Coming July 27!
Smitten: First Love Only Love Last Love
Smitten by Lauren Rowe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What you need to know about Smitten:
✔ Friends-to-Lovers romance
✔ Complete stand-alone
✔ Rockstar romance
✔ Fish from 22 Goats, characters from The Morgans series and other books by Lauren Rowe
✔ Accompanying musical track “Smitten” that is really great (coming soon)
Fish is the “normal guy” bass player in the mega famous band, 22 Goats. Ally, a shy music student, and a huge fan of 22 Goats, is the sister of Georgina, girlfriend of Reed Richards, owner of River Records. Fish and Ally’s story first begins in the Reed Rivers Trilogy but you don’t need to have read it to understand what’s going on in Smitten. It’s all covered in this book.
I have read all of Lauren Rowe’s books and it’s been so great to have seen the growth of all the characters of 22 Goats. Particularly Fish.
Fish has grown so much through these books from being the skinny, shaggy, comic relief, bass player to world class musician, “smoke show”, Goat, guy-next-door, who doesn’t know how hot he is. The relationship with the three Goats has grown and progressed so much through all the books as well.
Now, so many of the Morgans and his friends have found love and Fish wants that for himself but he’s worried it will be difficult to find someone genuine amidst all the “clout chasers” and people who don’t know the real him.
When he meets Ally at Reed’s party and they have such a connection and their idiosyncrasies match up it seems like destiny to Fish. The more Ally and Fish get to know one another, the more they allow themselves to be their true selves, the more they fall in love with each other. They have, as they say, physical chemistry with mutual respect and trust.
The only thing standing in their way is the fact that Ally lives in Boston and Fish lives in L.A. Oh yeah, and Fish is a famous world-touring rock star. But, will Fish let these things stand in the way of their true happiness?
This book (and the SONG!) is so joyful and full of love and friendship, it is exactly what we need right now. It’s got little angst but so much happiness and the epilogue had me laughing and a little weepy.
Ally and Fish are the most genuine, sweet, sexy and real couple. They fumble a bit, they love a lot and they make the best music together. I loved Smitten. It was pure happiness for me. Exactly what I needed. Thank you Lauren Rowe.
Note: Just a little side note. I am in awe of Lauren Rowe’s world building. Most of her books take place in this universe at different times but within the same scenes so she has to know when she’s writing the books – okay, but Fish is “here”, Reed is over here. All the books are like this! She must have a really intricate Morgan Bible or a 3D Morgan universe. 😀 Tell me your secrets!
WRITING STYLE: 5/5
PLOT: 5/5
WORLD-BUILDING: 5/5
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 5/5
ROMANCE: 5/5
HEAT: 5/5
Many thanks to Candi Kane Promotions, and Lauren Rowe for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review of “Smitten”. My thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy.
View all my reviews
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzmOKYfy5ok
For more by Lauren Rowe check out the Reed Rivers Trilogy.