Review: Different twist on the rock star romance
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 3, 2014
Falling hard for the guy who was destined to be a famous rock star was probably not a good decision.  But when Marlene ended up pregnant with the man she gave her heart to, she had no idea he’d turn around and leave her to raise their daughter alone.  We meet Marlene four years after Luke’s heart-wrenching decision to chase his dreams of stardom, and she’s settled in as a single mom to the adorable Nil while struggling to make ends meet.  Yes, that’s right, her baby daddy’s a rich rock star and she’s scraping by.  Why? Well, because she’s determined to do it on her own, without the man who decided she wasn’t important enough to leave it all behind for.  I had to respect Marlene for that decision, because Luke’s leaving was such a slap in the face and it was her way of sticking it back to him every step of the way.  But it didn’t prepare her for the day Luke would walk back into her life, wanting nothing more than a second chance with his family.My initial reaction when I read what Luke had done was to say “too bad, buster!”  I mean, the man knew he was about to become a father and just picked up and left Marlene to fend for herself, and it knocked him down quite a few pegs for me.  It took an outsider for him to finally realize his mistake four years later, and there wasn’t anything in my mind that could make up for that.  I never did get to the point where I was okay with what he did, but I admit he did become a better man and really wanted to be a father to his little girl.  He and Marlene had plenty of pent-up lust that had built up over the years apart too, and that didn’t hurt him in my eyes either.Marlene had the little issue of her current boyfriend to contend with as her feelings for Luke were coming back to the surface, but Finn was really just an afterthought.  There was no chemistry between him and Marlene at all, so when he asked her to pack up and move to Paris with him it seemed like a no-brainer.  As Marlene and Luke navigated what their relationship could be if she ever forgave him, she made some discoveries that softened her heart a bit and made her have to really think about where she saw her life going.  There were some really blown-up and absurd moments that ensued between the three of them, and in the end this love triangle ended the way it should.Overall, though I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I would have liked, this was an entertaining story with a sweet ending that warms the heart.Quotes:“You know how I first told you to leave Luke behind in your past? Well it sounds as if he isn’t the same Luke you once knew.  I know you said you want somebody dependable but what I think you’re really afraid of is love.  Real love.  The kind you won’t find with Finn.” ~Loc 530I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding and picked up a plate.  In the throes of ecstasy I wouldn’t regret dumping Finn, but five months down the line when Luke was on tour and I was home alone, I would. ~Loc 1510“You are tied to me, and me to you.” ~Loc 2747