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.

 

Find Piper Sheldon online
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Down for the Word Count

de Piper Sheldon (2023)

Résumé : With a single phone call, I swapped my life of movie scripts and paparazzi for bedtime stories and skinned knees.

I always dreamed of having a family. As my two childhood friends settled down with partners of their own, I worried it was too late for me.
Until her. The beautiful woman who chased me down and stole my heart.
And to think she accused me of stealing.

After that awkward encounter, I thought I'd lost her for good. Then months later, I showed up at the only home I'd ever known to find the mystery woman, a precocious child in tow, and my aging father figure in desperate need of supervision. This incredible stranger took on more than she ever bargained for and needed help.

There was only one thing to be done.

Now I'm a single-sort-of-dad to a child who isn't my own and she's a kind-of-sort-of mom to her niece in need, as we work together to care for the man who helped raise me. I want nothing more than to take this role of a lifetime and make it last.

But this isn’t Hollywood and I’m just an actor.
I’m doing my best to support them all, but can my help ever be enough?


Note : 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

Down for the Word Count est le 3e et dernier tome de la série Unlucky in Love de Piper Sheldon, après Charlie et Kate, puis Emma et Wesley, c'est au tour d'Harrison de trouver son grand amour auprès de Frankie.

Harrison est le golden boy de l'Intrepid Trio, le seul continuant à jouer dans des films. Il n'a pas une mauvaise réputation, mais disons qu'il est plus celui qu'on appelle pour faire la fête que lorsqu'on a un soucis, seuls Charlie et Emma le connaissent très bien, pour le reste du monde, il est juste un acteur, presque cliché de lui-même. Cependant, depuis que ses deux meilleurs amis ont trouvé leur moitié, il commence à se lasser de son mode de vie et aspire à plus de tranquillité et d'avoir lui aussi quelqu'un à aimer.

Lorsqu'il apprend que Georges, l'auteur des livres dont a été adapté sa série TV, ne donne pas de nouvelles à son éditeur, il décide de lui rendre visiter pour vérifier que tout va bien, et en même temps faire un break auprès de celui qui a été comme un père pour lui.

La vie de Frankie a été chamboulée depuis quelques mois : sa soeur lui a laissé dans les bras sa fille de 6 ans, Colette, pour partir tenter sa chance et devenir actrice. Ne pouvant pas s'occuper de Colette tout seule, Frankie est venue vivre chez la seule personne qui lui a apporté de la stabilité : Georges. Il a été sa famille d'accueil quand elle était ado, et aujourd'hui il les accueille toutes les deux dans sa grande maison. Georges l'a embauché pour faire le tri dans toute son oeuvre : ses livres, ses notes, les interviews, les memorabilia etc...

Frankie n'a pas besoin de plus de complications, mais les complications arrivent quand même : d'abord avec Harrison, il souhaite l'aider à s'occuper de Georges et Colette, Frankie a du mal à lui faire confiance, d'autant qu'il réveille en elle toute sorte de sentiments qu'elle pensait ne plus éprouver.
Ensuite c'est la mère de Colette qui débarque en laissant de faux espoirs à sa fille, Frankie va devoir mettre les choses au clair avec sa soeur car Colette a besoin de stabilité.

Frankie et Harrison sont tous les deux toute suite attirés l'un par l'autre mais ils vont devoir dépasser leur a priori et découvrir qu'ils sont beaucoup plus que ce qu'ils laissent voir en surface. Ils ont chacun leur raison pour ne pas se livrer d'emblée. Leur romance était inévitable, ils sont faits l'un pour l'autre.

Dans mes reviews des tomes précédents, la série TV fictive et la fanbase faisaint beaucoup penser à Firefly, ici Geogres m'a fait aussi penser à Terry Pratchett. Ce tome clôture très bien la trilogie. Je vous le recommande !

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

Down for the Word Count is the 3rd and final volume of the Unlucky in Love series by Piper Sheldon, after Charlie and Kate, then Emma and Wesley, it's the turn of Harrison to find his true love in Frankie.

Harrison is the golden boy of the Intrepid Trio, the only one continuing to act in films. He doesn't have a bad reputation, but let's say he's more the one you call to party than when you have a problem, only Charlie and Emma know him very well, for the rest of the world, he's just an actor, almost a cliché of himself. However, since his two best friends found their other half, he begins to tire of his lifestyle and longs for more tranquility and to also have someone to love.

When he learns that Georges, the author of the books from which his TV series was adapted, does not give any news to his publisher, he decides to visit him to check that everything is okay, and at the same time take a break from his life with the one person who was like a father to him.

Frankie's life has been turned upside down in recent months : her sister left her 6-year-old daughter, Colette, in her arms to go try her luck and become an actress. Unable to take care of Colette on her own, Frankie came to live with the only person who gave her stability : Georges. He was her foster family when she was a teenager, and today he welcomes them both into his big house. Georges hired her to sort through all his work : his books, his notes, interviews, memorabilia etc...

Frankie doesn't need more complications, but the complications arrive all the same : first with Harrison, he wants to help her take care of Georges and Colette, Frankie has difficulty trusting him, especially that he awakens in her all kinds of feelings that she thought she no longer felt.
Then it's Colette's mother who arrives leaving false hopes for her daughter, Frankie will have to clear things up with her sister because Colette needs stability.

Frankie and Harrison are both immediately attracted to each other, but they will have to overcome their preconceptions and discover that they are much more than what they let on on the surface. They each have their own reason for not giving in straight away. Their romance was inevitable, they were made for each other.

In my reviews of the previous volumes, the fictional TV series and the fanbase reminded me a lot of Firefly, here Geogres also reminded me of Terry Pratchett. This volume closes the trilogy very well. I recommend it !

Better Date Than Never

de Piper Sheldon (2023)

Résumé : One moment of weakness and now I’m stuck fake dating the man I never thought I’d talk to again.
If it was up to me, I wouldn’t even look at Wesley Cole, let alone pretend to kiss him.

I’m smart enough to know the man in front of me now isn’t the boy from childhood who stole my heart. Too bad my body and brain can’t get on the same page. A few more months of playing nice and then he can go back to his family dynasty, and I’ll once again be the golden girl the media expects me to be.

If this is all for show, why is he so convincing when he looks at me like a man in love ?


Après le tome 1 Stranger than Fiction, voici le tome 2 de la série Unlucky In Love, nous suivons ici Emma, 2e membre de l'Intrepid Trio, et Wesley qui est son crush d'adolescente. Alors qu'ils fêtent les 20 ans de leur série TV, Emma et Wesley sont pris en photo par des paparazzi, or contexte et vue de loin, celle-ci enflamme les fans.

Afin de tourner ce remue-ménage à leur avantage, le père manipulateur/dictateur de Wesley, leur impose de simuler une romance le temps que Wesley obtienne un oscar pour son dernier film. Emma n'a pas trop le choix, son travail auprès d'œuvres de charité en est menacé.

Néanmoins, Emma et Wesley sont tous les deux secrètement amoureux l'un de l'autre et même s'ils ont un peu réticent au début, ils se laissent vite aller dans la mascarade, jusqu'au moment où il devient évidemment qu'ils ne peuvent pas se séparer l'un de l'autre. Mais Papa Cole en a décidé autrement... il va être temps pour Wesley d'affronter ses démons.

Emma et Wesley ont grandit ensemble, tous les deux stars d'une série TV quand ils étaient enfant, et tous les deux ont du se faire une carapace en béton pour se protéger. Emma doit faire face à une image de jeune femme parfait et sans défaut, elle prête son image pour des causes qui lui tiennent à coeur, mais elle s'oubli dernière cette version d'elle-même. Wesley est né dans une famille à grosse réputation dans le show-business, il a grandit en faisant ce qu'on lui disait de faire et n'a même pas son mot à dire dans le choix de ces films. Mais peu peu il aspire à sortir de l'emprise de son père et vivre une vie dans l'anonymat.

Wesley ne souhaite pas que ses problèmes et insécurités ternissent leur relation et est prêt à des choses extrêmes pour épargner Emma. Mais c'est sans compter sur Emma, qui elle va enfiler l'armure et voler au secours de son prince charmant. Ici c'est l'héroïne qui va puiser dans ses propres ressources et être forte pour deux afin d'aider Wesley a évacuer des décennies de maltraitance.

Piper Sheldon nous offre une romance avec des personnages tout en profondeur malgré qu'ils évoluent dans un monde de paillettes et de faux-semblant. Une belle réussite !

After book 1 Stranger than Fiction, here is book 2 of the Unlucky In Love series, we follow Emma, ​​2nd member of the Intrepid Trio, and Wesley who is her teenage crush. As they celebrate the 20th anniversary of their TV series, Emma and Wesley are caught on camera by paparazzi, but out of context and from afar, this photo ignites fans.

In order to turn this fuss to their advantage, Wesley's manipulative/dictator father forces them to fake a romance while Wesley gets an Oscar for his latest film. Emma doesn't have much choice, her work with charities is threatened.

Nevertheless, Emma and Wesley are both secretly in love with each other and although they are a little reluctant at first, they soon indulge in the charade, until it becomes obvious that they cannot be separated from each other. But Papa Cole has decided otherwise... it's going to be time for Wesley to face his demons.

Emma and Wesley grew up together, both stars of a TV series when they were children, and both had to make a hard shell to protect themselves. Emma is viewed as the image of a perfect and flawless young woman, she lends her face for causes that are close to her heart, but she forgets herself behind this version of her. Wesley was born into a family with a big reputation in show business, he grew up doing what he was told to do and didn't even have a say in the choice of his films. But little by little he aspires to get out of his father's control and live a life of anonymity.

Wesley doesn't want his problems and insecurities to tarnish their relationship and is willing to go to extremes to spare Emma. But it is without considering Emma, ​​who will put on the armor and leap to the recuse of her prince charming. Here it's the heroine who will draw on her own resources and be strong for two in order to help Wesley evacuate decades of abuse.

Piper Sheldon offers us a romance with characters in depth despite evolving in a world of glitter and pretense. A great success !


Find Piper Sheldon online
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2lAvr8A
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/GR_pipes
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2kx2RVn
Instagram: http://bit.ly/2lxxV7H
Website: http://bit.ly/2kitH3H