Mirrigold: Mutterings & Musings

Starting From Here by Lane Hayes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Definitely my favourite one so far in this excellent rock band based series from Lane.

Part second chances, part fake relationship and redemption, this narrative oozes with feelings and incandescent emotional vulnerability between Declan and Tegan.

Former best friends who were turned into ‘enemies’ through manipulation and bad feelings, Lane skilfully navigates their relationship development while they’re on tour with their respective bands and I was rooting for them from the off.

While this book can be read as a standalone, I wouldn’t recommend it because there would be some of the subtle layers missing from the previous books.

I really appreciated how both Tegan and his band mate and best friend Justin slowly realised Declan wasn’t an enemy and that the drama was kept to a level which totally worked within the story.

Tegan and Declan reconnection came with loads of hot angry sex, something which Lane writes so very well.

But even from the first fraught encounter there is more there than just lust. The sense of something previous, a past that hasn’t been forgotten in spite of all the efforts to do so.

I loved these two so much, I wanted them to forgive the hurts and admit that they still wanted each other but they needed to go on their own individual journey first.

When they do start that process though my heart was singing along and I was smiling throughout.

There’s subtle humour laced with the feelings, the two bands mesh together into a substitute family and Tegan’s own family also has an important role to play.

I loved his parents just from the small glimpses we get. Declan’s mum isn’t as instantly likeable but I also understood her motivations.

The Epilogue is all ends up awesome and I’m dying to find out who book four will be about (the sneak peek isn’t in the ARC).

#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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