(The Beaumont Series #3)
by Heidi McLaughlin
ARC Review
Published: December 2013
My rating: 5 of 5 ⭐️
When Jimmy hooks up with the bride's best friend at his bandmate and best friend, 4225 West's front man Liam's wedding, he thought it might get his preoccupation with her out of his system. Instead, he finds his focus slowly changing from lusting to longing.
Born in the UK to a father in the music industry, Jimmy learned young in life that commitment and family were difficult to maintain in that lifestyle. He tried once and got burned himself, so now he just enjoyed his rockstar life to the fullest, especially the women who threw themselves at him. Recently his friends had started settling down and although he could see how good it was for them, and he enjoyed spending time with their families, he still couldn't see it happening for him. But then when he would look at Jenna, who was so different from the groupies he was used to, he wondered.
Jenna hates keeping secrets and right now she is keeping a few, but she knows hoe loving and protective her friends are and worry that they might overreact. So she keeps things to herself. It's difficult not to let anything slip when Jimmy is around, she wants to snuggle up and tell him all and at the same time run as hard as she can in the opposite direction. A good man, a good friend, but a poor prospect and a player. No, she has handled things one her own before, she can handle things on her own now too.
When Jenna was threatened in public by a 'ghost' from her past, all three band members circled around to protect her, but to everyone's surprise, Jimmy took it a step further and whisked her away. He has come to believe that perhaps he can make better choices, different choices, and he envisions Jenna by his side. Not having the best track record, it will take a hell of a lot of convincing for Jenna to take a chance on him. But he is not going anywhere but forward, despite the fact that his past won't let him go.
Nobody really believed he could do it, that he could change, even Jenna although never doubting his good intentions, wasn't sure he had it in him. But she becomes his biggest advocate when he needs it most, she just doesn't know if it is too late.....
******
ADORE!!! Sweet, bad, naughty, sensitive, bad boy Jimmy!!!! What a treat he is......and what a frustration. I pulled on my hair quite a bit AND had to put down the book a few times to cool down, it was like dealing with one of my sons!!! So loveable and yet so dang clueless!!!
But Jimmy is so willing, so eager to do and be better. He doesn't realize that so far all he has done is live up to his own far too low standards. No one else put those expectations there but him. Lack of communication is one of the biggest downfalls in most relationships, and although Jimmy generally doesn't have a problem communicating, he fails to communicate some pretty important bits of information. He rallies well though, has good friends who will listen when he needs it and who end up standing by him vigilantly. His growth is immense and completely disarming.
Jenna is pretty much on the opposite end of the scale from Jimmy in many ways. She is a private person, in part by character and part by necessity to avoid having a rough history catch up with her. Inevitably when it does, she learns that hiding does not make things go away, it simply postpones. Bit by bit she opens up, learning to trust the friendship and love she sees and feels from her friends. Starting off as one who needed protecting, she ends up being the protector. A huge character development for her as well.
Heidi McLaughlin has done an amazing job with the structure of this story, something quite fresh I think. The way the story is set up, with occasional little snippets of flashbacks, we have two points of view, both from Jimmy and Jenna. We are fed small bits of pertinent information at a time, but initially are never quite told out loud who it is that they are referring to, or what exactly they are referring to. But with every puzzle piece the full scope of the story unfolds and we hold all the information. Trust me, you don't have to wait too long into the book to get to this point, but it was such an interesting way of pulling the story together without needing to go into long narratives. I loved it!!
Just unbelievable writing, I loved both previous books, I absolutely ADORE this one, I'm not kidding!! The unique structure, the compelling storyline, the fallibility of the characters and the great writing style made this the complete book for me. Well done, Heidi!!!
✨A potent, touching and brilliantly vivid transformative tale!✨
***ARC provided in return for an honest review.***
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