Irish rockstar Gregg Egan is new to the celebrity lifestyle. As the latest member of the band, he’s still finding his feet. Being secretly in love with his lead singer’s younger sister, isn’t helping. For the sake of the band and his friendship she has to remain off limits
Bria Archer grew up surrounded by the members of the band. She never expected to develop feelings for the drummer. Especially when he’s her brother’s best friend. But when her life takes an unexpected turn, he’s there to help her pick up the pieces.
But someone finds out about their secret. Someone intent on keeping Gregg and Bria apart no matter the cost. Their stalker knows far too much about them. Knows things Gregg has kept to himself for years. Things he doesn’t want the public to know about.
With the pressure mounting and too much to lose, Gregg and Bria have to make a decision about their relationship before it tears the band, their friendships, and their lives apart.
Irish rockstar Gregg Egan is new to the celebrity lifestyle. As the latest member of the band, he’s still finding his feet. Being secretly in love with his lead singer’s younger sister, isn’t helping. For the sake of the band and his friendship she has to remain off limits
Bria Archer grew up surrounded by the members of the band. She never expected to develop feelings for the drummer. Especially when he’s her brother’s best friend. But when her life takes an unexpected turn, he’s there to help her pick up the pieces.
But someone finds out about their secret. Someone intent on keeping Gregg and Bria apart no matter the cost. Their stalker knows far too much about them. Knows things Gregg has kept to himself for years. Things he doesn’t want the public to know about.
With the pressure mounting and too much to lose, Gregg and Bria have to make a decision about their relationship before it tears the band, their friendships, and their lives apart.
Gregg Egan stands at the front of the stage and faces the sold out arena. Wiping the sweat-soaked hair from his forehead, he looks out over the crowd. After playing the drums for a little over an hour and a half, he’s knackered, his arms ache and yet he feels fucking amazing.
If someone had told him two years ago he’d be playing venues like the NEC in Birmingham, he would have laughed at them. But here he is doing just that. Not only that, but tickets to the show had sold out within minutes.
To his left is his best mate, Tate, the lead singer, lead guitarist, and front-man for their band Broken Chords. To his right are Dillon and Luke, their bassist and guitarist. Being one quarter of the band with his three closest friends is absolutely the best job in the world. He’s one lucky bastard and he knows it.
Tate wraps his arm around Gregg’s shoulder and pulls him close as the fans scream and cheer for them. Yeah… it’s not a bad job.
Gregg takes a bow and the crowd erupts. He’s only been Broken’s drummer a little shy of two years. He’s the rookie. The newbie. The one who still struggles with the fact some of the people here see him as a celebrity too. It’s something Tate slags him off about often, but try as he might, Gregg can’t get his head around the whole screaming fan thing. It’s a far cry from his previous job as a Garda where he was mostly screamed at by members of the public for very different reasons.
He glances to his right and laughs when he sees Dillon grinning widely. This is why Dillon does what he does. He lives for the attention he gets from the fans. Gregg gives him an hour at most before Dillon will have found a fan or two willing to follow him around for the night.
Beyond him, Luke looks happier than he’s seen the guy look for a while. Luke loves performing. Always has. It’s probably the one place he can let loose without green-eyed Pippa watching his every move.
Tate, like always, just accepts the adoration he gets. He’s not bothered by it either way. Gregg has known him for nearly three decades and Tate hasn’t changed at all. Apart from having a healthy bank balance, his friend is the same as he was in school.
They take their final bows and leave the stage, with Tate taking up the rear so his adoring public can get another few seconds with him. Gregg follows Luke and Dillon backstage and grabs a bottle of water from a small fridge.
Tate’s girlfriend, Chloe, throws him a towel and smiles at him. ‘You looked like you were having fun.’
He grins then wipes the sweat from his face. ‘Always. You enjoy it?’
She smiles back at him. ‘Always.’ Something over his shoulder gets her attention, and before he can even think about turning to see what caught her attention most of the water bottle spills on his t-shirt as he’s tackled from behind.
Tate scrubs a hand across Gregg’s already tousled hair then smirks at him as he takes the bottle of water Chloe offers him.
‘You’re a dick, Tate. You know that?’
‘Yeah, so you keep telling me.’ Tate crooks his finger at Chloe and she steps into him. ‘Hey.’
‘Hey you. I think that will go down as my favourite performance.’
‘Pretty sure you said that about the last one too.’
She wipes sweat-soaked hair from his forehead. ‘What can I say, I’m extremely biased.’
Tate picks her up and kisses her as he squeezes her ass. Gregg groans and turns away from the display. If that kiss is anything to go by, Tate will be all over Chloe as soon as they’re alone.
Unlike Luke and Pippa. Luke’s less than affectionate fiancé glares over at him from the far side of the room and, without a word, Luke traipses over to her.
He reminds Gregg of a man heading off on his final walk before he’s about to be slaughtered. Pippa is fucking stunning, but an absolute nightmare. Saying she is jealous is being unfair to the word jealous. She really needs to take it down a few levels.
Luke gets attention wherever he goes. He always did. It’s part of the job. It constantly winds Pippa up, but if she can’t handle being with someone like Luke there are plenty who would step up to take her place in a heartbeat.
Not that there’s much chance of that happening. Luke had proposed to her on Christmas Day and, unsurprisingly, Pippa had said yes. The surprise was the wedding date that had been announced. They’re due to tie the knot in a few weeks. Pippa clearly wanted to get him down the aisle before he changed his mind.
Tate finally releases Chloe and sets her back on the ground. ‘So, we’re heading out for some grub. You coming?’
‘Just food?’
‘I found a great place about ten minutes from here,’ Dillon says. ‘The burgers are meant to be fucking amazing. Don’t you go worrying about this brute, Chloe,’ Dillon says as he pulls Tate into a bear hug. ‘He’ll be on his best behaviour. We all will.’
The look is barely there, but Gregg sees it. Chloe still worries about Tate. How could she not? His well-publicised heroin overdose had landed him in hospital fighting for his life a year ago. Rehab had helped him kick the habit, but drink and drugs will always be a problem for him. Something they’re all aware of and keep an eye on - much to Tate’s annoyance at times, but fuck it. They nearly lost him.
Tate shoves Dillon off him and straightens his t-shirt. ‘Get off me or I’ll pound the shite out of you.’
‘I seriously doubt you could handle me, big boy,’ Dillon responds with a wink.
‘I guarantee you’ll never know.’
Dillon laughs as he grabs a bottle of water and turns away. ‘Yeah, yeah. I’m off for a quick shower. Meet you outside the dressing rooms in ten.’
Chloe takes Tate’s hand as they all follow Dillon back to the dressing rooms. ‘I’m going to head back to the hotel. We’re away early enough in the morning. One of us needs to get some sleep.’
‘No, you’re right. I should probably–’
She presses her finger to his lips and smiles up at him. ‘You go out and have fun. You deserve it. Just no ditching your security detail. Do you hear me?’
Tate grimaces but doesn’t argue. They disappear into his dressing room and Gregg hears the door lock behind Tate. Seems like Tate can’t wait until later to get his hands on Chloe.
Gregg shuffles into his dressing room, scrubs a hand through his messy light brown hair and sighs loudly. He should be happy. He’s got an incredible career. He’s touring all over the world with his best friends. He’s getting recognised by fans in the street. It’s more than he could ever have wished for. Apart from one small detail.
He’s totally, completely, utterly, and stupidly in love with Tate’s little sister, Bria.
Gregg curses to himself. Saying it like that makes it sound so sleazy. Bria is twenty-seven years old. It’s not like she’s a kid anymore. But that doesn’t mean Tate has stepped back from his over-protective big brother duties. And if that’s not problem enough, there’s Robbie. Bria’s long term, always there boyfriend.
The truth is he missed his chance with her. Plain and simple. Unless Robbie does something to seriously mess things up between them, they’ll live happily ever after and probably have a troop of gorgeous kids.
He pushes away from the door and opens the small fridge, then slams it shut again. He needs something stronger.
Gregg pulls off his sweat-soaked clothes, dumping them in a bag on the couch, then steps into the shower. He’s really not in the mood to go out, but it’s Tate’s last night before he heads away on holiday, so he had to make an effort. Fingers crossed Tate will head back to the hotel early so he can escape.
Gregg pulls on a clean pair of boxers and rummages in his bag for his jeans and t-shirt. He throws the clothes on the couch as someone knocks on the door. ‘Yep.’
His manager’s assistant, Angel walks into the room, eyes locked on the clipboard in her hand. ‘I just wanted to remind you about the meet and greet in ten minutes.’
She glances up and freezes when she sees him. ‘Oh my God. I’m so sorry.’ She turns around and closes the door so people outside can’t see him. Angel peeks over her shoulder at him then turns back to the door. ‘I didn’t realise you were… I’m so so sorry, Gregg.’
Gregg grabs his jeans from the couch and quickly pulls them on while her back is turned. He’s not embarrassed but she’s blushing. She’s been in the job about a year and seems to be good at it from what he can make out. He doubts Ellen would appreciate him scaring her off.
‘You can look now. I’m decent. Well, decent-ish.’
She turns around and keeps her eyes on the clipboard in her hands instead of him. She clears her throat and pushes her dark hair behind her shoulder. As always, she’s dressed in a pair of slacks and a blouse with her hair tied in a ponytail. She’s a late twenties or early thirties version of Ellen. Like their manager, she’s efficient and business like. Then again, you’d probably have to be to control Gregg and the rest of the guys.
‘So, yes, the meet and greet I mentioned. You’ve got ten minutes before it’s due to begin.’
Gregg nods. ‘Great. No problem. Forgot about that to be honest.’
She meets his eyes briefly before focusing on her notes again. ‘I thought you might have forgotten like the others did. It should only take about twenty minutes then you can go and get dinner.’
‘Okay. Sounds good. Glad I wasn’t the only one who forgot.’ She looks up from her clipboard and Gregg smiles at her, trying to put her at ease. ‘Thanks for the reminder, Angel. Don’t know where I’d be without you.’
She blushes again and Gregg relaxes when she returns the smile. ‘It’s my job. I’ll leave you to get dressed.’
‘Probably best. Wouldn’t want to scare the fans away.’
‘It would be a little more than they bargained for. I’ll meet you at the end of the corridor when you’re ready.’
He nods. ‘It’s a date.’
Angel leaves, closing the door behind her and Gregg locks it before he finishes getting dressed. Meet and greets are still a little surreal for him but it’s all part of the deal and the fans seem to enjoy them so what the hell. It also gives Dillon a hefty dose of being doted on by fans which he always likes.
After packing everything away in his bag, he puts back on his leather cuff. It’s not just an image thing for him. It’s a life and death thing. The platinum plate riveted to the leather tells the world he’s got Type 1 diabetes. It’s another thing he’s still trying to get used to along with the whole fame thing.
He was only diagnosed a few years ago. He knew it was a possibility at some stage. His dad has the same, and Gregg thought he’d escaped it. But no, the damn thing waited thirty-three years to show itself. Lucky him.
His watch vibrates and he checks the screen showing a reading from the sensor on his stomach. Speak of the devil. His epic drum workout hadn’t done him any favours. He takes his shot and grabs a jumbo sausage roll from the fridge as he stuffs his feet into his boots.
Time to face his adoring public and try to appear like the celebrity he apparently is.
Gregg joins the rest of the band down the corridor and smirks at Angel. ‘Hello again.’
‘So you decided not to scare the fans.’
He hands her his bag and grins. ‘Yeah. I thought dressed would be best.’
Dillon pushes past him and hands his bag to Angel who places it with Gregg’s. ‘I’m not going to ask. We ready to do this?’
‘Just waiting for...’ Angel stops and smiles as Tate and Luke join them. ‘Ignore me. We’re good to go. Are you guys ready?’
Gregg finishes his sausage roll and Tate shakes his head as he brushes flakes of pastry from Gregg’s t-shirt. ‘Aw, cheers, Dad.’
Tate glares at him but Gregg just continues to grin as they follow Angel down the corridor to a door at the end.
Gregg follows the others inside and can’t help but grin when he walks into the room with twenty fans who right now seem to be on the verge of hyperventilating with excitement.
***
Bria Archer steps into the cold January evening thanking the driver for bringing her to her hotel. She’d been looking forward to the weekend in Birmingham for weeks and so far it’s lived up to her expectations.
Her brother and his friends had outdone themselves tonight as usual. Not that she remembers them ever giving less than their all every time they performed. Bria grew up surrounded by the band and considered herself an honorary fifth member. Attending their concerts had a lot to do with the fact her brother is their lead singer, but in truth, she would have wanted to go no matter what. She’ll never admit it to the guys in case she inflated their ego’s, but she really likes their music.
Tate is an incredible songwriter, and not half bad when it comes to singing either. The four of them are so talented and, whether she had the family connection or not, she would be a fan.
And being related to Tate has its advantages - especially at times like this. She had backstage access of course, but was also given a private car, and a suite in a rather posh hotel.
Bria steps into the elevator and pushes the button for the eighth floor. Her boyfriend, Robbie left the concert early because he’d gotten a headache. He hadn’t been feeling well all day, even leaving dinner with the band early. She can’t remember him ever complaining of a headache before, but the last few days had been busy. Maybe he was a little dehydrated after all the traveling and running around town.
Even though Shane and Tate had tried to scare Robbie away when she first introduced them the Christmas before last, he’d stuck around for the last year. When Tate had overdosed a few weeks later she fully expected Robbie to call it a day and run. But he didn’t. Instead he was there for her, helping her process what was going on with her brother.
She dreads to think what it would have been like if he wasn’t in her life at that moment. Her parents and Shane were so focused on Tate, she felt a little alone. Robbie had helped her feel better. He was there for her to cry on or talk to, day or night.
The other guys in the band had been amazing too. What happened with Tate hit all of them, especially Gregg. Seeing his best friend like that had been hard on him. There were many days he’d come back from visiting Tate in rehab and they’d go for walks, or just sit and take comfort from each other’s company.
Bria stops outside her suite and pauses as she pushes those memories to the back of her mind again. It didn’t do any good to think about it. Nothing was going to change or improve by dwelling on what Tate did and how it impacted their family.
Not that she blames him for reacting the way he did. Their cousin had driven Tate to the edge and watched as he fell over. All their lives changed when Dara targeted Tate and did everything he could to destroy him. As much as she wishes otherwise, some things can’t be repaired no matter how much you want it.
Like her relationship with Tate. Things are still a little off between them. Bria doesn’t know if he can feel it too, but it’s obvious to her She hates the distance between them. She hadn’t spoken to anyone about it. There was enough to deal with already without throwing her own drama into the mix.
Bria pushes the door open and drops her bag on the couch in the living room. The last thing she wants to do is wake Robbie if he’s getting some relief from his headache, so she creeps towards the bedroom and slowly opens the double doors.
Her brain takes a little too long to process what she’s seeing. Robbie is in bed all right, but he’s naked. And he’s not alone.
Book two of the Broken Chords series follows the band’s drummer Gregg as he comes to terms with his secret love for his band mate and best friend’s little sister, Bria. She is the one girl who has always been off limits and just so happens to be the one girl he truly wants.
But not only do Gregg and Bria have to contend with their fears about what the band and big brother, Tate, will say about their romance; a stalker also seems to be set on keeping them apart.
I found the slow burn love between Gregg and Bria really fun to read. Their romance is filled with hilariously awkward moments and heartfelt emotion. The banter between them was funny and convincing. You could see that these two had been lifelong friends and that they were made for each other. But what made it sweet was that, although obvious to the reader, each was hampered by their own insecurities and couldn’t see what was right in front of them.
Both Gregg and Bria are likable characters on their own and compliment each other perfectly. Gregg is funny and optimistic and Bria is caring and thoughtful but perhaps both of them care a little too much what others think of them. They are so worried about how others will react to their relationship that they end up jeopardizing it.
Their love story is complicated by a stalker that starts harassing Bria just as she and Gregg are finding each other. I found this whodunnit element fun and fast paced. I found myself unable to put the book down until I figured out who the villain was.
Not only are Gregg and Bria well written characters with an engaging story, I found the other band members fun to read about too. In fact, Dillon and Luke both clearly have complicated and compelling stories that I hope to read more about soon.
I didn’t read the first book in the series and you don’t really need to in order to follow this story. But enjoyed this installment so much I am definitely going to pick it up. Although Gregg and Bria’s story resolves, it’s clear that there is more in store for the band and I can’t find out what happens next!