WHEN THE STORM BREAKS (Lost Stars #2) by EMERY ROSE

“Why isn’t love ever easy?”
In my experience, love has never been easy. It’s messy and complicated. Like people. Like life. Nothing worth having ever comes easy. You have to fight for the things that matter”.

We were intrigued by Brody in When the Stars Fall (Lost Stars #1) and couldn’t wait to dig a little deeper into his past, and of course, spend some time with Brody and his sweet little boy Noah. What a wonderful relationship these two had. We knew it would take a tenacious woman to snag this gorgeous gruff cowboy and gain his hard-earned trust, and once again, this author didn’t let us down.

‘That night I fell a little bit harder for the man who fixed broken horses and for the boy who had been forced to see the ugly side of life too young.’

Whilst this book can be read as a standalone, we would suggest reading in order as there are major spoilers relating to the first book, and if you want to experience Jude and Lila’s story, we recommend reading their book first for a better understanding of the relationship between these three friends.

Thirty-three-year-old Brody is a cowboy with his feet firmly planted on home soil in Cypress Springs, Texas. Twenty-five-year-old Shiloh (Shy) Leroux is a woman with music in her blood. At only thirteen, thanks to her Maw Maw’s second sight, Shy knew music was going to be her life. She lives for her music and thrives on stage before a crowd. Brody and Shy are opposites in every way.

“Shiloh, what is the one thing you want most in the world?”
“I want to find my one true love. And I want to be a rock star.”

After an acrimonious split from her band Acadian Storm, Shy is heading to Texas for a ‘break’, with an ulterior motive for her visit. What she didn’t plan was the hot, handsome, and rugged cowboy stealing her heart. There’s more to Brody than he lets on and chipping away at his defences takes some work. Brody is carrying a tonne of baggage, but one person who does have his heart is Noah, his adorable little six-year-old son, the love between these two completely stole our hearts!

Brody had a tough upbringing which is slowly and heartbreakingly revealed throughout the story, and we also get to know a little about Brody’s teenage brother, Ridge. Wow! There were so many layers to Brody, and we loved peeling them back, revealing the man beneath the prickly exterior.

‘If her lyrics were a reflection of what she wanted and needed in her life, one thing was blindingly clear. Shiloh was looking for someone to love her.’

There are so many twists and turns in When the Storm Breaks, our stomachs were in constant turmoil. The angst was spot on, and Brody’s past ripped our hearts to pieces. We loved nearly all the surprises and shocks this author dealt, keeping us constantly on our toes, however, there was one twist towards the end that unfortunately didn’t work for us. In fact, had it not been for this plot twist, this would have been a 5-star read. We found it a bit too hard to swallow and it wasn’t needed at this stage. What a fabulous read though, and another winner in the Lost Star Series.

We’re officially addicted and hope more characters get to tell their story! We know we’ll be there for every single one of them! Who will be next we wonder? We want to hear them all! If you love angst, heat, passion, rock stars, cowboys and romance, a small-town vibe, and a loveable little boy, be sure to add this book to your TBR’s!