Review: Rustic Melody by Nic Starr (Rustic #1)


Note: This ARC was provided by Enticing Journey Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

It looks like I've just found myself a new M/M romance author to keep my eye on, thanks to having read all three books in the Rustic series back to back to back. Author Nic Starr swept me up with her stories about three couples that either began or ended in the town of Armidale in Australia. The first novel, Rustic Melody, introduces readers to two young men who find themselves burdened with the responsibilities set upon them by family. They handle their circumstances in very different ways, but when they're paths cross at a music festival, they find a kindred spirit, and quite possibly, the person that will change their destiny.

Joey Callaway is only twenty-one but he's been in charge of his families hotel and pub since his father passed away three years prior. He struggles to make sure that everything remains in order for them to pay off their debts, to see that the business stays afloat, and to have enough leftover for his mother and him to live on. He dreams of being to turn over enough of a profit to make the property enticing enough for someone to purchase and take over. His mother's concern for his happiness and welfare have her suggesting he attend the Tamworth Country Music Festival and that's where he meets Adam Chambers.

Adam Chambers is twenty-three and has been feeling the pressure from his domineering father to step up and take on more responsibilities in the family-owned property development business. Unfortunately, working side by side with a man whose business ethic he doesn't respect is just one of the reasons that has Adam hesitating. When he chooses to spend some time traveling around the country, he hopes to be able to come to some sort of decision at the end of his time away from home. He loves music, and though he isn't a country music fan, he finds himself at the Tamworth Country Music Festival with Joey Callaway.

Joey and Adam spend their days and nights together while at the festival, but Joey is called back to Armidale. Soon enough, Adam shows up at the pub, and unexpectedly finds himself falling in love with country life and with the man he hasn't stopped thinking about since he first saw Joey standing there listening to Adam singing and playing his guitar. When circumstances and reality step in and force Adam to return to Sydney, will he be able to finally make the life-changing choice that he knows he needs to make? And will that choice have him in the bustling city, or will it have him standing with Joey in their own place?

I absolutely adored Joey and Adam and their love story. They seemed to be at similar points in their respective lives, struggling to either move forward on their own or stay stuck with familial obligations. It's when they meet and find each other that they see their circumstances from someone else's perspective, listening without prejudice or preset expectations. I loved how they were able to explore their relationship at their own pace without it ever feeling overly romanticized or idealized. Rustic Melody was my first Nic Starr read and since then, her writing has proven three times over how good she is at her craft. Five stars. ♥

Date Read: 14 April 2016

Learn more about Nic Starr.

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