Book Review: Muses & Melodies by Rebecca Yarros

Muses & Melodies (Hush Note #3) by Rebecca Yarros

Pages: 307
Publish date: October 6th 2020
Publisher: Yarros Ink, LLC
ASIN: B0867PLCKB
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Kobo – Apple Books

If I can keep Hush Note’s leading guitarist, Nixon Winters, on the straight and narrow for the next six months, I’ll finally get my own band to manage—assuming we don’t kill each other first.

The egotistical, irritating rock star is fresh out of rehab, but it’s obvious his demons followed him home—and now I’m sleeping down the hall. I’ve watched him self-destruct every summer, and with album deadlines and tour dates looming, I can’t let it happen again. My career is in his hands.

But tattoos can’t cover every scar, and I’m starting to see through his trademark, irresistible charm to the damage beneath.

Everyone wants the rock star.
I’m falling for the man.

If he doesn’t let me in,
he’ll never break the cycle—
And when these six months are up,
I might be the one left broken.

Muses & Melodies:

I received an earc of Muses & Melodies by Rebecca Yarros in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I’m going a little backwards in my reviews for this series. I’m reviewing this one before the second book, but that review will be coming next week. You can check out my review for book 1 Lies & Lullabies by Sarina Bowen now.

I always know that it’s going to be an emotional rollercoaster when I pick up a Rebecca Yarros book. I know that I’m going to be torn to pieces and hurt a lot – and I wasn’t wrong here. Muses & Melodies is emotional and it hurts. But it’s also a fantastic read.

Muses & Melodies follows the last member of the band and lead guitarist Nixon. His life hasn’t been easy, to deal with his demons Nixon turns to the party lifestyle of a rocker of women, alcohol and drugs. But he wants to get himself clean, not only for himself but for his band. Zoe has had to watch Nixon slowly fall apart, but with him fresh out of rehab, she has the job of watching him. Making sure he doesn’t fall back into old habits. But being stuck together isn’t easy, and when Nixon’s walls start to break and Zoe starts to see the real him. But she is only going to be here for 6 months, and when it’s over will she be left broken.

Photo by Caio Silva on Unsplash

I really enjoyed Zoe as a protagonist. She was fierce, strong and independent. I liked that she not only pushed herself but those around her. But I also loved that she had weaknesses. That she wasn’t superwomen or perfect. She was real. I’ve talked about this before, but Rebecca Yarros know how to write honest and real characters and Zoe is no different. She is honest and real. The reader gets to see her grow throughout Muses & Melodies and it was fantastic.

Nixon was a complicated character. He isn’t something that you can fall in love with right away. He has a lot of demons and that plays with who he is. It was interesting trying to figure out what caused these demons that Nix has and as the novel goes on we slowly start to see some of it. And as he starts to let go on some of those he lets others in.

The romance had many ups and downs. There is a lot of angst in this one. And while I don’t normally love it, Rebecca can write it so well that I do. There is the slight use of the fake dating trope and gosh did I love it. It just made everything so much better. I loved seeing what Nix and Zoe bought out in one another. They pushed each other to be better, but also pushed to move past their demons and try and live a good life. It’s intense at times and there were many mistakes made throughout Muses & Melodies, but it’s also a journey.

Photo by henri meilhac on Unsplash

Many themes are present throughout Muses & Melodies. Nix has a lot of demons that have taken over his life and because of that, he has become addicted. I think the way that addiction was explored throughout the series and the book was well done and explores the many ups and downs of recovering. Muses & Melodies also explores the idea of family and how it’s not always made up by people with that share the same DNA. I loved that we got to see more of the Hush Note crew it and how they wanted to support not only Nix but Zoe as well.

I loved the Hush Note series as a whole. It was a great rocker romance series and exactly what I needed. I liked that each author took a band member but it still felt like a while series that connected perfectly. I do wish we got to see each member more in books that weren’t their own, but it wasn’t a massive deal.

Photo by Sebastian Ervi on Unsplash

Overall, I loved reading Muses & Melodies by Rebecca Yarros. It was a great ending to this series and wrapped up everyone quite nice. This faking dating romance is hard-hitting and emotional at times, but it’s also beautiful. It explores overcoming, finding and believing in yourself and also that sometimes it’s okay to get a little help. Nixon and Zoe were perfect for one another. They balanced each other, they pushed each other. But they also loved one another. If you are looking for a new rocker series then pick up Hush Note, you won’t be disappointed.

Have you read the Hush Note series yet? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? What are some of your favourite rocker romances? Let’s Chat!