Author: Heat: Re
Genre(s): Women's Fiction
Tropes: Second Chance Small Town First Love
Tags: f-m straight Black contemporary musician music small town Southern alcoholism recovery trauma
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A Southern small-town romance about the visibility of Black women’s voices in country music, perfect for fans of Beyonce's Cowboy Carter and The Final Revival of Opal & Nev. "The best romance I've read all year." —The New York Times Every Thursday night, former country music heartthrob Luke Randall has to sing “Another Love Song.” God, he hates that song. But performing his lone hit at an interstate motel lounge is the only regular money he still has. Following another lackluster performance at the rock bottom of his career, Luke receives the opportunity of his dreams, opening for his childhood idol—90’s era Black country music star, JoJo Lane, who’s being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. But the concert is in Arcadia, Arkansas, the small hometown he swore he’d never see again. Going back means facing a painful past of abuse and neglect. It also means facing JoJo’s daughter, August Lane—the woman who wrote the lyrics he’s always claimed as his own. August also hates that song. But she hates Luke Randall even more. When he shows up ten years too late to apologize for his betrayal, she isn’t interested in making amends. Instead, she threatens to expose his lies unless he co-writes a new song with her and performs it at the concert, something she hopes will launch her out of her mother's shadow and into a songwriting career of her own. Desperate to keep his secret, Luke agrees to put on the rogue performance, despite the risk of losing his shot at a new record deal. When Luke’s guitar reunites with August’s soulful alto, neither can deny that the passionate bond they formed as teenagers is still there. As the concert nears, August will have to choose between an overdue public reckoning with the boy who betrayed her, or trusting the man he’s become to write a different love song.
Readers who enjoy country music, messy family relationships, and redemption arcs should pick up August Lane. The author straddles the line of romance and "women's fiction" and at one point said that she didn't want to call this a romance novel. Let's be clear, Regina Black is a romance fan. Maybe it's because of that that she wanted to set clear expectations for this novel. It's a love story, but doesn't follow the classic Romance Novel beats. Luke and August wrote a song together in high school, and when Luke made it onto a country music competition show, he claimed that song as an original composition by himself alone. August is still in their home town, struggling with the same small-minded assumptions of the people she grew up with. They branded her as easy and "the other woman" as a teen and she's never been able to shake it. Her absentee country musician mother JoJo never wanted to be around her (August is the product of rape) and the grandmother who raised her died recently.
Luke is sober for a few years now, finally away from the people who used him during his rapid rise to stardom and left him with nothing. He's singing his one hit song in bars to make ends almost meet. When JoJo is about to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and asks Luke to plan to join her on stage for her celebration concert, Luke and August are reunited and must reckon with the past they never got over.
Like The Art of Scandal, this is an angsty love story with a central growth arc for both MCs. The romance is strong, but the rest is stronger. In addition, JoJo is being interviewed about her career throughout, which breaks up the narrative and turns it into something closer to Daisy Jones and the Six than a straightforward romance novel.
So, do I recommend it? Yes, with the caveat that this won't follow the standard romance beats. There's an HEA, but it's somewhat abrupt. Read it for The Feels and only when you can handle some complicated thoughts on respectability politics and parental relationships.
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I received a copy of this book from the publisher/publicist for review. Thoughts are my own.
If you'd like to purchase a copy of this book, please consider buying local or through this link to support the site: Amazon
