Synopsis

Eden Sands has been a star for twenty years, but it’s lonely at the top. Her mediocre marriage just ended, and her inner circle is smaller than ever. The stage is the only place she’s ever felt like she truly belonged, and yet, her last album flopped, and her upcoming tour hasn’t sold out. Eden’s desperate for her star to shine bright again, but when her team suggests a collaboration with an up-and-coming young star to give her a boost, she balks.

Anna Moss is pop music’s rising star. She’s idolized Eden Sands for most of her life―so it’s a dream come true when she’s invited to perform with her at the Grammys. Anna’s tired of being defined by her bubbly persona. She wants to be taken seriously as an artist, and a duet with Eden could be just what she needs.

As Anna and Eden rehearse, they soon realize they have more in common than their musical talents. Now they just have to decide if what is between them is a one-hit wonder or the making of a romance worthy of one of the greatest love songs of all time.

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Review

You never know where you will find love. It might even be in your crush.

Eden and Anna are two stars fated for each other, but it takes time to come to that realization. Eden is divorced and trying to get her career back on track. Anna is very confident in who she is and is a star on the rise. When these two come together, the stars explode.

This was a tale fraught with emotion, discovery, and learning how to be true to yourself. While Anna is pansexual, Eden doesn’t know how she fits into a relationship. I enjoyed watching her discover who she was and what she wanted from life. Many times, we have a different face for everyone else. This was true in Eden’s case, but with time and understanding, she comes into her own. There is no timeframe that anyone has to meet to discover their passion, love, and inner soul.

I liked that this romance was not rushed. It was slow while they worked things out. This is important because it was a change for Eden, but it was what helped her recognize and embrace her true self. While they have their ups and downs, they do come together with a happily ever after ending.

There are some tense moments, but I chalked that up to Anna’s insecurity and immaturity when it comes to relationships. But those moments helped move the story forward. You have to have some conflict to round out a story.

This was an enjoyable read, and we give it 4 paws up.

Excerpt

As the live broadcast went into a commercial break, Anna and Eden were rushed into position by members of the crew. Anna sat on the stool that had been placed for her behind the hill, hiding herself from view. Around her, the stage buzzed with activity. Briefly, she wished she could watch Eden deliver the first half of her performance, but at least she could watch the replay later.

“Ten seconds!” a voice called.

The activity around her briefly intensified, and then everything went quiet as the show returned from the commercial break. She listened as Eden was introduced, and then the opening bars of “Alone” began to play. Sitting with her back against the structure that housed the band, Anna felt the vibrations of the music all the way to her bones.

She closed her eyes, absorbing it, losing herself in the beauty of Eden’s voice and the electricity that filled the room. It was one of the most intense things Anna had ever experienced, being onstage yet hidden from the audience. As she listened to Eden sing, her nerves melted away. Anna was one with the music.

“I’m never alone, because I have myself to keep me company.” Eden delivered the final line, her voice heavy with emotion.

Anna’s heart clenched. Did Eden really feel that way? Was she alone when the spotlight didn’t shine her way? The music changed, and Anna leaned forward as the felt hilltop was stripped away, revealing the band. Eden stood overhead now, but Anna didn’t dare look up. She couldn’t let anything break her concentration this close to her entrance.

The opening beats of “After Midnight” pulsed around her, and Anna turned her microphone on. She pressed her hands against her thighs, ready to spring to her feet. Eden sang the opening verse, and Anna could hear the crowd clapping along to the beat. The energy in the room made the fine hairs on her arms stand at attention. With a hiss, stage smoke burst from the structure behind her.

“But after midnight . . .” Eden’s voice reached her.

Anna lurched to her feet, eyes on the red tape marking her way through the smoke now billowing thick around her. She stepped onto the main stage, where a spotlight engulfed her, and the crowd roared with surprise.

“I let my hair down. After midnight, I’m not afraid to be a clown.” Anna’s voice sounded clear and strong, and luckily for her, the stage lights were so blinding she couldn’t see the audience, even if she’d wanted to. She spun so that her skirt flared around her, then danced her way over to Eden as they alternated lines through the chorus.

Eden stood before her, looking like an actual celestial being, not merely a star. Her dress sparked beneath the stage lights, glinting and shimmering and dazzling Anna until she nearly did forget the words to the song. For a moment, she was lost, staring helplessly at Eden as an arena full of industry heavyweights looked on.

Eden gave her a reassuring smile, dipping her head in the smallest of nods. You’ve got this. Anna received the message loud and clear, and suddenly, she did.

“I’m a little bit more wild. I am my inner child. I haven’t taken off my rose-colored glasses,” Anna sang, tugging at imaginary glasses.

Eden held her gaze as the music swelled, her expression anguished. Then she turned her face toward the camera. “I don’t daydream anymore.”

Her voice was heavy with emotion, and damn, she had some acting chops. They’d tweaked the lyrics of the song to suit the theme of this performance, and Anna could hear the crowd buzzing in response.

Anna angled herself slightly toward the camera, which was on a boom that swung overhead, allowing the network to get its close-up for the people watching at home. Her gaze slid past it to the audience beyond. The stage lights had shifted, and now she saw so many faces she recognized, really intimidating faces.

She wrenched her gaze back to Eden. They circled each other as they sang, sparring back and forth as Eden wrestled with the demons of her younger self. Anna had never seen anything as mesmerizing as the way the stage lights glittered on Eden’s silver dress.

And then that rhinestone-studded dress was against Anna’s cheek as Eden embraced her inner child. When Anna straightened from the hug, her earring snagged on one of the crystals, yanking her back against Eden’s chest. She was stuck. Before she could panic, her earring broke, freeing her.

Anna spun to stand with her back against Eden’s, melting into the background as Eden delivered the final line of the song.

“After midnight, I’m free.”

The crowd began to whistle and applaud, the noise again making those hairs on Anna’s arms rise. Eden squeezed her hand, Anna’s cue to step beside her.

“Thank you so much!” Eden called to the crowd.

“Thank you,” Anna echoed, tears blurring her vision as she saw a few people in the audience get to their feet. It seemed to happen in slow motion: people in tuxedos and ball gowns, people Anna looked up to, industry legends, standing and clapping for her.

Well, for Eden, probably. For both of them, maybe. And then Eden pulled her in for a hug. Anna was grinning like an idiot, and Eden still smelled like rose petals, and she was definitely having an out-of-body experience right now.

Chapter 4 from STAR COLLIDE by Rachel Lacey, available May 2, 2023 from Montlake Publishing

About the Author

Rachel Lacey is an award-winning contemporary romance author and semi-reformed travel junkie. She’s been climbed by a monkey on a mountain in Japan, gone scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, and camped out overnight in New York City for a chance to be an extra in a movie. These days, the majority of her adventures take place on the pages of the books she writes. She lives in the mountains of Vermont with her family and a variety of rescue pets, and she’s a passionate fangirl: she has attended hundreds of concerts, sitting anywhere from the last row to the front, and even backstage. Rachel loves to keep in touch with her readers!

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