The Jems and Jamz Series: Books 1-2

Jems and Jamz #1-2

by Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue

Don't Tell Me Twice

When Buck Miller, the lead singer of Jems and Jamz loses her girlfriend, Olive and lead guitarist to a rival band, her life takes a drastic turn. Just when everything seems like it is too much to handle, her band manager hires a new woman, Ziggy Johnson, to take Olive's place. Ziggy is charming and challenges Buck with her overall talent, creating tension between the two. Buck does her best to get along with the other woman, but when the Ziggy threatens her spot on vocals, tempers flare.

A Second Chance

After Olive's fallout with Jems and Jamz, she relocates to a small town and begins a new life. Upon taking a job at a cafe and forfeiting her fame, she meets River, the owner of Riverside Cafe and a local musician. Though the two don't always see eye to eye, they find common ground in their music, and just as their relationship begins to grow, Olive is offered another chance to live a life of fame and luxury. Olive is left facing a hard decision. Should she follow her dreams of fame and fortune, or should she allow herself to love again? What should she do with her second chance?

135 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2019

About the author

Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue is a Midwest-based author known for her captivating lesbian romance novels, compelling mysteries, and heart-pounding thrillers. With a talent for weaving emotion, suspense, and authenticity into every story, Nicole has built a loyal readership drawn to her richly developed characters and relatable themes. Her work reflects a deep understanding of human connection, identity, and resilience, often exploring the complexities of relationships in high-stakes settings.

Nicole holds a Master’s degree in Business Management with a focus on marketing, a background that not only informs her strategic approach to publishing but also brings a thoughtful precision to her storytelling. She began writing at a young age, inspired by a book she found in her local library written by a fellow eight-year-old. That early moment of discovery sparked a lifelong passion that has guided her creative journey ever since.

When she’s not writing, Nicole enjoys cooking new recipes, exploring new places through travel, and spending quality time with her family. Her stories are rooted in experience and imagination, making her voice both grounded and uniquely engaging. Whether penning a slow-burning romance or a thrilling mystery, Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue invites readers into worlds where love and intrigue go hand in hand.

Reviews

[Christi Fowler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Don't Tell Me Twice/A Second Chance: Jems and Jamz Books 1 & 2
Author: Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue
Format: Audio
Narrator: Kris Szczesny
Genre: Romance, Rockstar, FF
Standalone: Yes (?), but there is no epilogue and it looks like later books feature some of these characters but with their past lovers/wives (why would you want to read about a couple you know doesn't make it???)
Part of a Series: Books 1 and 2 of 7 (?) in the Jems and Jamz series
Steam Level: Slow burn to steamy but not too explicit
3/5

I can't tell if these book are HEA or HFN but either way, they're short. Both books ran at about 4.5 hours in length in total -not each.

Book 1: Don't Tell Me Twice
Additional Trope: Enemies to lovers
POV: Buck and Ziggy

Don't Tell Me Twice was okay. The way that Zaggy and Buck got close was unique and gave this story and interesting twist.

Favorite Quote: Sometimes the greatest words aren't spoken out loud.

Book 2: A Second Chance
Additional Trope: Single Mom, Office (boss/employee), redemption
POV: Olive and River

A Second Chance is Olive's redemption from her actions in book 1 which you don't need to have read to know what the issue was. In A Second Chance you do see Ziggy but not Buck and only a phone conversation so you still den't really see more of Buck and Ziggy's HEA. I really liked River's son, though. He was a cutie and kind of made this story for me.

I received this audiobook for free from StoryOrigin. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a find on Kindle Unlimited. It was a fun light-read. I was a little bored at first, just couldn't get into the story. I adjusted my expectations to my high school or new adult self and the story rang bells for me. It especially touched my former stage-singing self. The author captured that fear/excited feeling of performance arts. The main characters were in pop-bands. That reminded me of stories I wrote as a teen about Meeting the Beatles or other stars. Unavailable then were stories of a different kind of love than boy and girl. This treats everything the same. Love is love. There are a couple of erotic scenes that may not be appropriate for immature young adults, but other than that, I think it is a love story with many lessons, even for older folks about forgiveness and love.