Rating: 4/5 Stars

The books that always end up catching my attentions are the ones with the funniest book blurbs, and Facing the Music had one that made me laugh so hard, I was wheezing.

I love reading books about scorned heroines, I love reading books about redemption romances, and I love reading books about musicians, athletes, actors, or anything that's extremely far from the ordinary. What I normally don't love are books with both scorned heroines and redemption romances, because most books end up as a hit or a miss with both those factors. Either the heroine just abruptly goes from hating someone to wanting to have his children, or the redemption arc falls flat. Which was why I was surprised that I enjoyed this book. Especially since it contained factors that would normally make me run far away from the book as possible. There was a cheating hero (don't worry, the cheating happened prior to the novel) and a love triangle (partially, since it technically isn't a love triangle--but it has the schematics of one anyway), both two elements I'm not fond of. I tend to let it slide if the author handles it gracefully without blowing it out of proportions.

Here's the thing. I hate cheating heroes. Most authors tend to gloss over it, making the heroes put the blame of their infidelity on the female/significant other. I appreciated how Blake came to redeem himself in a realistic manner. He knew what he did was wrong. He knew what he fucked up on. I liked that even though others were trying to defend Blake to Ivy, he owned up to it himself.

Also, as much as I enjoy plots revolved around scorned women--I tend to dislike it when authors drag it on for too long, making the characters whine excessively just for the sake of angst and more drama for the plot. It's why I really appreciated and was pleased to see how Ivy was willing to move on from the past. They both have hurt each other (in two different ways, of course), but they still carry torches for each other. They still want each other, and the chemistry is there. Chemistry doesn't lie, people. [wink wink nudge nudge].

And most importantly, I loved how the two of them were willing to move on. Especially since what he did hurt both of them badly in the end.

This book was charming and funny. I loved the secondary characters. I loved Blake's brothers: Grant and Simon. I loved Pepper, who was an amazing friend to Ivy (There's nothing I love more than amazing/realistic portrayal of friendships between girls). I loved Blake's grandmother (and her meddling). And I loved Ivy's best friend, Malcolm (who should team up with Blake's grandmother, because these two are the best meddlers I've read in fiction).

What I also found to enjoy was the chemistry between Ivy and Blake. It was sizzling, and Blake managed to prove to be sweet and swoon-worthy.

What I didn't really enjoy was Lydia. She was one piece of work, and she kept getting on my nerves because she was hellbent on shaming and being rude to Ivy. [No man is worth all that cattiness, no no no].

Either than that, this book was definitely a hit for me. There were lots of funny moments, lots of witty banter, and lots of amazing characters that just made the entire book sweet, charming, and fun.

I'm excited to read Grant's and Pepper's book next.