Review by anasatticbookblog - Rifts & Refrains

A review by anasatticbookblog
Rifts & Refrains by Devney Perry

4.0

The Hush Note Series Review

The Hush Note Series is a multi-author series by Sarina Bowen, Devney Perry, and Rebecca Yarros with each book about a different band member. I'm reviewing them together because I just sped right through them like candy and didn't stop to review or take copious notes. They were all fun, engrossing listens that had way more emotion than I expected.

Lies & Lullabies by Sarina Bowen

“I’d been waiting five years. I could wait five more if I had to.”

Jonas was a rock star looking for an anonymous break from reality. He spent an unforgettable summer with Kira, a local home from college, but they parted at the end of summer.

Five years later, Jonas heads back to that town to hopefully bring back some of his writing mojo. He didn’t expect to find Kira back in town with a little surprise—his daughter.

Likes:

•I liked the whole setup of the series and meeting the band.

•I loved Jonas.

•Kira’s brother Adam was my favorite.

•I loved that there was real singing by narrator Tim Paige.

Dislikes:

•Got a little slow at times.

•I never really fell for Kira. I never really got over her not sharing her child with her father.

Erin Mallon my favorite and I loved her performance with Tim Paige. I think their narration is what brought this book up to 4 stars for me.

Rating: 4 Stars, 3.5 Heat, 5 Narration

Rifts & Refrains by Devney Perry

"He was the towering oak tree, planted firmly in the earth. I was the bird, flying in the sky above, and the wind had carried me too far to turn back now."

I wasn’t so sure I’d like Quinn, the drummer of Hush Note. In Lies & Lullabies, she was a little ….shall we say, Prickly? But in the end, I really loved the female rocker.

After 9 years away, Quinn had to go back to her small town in Montana to say goodbye to the person she loved most, her Nan. When she left town, she not only left her judgmental family behind, she left the love of her life. Graham never fell out of love with Quinn, despite having a child with another woman. Now the father of a 7-year-old, Graham has a lot more at stake. Can the small-town single dad really be with a rock star?

Likes:

•Quinn quickly made me get over my dislike, and I loved her.

•Lots of deep family connections to be mended.

•Colon, Graham’s son, stole the show.

•The chemistry and connection were there from the start.

Dislikes:

•I had none.

Joe Arden and Maxine Mitchell were wonderful in their roles and they brought the book to life. I definitely recommend listening to this one.

Rating: 4.5 Stars, 3.5 Heat, 5 Narration

Muses & Melodies by Rebecca Yarros

“I wanted the only woman on the planet I couldn’t have.”

The third book ends the multi-author Hush Note Series with an emotional bang. I was excited about Nixon’s mysterious story right from the start and knew he had deep, emotional reasons behind his annual spiral.

When Nixon gets out of rehab, Zoe, the band's assistant manager, is assigned with watching him and keeping him straight for the next six months. If she succeeds, she will be given her own band to manage. What she didn't expect was getting to know and love the real person behind his mask.

Likes:

•The most emotional of the three books.

•I loved the banter.

•A powerful look at addiction and the wounds it causes.

•Amazing epilogue.

Dislikes:

•I didn't have any.

Once again, the narration was spot-on with Tim Paige and Carly Robins, and I am so glad they switched it up through the series. Thinking back, I think this is tied with Devney's as the favorite in the series.

Rating: 4.5 Stars, 3.5 Heat, 5 Narration

Though the Hush Note Series was written by three different authors, it flowed nicely from book to book and I honestly would never have noticed the change if I didn't see the cover. If you are new to any of these authors, I think this series is a great way to experience new authors in a related series.