Ok I have a new appreciation for rockstar romance! I tried a rockstar romance before and loved it and this time was no exception. I may have found a new sub-genre to obsess over, authors beware because I’m going to be devouring your works!
Riven is the story of the lead singer of Riven, Theo and recovering drug addict and former musician Caleb. The former is a reluctant rockstar and the latter would give anything to be able to make music again without giving once more into the allure of drugs.
Theo has this edgy look that’s all unintentional, smudged eyeliner because he slept in his makeup and worn jeans and black tees because he can’t be bothered to wear anything else. He has fans stop him on the streets of New York on his way from picking up takeout and band mates who see him as a means to song lyrics and sales. He has this deep anxiety about his current situation and this is all coming to a head when he stumbles on a man strumming a guitar in a bar. He’s attracted to the man on sight but more attracted to the music the man is making, hearing the brilliance in composition and itching to add to it to make it even better.
The man in the bar is Caleb. He’s trying to make music at the same time as he’s trying to stay on the road to recovery. Having been down the road of music, fame and drugs more than once before, Caleb, in addition to being a little older than Theo, is more jaded about life and the music industry in general. While he’s doing his best to keep his recovery separate from his love of music, he can’t help but give into his attraction to Theo and the path back to music and fame that it leads to.
Theo lives in the city, having an apartment in New York City but Caleb has used his family farm out of the city as his place of recovery, growing vegetables in the fields and eating most of them in the form of hash. At first blush it doesn’t seem like the two could make it together but Theo, in his desire for a refuge from the storm of his life, finds himself spending more and more time at the farm. This leads to its own challenges when the media gets a whiff of the brewing relationship and soon the love beginning to grow between the two faces more and challenges.
This book was amazing at providing this angst inducing and angst full view into the music industry and addiction. It was so great at showing what people think of as the alcohol, drugs and rock and roll lifestyle without being cliche.
I sympathised with both Theo and Caleb’s struggles. Theo had these band mates who didn’t seem to get him, who thought of him as this fame monger and who seemed content to have him as a lead singer and song writer but nothing else. He seemed really naive about a lot of things, from his rights to demand better treatment to the motives behind people’s actions. I really loved how Caleb was his perfect balance, having worked in the music industry for longer. He constantly encouraged Theo to seek better for himself and to see his own worth. It was pretty ironic because he struggled with his own identity in the wake of his repeated trips to rehab. It was so eye opening to see into his daily struggle to stay clean and how it led to him distancing himself from Theo in moments when it would have been better to lean on him.
I love Roan Parrish as an author. Her writing grips you, thrills you and really takes you there emotionally. This book was no exception. It’s hard to get into just what I loved about it except to say it was really well done. It was so good at revealing the realities of the music industry and recovery from addiction. The parts about music composition were well written, realistic and really had me admiring Theo and Caleb. The characters emotions leaped off the page and I can’t wait for the next book in the series! I’ve already pre-ordered it!
Obviously this was a five star read!
How about you visit Roan Parrish here to see if you think so too?
TK MAJ
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