Band Together

de Piper Sheldon - SmartyPants Romance (à paraître le 2 mai)

Résumé : Leo Cooper is back in Green Valley to hide.
Not fall in love with the tenacious band director who's determined to drag him into the light.
After being kicked out of his massively successful rock band, Leo is content to spend Bunco nights with his mom, lay low making snacks, and lick his wounds. He'd rather work in his garden than give any attention to his failed music career.
Cut to the gorgeous high school band director relentlessly popping up in his life, making demands, and talking about giving back to the community.

Mari Mitchell knows what it's like to be overlooked.
She's determined to do whatever it takes to ensure her students get the best shot possible even if that means running herself ragged.
And when a former rockstar returns to town, who could be better to help her favorite student make their dreams come true?
Does it matter that he's a moody musician who reminds her of a handsome tragic hero of an old-timey movie?
NO!
She's too busy for things like burning hot physical attraction and chemistry that won't quit. She needs Leo for more than his irresistible drummer arms. No matter how amazing they feel wrapped around her...

But what nobody knows is that the hit to Leo’s pride was a big one, and Mari might be asking too much.
Can these two band together? Or will their painful pasts prevent them from having the future they deserve?


Note : 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

Bon je suis un peu biaisée, je suis déjà très fan de la façon dont Piper Sheldon raconte ses histoires. C’était un peu couru d’avance que j’aime celui-là.

On découvre les deux héros dans le tome précédent "Passing Notes", certaines scènes du début se passent en parallèle du tome 1.

Mari est professeur de musique au lycée, c’est elle qui anime la fanfare et une de ses élèves va avoir une audition dans une prestigieuse université. Cependant pour l’aider à progresser dans ses répétitions, Mari a besoin de l’aide d’un musicien professionnel, et un batteur de surcroît. Heureusement, il y en a un de retour à Green Valley. Mari est déterminée à le recruter à sa cause.

Leo a été viré de son groupe de rock, il est venu panser ses blessures dans sa ville natale chez sa maman. Pour le moment il ne veut plus entendre parler de batterie et préfère passer son temps au jardin à faire pousser des plantes. Il ne veut pas que Mari lui demande d’aider son élève, il ne pense même pas légitime de coacher, lui qui pense avoir raté sa vie et sa carrière.

Mari et Leo ont tous les deux des soucis dans leur vie et ne font pas forcément attention à ça qu’ils projettent sur l’autre. Leurs a priori prennent le devant au début mais ils vont vite se rendre compte qu'ils font fausse route. L'un comme l'autre cachent beaucoup plus de profondeur et de qualités qui ne peut que les rendre irrésistibles.

Même si on ne les voit pas beaucoup, j'ai beaucoup aimé les dynamiques apportées par les personnages secondaires : Cath, l'ado qui va se faire coacher par Leo, et Vander le meilleur ami de Leo.

*****************

Well I'm a little biased, I'm already a big fan of the way Piper Sheldon tells her stories. It was a bit of a done deal that I liked this one.

The two heroes were introduiced in the previous volume "Passing Notes", certain scenes at the beginning take place in parallel with volume 1.

Mari is a high school music teacher, she leads the marching band and one of her students is going to have an audition at a prestigious university. However, to help her progress in her rehearsals, Mari needs the help of a professional musician, and a drummer at that. Fortunately, there is one back in Green Valley. Mari is determined to recruit him to her cause.

Leo was fired from his rock band, he came to lick his wounds in his hometown with his mother. For the moment he no longer wants to hear about drums and prefers to spend his time in the garden growing plants. He doesn't want Mari to ask him for help with her student, he doesn't even think he is legitimate to coach, he thinks he's failed his life and career.

Mari and Leo both have problems in their lives and don't necessarily pay attention to what they project onto the other. Their preconceptions take over at the beginning but they will quickly realize that they are wrong. Both hide much more depth and qualities which can only make them irresistible.

Even if we don't see them much, I really liked the dynamics brought by the secondary characters: Cath, the teenager who will be coached by Leo, and Vander, Leo's best friend.

Stage Smart

d'Aly Stiles - SmartyPants Romance (à paraître le 18 avril)

Résumé : My record label had one rule… and I broke it.In my defense, “don’t fall in love with your producer” isn’t exactly fair when your producer is Val Andrews, a sweet, talented, totally genuine prince in an industry of egotistical frogs. It’s especially not fair when your forbidden crush becomes a constant temptation while on tour with a vengeful ex and an enigma named Chad. All I want to do is make incredible music and show the world I’m more than a vapid starlet. But when a cryptic memo reveals a sinister plot to destroy my career, it becomes clear there’s only one person I can trust—the one they said I can’t have.


Note : 2/5 ♥♥

Parmi les nouvelles sortie des SPR, c'est la romance qui m'a le moins plu pour le moment. Si le ptit couple est choupi, l'intrigue est ennuyeuse et ne fait absolument pas rêver. Je suis plus sensible à des héros qui ont des jobs du quotidien, plutôt que la pseudo Taylor Swift et son producteur xD

Larinda est une chanteuse de country à succès. Cependant sa vie professionnelle et même personnelle est dictée par sa maison de disque, pour des questions d'image et de marketing elle est obligée d'avoir une fausse relation avec un autre chanteur, Jarvis, qui se prend pour Mariah Carey. Mais Larinda est amoureuse d'un autre, Val, le jeune producteur qu'elle a réussi à imposer pour travailler sur son prochain album.

Alors que la tournée de concerts conjoints de Larinda et Jarvis commence, les problèmes aussi : Larinda découvre après tout le monde qu'on l'a fiancé à Jarvis.

De son côté, Val est en admiration devant le talent de Larinda, en travaillant avec elle, il a appris à découvrir la jeune femme qui se cache derrière le personnage public. Malheureusement, il manque grave de confiance en lui et n'imagine même pas un instant que ses sentiments puissent être réciproques.

Alors que Larinda et Val se rapproche, ce dernier découvre que Jarvis prévoit un scandale sur le dos de Larinda. Et c'est sans compter sur son tour bestie, Chad, que les machinations de Mister Diva vont être contrées.

Et heureusement que Chad est là, meilleur personnage jamais écrit *-* il orbite dans un autre monde, il sort des absurdités complétement barrées et au final son rôle est hyper important ♥

**************

Among the new SPR releases, it's the romance that I liked the least at the moment. If the little couple is cute, the plot is boring and absolutely not dreamy. I am more sensitive to heroes who have everyday jobs, rather than the Taylor Swift clone and her producer xD

Larinda is a successful country singer. However, her professional and even personal life is dictated by her record company; for reasons of communication and marketing she is forced to have a false relationship with another singer, Jarvis, who thinks he is Mariah Carey. But Larinda is in love with someone else, Val, the young producer she managed to get to work on her next album.

As Larinda and Jarvis' joint concert tour begins, so do problems: Larinda discovers after everyone else that she has been engaged to Jarvis.

For his part, Val is in awe of Larinda's talent, by working with her, he learned to discover the young woman behind the public persona. Unfortunately, he seriously lacks self-confidence and doesn't even imagine for a moment that his feelings could be reciprocated.

As Larinda and Val get closer, the latter discovers that Jarvis is planning a scandal behind Larinda's back. And it's without counting on his tour bestie, Chad, that Mister Diva's machinations will be countered.

And thank god Chad is there, best character ever written *-* he orbits in another world, he comes up with completely crazy nonsense and in the end his role is super important ♥

Passing Notes

de Nora Evely - SmartyPants Romance (à paraître le 25 avril 2024)

Résumé : When the one who got away moves in next door…

Clara Hill wants to be left alone. Sitting on her porch watching everyone else’s lives go by is way more fun than dealing with her own problems.Or at least that’s what she thought. Now that her secret high school sweetheart is her next door neighbor, she’s not so sure anymore.

Being back in Green Valley was hard enough without having her first love right there within touching distance.Especially when he’s so stubbornly determined to flash his unforgettable smile at her every chance he gets and reminding her of when she thought she’d found her happily ever after.

Once upon a time, Nick Easton thought he had it all.A football scholarship, his dream girl, and a future so bright he couldn’t wait to get started.But, like everything else in his life, it all came toppling down.Now he’s content to raise his kids, teach English, and coach football at Green Valley High.He has no time for things like romance, and dating, and starting over…He’s fine being alone. Who needs love ?

But when he catches a glimpse of his new neighbor his quiet little world turns upside down, lighting a fire that makes him determined to reclaim all he thought was gone forever.After all these years, can he convince Clara to give him another shot?Or will their love story stay hidden in their past?

Note : 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

Clara et Nick étaient adolescents quand ils ont eu le coup de foudre l'un pour l'autre, venant de milieux sociaux différents, ils ont tenu leur relation secrète. Un concours de circonstances (que je ne peux pas spoiler) les ont fait partir chacun de leur côté vivre leurs vies.

15 ans lus tard, leurs routes se croisent à nouveau et leur amour reprend vie, d'ailleurs ils n'ont jamais cessé de s'aimer. Ce roman raconte leur seconde chance, comment les blessures du passé affectent toujours les choix du présent et comment accepter ce qui ne peut être changé.

Je ne voudrais pas en révéler trop sur cette romance que j'ai beaucoup aimé, alors je ferais court pour une fois. L'auteur a su très bien mettre en place la tension romantique en Clara et Nick, on sent que ces deux-là sont faits l'un pour l'autre, c'est juste une histoire de temps et et communication.

Mention spéciale pour tous les personnages secondaires : les enfants de Nick qui sont adorables (de toute façon, c'est pas le propos d'avoir des gosses compliqués) ; les soeurs de Clara et spécifiquement Gracie ; et c'était pas mal de voir un peu l'évolution des soeurs Hill avec leur maman (dont on suivi les problèmes dans d'autres livres).

**************

Clara and Nick were teenagers when they fell in love, coming from different social backgrounds, they had to keep their relationship a secret. A combination of circumstances (which I cannot spoil) made them each go their separate ways to live their lives.

15 years later, their paths cross again and their love comes back to life, but they have never stopped loving each other. This novel is about their second chance, how past hurts still affect present choices, and how to accept what cannot be changed.

I don't want to reveal too much about this romance that I really liked, so I'll keep it short for once. The author knew how to set up the romantic tension in Clara and Nick very well, we feel that these two are made for each other, it's just a story of time and communication.

Special mention for all the secondary characters : Nick's children are adorable (in thi story, there's no point of having complicated kids) ; Clara's sisters and specifically Gracie, and it was good to see the evolution of the Hill sisters with their mother (whose problems we followed in other books).