Books & Spoons Review for ENCORE by Rachel Lacey

SHE STOLE CENTER STAGE…IN HIS HEART

Rocker Colton Nix would do just about anything to rid himself of the unflattering nickname his womanizing ways have earned him in the tabloids—anything except settle down with a woman, of course. If his parents taught him anything, it’s that love is as fleeting as celebrity. But after a few too many drinks on a private island in the Caribbean, Cole wakes up with the king of all hangovers…and a wedding band on his left ring finger.

Celebrity assistant Jenn MacDonald has her future meticulously planned, and she’s ready to make her next move: becoming a songwriter. Drunk-marrying a rock star was definitely not on the list. When Cole suggests they stay married for six months so that he can ride out the good publicity while helping her launch her new career, she can’t help but say yes. She’s even able to convince herself—almost—that her decision has nothing to do with the way one glance from Cole sets her body humming like the strings on his favorite guitar.

They were near strangers when they exchanged drunken vows on the beach, but the connection—and the attraction—between them is powerful and real. Soon, they’re making beautiful music together, both in and out of bed. They’re giving the performance of their lives, until it all comes crashing down around them. But every great performance deserves an encore, and theirs might just be love.

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A fun, sexy, and vastly entertaining marriage of a drunken accident turned into a marriage of convenience with a rock star story with fresh and clever emotional plot twists. 
The way Rachel Lacey writes the stories easily hooks my mind, and I am keen to get to know the sharp and strong characters she creates and cheer for them, wanting them to find their way to the HEA. The stories are more character driven than focused on their surroundings and lifestyle, though there are enough bling, parting, and glamour in this story to give the celebrity status of the characters validity. But even with the dazzle of the rock star life, the characters have the kind of 'regular people' vibe to them, that is appealing. They are sincere, likable, thoughtful people, they have their strengths and weaknesses, they have their family drama, and they feel deeply and love unconditionally. 
Though Rocker Colton Nix represents in the limelights the kind of person -  a womanizing millionaire rock star who sleeps around more than most of his peers - that normally would not be my favorite kind of hero, Colton managed to win me over rather easily. Underneath that rocker exterior, there is a considerate, caring, kind man, who loves what he does and cares about people around him. He has his vulnerabilities, he has his reasons to be the way he is, he doesn't try to hide it or be anything that he isn't. I liked him, a lot, and I felt for him when he was hurting and confused. His attraction to Jenn was rather adorable while steaming hot (with a way more boners than I needed to be aware of). 
Jenn MacDonald is organized, analytical, goal-oriented, and always prepared for everything. Her obsession with her ideal husband material showed an emotional immaturity that I found tiresome after awhile. I had a bit difficult time to connect with Jenn, to understand her reasoning, the hot-and-cold she was pulling with Colton, especially in the beginning. But she too grew on me, and seeing her mature and come to accept herself and her feelings as they were was refreshing. 
Encore is the best kind of summer reading there is for sizzling hot romance lovers. It is lively, entertaining, and enjoyable. There are enough emotional depth and growth with characters to be appealing without being loaded with angst and turmoil. The plot has the familiarity of a marriage of convinience stories yet is told in an original and fresh way that is captivating, and the many detailed love scenes entice while heating up the pages. This alluring and entertaining tale easily swept me away, a great mind-escape romance, that has you swooning and smiling at the end. 
~ Four Spoons

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Rachel Lacey is a contemporary romance author and semi-reformed travel junkie. She's been climbed by a monkey on a mountain in Japan, gone scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, and camped out overnight in New York City for a chance to be an extra in a movie. These days, the majority of her adventures take place on the pages of the books she writes. She lives in warm and sunny North Carolina with her husband, son, and a variety of rescue pets.

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