PLAYING BY HEART by JB SALSBURY

“You might want to consider redefining your definition of love.”

Love. L.O.V.E. Four letters that conjure up many different perceptions. Love can be sweet and soothing, chaotic and passionate, or just damn confusing, and in Playing by Heart, the new enemies to lovers, rock star romance where two opposite attracts, we experience the many facets of love through the complicated relationship between the cocky fallen bad boy rock star, Jesse Lee and the sweet, sometimes irrational good girl, Bethany Parks, who more than gives him a run for his money!

“If we lived in a dystopian society and sleeping with you meant I’d get sunshine and oxygen and all the food I could eat as well as preserving the human race for future generations, I still wouldn’t touch you.” I step closer and his eyes flare, which pisses me off. “I would rather die of scurvy and kill all hope of the survival of mankind than have s-e-x with you.”
“so….let me get this straight. That’s a no?”

Jesse Lee has pushed his luck one time too many. He’s a self-destructive diva, whose bedded numerous women, lost himself in drink and drugs and burned just about every friendship and business associate he has. His manager, Dave has had enough and issues Jesse with an ultimatum. He has ninety days to sort himself out, get clean and find his songwriting mojo to work his way back into the record companies’ good graces. Jesse thinks he’s headed to some swish rehab centre, however, he’s been shipped off to Surprise Arizona to detox in the bedroom of his estranged older brother’s house.

Ben Langley, Jesse’s brother, is the local pastor, a widowed single Dad who is charged with keeping the wayward Jesse in line, but the brothers have many issues to work through, and Jesse has demons aplenty he also needs to deal with. Can Jesse sort himself out, and make a comeback without the drugs?

Jesse really did test us with his diva attitude, but he was a bad boy rock star after all, and we waited through the slow burn with him and Bethany, for him to redeem himself. Would he, could he?

“You’re not a good person.”
“I know. But when I’m with you…..I’m hopeful that one day I could be.”

We have to point out that we were more than a little intrigued by the gorgeous pastor Langley! He certainly held our interest and JB Salsbury if you’re reading this….we want Ben and Ashleigh’s book. For all that is holy, this has to happen! Ben was sweet and sexy and someone we’d love to know better.

What Jesse didn’t count on was Bethany Parks, the young lady who works part time looking after Ben’s four year old daughter Elliot. Bethany is nursing a broken heart from her ex-boyfriend, Wyatt, and is the constant target of Jesse’s rude, grouchy ways, and she’s less than impressed with his behaviour! Jesse is equally unimpressed by her awful singing voice and the way she butchers the lyrics to songs, which is absolutely hilarious we might add! We’ll never listen to Dirty Deeds in the same way ever again!

“Being one of a million women isn’t the same as being someone’s one-in-a-million” 

Bethany confounds and confuses Jesse, Jesse infuriates Bethany, but there’s a spark and an emotional connection they begin to explore. We loved seeing this side of JB Salsbury and know we’re pretty sure you’ll enjoy Jesse and Bethany’s convoluted love story, as well as the secondary characters and snarky interactions. This is a story of redemption, that’s sweet and sexy, funny and witty, angsty and passionate – a rock star romance with a slow burn, enemies to lovers feel that shows that opposites really can attract.

‘When she moves it’s as if she’s lighter than air and only her shoes keep her from floating away. If I walked close enough to her I bet she’d bear my burdens without even knowing she was doing it.’