necessarily the plot because hey, it was girl meets country music star and he falls for said girl. It was the dialogue itself. It seemed stilted for most of the book, cliche-ish so to speak. That, in of itself made it hard to continue reading. It was a heartfelt story though, where you could get what the author's goal is, which I think is, you can find love anywhere, with anyone, work at making it work, and know your worth. As I mentioned, a more realistic dialogue for the book as a whole, would have made a better story. This is a strong 2 1/2. Will read the next story.
The developing romance was slow, but progressive. A.W. was propelling the relationship forward. Serenity had a lot of baggage, and body-image barriers which slowed things to a crawl. Eventually, her friends and family convinced her of a good man right in front of her. Her self-doubt about her full figure got old, as it was a persistent theme throughout the book. She was oscillating from empowering others about positive body images while privately bashing her own curvy body. It took AW to repeatedly compliment her for her to come to terms with her body. That’s the only part of the book that frustrated me. Otherwise, I loved the story and have now become a follower of this author.
I don't know what it is about this author that I love, but she is one of my all time favorites! Her books are always so sweet. I've read Jack and Diane a million times. Every time I finish her books my reaction is always the same, "Awww!" Serenity and A.W. we're so sweet together. I love that Serenity was a plus sized woman and A.W. loved her to pieces. Amazingly sweet story. If you're looking for a true HEA story with no God awful cliffhanger, this is the book for you! Thank you Lena for writing a story about a plus sized woman who loves herself and isn't desperate for a man. 💛
I enjoyed reading this book. This was the first book I've read by this author and I must say she did a very good job. She made the characters Serenity and Wilder come to life by building their relationship slowly and allowing us to actually see them work on their relationship. I liked the relationship Serenity had with her sisters and the relationship between Wilder and his grams. The book showed how Serenity and Wilder both trusted each other with their fears and dreams and how sex wasn't the focus of their relationship. Strong storyline and strong characters makes this a hit.
I thought this was a very sweet read. There were some editing issues and not enough description of the characters. I haven’t experienced this before, but you jumped from inside the characters thoughts mid paragraph. Normally it’s either chapter dedicated to each individual or the whole book is from one characters perspective. It’s not a steamy read and the sex scenes were definitely glossed over. The qualities I love where the funny banter in between characters, especially Grandma. I did enjoy this book and plan on reading more from the Breedlove sisters. I know that this writer will develop even further with more books.
Wilder may be a country singing star but he's about to meet his universe. Serenity is a curvaceous Black woman who has had her heart broken before. She isn't here for any foolishness on Wilders part. Meanwhile Wilder is used to women only being interested in his fame/fortune. He is not ready for the true respect & friendship Serenity is putting down. Serenity isn't ready to be pursued by a man who knows what he wants & what wants is her. There is love & betrayal but no cheating. This was a great read.
This story was interesting from the beginning because the story moves at a quick pace. Serenity is authentic and throughout the story she stayed true to herself. Wilder was a little complex and interesting to find all his layers. The drawbacks for this story was that there is very little steam factor, and the resolution to the climax was unbelievable. I didn’t agree with the quick apology and make up after what wilder said but it’s ultimately the authors story. I enjoyed this read and recommend it for anyone looking for a clean romance.
I am loving this author's sweet books filled with compelling storylines. When beautiful Serenity wins tickets to a Wilder Mann concert....she wasn't even sure what a Wilder Mann even was. She soon found out that he is a sexy talented country singer. Wilder Mann took one look at Serenity and knew that he wanted to be her man. But first they had to overcome her insecurity about her body, his demons and his nasty manager. Wow I thought at one point they were done.....whewwwwww. MS. Hampton creates such amazing and human characters.
This was a good start to a new series. It stated out great but then slowed down; however, it didn't disappoint and it picked back up. Serenity had to grow on me and at times, A.W appeared weak, but those things also made the characters relatable. I will read the next book in this series. I recommend this book and I hope each book in the series continues to improve.
I loved Serenity and Wilder’s story. It’s not every book where the fluffy girl gets the guy and the happily ever after. This couple had some serious roadblocks in their path which just added to the great story. They each had depth and character flaws which humanized them both. Granny was an awesome addition and some much needed comic relief. Can’t wait for the other Breedlove sisters stories.
I’m so glad that Ms Lena is writing again. I love that in Serenity I can she a little of myself. Projecting one thing while feeling another. He characters have layers and dimension that make you care about them. I like that she has closed door bedroom scenes so that the story is plot or character driven and not contrived events around sex scenes. It was also nice to see a glimpse of Jack and Diane.
Whiskey Kisses is another sweet romance from Ms.Lena that takes you on a romantic journey about love,self acceptance , addition and forgiveness . I am not going to lie, Wilder just about broke my heart with his drunken words towards Serenity. Although I believe he should have begged more for forgiveness Serenity did good by standing by her man. I can’t wait to read more about the Breedlove Sisters
This book was everything and then some and in true Lena Hampton fashion I am so ready for her next book. She talked about race, racism, drugs and the issues they cause. I was glad to see she included some of the characters from her other books. Whiskey Kisses was awesome, but I didn't expect anything less. Loved it!!!!
This was very well written.This is the first time I've read this author but I enjoyed her diction and flow of the story. It had a good pace and a good out come. I loved that the leading lady not only had sass but was brilliant and extremely thoughtful. Enjoy the book classic romance style.
I laughed throughout this book! I also cried for Wilder about the things he went through in life and was finally happy that both he and Serenity found their happy ending! Lyric and Wildwr's grandma were definite bonuses and all of the other secondary characters! Loved this book, so Ms. Hampton please keep in writing them!
This was just a really great story. I really connected with Serenity and simply adored AW. I gotta admit Serenity showed a lot of restraint when AW spewed all of that garbage at her. Drunk or not; boy would have been looking for a vital piece of his anatomy. 😈 But overall, I really enjoyed their romance.
Serenity won two VIP concert tickets to see a singer she'd never heard of and a genre that she could barely name two songs. That didn't stop Wilder Mann, country music's bad boy, from falling head over heels when they met backstage and serenading her with a beautiful love song during his performance. But every garden of Eden has its snakes...
You've garnered a new fan! This book was everything! It was funny, touching, sad...all the hype of what a romantic bwwm book should entail. I can't wait until book two. These Breedlove sisters are lifffeeeee! That grams of Wilder..HILARIOUS!!!
I loved this book. It was funny, sad, insightful, and inspiring. Serenity and Wilder were the uncommon couple that made it work. Serenity is fricking awesome. I can't wait for Mercy's story.
I really enjoyed this book, I couldn’t stop laughing from the beginning of the book, and it also take me through some emotional twist that I love when reading a good book. I definitely had Kenny Rogers on repeat reading this one lol.