First Verse

A Rockstar Romance (A Perfect Song Duet, Book 1)

De: L.M. Halloran

Narrado por: Isabelle Ruther, Austin Stone

Growing up, Wilder Ashburn was the hero I worshipped.
I was the pigtailed pest who never left him alone.

Everything changed the day I gave him a poem.
For the first time, he saw me...
And then he reached for his guitar.

From that moment on, we were entangled.
Bound by music and a shared dream.

Along the way, we made vows:
To always stay the same,
To never let anything come between us,
And above all, to never, ever fall in love.
But it turns out our promises were poison,
Corrupted long before spoken.
And for us, there is no antidote.

Falling in love was as inevitable as stardom,
And it would destroy us both.

What To Expect:- Heavy Angst
- Childhood Best Friends
- Musical Soulmates
- Anxiety + Addiction Rep
- Dual POV duet narration

While this duet can be listened to as a standalone, it's also a second generation story set within the Breaking Love universe. As such, it contains characters and spoilers from prior books in the series. Content warning can be found at the beginning of the book and on the author's website.

©2025 L.M. Halloran (P)2025 L.M. Halloran

hurts so good

5⭐️ 3🌶
My heart is on the floor. This is a heart-wrenching story. This story is beautifully written and feels so real. when i read this, I felt like I was in the book. Laura has a talent for emotional deep stories that will stay with you.

Eva and Wilder are soulmates,the connection between them is one of a kind and once in a lifetime. Yet they can't help but brake each other. When they are good together, they are fire and perfection, but they are going to go through the wringer to get their happy ending.

I know this is book one in a duet, so of course, the cliffhanger is going to hurt, but I didn't expect this one to utterly break me. I literally threw my Kindle. I really can't wait for book 2, and I will forever recommend this book. The pain so far has been 100% worth it.

The narrators are stunning. what a emotional performance. Casting for these two absolutely perfect

All the feels! Excellent!

I love Eva and Wilder. It is sad they have so many mental issues which get in the way of their love. Hurry and get book two on audible!

Did I finished the book, or the book finished me?

I honestly don’t get the hype. This book dragged forever.
I really wanted to love it (I’m a sucker for musical romances) but honestly? It could’ve easily been one book instead of two.

Beyond all the filler, there were way too many clichés, and the characters acted ridiculously immature. You’re in your twenties, for crying out loud stop behaving like teenagers. And half of their fights? Completely unnecessary, caused by the hero’s childish overreactions. (Besides a big… you know what, what exactly did she see in him? Still a mystery.)

It took forever for them to finally get together, and don’t even get me started on how blind she was to all the obvious signs. Girl, even your dad figured it out and he barely saw Wilder! When your parents tell you something, maybe listen to them???

I already bought the second part because a blogger I follow went absolutely crazy for this duet, and to be fair, there were some really beautiful lines and emotional moments here. Don’t get me wrong, the writing had potential, but it felt like she was just padding the pages for no reason.

So… did I finish the book, or did it finish me? You decide.
I won’t be starting book two just yet, I need something lighter to recover from this one.

You were mine at the end of time.

First Verse really felt like part of a song. It’s an eclectic mix of styles coming together to make it effortlessly beautiful and beautifully angsty.
What an audiobook! Thank you, Isabelle Ruther and Austin Stone for breaking my heart.

Evangeline and Wilder have always been close. They have written music together since they were kids. And there’s an undeniable connection between them. Maybe they’re opposites, maybe they complement each other… Regardless, they’re meant to be.
Even when he hurts her to keep her away.

There was so much vulnerability in the narrators’ voices, and that’s what drew me in. This was my first time listening to Isabelle Ruther, and I loved her. She gave me all of Evangeline’s strength, focus, and drive, but also her indecision, her moments of self-doubt, of worry and care.

Austin Stone has a voice made for tortured heroes, and I absolutely mean that as a compliment! Austin didn’t play Wilder—he became him—with all his demons and his darkness, and the want and deep, endless feelings he has for Evangeline.

What binds them runs a lot deeper than “just” love. And it’s the dichotomy between what they want and what they almost have that makes this tragic—and a love story for the ages. The fact that music permeates the book only made it better.

When they finally get together? They’re perfect. Steamy and hot but intimate. Romantic in their own way, in a symphony only they know.
But when their love faces reality… it’s devastating.

As a duet, you get all the love and want mixed with anxiety, darkness, sadness… and hope. It’s one of the best depictions of addiction I’ve ever read or listened to, beautifully done with how real it is.

Isabelle and Austin made me believe it. They made it hurt.
And I wouldn’t change a thing.
Because you need the darkness to appreciate the light. And love sometimes hurts because it’s too big to be contained.

I feel broken but hopeful. And I can’t wait to listen to Last Chorus so they can put me back together again.

Don’t miss out on this heartfelt & gut wrenching rockstar romance.

I was drawn in after only a few chapters. Beautifully written, I am in awe & tears. The audiobook is a whole other level and the voice actors brought me to a whole other dimension. You could feel every emotion as they brought these characters to life.

Do yourself a favor, take a deep breath, put in your EarPods and dive deep. You won’t regret it.