Book Review: "Colton Gentry's Third Act" by Jeff Zentner

Through the years I’ve found so many auto-buy authors. One of these is Jeff Zentner, whose YA books (particularly In the Wild Light and The Serpent King) are among some of my favorites. I was really excited when I learned that his latest book would be his first foray into adult romance, and he didn’t miss a beat as he shifted audiences.

“Grief is an arsonist, stealing in under cover of dark to reduce you to ashes. You can expect it or not. But you can’t prepare for it, and there’s no defense. Well, one maybe: self-immolate first.”

Colton Gentry’s country music career is on the cusp of a renaissance. He’s about to have his first hit in a long while, he’s opening for a mega-star, and he’s married to another famous singer. But while all of this should make him happy, he’s grieving: his best friend Duane was recently killed during a mass shooting at a country music festival. So one night during his set, fortified with alcohol, he expresses his views on gun control along with some choice epithets.

Needless to say, Colton’s views and the profanity he used while speaking up, alienates his fans and the country music industry. Within a day or two, his career and his marriage have both imploded, leaving him no choice but to return to his rural Kentucky hometown, live with his mother, and lick his wounds.

Colton feels like a total failure, as being a musician is what he has wanted since high school graduation. He has no idea what his next step will be, until a chance encounter with his first love, Luann, who is now the chef and owner of a prestigious restaurant in town. She sees how broken he is, and offers him a job in the kitchen, despite the fact that he once broke her heart.

This is a love story, but it’s also a story about grief, friendship, redemption, and picking yourself back up when you’ve hit rock bottom. Zentner is at the top of his game, and there are so many fantastic characters.

This isn’t to be read on an empty stomach unless you’re planning your gorge yourself on gourmet food afterward!

Book Review: "Friends Don't Fall in Love" by Erin Hahn

Lorelai Jones was a country music star, filling stadiums with her fans. Her engagement to another country music superstar had captured media attention all over the world. Then one night, Lorelai, a former elementary school teacher, sang a classic protest song during a concert, and in the blink of an eye, her career imploded and her relationship ended, and she was suddenly a total pariah. She returned home to Michigan to lick her wounds and restart her teaching career.

The only person from her music days who continued to stand behind her was Craig "Huckleberry" Boseman, her ex-fiancé's former bandmate and a very close friend. They've always been attracted to each other, and Craig longed for more than friendship from Lorelai, but never wanted to jeopardize their relationship, even after her engagement fell apart.

Five years after Lorelai left Nashville, she reaches back out to Craig, who is now an indie record producer with his own studio, to get his opinion on some songs she's written. He encourages her to come back to town so they can work on a comeback album. When she returns, Craig finds that his feelings for Lorelai are even stronger than before, and her talent is even more polished. And as Lorelai gets more excited about the possibility of a comeback, she also realizes that her attraction to Craig hasn't lessened either, but rather become more intense.

Meanwhile, Lorelai has to try and navigate the mercurial world of country music, which hasn't quite forgiven her for speaking her mind about gun control. Should she apologize for her views in order to get a second chance, or should she risk everything to be true to herself? And can she and Craig figure out if they can be together for real, without jeopardizing everything they have?

This was a fun, sweet, and pretty steamy read. Erin Hahn is an auto-buy author for me; I've read both her YA books and her adult fiction, and Friends Don't Fall in Love features characters from all of her other books. I definitely enjoyed this look at the tug-of-war that exists in the country music world between traditional conservative views and more liberal ones, and what cancel culture looks like first-hand. Lorelai and Craig are great characters with terrific chemistry.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. It will publish 10/17.

Book Review: "All I Want for Christmas" by Maggie Knox

This is a sweet, emotional rom-com set in Nashville with a sweater-wearing dog named Patsy Canine. (I mean, how could you resist?)

Sadie has dreamed of a country music career for as long as she can remember, but nothing has happened. Her final shot is competing on the singing competition show “Starmaker,” which she hopes will be the start she needs.

The son of two country music stars, Max doesn’t need to appear on “Starmaker,” but he wants to do things his way. Yet to this point, despite his good looks and his pedigree, his music hasn’t excited people. He’s determined to make this chance work.

When Sadie and Max and paired up for a duet on the show, neither wants to share the spotlight. Sadie remembers meeting Max a few years ago, and the memories weren’t positive.

Their sexy, romantic duet is gold, and video of their performance nearly breaks the internet. People quickly start worshiping #Saxie and want more. So the network forces them to compete as a duet—and pretend to be in love—or they’ll be eliminated from the show. If they’ll agree, they will win.

They agree, and while magic happens when they sing together, it’s hard to pretend to be in love when you don’t like each other. Both also have their own issues to deal with. Will they last as long as they need to, or will they crack under the pressure? Or will fake love turn real?

This book had so much I loved—fake dating, family drama, a cute dog, a sexy love interest who knits, singing, etc. I really enjoyed a lot of the characters. The biggest frustration was that so much happened because of a lack of communication. But it’s still a fun story.

Book Review: "Run, Rose, Run" by Dolly Parton and James Patterson

With Run, Rose, Run, the queen of country music teams up with the king of thrillers!!

AnnieLee Keyes has dreamed of being a country singer for as long as she can remember. “She’d been writing songs since she could talk and making melodies even before that.” She hears a song in just about everything.

She heads to Nashville to seek her chance at fame. She’ll do everything she needs to get there, and she’s bound and determined to make it big once she does. And after performing at a few bars starts to catch people’s attention, she finally gets her big break when the legendary Ruthanna Ryder hears her play. But when Ruthanna offers to help her, why won’t AnnieLee take advantage of this opportunity at first?

As determined as AnnieLee is to become a star, she’s also determined to outrun whomever and whatever it is that is chasing her, causing her to wake up in the midst of night terrors, calling out a name.

Will AnnieLee achieve stardom? Can she survive whatever it is that wants to destroy her?

I thought Run, Rose, Run was entertaining. It’s about 95% fiction and 5% thriller, but it feels tremendously authentic on the musical aspects, given Dolly’s involvement. As a thriller, however, it's immensely formulaic.

I’ve heard the audiobook is great because Dolly is part of the cast, but I’m not an audiobook kind of guy, and Dolly also recorded an album inspired by the book.