{"id":76271,"date":"2024-09-12T08:28:20","date_gmt":"2024-09-12T12:28:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=76271"},"modified":"2024-09-12T08:32:58","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T12:32:58","slug":"release-arc-review-the-rockstar-returns-beacon-harbor-2-by-kayley-loring-connor-crais","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=76271","title":{"rendered":"Release & ARC Review: The Rockstar Returns (Beacon Harbor, #2) by Kayley Loring & Connor Crais"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Rockstar Returns by Kayley Loring & Connor Crais is live!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The second standalone in the Beacon Harbor<\/i> series, this is a fantastically fun frenemies-to-lovers story that had me laughing out loud and falling in love with these characters and their crazy love story.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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\r\n <\/div><\/div><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Rockstar Starter Guide:<\/p>\n

1. Get guitar. Get good.
\n2. Find that girl who drives you out of your damn mind.
\n3. Make sure that girl refuses to be with you so you\u2019ll have endless material for songs.
\n4. Get tricked by your brother and her best friend into getting stuck with her in a remote cabin on a stormy night\u2014with only one bed.
\n5. Decide if it\u2019s better to keep playing your game or risk losing her forever.<\/p>\n

Vera Kruger has dyed her hair every color of the rainbow and she\u2019s turned two very important parts of me\u00a0blue<\/i>\u00a0for as long as I\u2019ve known her.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s so deep under my skin that she\u2019s a part of me, just like the small town we grew up in. No matter where I go on tour, she\u2019s the one I wish I could come home to. Even if it\u2019s to argue with her about absolutely anything.<\/p>\n

When I return to Beacon Harbor for the holidays, I\u2019m not a screwup anymore. I could give her every single thing she won\u2019t admit she needs. Vera thinks we\u2019re too messed up to work together\u2014we just need to get each other out of our systems.
\nThe truth is she\u00a0is<\/i>\u00a0my system.<\/p>\n

Now the girl who\u2019s always been hard on me is going to have a hard time getting rid of me.
\nAnd I will fight with her every infuriating step of the way until she figures out I\u2019m never going to leave her.<\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n

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Add to Goodreads<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Review<\/b><\/h4>\n

4.5 stars!<\/b><\/p>\n

The second standalone in the Beacon Harbor<\/i> series, this is a fantastically fun frenemies-to-lovers story that had me laughing out loud and falling in love with these characters and their crazy love story.<\/p>\n

Damien and Vera are the brother and best friend of Grady and Claire, the couple from the first book of the series, The Billionaire Is Back<\/a>. There\u2019s a lot of Grady and Claire in this book, but you could easily read this one as a standalone (just don\u2019t miss the first book because it\u2019s a sensational read).<\/p>\n

Anyway\u2026 Damien and Vera had feelings for each other in high school and shared one steamy encounter at graduation. Damien thought they were on the verge of becoming more<\/i>, but Vera was completely closed off to connection with anybody outside of her best friend, and kept him strictly friend-zoned. For years they have danced around each other, completely crazy for each other but not actually together, and channelling all of that sexual tension into an argumentative, flirtatious and banter-filled love\/hate relationship which is wildly entertaining.<\/p>\n

Vera has experienced devastating loss in her life, and it\u2019s left her scarred. She\u2019s terrified to open herself up anybody else and experience that loss all over again and she flat out refuses to get involved with anybody. Meanwhile, Damien poured his broken heart into music and is making a name for himself, and on the cusp of stardom. When they both return to their small home town for the holidays, they find themselves all up in each other\u2019s space again. And with family and friends doing their best to push them together, the close proximity sparks are flying, and it\u2019s such a fun ride.<\/p>\n

God, I love these two together. They don\u2019t hide their attraction, they\u2019re right out there with it, and it forms the basis for most of their bickering. They are constantly at each other and it\u2019s funny and stupid and immature, and I could not get enough!<\/p>\n

\u201cWill you get over yourself?\u201d
\nI pick up my coffee cup. \u201cI am over myself, Kruger. <\/i>You get over myself.\u201d
\nShe narrows her eyes at me. Her nostrils flare. It\u2019s hot. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I laughed out loud at the antics, but underneath it all there is sizzling chemistry. They can\u2019t stay away from each other for long, and all of that build-up leads to wildly hot sexy time (oh, so hot!). But while Damien is all in, Vera still holds back. She\u2019s so confused and so scared, and while it does lead to funny moments, my heart hurt for both of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so much easier for you to be mad at me, huh?\u201d It\u2019s barely a question.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s like breathing,\u201d I whisper. Except I can\u2019t even breathe right now, I want him so badly.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As frustrating as it is, Damien accepts Vera for who she is \u2013 even with her issues and hang ups. He\u2019s patient and understanding, and beautifully demonstrative with his feelings, and I loved watching him trying so hard to win her heart once and for all.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you\u2019re scared. You think I\u2019m not fucking terrified of how much I want you? \u2026 Nobody does this to me but you. Understand? I want you. I want <\/i>you.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And even though they\u2019re working through some pretty hard issues, there\u2019s still this sense of easy playfulness between them that is so entertaining.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so fucking annoying how hot your tits look in that sweater.\u201d
\nShe hooks her thumbs into the belt loops of my jeans. \u201cYour butt is being an asshole in these jeans. Your ass is being passive-aggressive.\u201d
\n\u201cWell, I\u2019m gonna get aggressive-aggressive with yours later.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is a fun read that still manages to bring the feels as these two figure out what they want and find their way forward. It\u2019s sexy and romantic, with lots of funny, laugh-out-loud moments, and I love that such a light-hearted read had so much emotion, and managed to do it without becoming too angsty or frustrating. The pacing felt just right, and the romance is gorgeous as these two finally get their happy ending.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got you, babe \u2026 I\u2019m not letting you go. You\u2019re stuck with me.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Loring and Crais prove again that they are a fantastic writing duo. Their voices are so aligned, it\u2019s difficult to tell who wrote what, and I love their storytelling so much.<\/p>\n

This is a really fun read, and I\u2019m looking forward to more from the series.<\/p>\n

4.5 stars.<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the authors for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

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Beacon Harbor<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\" \u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

The Billionaire is Back (#1)<\/strong> (Grady & Claire)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

The Rockstar Returns (#2)<\/strong> (Damien & Vera)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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About Kayley Loring<\/b><\/h4>\n

\"\"Amazon Top 25 and USA Today bestselling author Kayley Loring had a fifteen-year career as a screenwriter in Los Angeles (under a different name) before moving to the Pacific Northwest to pen steamy romantic comedy novels. Now she\u2019s breathing cleaner air, writing dirtier words, and staring at her computer screen until her eyeballs dry out instead of getting facials and going to the hair salon. Read or listen to Kayley\u2019s books when you want to laugh, warm your heart, and enjoy top-notch banter, strong heroines who need to be chased, lovable characters you\u2019d want to know in real life, and swoon over perfectly imperfect book boyfriends.<\/p>\n

Learn more at\u00a0www.kayleyloring.com<\/a>
\nCome join Kayley in her Facebook reader group!\u00a0https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/kayleyville<\/a>
\nFollow Kayley on Instagram:\u00a0https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kayleyloring\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to Kayley talk to the wildly talented narrators who narrate her audiobooks and her wildly talented author friends on the Multiple Eargasms with Kayley Loring podcast!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Instagram<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0FB Reader Group<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Website<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Newsletter<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Audio Newsletter<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0BookBub<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0TikTok<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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About Connor Crais<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"Connor Crais is a classically trained actor living in the Midwest with his wife and three kids. He has been both a stage and television actor, and before plunging into the romance genre, he had been narrating commercials, audiobooks, and explainers for well over a decade from his home studio. From alphas to bosses to cocky sports stars (a particular favorite), he loves sparring with beautiful, sassy heroines (and their talented narrators) but also loves winning them over and reaching that happily ever after. He is excited to now create those stories as an author.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Website\u00a0<\/a> <\/strong>|\u00a0 Instagram<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Facebook Group<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 TikTok<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Twitter\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Amazon\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Newsletter<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  The Rockstar Returns by Kayley Loring & Connor Crais is live! The second standalone in the Beacon Harbor series, this is a fantastically fun frenemies-to-lovers story that had me laughing out loud and falling […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":75616,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4.5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[86,25,65,94,9,29],"tags":[59,1533,1342,1140,48],"class_list":["post-76271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-enemies-to-lovers","category-friends-to-lovers","category-lol-funny","category-rockers","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-beacon-harbor","tag-connor-crais","tag-kayley-loring","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/The-Rockstar-Returns.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-jQb","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=76271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76271\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/75616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=76271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=76271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=76271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}