Before Now

De: C.G. Blaine

Narrado por: M.K. Blackwood, Christian Fox

“She’s a sinner pretending to be a saint, crushing your soul while you kneel at her feet.”

Remi

They chant his name. They play his songs. Adams North has the world in a chokehold. Rock god on the rise. Except, the frontman for Of Men and Wolves isn't Adams to me. He's Foster West, the man whose voice stole my heart five years ago. The one I left behind and needed to forget. Now I'm directing his band's documentary, trapped on tour, sleeping on their bus. And Foster doesn’t intend to make my job easy. Because while I ache from reminders of what we could have been, Foster hates we happened at all.

Foster

I broke every rule for her. Trusted her. Laid myself at her feet. I fell hard for the sad girl who shared whispered promises. Then she shattered them—walked away like it wasn’t real. Now my worst mistake is coming on tour. She’s filming us on stage and off, giving a glimpse of the men behind the band. I'm expected to be open. Vulnerable. Let her in after the wreckage she caused. I hate how I still crave her. I hate every look and word, threatening to drag me back under. Remi Sinner nearly destroyed me once. This time around, there’s no escaping this beautiful liar. Before Now is an angsty, second-chance rockstar romance and book one in the Of Men and Wolves series of interconnected standalones.

Includes: forced proximity, emotional wreckage, found family, secrets, and a broody frontman who can't stay away.

©2025 C.G. Blaine (P)2025 C.G. Blaine

Before Now: Of Men and Wolves #1

🎧🎧AUDIO REVIEW🎧🎧

THIS is how you write a rockstar romance!

I’ve read quite a few different “rockstar romances” in the past and while I don’t normally gravitate towards them easily, there was something about the synopsis of this one that captured me immediately. These types of stories come with an inherent level of emotion and wreckage that goes beyond conflict and angst. It’s the nature of the beast, as they say. Characters typically have extreme life circumstances to muddle thru alongside the romance journey, and the stories are conflict driven. That being said, in my opinion, not just anyone can write them, even “seasoned” authors. I only speak from experience on this and I’m only mentioning it to really hammer in the point that as soon as I finished listening to this audiobook, the very first thing I thought was, "THIS is how you write a rockstar romance!”

Musicians who rise to the level of rockstar, bring to the proverbial table a whole lot of circumstances/baggage in and of themselves, add in the fact that said rockstar and documentary filmmaker (MFC) have history which is not exactly resolved or “clean”, there is going to be mountains to scale in order to get to the ❤️sweet spot❤️. It’s going to take a lot of development and growth and most of it will probably not be rainbows & gumdrops. C.G. Blaine delivered on all these fronts and then some! This story was a perfectly executed blend of past and present. The tension and chemistry were spirited, sexy, dramatic and beautiful. The growth of the main characters was a journey not easily predicted with enough spins to have me reeling. My heart hurt and soared at every turn. Absolute perfection!

🎙️The first time I had the pleasure of listening to M.K. Blackwood narrate an audiobook wasn’t long ago and this only makes the second one. I’ve listened to a ton of different audiobooks by Christian Fox in this #AudioEra I find myself in but nothing prepared me for the two as a team! Their voices and styles are completely in sync with each other’s and it honestly made for one of the best audio experiences in my #AudioEra thus far! This was such a perfect casting I don’t even think I have the words for it! The author’s writing and storytelling skills captured my attention from beginning to end, but it was M.K. & Christian that grabbed me by the throat and made my heart skip and squeeze for 15(ish) hours. It was their performance that took an already tension fueled storyline and ignited it to epic levels. I could not stop listening. I listened right through a workday and lucky for me, I am my boss! Just 👏👏WOW👏👏!

This book is EVERYTHING!!! I DEVOURED this!

I'M IN LOVE!!! This is the first book I have listened to by C.G. Blaine and she gets a standing ovation from me!! I wanted to listen to this based off the tropes and nothing else and let me tell you I was pulled into this story from the beginning and I didn't want this to end.

The narrators M.K. Blackwood and Christian Fox were Chef's Kiss 💋!! They made me feel so connected to the characters and their story. I loved how they held my attention and kept me entertained the entire time I was listening to this book. These two were made to work together!

REMI MY HEART BROKE for this character! Remi was just the sweetest character but this girl has gone through so much in her life and all she needed was for life to fall into place for her. When she's hired to direct Of Men and Wolves documentary she didn't know that this job was going to change her life. The front man is known as Adam North but to her he'll always be Foster West the voice that stole her heart 5 years ago.

FOSTER IS EVERYTHING! He also had a rough past with a lot of painful moments to overcome. He fell in love with a girl he finally let in and trusted and she just walked away. Then one day there she was in front of him to direct their documentary. As their filming he needs to open up but it's hard to open up when she hurt him the first time but over time these two finally start to see puzzle pieces click together that they didn't know were missing.

This story is heartbreaking at times and you just want to throw things, scream and cry all at the same time but let me tell you it's all worth it. You will also moments you laugh, smile, swoon and in the end you get such a beautiful ending. I could talk about this book all day! I seriously just fell in love with this book and all these characters. I loved getting to know the band mates but look forward to their own stories. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this audiobook. C.G. Blaine thank you for this masterpiece!

10/10 Rockstar Romance! A must listen!

C.G. Blaine is a new to me author and M.K. Blackwood and Christian Fox are new to me narrators and they blew my socks off. The story, characters, plot, everything was absolutely incredible, and the narration was outstanding. I was so immersed in their storytelling that I felt like I was a part of the plot. The emotions were so real and raw. The angst was gut wrenching. The tension was so thick I thought I was going to snap. The way Remi and Foster unknowingly broke each other tore my heart out, but when they finally opened up and shared their trauma and secrets, and healed together, I literally kicked my feet in happiness for them.

The cameo of Hometown Heatless was a great surprise! I am so invested in these characters and am eagerly awaiting more from this found family of bandmates. This was a 10/10 rockstar romance with the perfect narrators to tell the story.

Loved the environment and characters This I s very good book with lots going on. I loved the fact it was in DUET narration?

Great story with complicated and sad situations. 2 people finding love but not finding Trust! The DUET narration was perfect! The book is long but worth getting to understand the characters!

REMI && FOSTER

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

FOSTER && REMI

M.K. Blackwood && Christian Fox did AMAZING in this audiobook.
I went into this book blind.
Never read C.G. Blaine. I’ve never listened to either of these narrators.
&& now I fell in love.

Rockstar Romance
Second Chance Romance

The way these two met was so unique. I love the backstory mixed with their current story. & why they didn’t work out before will break your heart and possibly leave you in tears. But this story, this AUDIO, is worth the listen!

If you’re not an audiobook lover, I still highly suggest reading this book!