I received an advanced reader copy from the Publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review of this book.
I finished reading this book last night and needed to let myself marinate on my thoughts until I could write a review that gave a fair view of Griffin's story.
This is book 4 in the Thoughtless series by S.C. Stephens. But, it can be read as a stand-a-lone and you don't need to read the other books in order to understand what is going on this book. But, having said that, I think it might be helpful to have read the other books to some perspective on Griffin. I have not read the first three books and I really wish I had because it might have made Griffin a more sympathetic character in the first half of the book.
This is the publisher's summary: "The spotlight doesn't only shine. Sometimes it burns.
Being the bad-boy bassist for the world's hottest band has earned Griffin Hancock some perks: a big house, a fast car, and most importantly his incredible wife, Anna. The one thing it hasn't brought him is the spotlight. Anna tells him to be patient, that his talent will win out. But Griffin is through waiting for permission to shine.
Without warning, Griffin makes a shocking decision and takes the gamble of a lifetime. Suddenly he's caught up in a new level of lights, cameras, and chaos. One that pushes his relationship with Anna to its limits. Anna has always found his unpredictable behavior sexy, but lately he's seen an ache in her eyes--and it has his soul in knots. Just as the recognition Griffin seeks is finally within reach, the thing he loves most in life could be slipping through his fingers..."
The book starts right off with Griffin and his gorgeous wife Anna having a little sexy time before Griffin has to get to rehearsal. We hear a lot of Griffin's inner dialogue throughout the book. I have to say that I did not enjoy listening to what he thought about anything--except for his feelings for his daughter and in some ways about his wife. At first impression, he is extremely egotistical, selfish and immature. I didn't understand how Anna put up with him and I was really struggling with whether or not I should continue reading. But, I persevered, and am very glad that I did.
Because it becomes obvious, fairly quickly, that Griffin's bravado is mask for his deep seated insecurity. Then the book became hard to read for different reasons. It was hard to read because we watched a man to totally self destruct and there was nothing to be done for him. And while I thought that the depths to which he fell were unnecessarily now, it made for a very compelling and heart wrenching read. I also thought that his band mates were totally unfair to him. The disdain and disrespect with which they treated him (Matt, I am talking to YOU!) made me angry on his behalf and really made me hope that somehow he would find a way to thrive without them. Yes, he did made some really bad choices, was thoughtless in ways that must have hurt them. But, they KNOW him, right? And they didn't exactly support him when they needed him to. I thought the band should have been equally sorry for what happened to Griffin as he was for what he did to them.
I can handle angst and drama in a romance novel, but this felt like too much. And while it was nice to see Griffin be humble at times, I thought that he lost too much in this story in a way that didn't really add anything to the story. I think he could have learned all of the same lessons without being brought so low. And, honestly, I don't know that the "growth" that he experienced felt very in line with the character that we met in the beginning of the book.
But, as I said, I haven't read the first three books (mainly because I haven't gotten to them on my TBR list and also because of some of the reviews I've read) but maybe if I had then the change in him.
So, at the end of this review, I want to say that the writing is superb. When an author can make you feel the pain, joy, lust, loss and triumph of their characters, it makes the story unforgettable. And this one will stay with me. Griffin was stripped bare, he really hit rock bottom and almost until the very end, I thought he couldn't seem to catch a break. And it is this that stopped this from being more than a 3.5 star review. As compelling as this story was, I didn't really enjoy it because I felt like his downfall was too much. And as I have said, I didn't like how unsympathetic his band mates were to him.
I am going to go back and read the first three books now because I want to see more of Griffin and the other guys and then I might re-read this and if I do, I will post an update to my review.
When this comes out, make sure you buy it, read it and then let me know what you think!
