RIFTS & REFRAINS (Hush Note #2) by DEVNEY PERRY

‘You were supposed to let go when your first love ended. You were supposed to look at the past and smile at the memory. You weren’t supposed to hold it so close that it wound into your very existence, making every moment impossible to forget.’

You know what? Rifts & Refrains might just be one of our favourite books by this author to date. Devney Perry takes the small town second chance romance theme she does so perfectly and infuses it beautifully with the single Dad and rock star trope, bringing the warmth and love we yearn for in her stories. We absolutely loved it, and we’re loving this series as a whole.

‘She crossed my mind daily, either in anger or curiosity or longing. Nine years, and damn it, she’d never truly left.’

The way these three authors have taken each story so far and stamped their own unique style, whilst effortlessly entwining Quinn, Jonas and Nixon’s quirks and personalities through each book is extraordinary. We’re completely captivated by each character, including the secondary characters.

The Hush Note members share a strong bond. All phenomenally talented, and after being together and rising to fame for nearly ten years, they’re more like family. But life is changing for these guys – performing live is taking its toll and songs are becoming more difficult to write.

‘I lived for the music. It was as much a part of me as my heart and lungs and blood. I needed the pulse of the drums racing through my veins. I needed to be swept up in a crescendo and set free in the climax. The music made me feel alive.’

After meeting the prickly Quinn in Lies & Lullabies the first book in this series, (they can be read as standalone’s, but we urge you to read in order as the characters weave so beautifully through each book) we were itching to know her story and why she craved her solitude. A brilliant drummer with the incredibly popular Hush Note band along with Jonas, their lead singer and the troubled Nixon on guitar, Quinn is tenacious, talented and her story became a revelation!

‘Quinn Montgomery had always been destined for greatness. It was in her soul and it came through her music. Quine’s music was this enormous, living, untameable beast that she’d unleashed upon the world. But it shined especially bright when she was singing.’

Quinn Montgomery fled her Montana home, leaving behind her family and first love Graham Hayes when she was just eighteen. Now nine years later, and after no contact with her family or Graham, there is only one person Quinn had communicated with over the time her star was on the rise, and that was her beloved Gran. Now, Quinn must return for the hardest of reasons, for her Nan’s funeral and face the family who ostracised her and the boy, now a single Dad, who always held her heart. The boy who had all her firsts, the boy whose heart she’d broken when she left.

‘Not a day would pass when I wouldn’t think of his face and mentally whisper his name.’

If you love small town second chance, if you love rock stars and if love single Dad stories, this book will have you squealing with delight! Devney Perry delivers all the warmth, wit and familiarity we love about her stories. We felt as though we were a part of Quinn and Graham’s families, and once again, we revelled in taking in the exquisite Montana landscape Devney Perry so famously and vividly feeds into our imaginations.

Gosh, we love this series. To say we are EAGERLY anticipating Nix’s story in Muses & Melodies is an understatement. We especially love the camaraderie and bond between Nixon, Jonas and Quinn. Theirs goes beyond friendship. The loyalty, love and support they offer one another hit every part of our hearts. In Rifts & Refrains, there was much to love with Quinn, Graham and Graham’s son Collin, stealing our hearts!

“Love you.”
“Love you too, Daddy.” Daddy. My kid could slice me open with one word.