Review: The Rockstar Returns by Kayley Loring & Connor Crais (Beacon Harbor #2)

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the authors.

We're back in Beacon Harbor, Maine with the second book in the Kayley Loring and Connor Crais penned small town romance series the shares the same name as the quaint yet quirky place the main characters consider home. If you've read the series starter, The Billionaire Is Back, then it say it's impossible for you to have missed Damien Barber and Vera Kruger. He's the younger brother of Grady, the aforementioned billionaire of the previous novel; she's the best friend of Claire Sweeney, the baker who stole Grady's heart. You'll also recall that Grady encouraged Damien to finally pursue his music, and with a bit of help from the former, the latter has made it. Yup, two years since the events of book one, I can know say that Damien is the aforementioned rockstar in the title of book two.

At eighteen, Damien Barber knew the things: music was his life and Vera Kruger was the girl. Twelve years later, he's blazing a trail in the music industry and Vera is still the girl. She isn't, however, his girl. She made it clear all those summers ago that she wasn't willing to pursue anything other their frenemy-ship. So, they continue to play the weird game where they pretend to feel nothing but disdain for each other. The back and forth between them may have been entertaining, but after all these years, it seems it's getting to them. Maybe some time away will be good, and Damien's brother and Vera's bestie wholeheartedly agree. By "away", Damien and Vera thought "apart", but who would have thought the billionaire brother and the baker bestie wanted to add "matchmaker" to their résumé? One cabin, one bed, one storm. It may all lead to these two actually giving in and admitting their feelings, but will they be able to have their happily-ever-after afterwards?

Readers familiar with the Beacon Harbor series know that Damien and Vera work well as a team, as proven by their lobster training skills. But now, it's clear that they can make beautiful music together as well, as long as they get out of their own way. There are legitimate reasons for why they had their hesitations, especially Vera. There was A LOT of back and forth, hemming and hawing, and taking one step forward and two steps back with these two, but once they took that leap, I literally said "Hallelujah!" out loud. At times, I worried over the immature bickering and one-upmanship, but that was part of this system that they had set up in order to manage the simmering feelings between them. Damien has truly come into his own in this book. He loved Vera, accepting her for who she was, supporting her in anything and everything she wanted. He gave Grady a run for his money as a book boyfriend, and he finally got his runaway girl. All in all, The Rockstar Returns was a hilarious read with countless heartwarming moments. 4.5 stars!

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Read my reviews for the Beacon Harbor series:

The Billionaire Is Back (book one) - five stars - My Review

The Rockstar Returns (book two) - 4.5 stars - My Review (posted above)

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Release Date: 12 September 2024

Date Read: 03 September 2024

Learn more about Kayley Loring and Connor Crais.

Pre-order The Rockstar Returns on Amazon.