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Feuds and Interludes: Road to Roctoberfest 2024
From the award-winning author of Hurricane Reese, Summer of Hush, and You Can Do Magic comes a new rock star romance series inspired by legendary rock 'n' roll love affairs. Feuds and Interludes is a rivals-to-lovers, hurt/comfort love story complete with adorable septuagenarian lovebirds and beloved characters from Merrill's previous rock-inspired series. Boone Collins and Shane Butler are two of rock music’s brightest stars today. Their grandfathers founded a powerhouse rock supergroup that ruled the airwaves in the late 1970s, and the grandsons grew up in their shadows to become frontmen of their own successful bands. The epic rivalry between Boone and Shane is notorious, and it’s about to blow up. When Shane’s grandfather Bruce inducts his deceased bandmate into the Rock Music Hall of Fame, he admits to the world that he wrote the band’s biggest hit about his best friend’s widow—Boone’s grandmother Vera Jean. The two want to rekindle their relationship, and their grandsons are determined to keep them apart. Only, working together for a common goal reveals surprising similarities between the rock stars as well as a chemistry they cannot ignore. Shane sees behind Boone’s glittery facade to the secrets he hides from his bandmates, and Boone is there to pick up the pieces when Shane’s professional world implodes. Together, they plot a musical collaboration to celebrate their grandfathers’ accomplishments instead of fighting—a star-studded tribute at the storied Rocktoberfest event in the Nevada desert—but will being in the spotlight prove to be too much for their fledgling romance to handle?
Reviews
In the first of the Rock 'n' Romance Legends series from Merrill (author of Hurricane Reese, among others), Boone Collins and Shane Butler, both frontmen for some of today’s most popular rock bands, confront their past as they discover each other. Grandsons of the rock legends who founded one of the biggest bands of the 1970s, California, they each seem to have it all—good looks, incredible talent, adoring fans, an upward trajectory pointing to even greater fame, and a contentious relationship that the press just loves. At California’s Hall of Fame induction, these fractious not-quite-brothers are jolted by a surprise romance between Shane’s grandfather and Boone’s grandmother. As sparks fly, circumstances force Boone and Shane to spend time together, and they discover that perhaps they’re not rivals after all… and that maybe there’s something more if they let their guards down.

Merrill conjures a sweet romance with lots of heart, some spice, and a convincing portrayal of contemporary rock stardom as a demanding job rather than a hedonistic holiday, all while exploring the leads’ lives as musicians, friends, caretakers, and lovers. Boone is publicly beloved yet feels that his grandmother, an Oscar-winning actress, is the only person who truly cares for him. Boone also harbors secrets and doubts, feeling a little lost as he faces a health crisis.

Merrill proves adept at laying bare the wounded souls of creative men in the entertainment world as the story touches on touring, producing, the interpersonal dynamics of being in a band, and the persistent problem of imposter syndrome. The romance between Boone and Shane develops quickly, but not so quickly that the pieces don’t fit together. The chaos and conflict around them is engaging, though it never overshadows these men’s touching exploration of new feelings. Lovers of smart, media-savvy m/m romances will cheer.

Takeaway: Sweet romance of two male rock rivals’ unexpected connection.

Comparable Titles: Tammy Subia’s Heartbreak Honey, Christie Gordon’s On a Different Mission.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

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