Friday, June 23, 2017

AotM: Beyond the Music by Ann Lister (Reviews+Giveaway)

Beyond The Music

(The Rock Gods #7)

Goodreads ~ Amazon



Lincoln Stallworth, bass player for Black Ice, has quietly watched each of his band mates fall in love and has accepted the fact he'll probably never find the same for himself. He doesn't really believe in true love, couldn't fully understand the absurdity of it, or the notion there could be just one perfect person for everyone. A debilitating health issue began to shadow Lincoln in the middle of their last tour. As his physical symptoms worsen, Lincoln has to fight the urge to hide from the world and himself inside his estate.

Aaron Baylor enters Lincoln's life at his lowest point. Lincoln feels broken, damaged beyond repair, and he's ready to give-up. Aaron's patience and unwavering support slowly begin to pull Lincoln back to being present in his own life and gives him hope for a future and for love. Will Aaron be the glue that holds the broken pieces of Lincoln's life together? Can Lincoln fight his way back to good health and take a chance at love? Or will the task be too great for Lincoln to handle? 

Beyond The Music is Book 7 in The Rock Gods series. This is the final story in the series, but also the launch of a new M/M spin-off series, Guarding the Gods, which will have many cameo appearances from The Rock Gods characters in each story. If you enjoyed The Rock Gods, I hope you'll give Guarding the Gods a try!




*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie in exchange for a fair and honest review. ***

Lincoln has been struggling for two years, both with seeing his bandmates and friends pair up and with the growing fear that the symptoms he's been experiencing are a sign of something that will potentially change his life forever. When things take a turn for the worse and he can't hide it any longer, he's forced to confront the truth of what's ailing him, but he's nowhere ready to share it with anyone else or to do something about this disease. Aaron is a home nurse, specialized in helping patients that need any kind of rehabilitation. Aaron is patient and understanding and comes into Linc's life just when everything else around him is falling apart. The attraction between them is strong from the beginning, but is it enough to withstand all the things that might come their way? I loved, loved, LOVED this book! I can't even imagine how difficult it must have been to write considering the nature of Linc's disease. Still, Ms. Lister did wonderfully with it, in an informative, compassionate and realistic manner. The progression was perfect, from Linc trying to hide his head in the sand until his symptoms worsened in a way he couldn't ignore them any longer, to his anger and defeat, until he managed to accept he needed to make some changes and realize he could live with this illness and not let it win. And Aaron was his perfect counterpart, so supportive and patient, but strong enough not to be pushed over by Linc's anger. I adored the way they fell for each other, it was fast, but considering the circumstances it was perfectly understandable and they worked great together, with Aaron being instrumental in Linc's acceptance of his illness and in helping him get motivated and functional enough to go on tour. The secondary plotline and having all the guys back was amazing, too. The book was chock-full with romance, amazing chemistry, friendships that last a lifetime, action, suspense and tying a lot of loose ends as the end neared and setting the new series up, too. I'm really intrigued over the Guarding the Gods already after meeting Zach in this book and I'm looking forward to his story. All in all, a fantastic end to a fabulous series! Definitely a must read! Rating: 5 Stars!!!


5 + Stars

*copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by author/publisher in exchange for an honest review*


I wish I could give this more than 5 stars!!

Except for Take What You Want, I have read the entire Rock Gods series. Some characters I have loved, others I have had to warm up to over time. My favorite couple is Jayson and Cooper. I never grow tired of seeing them in cameos in Ann's books, and get so excited when they show up! Although this series is done, and I am sad to say goodbye to it, I hope to still see cameos of the Rock Gods in Ann's upcoming new series. I'm looking forward to seeing where Zac's story takes him. I love second chance stories, and I hope that's the direction Ann goes with his story. I am really looking forward to digging into this book!! Now that I have blabbed, on to my review! <3

I adored this story. Jayson and Cooper may be my favorite couple, but this was definitely my favorite story in the series. I know the subject matter is deeply personal to the author, and that shined through in the writing. I can't imagine taking such a difficult aspect of your life, and putting it into words, and making it someone else's story. Ann did an amazing job. She made me feel, and to me, that's amazing when an author can do that. I felt Linc's pain, anger, frustration, loss and sadness. I also felt his happiness at his accomplishments. The love between Linc and Aaron was magical and beautiful to watch blossom in front of my very eyes. It came off the pages at you, it was so strong. The book has a bit of insta-love, but Ann made that work as well. Aaron and Linc's days are told in such detail that everything doesn't feel like it's happening as fast as it does. The time frame feels longer. These characters had an amazing chemistry, and I absolutely adored them together. I loved Aaron's patience and compassion when it came to helping and caring for Linc through the rough patches. I loved that he cared enough to never to give up on him. I loved watching Linc learn to accept Aaron's help, and embrace the love he felt for Aaron.

As with all of Ann's previous books I've read, this one too is well written and well paced. A very enjoyable and amazing book-end to this series! I loved it and highly recommend it!!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ann Lister is a native New Englander currently living on the island of Martha's Vineyard with her husband. She has pulled details from her years living in the New England area and uses many local settings and landmarks in her novels.
After graduating art school, marrying, and raising two daughters, she established her own video production company. Her nearly two decades working in video production included work within the music industry and won her a coveted Telly Award. Her 'behind-the-scenes' exposure to the music world and her love of rock music is the inspiration for her erotic rock star romances.
The Rock Gods series gave her Bestselling Author status on Amazon. Beyond The Music, Book 7 in the series, reached #1 in Gay Erotica in the Pre-Order and held that spot for several weeks. The last book in the series launches the spin-off series, Guarding The Gods, which is releasing in early summer 2016.
Fall For Me, Book One in the series was a Finalist in the 2013 Rainbow Award. Each book in this series brings her two favorite elements together: musicians and the love between two men. These stories focus on what it truly means to love; love unconditionally, love without restrictions or labels, love without fear or judgment – to just simply love.

CONNECT WITH ANN

Follow on Twitter @AnnListerAuthor https://twitter.com/AnnListerAuthor
Add as a friend on Ello https://ello.co/annlister






PLEASE NOTE: The paperbacks are US Only since we all know how expensive posting can be. The e-copies of the books for this month-long contest will be sent directly to Kindle. 

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