Life Rewritten

Welcome to Otter Tail #3

by Margaret Watson

She's deleted every trace of Chantal, the celebrity rocker she used to be. Delaney Spencer is making good as a carpenter, a staunch friend and a decent member of the community in Otter Tail, Wisconsin. This is her home now. Except Sam McCabe--sibling to her late bandmate, Diesel--has found her. And he "needs" her to hand over the unreleased songs she and Diesel made together. For the sake of his brother--for the sake of Diesel's children. She's desperate to be a better person and do the right thing. But not if she has to reveal that she's Chantal.

She won't do it. Not even for Sam.

Genres: Romance

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 2010

About the author

USA Today bestselling author Margaret Watson is a two-time RITA Finalist with thirty books in print for Harlequin and Silhouette and many other award-winning romantic suspense novels.

When not writing, Margaret practices veterinary medicine in the Chicago area.

Reviews

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delaney doesn't want to relive her past as Chantal, the wild drummer, but when Sam, the brother of her ex-lover and bandmate Diesel, comes knocking. He knows Delaney and Diesel wrote songs that weren't released and he wants them so he can release them and use the money to care for his brother's children.

Delaney is between a rock and a hard place. She feels bad for Sam and Diesel's children, but she doesn't want to go back to the life she went behind. I felt for Sam because he's trying to do the best he can for the children the only way he knows how, since their mother isn't a stable parent. He also doesn't want to force Delaney to be something she's not, so he, too, is stuck between a rock and a hard place.


I really enjoyed this book. Delaney is great with the children, Leo and Rennie, and Leo's Christmas gift to her is touching. Sam and Delaney are absolutely wonderful together.


This is the third book in the series, however, it can be read as a standalone. I do, however, recommend reading the other books in the series because they're all great.


**A copy was provided by the author to voluntarily review**

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seeing as the heroine was a musician, made me interested in reading it. Although, it was an interesting read, it wasn't a great book, just okay. The story is she made a new life for herself in a small town, then in comes her late lover's brother who wants her to release some music they made together to help out his kids.She of course, doesn't want too, because that would expose her being the wild Chantal. Of course they had to bring up the fact, Delaney(who used to be Chantal) was a former drug addict and alcoholic like her late boyfriend, who just happened to be the hero's brother. It was just too much stereotype. The romance was okay. The kids added to the story was not too bad, but I've read better stories with the hero and heroine with kids thrown in the mix. That's all I can say about it.

[Marissa Marchan · Rating 4 out of 5]

After her lover and fellow band member, Diesel, died of an overdose, Chantal, a drummer and composer in their rock band, went into hiding in a small town in Wisconsin and changed her identity. It's hard to picture a celebrity rocker turned furniture maker. Even the romance between Chantal aka Delaney, and Sam, Diesel's brother, was a little dry to me. Sure, they fell in love, but I didn't feel the connection or sparks between them. I wasn't quite convinced that they had a 'thing'. I had issues with some of the characters, as well. I felt it was rushed. Overall, it was still a good story.

[Sharon Grow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series keeps getting better and better. Ms. Watson has such a way with writing that you are almost laughing out loud on one page and ready to cry on the next. Delaney Spencer is such a strong female character, yet so vulnerable. She has made amends for her past life as a rock singer and now lives a quiet life in Otter Tail, Wisconsin. She avoids the limelight, plays in a small band at the local pub on the weekends and does her creative carpentry. Delaney knows that if the media finds out that she used to be Chantal that her private life will be over. Along comes Sam McCabe who will dredge up her past in order to provide for his brother’s children. Sam’s deceased brother is part of Delaney’s past. Ms. Watson is especially wonderful with her children characters…Leo who is protective of his younger sister yet a little hardened by the ups and downs of his life…Rennie who is just so endearing and still blessedly unware of the turn her life has taken. Add the cute abandoned puppy and this is a book that was hard to put down…so I didn’t, I read it straight through. Delaney, Leo and Rennie will show Sam that money cannot buy love and love is so well worth the lesson. I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to give an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life Rewritten is an engrossing, well-written romance and I couldn't put it down. The characters are genuine and likable. The emotional story is detailed and realistic. Delaney and Sam have great chemistry together and the relationship that each of them builds with the children over the course of the story is believable and heartwarming. It's a great read and my favorite book in the Otter Tail series. I enjoyed it very much.

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

[Escape Into Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my experience, books later on in a series tend to kind of fizzle out. I can count on one hand how many times I have given a 5-star rating to the 3rd book in a series. Life Rewritten is among those elite few.

Be warned, have tissues nearby. This book is going to make you cry. I wasn’t expecting it and had to go scrounging for tissues. There are some pretty emotional scenes that will rip your heart out and put it back in.

The author did a fantastic job of showcasing how hard alcohol/drug addiction recovery is. You can never say that you were an addict or an alcoholic. You always are one. The fight to stay clean/sober is often exhausting. It was showcased beautifully here.

I knew that Delaney was hiding something but I wasn’t prepared to find out that she was a rock star in her former life. I was floored. Other than her singing and playing the drums, there were no clues about her past. From what was discussed in the book, Delaney’s alter ego wasn’t a very nice person when she was a rock star. Again, such a difference from the woman that I had grown to like through reading the series.

I felt for Sam. To assume guardianship of two young children when you don’t have any of your own is hard. Even harder is that those kids were damaged. I understood why he wanted those CDs. He was trying to protect the kids.

I felt for Rennie and Leo. Their mother was mentally unstable and an addict. Their father died in from an overdose. They were placed with their uncle, who they barely knew. Then they were uprooted and brought to Wisconsin. It had to of been terrifying for them. I wanted to reach through the book and hug them.

When the press found out where Delaney had been hiding, she was pissed. She had every right to be. She worked hard to keep her identity hidden. I was so mad at Jen and Maddie for their reactions. That almost sent her over the brink. Almost.

The sex scenes in Life Rewritten were emotional. Both Delaney and Sam didn’t want to fall for each other. Their sex scenes reflected that. They were some of the best written scenes that I have read to date. Not explicit but graphic enough to know what was going on.

The end of Life Rewritten was satisfying. I have never said that about the ending of a book before. I am not going to go into what exactly happened but I was thrilled with how it turned out. Let’s say that Delaney deserved it.

[Cathy Geha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delaney Spencer has a secret. She left her life as Chantal behind and locked all of her past away behind a cupboard door. She has a new life that fits her well but when Sam McCabe arrives in town with his guardians, the children of her deceased lover, her life could and very likely will change in big ways. Will she be able to hang onto her “self”? Will she find a way to help Sam be a better caretaker of the children entrusted to him? Will she and Sam end up with a happily ever after of their own? Well, of course they will! But, it is not smooth sailing, there are some big problems dealt with and a great deal of growth to be undertaken. This book dealt with some heavy and rather deep subjects and did so with a deft touch. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Delaney, Sam, Rennie and Leo and came away thinking that in spite of the pain the people in this book experienced they were still open to change and a positive future.

Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

[Catlou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delaney Spencer just wants to live her current life in peace with no one knowing about her past. Sam McCabe is determined to get the only thing he believes will help his dead brother’s kids. The problem is he must find Chantal, his brother’s former lover and bandmate, to do so. That’s why he’s in Otter Tail at the Harp listening to Delaney play; he’s found her.

This series just keeps getting better with each romance. Delaney and Sam’s tale will capture you from the beginning. Their story is appealing and full of emotions, drama, and steamy passion. Your heart will ache at the start for Diesel’s kids and later for Delaney as she gives up what she holds most dear. This is one book you don’t want to miss. It will grab you from start to finish. I highly recommend it, and, although it can easily be read as a standalone, you really should read the whole series. You’ll be glad you did!

[Izzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me be clear: I don't like sex scenes! I think they do absolutely nothing for the plot whatsoever. I'm reading these silly books because I got given a pile of them & sometimes at this juncture in my life I have a lot of empty hours to fill, & not much internet time to find something more suitable to my reading tastes. THAT said, this book actually was pretty damn good other than the nudy bits!
I felt like we've all kind of faced these kinds of situations at some point (not this exact one per se but similar) & the author did a good job, if rushed, of exploring the emotions that come along with them.

[E_bookpushers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wrenched my heart so many times. It dealt with substance abuse, being famous, friendship, guild, suddenly having to become a parent. This is one I will re-read. Watching the journey that the hero, heroine, and children went through not to mention hearing what the heroine had dealt with before. Wow.

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delaney is a brilliant drummer and singer. What is she hiding from her past? Who is Sam and the two children he has with him when he arrives in Otter Tail? I enjoyed this book so much and cannot wait to read more of this wonderful series.

[Anna Lee McNeil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book!

Since this is the third book in this series,I would really be hard pressed to choose which book I've enjoyed the most. I've already purchased the next book in the series so I'm expecting it to be just as good. I highly recommend this whole series!

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Suddenly a Parent

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Suddenly a Parent