“Where words leave off, music begins.” ― Heinrich Heine
Title: Five Ways a Boy Can Break Your Heart
Author: Cate Ashwood & Skylar M. Cates
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages/Word Count: 116 Pages
Rating: 4 Stars
Blurb: When Trey and Liam meet in boarding school, they couldn’t be more different. Liam is a classical violinist with a scholarship, and Trey is a punk rocker with famous parents. Despite their conflicting backgrounds, they hit it off and bond over their love of music. But after spending every waking hour together, Liam is devastated when Trey leaves school without an explanation. Worse yet, Trey capitalizes on a song they wrote together.
Seven years later, they bump into each other at a charity benefit in New York. Old sparks fly, but Liam hasn’t quite recovered from the pain Trey caused. Liam doesn’t know if any explanation Trey can offer will be enough, or if he can find it in his heart to forgive the only man he’s ever really loved.
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Review: When Trey left Liam behind in high school, he had no way of knowing that he was leaving his one good thing. He moved on to become a star, but Liam never left his mind. A song they wrote together as teenagers was made into a signature hit for him and helped propel him to stardom. Unfortunately, the fame and fortune wasn’t enough for Trey, and he missed Liam each and every day.
Liam was pretty much just the opposite, a scholarship student who went on to become a music teacher and a member of an orchestra. He loved Trey when they were in school together, but he could never share that with him. When he heard “their” song on the radio, it broke something inside him. While preparing for a charity concert, he realizes that Trey is going to be there, and he decides that he will do anything he can to avoid the man.
When Trey sees Liam, he has a totally different idea. He wants to get the man back, but that won’t be an easy task to complete. Liam is very angry with Trey and understandably so. When they first make contact, Liam is able to brush Trey off initially, but Trey refuses to give up.
When Liam tries to drink his problems away and bury his attraction for Trey by flirting with a bartender, Trey has had enough. When he takes Liam home, it is a testament to his strength that he is able to fight off Liam’s advances. The next morning the two men have to sort through their past if they can ever hope for a future.
I am a total sucker for books with rock stars, friends to lovers, and reunions. This book has all of those things and so much more. It isn’t a terribly long story, but I believe the authors got in as much as they could about the characters, and I didn’t feel robbed of backstory at all. I felt both MCs were well fleshed out and most questions were answered.
As usual with a great story, I only wish there had been more in the epilogue. I am truly a sucker for the perfect ending tied up with a big red bow, and I just felt part of that was missing. Having said that, though, it was a great story, and I loved it. I would highly recommend this title and hope that maybe we could revisit Liam and Trey in the future.
You can buy Five Ways a Boy Can Break Your Heart here:
