Author: Stacey Kennedy
Genre/Age: Romance/Adult
Series: Bad Boy Homecoming Series (Book Five)
Publisher: Self-published
Format: ebook via Tasty Tours
Rating: ✺✺✺.5
Links: Goodreads
Synopsis: A high school reunion is about to get down and dirty and a whole lot more complicated in this new erotic romance from USA Today bestselling author Stacey Kennedy.
Veterinarian, Rae Evans expects to attend a dreadful ten-year high school reunion. Instead, she’s confronted by a past she’s never gotten over. The love of her life, Travis Walker, has returned to Catfish Creek, and the now-famous rock star wants only three things: Her. Naked. And screaming his name.
Fresh off his last world tour, Travis has returned to town to get a dose of reality. With fame casting a superficial cloud over Travis’s life, he’s scrambling to stay afloat. He needs an anchor, and Rae is that for him. But as he finds himself, he’s determined to remind Rae of the heat that once burned between them.
Before they know it, their one hot night is three, and soon, just like ten years ago, Travis holds the strings to Rae’s heart. But Rae’s not that young girl who watched her high school sweetheart race off to become famous. She’s a woman who knows what she wants and realizes when a man needs her. She just has to decide if she should put the past on repeat, or walk away from it forever.
On most nights, anyway.
Tonight, sitting on a wooden stool set upon the stage at Catfish Creek High School’s conference center, only one woman was on his mind. His fingers strummed over the strings of the guitar, mouth rested near the microphone, and after he sang the final two lines of the chorus—I wanna kiss you under the moonlight. And love you ‘til the sun comes up—the applause from the crowd reopened his eyes.
Sparkling string lights and masquerade masks hung from the ceiling above him, reminding him that he wasn’t surrounded by thousands of his typical screaming and wild fans. In his Texas hometown, he stared out at teachers, old friends, and classmates, all dressed in formal wear and masquerade masks.
From his seat in the spotlight, he recalled playing for smaller crowds on this very stage back in high school. Those had been some of the happiest days of his life. Now, fresh off his last world tour, he realized he loved that scene, too. The energy of a smaller crowd, who knew him personally, and a larger crowd, who thought they were in love with him, was so different he couldn’t compare the two, but admittedly, he missed the intimacy that came from a smaller venue.
Done with his song, and with the crowd quieting, he slid the guitar strap over his head and handed the instrument back to a member of the band that’d been hired to play at Catfish Creek High School’s ten-year reunion. When he jumped off the stage, he sighed in relief, finding that all the cell phones pointed in his direction were now put away, and the flashing lights were gone.
That’s when he set his focus on what mattered tonight: finding her. Rae Evans—the muse behind the song he sang tonight, Moonlight.
He scanned the crowd overtop the decorated tables with their gold chairs, but the beauty had escaped him somehow. He recognized Annie Flowers, the librarian, who gave him a little wave, and Christopher Christianson, the principal, who was grabbing a drink from the bar. Travis could have sworn he spotted Rae entering the masquerade ball when he began his song. Desperation now clawed at his chest.
Determined to find her, he moved farther into the crowd, just as his cell vibrated in his pocket. Knowing exactly who it’d be, and that he couldn’t ignore the call, he reached for his phone and then frowned at the text from his manager, Scott Price.
Awesome job. The video is already up on YouTube. Fans are loving it. The mask was a nice touch. Don’t miss your flight in the a.m.
Travis shifted the black masquerade mask around his eyes, and the muscles along his shoulders tightened with the reminder of the weight they carried; of the need for him to always be on point, and the fact that nothing, not even his high school reunion, was sacred anymore.
Life had changed dramatically since the last time Travis stepped foot in the conference center. But he didn’t want to think about the shit weighing on him, so he fired off a response—I’ll be on it—then tucked his cell phone back into his pocket.
He had tonight to fix everything that was wrong with his life, and he wouldn’t waste it.
Stacey Kennedy is the USA Today bestselling author of the Dirty Little Secrets and Club Sin series. She writes deeply emotional romances about powerful men and the wild women who tame them. When she’s not writing sensual stories, she spends her time in southwestern Ontario with her real life hero, her husband, their two young children, and her other babies: a mini labradoodle named Jax and a chocolate labrador named Murphy. Stacey is a proud chocolate, television show, Urban Barn, and wine addict. She likes her heroes in her books like she likes her coffee…strong and hot!
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book.**
One night of reliving the past leads to a new future...
Travis left the love of his life behind after high school to move to the city and pursue music. Even though his career has taken off in a big way, he is starting to feel like something is missing. And not just any something, one in particular. The girl he had to leave behind.
Rae's heart broke when Travis left but she knew it had to happen. He needed to leave and she needed to stay and build her veterinarian practice. She's done that and actually plans to open a second location soon. She has everything she's ever wanted, except for someone to share her successful life with.
A high school reunion brings Travis face-to-face with Rae and their chemistry is still just as explosive. A night of reminiscing turns into a few days and then the pair must decide if they can ever go back to being alone again. And if not, is it even possible for this relationship to work out?
I have conflicting thoughts about this novella. On one hand, I loved both characters and the prologue left my heart broken for this couple. There was an understandable conflict here since both Rae and Travis had their own lives that were miles apart from each other. I hoped they would find a way back to each other and they did, of course.
My biggest problem was that Travis sure assumed a lot about what Rae would be willing to do with him in one night. He needed her to help him find his old self but he didn't seem to care very much about what a one night stand might do to her. How it might leave her heartbroken when he left her behind. Again.
It felt a bit like Travis planned to use Rae, in a way. And then after the fun was had, those pesky feelings became involved. It wasn't surprising, since they each had unresolved emotions. But there were some things that I didn't really understand. Rae's decision at the end baffled me. I didn't expect it and I wasn't sure how they planned to really make it work with her job.
There were still several things I liked about this, though. As I said, the characters were great. Travis had a big soft spot for Rae and it was cute to see how much he really cared for her and missed her presence in his life. Rae thought practically instead of fancifully which is a rare trait in a heroine, to be honest. She didn't shy away from voicing her opinion and gave in to her natural desires. I liked her.
I do have to say that the epilogue was super adorable!
Travis left the love of his life behind after high school to move to the city and pursue music. Even though his career has taken off in a big way, he is starting to feel like something is missing. And not just any something, one in particular. The girl he had to leave behind.
Rae's heart broke when Travis left but she knew it had to happen. He needed to leave and she needed to stay and build her veterinarian practice. She's done that and actually plans to open a second location soon. She has everything she's ever wanted, except for someone to share her successful life with.
A high school reunion brings Travis face-to-face with Rae and their chemistry is still just as explosive. A night of reminiscing turns into a few days and then the pair must decide if they can ever go back to being alone again. And if not, is it even possible for this relationship to work out?
I have conflicting thoughts about this novella. On one hand, I loved both characters and the prologue left my heart broken for this couple. There was an understandable conflict here since both Rae and Travis had their own lives that were miles apart from each other. I hoped they would find a way back to each other and they did, of course.
My biggest problem was that Travis sure assumed a lot about what Rae would be willing to do with him in one night. He needed her to help him find his old self but he didn't seem to care very much about what a one night stand might do to her. How it might leave her heartbroken when he left her behind. Again.
It felt a bit like Travis planned to use Rae, in a way. And then after the fun was had, those pesky feelings became involved. It wasn't surprising, since they each had unresolved emotions. But there were some things that I didn't really understand. Rae's decision at the end baffled me. I didn't expect it and I wasn't sure how they planned to really make it work with her job.
There were still several things I liked about this, though. As I said, the characters were great. Travis had a big soft spot for Rae and it was cute to see how much he really cared for her and missed her presence in his life. Rae thought practically instead of fancifully which is a rare trait in a heroine, to be honest. She didn't shy away from voicing her opinion and gave in to her natural desires. I liked her.
I do have to say that the epilogue was super adorable!
In closing...
That's one story down and four to go! 3.5 suns!
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