Picked this one up because I wanted to get more Yarros penned stories under my belt. It was a fun ride. Nothing terrible new in the premise, but I enjoyed her writing style.
She made the a-hole rockstar likeable and gave him enough of a damaged past to at least account for his behavior.
I liked the twist that they ended up back in Zoe's hometown. Gave it a bit of Hallmark movie vibe but with a rockstar twist.
Overall a fun ride and worth the time to enjoy a decent well written trashy romance.

Cute

I enjoyed this. Yarros is good with romance, and while this one isn't a stand out it's an enjoyable read especially if you appreciate music or musicians mixed in with your romance.

OK, now that I've read all three books in this series, I'm not sure which one I loved more. They were all so good. This last one was Nixon and Zoe's story. I don't know what to say but read it. Nixon is just so much and Zoe is so understanding. So full of love. Beautiful.

After reading Rifts and Refrains, I was dying to understand Nixon. Rebecca Yarros did not disappoint with this story of such pain and heartache. She has such a gift for writing such a tortured character and I found it so heart wrenching and beautiful at the same time. What we get with Muses & Melodies is Nixon trying to live the sober life with Zoe as his keeper essentially. That attraction between these two sizzle under the radar that neither of them knew it would hit them. There is such a push and pull between these two that I adored their wit and banter as they try to get on each other’s nerves. Throughout the story, you get the hows and whys Nixon is the way he is and how much he depends on Zoe to find that balance. My heart broke at moments. I giggled with their banter. I wanted to cry at times. It was honestly just something so beautiful that I could not put it down.
Overall, this has been one brilliant collaboration between these three authors. Each has their own story to tell with interconnected characters but write so flawlessly together. The depth of the emotions, especially with Muses & Melodies, I fell in love with this world of Rock Stars and so much more. I adored each word and highly recommend them.

“I love music. I love the way it can change my emotions, and the way it can give voice to things I can’t seem to say. I love when a song becomes the soundtrack to a moment in my life, and then hearing it takes me right back.”


~~ “I want you so badly that I’m hard the second I smell a damned coconut!”
“Well, I bet you’re fun in the produce aisle.”
“I’ve been banned by your local grocery store.”

<><>Story Overview<><>
After taking some unmarked pills from a groupie, Nix ended up in the hospital with a question as whether or not he would even survive. According to Nix, that was his Come-to-Jesus moment and he’s spent the last 45 days in rehab (his fifth rehab trip).

~ “I had become a liability, not just to the band but to my best friends’ personal lives as well…and they didn’t even know the why of it.”


With some upcoming tour dates looming on the horizon, the band manager wants to make sure Nixon stays sober. Therefore he assigns his assistant (Zoe) to live with Nix to ensure he doesn’t fall off the wagon.

~ “If you want to cancel the dates now, I’ll support that decision. We’re here to make sure you stay clean. But if you want me to keep those dates on the books, then Shannon is staying by your side to make sure you don’t go off the rails. That’s the deal. Take it or leave it.”


Zoe and Nix like to push each other’s buttons, so sharing the same space is proving to be an interesting new dynamic for them.

~ “Ironic. They were all so concerned for my sobriety, yet they’d just saddled me with the one woman who could drive me to drink. At least they’d given me something to do between shows. It was going to be a shit ton of fun to see just what it would take to get under her skin.”


<><>Characters<><>
<>Hero: Nixon Winters, Age: 27, Occupation: bassist for the Grammy award winning rock band, Hush Note
~ Nix views himself as a f’d up beyond fixing. He did not have a good childhood and is carrying around some heavy demons. He drinks to forget, to cope, to find oblivion.
~~ “Quinn was the beat of a show, she drove it forward. Jonas brought the heart. Nixon…he was the energy, the palpable hum of excitement. It seemed to emanate from him like a magnetic field, drawing everyone a little closer.”


<>Heroine: Zoe Shannon, Age: 26, Occupation: band manager’s assistant and a lawyer
~ Zoe comes from a small town in Colorado and has a great family. Her keys to success are staying organized and in control. She has a good ear for new musical talent and has aspirations of becoming a band manager someday.
~~ “I’d rather be known as the buttoned-up, organization freak who can’t color outside the lines but nails her job, than the girl who nailed the rock star to climb the ladder.”


<><>A Few Thoughts<><>

^^ ~ the whole “I’m attracted to you, but I’m pissed about it” worked for these two. This led to some good banter. because you never knew what would come out of their mouths.

~~ “So, you have to dress like Jackie Kennedy at eight in the morning while working from home?”
God, I hated him. Hated that smug look on his stupidly attractive face. “First, that’s not an insult, and second, what would you prefer I wear to work? Something to match you?” I gestured from his toes to his torso.
“I’m cool with you going shirtless.”

~~“Now, I’m going to go call your producer and stall him yet again, because ignoring someone’s phone call is the kindergarten equivalent of hiding behind your own hand and swearing no one can see you. News flash, Nixon. We all see you.”

~~“You and happy don’t exactly go together. That’s like throwing SAT prep into the homecoming dance.”

^^ ~ I thought Zoe and Nix were a good balance. Zoe brought calm to Nix‘s chaos.

^^ ~ Nix made her do goat yoga

***AVAILABLE NOW ***

5 I’ve Got Tea CROWNS

I’ve been waiting for Nixon’s story since the beginning of the standalone Hush Notes series, and Rebecca Yarros didn’t disappoint. Nixon’s and Zoe’s story is one of redemption and heartache, with love triumphing over all.

Nixon is the bad boy rocker you love, heart of gold with ghost plaguing him. You wanted to hold him close and keep him safe, and that is why readers will like Zoe. She toes the line of caring for him and holding him responsible. She had the best of both sides. She forced him to answer the tough questions. She was vulnerable and laid her heart on the line. I loved her strength and her belief in not only herself but also their love for each other.

Nixon has demons to battle, and while it was pretty clear what those issues were early in the book, it didn’t listen the impact when it all blew up. It was hard to see these two people who gave each solace destroy each other.

I did enjoy how this couple handled their reconciliation. It was real and authentic, and it spoke to the who they were as people. That epilogue, though. Rebecca Yarros brought it all full circle, as there is nothing I love more than seeing rockstars settle down and finally enjoy life, real life with the people they love and who matter most to them.

This was such a wonderful series. The right amount of angst and heart, Hush Notes will be one of my fave rock star series.

ARC review

An amazing opposites attract, forced proximity Rockstar romance

Another Yarros book that I have fallen in love with. As always, it had phenomanal writing, an engaging and emotional plot with lovable characters that showed great growth and development.
Zoe is an intelligent, ambitious, highly organized, and mentally and emotionally strong FMC who is tasked to babysit the guitarist of a famous rockband as he tries his best to stay sober. But spending all this time with him, she learns there is more to this egotistical asshole of a rockstar.
Nixon is a sexy playboy rockstar with a traumatic past and addiction problem, but he is trying to stay sober and change his life around. His manager's secretary has always been off limits, but the chemistry is just too strong to ignore. However, it can be hard to let someone in when he's kept secrets and memories hidden all his life.
Highly recommend to everyone looking for a cute rockstar romance