Broken Lines

Blurred Lines

by Jagger Cole

Please this is the alternate cover print edition of the book Broken Lines. You can find the ebook and primary cover edition paperback on the author's main page, or by searching the store.


They say never meet your heroes.
But no one ever warns you about falling in love with them.

Once, he was a god.

Devastatingly seductive. Illegally gorgeous.

Jackson Havoc was the hedonistic saint of sin, wrapped in leather, whiskey, and fame...

Until music’s crown prince of mayhem vanished from the spotlight, ten years ago.

Now, my job is to find him, and tell the world his story.

But I’m not prepared for the way he lays bare every forbidden fantasy.

How he rips into the most broken parts of my soul to feast on what he finds.

I tell myself I’m immune to his lethal charms.

But that’s a lie I’ll pay dearly for.

I flew too close to a god and burned in his flame.

Now, he’ll claim me in every way.


A dark, twisted, and very forbidden romance. For those who find love in the shadows and beauty in the broken. Readers are advised to read the TW inside. Broken Lines is a standalone novel, HEA included.

Genres: Romance, Dark Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Dark, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Forced Proximity

518 pages, ebook

First published October 27, 2022

About the author

A reader first and foremost, Jagger Cole cut his romance writing teeth penning various fan-fiction stories years ago. After deciding to hang up his writing boots, Jagger worked in advertising pretending to be Don Draper. It worked enough to convince a woman way out of his league to marry him, though, which is a total win.

Now, Dad to two little princesses and King to a Queen, Jagger is thrilled to be back at the keyboard.

When not writing or reading romance books, he can be found woodworking, enjoying good whiskey, and grilling outside—rain or shine.

You can find all of his books at www.jaggercolewrites.com


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Reviews

[Gabrielle (Reading Rampage) · Rating 3 out of 5]

♀️♂️🎶🤔😳🚣‍♀️🌨️😤🙄☺️🍒🌮🍆🎸🎶🤯🤐😞😤🤩🥰🧀🧀🌶️🌶️🌶️

[monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

melody’s my princess, i love her 💖💖💖

”She’s barely been gone for twenty-four hours. But when I crush my lips to hers and taste the sweetness of her mouth, it’s like I’ve been without her for years.” jackson might’ve been an ass in the beginning but their relationship as the book progressed was soooo 😵‍💫😵‍💫 + the TROPES (BIG age gap, forbidden romance, kinda rockstar x reporter) and those TWISTS ???

but i wish there was a more in-depth epilogue bc UMMM a literal bomb was dropped in the last like 3 pages?? i need that explained NOWWWW.

5/5 reading experience bc i was seriously hooked from the very first page & on the edge of my seat every single minute. i cried, gasped, & laughed. AND DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE BONUS SCENE… LIKE HELLOOO??? i say this about every 5 star read but i don’t think i’m getting over them anytime soon.

[Abstract ♥ Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALL MY REVIEWS CAN BE FOUND ON MY BLOG: ABSTRACT BOOKS



Star Rating : 4.5 / 5 Stars

POV : Dual

Cliffhanger : None

Hero : Jackson Havoc

Pace of the story : Moderate

Angst Rating : 5/10

Heat Rating : 7/10

Overall Opinion :
Jackson havoc is here!! I have been so excited for this man's story. Ever since we got a glimpse of how things ended for this mega superstar who had basically vanished a few years ago in the last book , i Wanted to know about him so badly because he totally sounded like the kind of hero I would love to hate lmao. Broody , age gap , hot , angst and lots of steam!

This book is a standalone by this author. I have been hooked on Jagger's books ever since I found them a year ago. I never miss a single release of his and the way he sort of gives us cameos and hints about upcoming books in ALL OF HIS BOOKS just keeps me hooked like crazy!!! BROKEN LINES is a tale of a lost man and the quirky girl who finds him. She thinks he is still her hero , the man she once idolized but then comes to know that the man she saw on screen was a hallucination . The real Jackson Havoc might just be the one thing that breaks her. Because this man? He is not letting her go. Not when he has her trapped exactly how he wants it.

Totally recommending this one to all the dark romance loving people out there! If you are into tropes like age gap , grumpy hero , anti hero , sweet but sassy heroine , second chances , plot twists , then go for this one asap!

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[Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal! I'm blown away! I'm addicted. I just finished this book and want to start it over again!

This is my first book by Jagger Cole. I was hooked from the moment I read the blurb. From the first page until the very last, I devoured this book! I hated every break I had to take due to food, necessities, or my husband interrupting me with a thousand and one questions! That's how invested in this story I was!
I would not change one single thing about this book!

Broken Lines has so many tropes and things I love in a book!

Age Gap
Dominant hero
Hero with a filthy mouth
Grumpy hero
A mystery surrounding a former Rock god that disappeared
An innocent heroine with a traumatic past
Trouble making Mother
Forced Proximity
HEA
The perfect blend of spice and story!


I do suggest checking the warnings if you have any triggers.

[Anna Valsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5🌟🤘🔥

[Serialbookstarter:Marla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rockstar recluse H Jackson hibernates for 10 years after beetle like success. He becomes a hermit o an island off the coast of Maine. Melody the h is the child of legendary groupie Mom but she’s never told Who her Father is. Melody needs a big story to Break out as a rock
Magazine staff writer. Her Mom used to live with now deceased band mate of Jax. Through a postcard Melody figures out where h lives and rows a boat to the island. He’s not happy to see her at first. He’s an alcoholic-pot smoking-coke snorting hermit. He hasn’t spoken to anyone but his manager in years. Eventually age gap romance gets going. A bit of drama and angst to the HEA.

[Rhonda loves reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

BROKEN LINES is a little different from Jagger Cole’s dark mafia world, but it coincides nicely as a dark rock star romance.

Jackson & Melody wow!! Broken people who help mend the pieces!! I love a story like this. I was shocked, I was entertained, I cried a bit and in the end my heart swooned. All the best things I want in an unforgettable book.

Jagger Cole is a master at creating great, complex characters. This is a wonderful storyline with the steamy scenes I love and expect from Jagger’s writing.

I am voluntarily leaving a review from an Advance Reader Copy I received of this book, I highly recommend it. Actually you should start from the begging of this world with Paying The Bratva's Debt: A Bratva Captive Romance you won’t regret it!

[Ludmila Scavino · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was written by a man...
The audacity!

[Tzelina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐ "Sing for you sweetheart"💜 🤟🔥🎸

[Jena]

Need safety info

[SGetch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Broken Lines by Jagger Cole is a beautiful and captivating story of two survivors facing their past trauma and addictions. Both seem to be living half lives, each hiding from their scars - the fallen seductive rock god Jackson Havoc and the irresistibly fractured Miss Melody Blue.

I loved the solemn and moody tone of this story as well as the secluded and gloomy island setting. Jagger Cole does a great job of putting you in the heads of these characters and you can't help but feel for their struggles and root for their success. I liked how the author addressed the broken pieces of each character without providing a magical solution. Their journey is gritty but also playful. Jackson and Melody have undeniable chemistry and their witty (often combative) banter is hilarious. This story is very well done and I thought the darker subject matter was handled with finesse.

If you are looking for an enemies-to-lovers, dark, forbidden, age-gap, steamy love story that ISN'T your typical rock star romance then I recommend you pick this up immediately!! 5 STARS!!

TW provided within the book: This book contains darker themes and graphic depictions of past SA and trauma.

I received a complimentary copy of this book as part of the author's ARC team; I am voluntarily sharing my honest review.

[Ioana Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

♾️5 Pink stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(sau 6..7..8..10⭐️)
4🌶

🎖Mind blowing !!!🧩
Da, Jagger Cole scrie și despre altceva decât mafie..și e PERFECȚIUNE,ca de fiecare data!
Cred ca e prima carte cu un age-gap atat de mare (22 ani) pe care o devorez intr-o seară,pur și simplu nu am putut sa o las din mână!
Nici nu știu sa descriu ce tocmai am terminat de citit,pt ca nu găsesc cuvinte suficiente!
Happy-end garantat!

[tee ✧˖° · Rating 4 out of 5]

A jaded run-away rockstar and a bubble-gum haired reporter were just what I needed on a Sunday afternoon.

[Lynn Stifle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I straight up loved this book! It’s the perfect balance of dark, tension, drama, secrets, and intense heat that will keep you hooked and turning the pages. In this story we follow Melody, a twenty year old journalist, and Jackson, a forty two year old former rock star. I am a bit of a sucker for rock star romance, I love when I can really feel the characters and they leave you wanting for more, just like Jackson and Melody did in this story. This story was seriously amazing. I couldn’t put it down! I highly recommend you give it a read, you won't be disappointed.

[Leyla Yildirim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The emotions that I felt reading this book was unreal.

[Meryem Am · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just ❤️❤️❤️

[Ashley Carr, LSoR · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I typically don’t gravitate towards rockstar romances but with this author I read everything he publishes so I knew I had to read this book, and I’m glad I did!! This book isn’t your typical rockstar romance book. JACKSON is a reclusive ex rock God and Melody is aspiring music reporter. As soon as they meet they are on fire together, they have this undeniable chemistry. They both are trying to slay demons. Can they overcome them?

[Lisa Cairo · Rating 5 out of 5]

💟💟💟💟💟

An amazing story that had my at the very beginning and kept me in a trance till the very end! I absolutely loved it! I wanted it to continue. I don't want to say goodbye to these characters. I hope Jagger gives us more of these two.

[val ❋ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5- age gap, ex rock stars and a little bit of trauma that I was not expecting but it was just ok

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-3.5 stars this one was okay. I don't normally read rockstar romances so to me this kind of dragged a bit until the end when everything exploded. This was a nice change of pace from the mafia or bully romances he'd been putting out. Jackal has normally been hit or miss with me for example his Savage Heirs series I only really got through one and a half books. The one I did get through and liked was Forbidden Crown all the rest was a no-go for me. To me he goes a little too far with the darkness and his bully romances in Savage Heirs was kind of not believable that 18 and 19-year-old kids would act that way. With this book like I said it dragged through most of the book. Like I said I don't read Rockstar romances so maybe that's the norm for this type of book. Be warned there are trigger warnings in this book and I don't know if he published the warnings. The warnings are drug and alcohol used throughout 60 70% of the book, sexual assault, child molestation by the hero's mother on him. Which was a first for me. I know that yes women can molest their own children but normally it's a man molesting a boy. So just be forewarned if any of these upsets you you might not want to read this book. Another thing I really didn't get into was the fact that they were constantly in their head. Bamooning and moaning about the loss of his friend or her with the fact that she was raped by one of her mother's boyfriends it just went on and on and on got a little boring on that part. But her monster got what was coming to him at the end as well as her mother who sorely deserved to have her ass kicked from one side of the country to the other. But she got what she deserved too. Bit of hokiness at the end where they're singing together on stage. What I didn't know was how all the books are interconnected and Mr Cole mentions this at the end of the book. For example a young Jackson appears in the Hunter King the first book and June her friend, which I didn't like care for but she was all right appeared in The Bratava's Locked Up Love and of course Bastion Pierce was mentioned in this book and he was from Forbidden Crown. All in all like I said a decent book but I probably wouldn't reread it.

[Penny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yikes…what a mess. This book was all over the place and lacked tension that would’ve made this couple believable. Even tho they don’t have their first kiss until 40%ish in, it still went from zero to 60 because there was no growth between the hate to love. It was just hate and lies to love and lies. Both characters annoyed me. Melody was a pink haired pixie punk rock dream girl and an intrusive brat. Jackson was a caricature of a British rockstar asshole. He’s a drunk drug addict with 6 pack- oh and when he goes into town, he’s a mute. That’s the other thing…this book tries so hard to be quick and funny- and fails miserably at it. It’s also way too long. The whole thing with their sexual assault trauma just didn’t work in making me sympathetic to either character because at no point was this book remotely believable. Traumatic pasts do not equal characterization. I know this doesn’t have a lot of reviews, but even so, I have no clue how anyone can give this book more that one star. If I could, I’d give it zero.

[Lolo · Rating 1 out of 5]

18 chapters later and I just want to throw this book out of the window in frustration! Why the hell do new authors think that a book should sound like a script for actors to act in!? This was more dialogue than anything else. No story. No surprises. No actual plot. No nothing! Two strangers, or more like two kids throwing a fit over the shit that happened in their life.

Just babble and babble about - "I want to stay" "you can't stay" *rain powering down "ok, you can stay".

The next day - "I'm going to fuck you" "oh no, don't fuck me because I have problems I have to deal with first IN MY HEAD" "You know you want me" "Ok, come fuck me" "oh, yes baby, I will" "No, don't" "WHAT!?"

The rest goes on and on like this and I'm so sick of this book. So fucking sick of no actual plot even though I loved the prologue 😮‍💨

[Kerri Wells Goetzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broken Lines is dark, angsty, and very much a rockstar romance. Definitely not light, but super addictive if you like messy, broken characters.

Jackson Havoc is a former rock god who disappeared and turned into a grumpy, self destructive recluse. Melody Blue shows up looking for a story and ends up turning his whole world upside down. What I loved most was Melody. She carries herself like a queen and does not let Jackson walk all over her, even when he is being at his worst.

There is a big age gap, lots of secrets, and plenty of drama, but the chemistry is intense and emotional. It deals with heavy topics like addiction and grief, so check the trigger warnings.

Overall, it is gritty, emotional, and full of angst with a strong female lead and a hard earned HEA. Worth four stars if you like dark romance.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this! ❤️
-H is a rockstar who's gone for 10 years
-h is a new music reporter of a magazine looking on H for her story
- Young Jackson (H) appears in 'The Hunter King' (must read too ❤️) He was Kristoff's bandmate before.
- 20 years age gap, enemies to lovers, virgin gal, SA, twissssst
Spicy level- 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

[Jo McCall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I didn’t know I needed

This book was amazing. Jagger Cole stepped outside his writing norm and absolutely killed it. This book was hard to put down.

[Marwah ✨️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloody hell it was amazing

[Sandy S · Rating 4 out of 5]

BROKEN LINES by Jagger Cole is a contemporary, adult, dark, rock, romance story line found in the multi-authored BLURRED LINES series. This is twenty year old , journalist Melody Blue, and forty-two year old, embittered, former rock star Jackson Havoc’s story line.

WARNING: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Melody and Jackson) BROKEN LINES follows Melody Blue’s search for former rock star Jackson Havoc, lead singer for Velvet Guillotine. Ten years earlier, Jackson Havoc disappeared without a trace but Melody is desperate to gain a foothold at Ignition Magazine, and with her mother’s history as a rock and roll groupie, Melody had some information no one else could obtain. Finding Jackson hiding out on an island in Maine pushes Melody to understand what happened and why, and in the end Melody refuses to out our story line hero but someone else is more desperate than Melody, and sets about to destroy our story line couple. What ensues is the acrimonious relationship between Melody and Jackson, and the fall-out as a lie-filled, tell-all book is about to push Melody to her knees to protect the man with whom she had fallen in love.

Jackson Havoc went into hiding a year after the death of his best friend and fellow band mate. Jackson aka Robbie, spent the next ten years at the bottom of a bottle, with powder up his nose, in an effort to forget about the world he once loved. Melody Blue dropping into his life forced Jackson to face the spiral that was destroying his life, a spiral that was about to pull Melody into a spiral of her own. Jackson and Melody’s pasts are heart breaking and dark, and it is their mutual commiseration that sets into motion the revelations that all is not well for our story line couple.

The relationship between Melody and Jackson is an age-gap, relationship predicated upon secrets and lies. Jackson is unaware of Melody’s true identity and connection to the band, and Melody never expected to fall for a man whose own life was shattered and broken. The $ex scenes are intimate, erotic and intense.

We are introduced to Melody’s best friend June Hendrix; Melody’s mother Judy Blue; Melody’s boss Chuck Garver and fellow journalist Becca, as well as several islanders who have no idea as to Jackson’s true identity.

BROKEN LINES is a story of secrets and lies, abuse and neglect, drugs and alcohol, power and control. The author blends reality amongst the fictional bands and musicians, such that the reader can apply fiction to fact. The premise is dark, and heart breaking; the romance is aggressive and intense; the characters are broken, struggling and desperate.

www.thereadingcafe.com

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Broken Lines is a forbidden romance and it had me glued to every page. The book is about the guitarist and lead singer, Jackson Havoc, of a band called Velvet Guillotine and they were the IT band, they loved to party, always had women on their arms, but also write some amazing songs. The book starts out talking about the band and the band members and takes place 20 years earlier. I loved getting the back story on the band. Eventually some things happen, and Havoc disappears from the face of the earth. Melody is the FMC and has been around the rock n roll scene her whole life and decides she is going to find Havoc and try and write an article about him. She finds him which them meeting is hilarious and then it goes from there. I loved the humor, and the heartbreak only so it can be turned around for that HEA. So much goes on in this book and Jagger does such a good job of keeping everything in order. He goes back in time to explain things that have happened and why the characters might act the way they do. Melody has gone through more than a girl should have to and you would almost think Jackson would make things worse but it couldn't be further from the truth. These two are meant for each other, they balance each other out, and even with the age difference can relate to each other. It's so hard to even write about everything that goes on in this book. I do have to say though that the spice is great, and Jackson has a filthy mouth, and he could talk dirty to me any day. Jagger really did his research when writing this book. All the music, and musicians he writes about is on point. The descriptions he uses make it seem so real. I was shocked at quite a few things that happen in this book and didn't see some things coming but I'm glad they happened. I don't normally read a lot of musician romance books but this one might have changed my mind I loved getting wrapped up into all of it.
Some of my favorite quotes are what Jackson says to Melody when they are getting it on and like I said before he truly has a dirty mouth! But here are a few that aren't as dirty:
"Don't sing for me. Don't fucking sing to prove anything. Sing for you, sweetheart," I whisper."Sing for you."
"You make me want to be a better version of myself," he whispers, his hand coming up to cup my face."

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If it wasn't clear by the multiple quotes I shared while reading this, I absolutely adored this book and could not put it down!

Jackson is a bit of an asshole at the start, but when you take into context that he was and is a rock star who's been through hell and is an addict, it makes sense. And Melody is just looking to make her big break as a reporter so she can say "fuck you, goodbye" to her bitch of a mum for good, so she sets out to find Jackson and get the exclusive story as to what happened to him and the band and what he's doing now.

I'll admit I'm impatient, and I did look up who her dad is because it was bugging me and boy am I glad I did! I think having that context early on made certain scenes and information just hit deeper than finding out at like the 80% mark would have. Like the fact her dad was who would always perfect the lyrics in the band, and she was the only way Jackson could even try to write a song for the first time in 10 years ?? I can't even 😭

The whole isolated island aspect and the forced proximity aspect of this was great and I was praying they could just live in that little bubble for longer- writing songs and getting to know each other but unfortunately her mum just had to ruin everything for her , once again.

The way everything unfolded with her mum at the end pissed me of so much - keeping her drugged up? Shacking up with her abuser who she KNEW about and just didn't care ? Having a fake assult kit ready to leak if Meoldy dared misbehave or contact Jackson ? Just no, I wish we had seen her suffer more, but the way Jackson just lost his shit and absolutely destroyed her abuser? Yes, please, I could happily read that all day long!

While I hate the 4 month separation that happened because of what was happing to her it was definitely what Jackson needed to get sober, and he needed to get sober for him so it would last so I'm glad it was done that way.

I adored this book and this couple so dam much I could have easily read another 500 Pages about them

But can we talk about that bomb that was dropped right at the end???!? Hello ima need answers ?!?!?

I think the fact I just wrote an essay about this book backs up the fact that it's definitely going to be a top read of this year lmao

5/5 stars

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This standalone novel by Jagger Cole will leave you fully slated with the need to crank your playlist up and fall into a rock-n-roll fantasy. This rock star/ age gap romance will leave you fully satisfied and longing for some dirty/sinful romance set in the world of rock!

Jackson Havoc had the world at his fingers and he was a legend in every sense of the word. But after his best friend and band mate OD’d he left that world behind and set himself up on an island in Maine to live life off everyone’s radar. He never knew how much his life would change when Melody knocked on his door soaking wet and looking for an interview. He knew he should send her packing because he has been hidden away for 10 years and he had no desire to go back to the real world. However, the pull and desire he felt for this woman was unmatched by anything he had ever felt before. He was also destroyed the moment he heard her sing and play his guitar. Her voice was like straight from heaven and he knew he would never let her go. However, being a rock star never comes without the drama and they both have a lot in their past that will do anything necessary to destroy what future they might have. This is a world wind adventure with an epic playlist that will leave you breathless and hoping for their HEA. This book is filled with amazing characters who become part of your heart and soul by the end. These two belong together and if they can get past the rumors, the backlash, and their past their future is going to shine. You will devour this book as like all Jagger Cole’s stories you will not stop until you’ve read the end and it is quite satisfying to say the least. Jackson and Melody were made for each other and their love and devotion to each other can withstand anything and the media has to throw at them. It’s a wild and sexy ride so buckle up for a rock hard adventure in this new book. Happy Reading!!