The Hometown Heartless #4
ARC provided by The Author Agency
Author: Brit Benson
Thanks, @britbensonwritesbooks and @theauthor.agency for the ARC.
It’s always sad to say goodbye to a beloved series, especially when you are completely in love with all the characters (yes, even Claire! LOL) but Brit took us to the end with a touching, loving story.
The Temptation of Truth puts the spotlight on Mabel, the Hometown Heartless’ drummer. She’s been thriving with the band but she’s restless in her personal life. She has been dating Kat, a supermodel, for three years, who not only wants to stay in the closet with their relationship but who also sells a fake relationship with a famous actor ‘for her career’.
Enter Aurora, the mousy, shy niece of Ham, the band manager. She is roped in to tutor Boss, Sav and Levi’s 12-year-old who is homeschooled and is having some problems with her high school level English classes. Aurora comes from a psychologically abusive marriage to a man obsessed with getting her pregnant and who makes her feel like nothing and a hostage to feelings of gratitude for him and his family.
She may be invisible to Brady but Mabel sees her, and most unexpectedly, Aurora sees Mabel and it sends her into questioning everything about her life.
It has everything to go wrong… but there is the incredible temptation of truth.
I loved this one! I was expecting an angst fest (we all know Brit can keep us gasping and heartbroken) and we got an incredibly sweet and touching story of finding and loving yourself and becoming everything you can be. We got Mabel already set in her own journey (though we get a heartwarming surprise about her past) but Aurora has a lot to go through and she does. An abusive husband, a bi-awakening, and, most of all, learning to believe in herself again – she does it all.
I liked it very much that the hardship here wasn’t them dealing with their sexualities but growing as whole persons, especially Aurora. And, like her beloved plants, she bloomed.
We also get to catch up with the band and I hope that Brit gives us another rockstar series with the boys from Caveat Lover (wink! wink!)
Thanks, Brit, for a wonderful story of found family, growth, love and rock’n’roll. It was an amazing ride!
Rep: sapphic romance (bi-awakening)
Content notes: cheating (one of the MCs is married for most of the book), abusive relationship, gaslighting, grief, mentions of death of loved ones, living in foster care, child abandonment. Brief mentions of drug and alcohol abuse and living sober
