Synopsis
It’s the duet of a lifetime when a rock star and his backup singer find a new kind of harmony off stage in this sensational contemporary romance.
Clementine Clark isn’t looking for love. Growing up with a single mom who weeps over a new guy each week tends to have that effect on a girl. But Clementine doesn’t mind being the rational one—she’s even buried her musical dreams so deeply within herself that she hardly notices the hole it’s left in her life.
That is until her best friend calls her with a life-changing opportunity: to join Irish megastar Halloran on his first US tour as a backing vocalist. Clementine wants to reject the offer, but the pay is enough to change her and her mom’s life. Overnight, Clementine goes from serving enchiladas at the Happy Tortilla to belting high notes before a cheering crowd.
But the whiplash of trading small-town Texas for sold-out stadiums is nothing compared to the rush of performing with the enigmatic Thomas Patrick Halloran. Poet, introvert, and lyrical genius, Halloran quickly gets under Clementine’s skin. The two couldn’t see the world more differently. And yet, over the course of the next eight weeks on tour, the romantic rockstar might just strike an unforgettable chord in Clementine. But will it be enough for an encore?
Review
4 solid stars
« I’m gutted and I’m free and I’m in the kind of love I spent my entire life hiding from. I’m sailing through the air with no parachute and the wind in my ears sounds like a harmony. I wish I could tell if I’ m falling to my death or flying with wings I never knew I had. »
Thank you Kate Golden for providing this copy! As usual, it has no influence on my review.
If Not For My Baby is what you could call a rockstar romance or maybe more a folkstar Romance because Tom Halloran’s lyrics looked more folk than rock to me with their poetic quality!
This is the story of Clementine who will get to live one of her wildest dreams for a few weeks: sing for one of the most famous singers of the time: Tom Halloran. And what if Tom is charming and magnetic? Clementine is not about to have her heart crushed, she is too cynical for that, right?
Some things you should know about Clementine:
-she has a close relationship with her mom. She has cared for her for years as she is suffering from fibromyalgia.
-she let abandoned her dreams of attending a performing school to stay close and help her mom.
But when an opportunity arises to sing for a celebrity the pay is too good to pass especially as it could mean her mother undergoing a clinical trial.
Off she goes and join Tom Halloran on tour, bonding with the band members one game at a time, discovering the US one city after another. Performing in front of thousands of people is exhilarating.
Tom Halloran has a dreamy physique: very tall, long brown curly hair and beard that makes him look like a modern Jesus. Even being THE singer to follow, he also is humble, considerate, loyal and gentle. Pair it with poetic lyrics and a voice out of this world and of course Clementine was a goner!
But for someone whose dad left her, whose mom has had her heart crushed time and again, who has never seen a healthy and lasting relationship, her view on romantic relationships is very cynical.
If something has to happen between these two, she is the biggest enemy to fight.
This was an extremely bingeable romance. Full of warm feelings, found family and sexy scenes! Kate Golden’s prose is beautiful as ever and Tom Halloran will make you drool and hope that Clementine will finally have a shot at happiness.
PS Please not that my quote is from an uncorrected proof!
Thanks for reading.
Sophie
I have this one on my TBR, so I am glad to hear you enjoyed it. Clementine sure sounds like someone I could root for.
This sounds sweet and cute! And I like that the characters are good people.
Glad you enjoyed this Sophie!