Terrible Things

Star Shadow Series, Book 1

By: Beth Bolden

Narrated by: Kirt Graves

When Caleb Chance walked out in Detroit five years ago, leaving his band, millions of his fans and his lover behind, Leo knew he could never forgive.

Some things, no matter what the cause, are unforgivable.

But Leo never expected Caleb to show up again, clean and sober and wanting to get their band, Star Shadow, back together. He definitely never expected to agree to Caleb's plan.

He never expected to confront the love of his life again - or the disaster of his past, the hopelessness of his future, and every terrible thing he's been carrying inside him.

But maybe some things aren't so terrible after all.

Contains mature themes.

©2019 Beth Bolden (P)2019 Tantor

Caleb and Leo

I like Kirk Graves as a narrator, but maybe this one was just boring. I checked out a few times. It wasn’t terrible, just kind of dull. I really liked Caleb and Leo though and appreciated their second chance at love (and of course, Caleb’s recovery).

Good start

It’s a good start to the series and an emotional 2nd chance. I did enjoy how they grew but I did wish there was a little more to the reconciliation overall it’s a good listen with good narration.

Beautifully Written, Emotionally Complicated, and

While I love a good second-chance romance, this one was a little harder for me to come back from. A lot of the second-chance romances I gravitate toward involve two people who genuinely wanted to make things work, but the timing, circumstances, or life in general just weren’t on their side. They broke apart because they couldn’t make it work at that particular point in their lives, rather than because one person made choices that left the other with some serious emotional damage. That distinction made this story a much tougher read for me. Caleb has very real reasons for what he did, and I can understand why he needed to step away and work through his personal issues on his own. But he didn’t just walk away from his relationship with Leo—he walked away from his band, too. He essentially disappeared from both of those worlds, leaving the people who cared about him behind with very little contact or explanation.

When Caleb eventually finds his way back, I could absolutely see that he was trying to rebuild what he had lost. I was completely on board with the band getting back together. Give me that reunion! But when it came to Leo, I found myself struggling to make that same emotional leap. I was deeply connected to these characters, and my heart ached watching Leo deal with Caleb coming back into his life. I understood Caleb more as the story unfolded, and I don't think his decisions came from a place of cruelty, but I still couldn't quite get myself to root for them to find their way back to each other. And I think some of that resistance is personal for me, based on my own experiences, which definitely colored how I felt about their relationship. So, Leo, my friend, I need you to hold onto your heart for a minute and really think about this one. 😂 All of that said, this book is magnificently written, and the fact that I had such strong feelings about these characters is a testament to how invested I became in their story. I may not be cheering from the sidelines for this particular second chance, but I am absolutely interested in seeing where this series goes next.

Slow burn but so worth it...

This book got me tangled up in all sorts of feels...

It’s written in such a way that you can’t help but feel for Caleb and Leo. Two best friends who are each other’s soulmate, torn apart by the demands of the music industry, of fame and of unfortunate circumstances beyond their control.

This story is about finding ones self, it’s about friendship and loyalty, undeniable chemistry, the struggles of being in a relationship behind closed doors, pressures and demands... drifting apart and healing... and finding love all over again and forgiveness in the truest sense of the word.

It’s a slow burn, so slow it drove me crazy, but also, you understand the process, why it took that long.. you get it.

It’s a beautiful love story of fighting for your forever love, of always choosing to love and be happy.

And of course, music, it’s the language that transcends all languages and boundaries. It aids healing.

This might be my favorite Beth Bolden book. The angst is so relatable. The emotions palpable.
Kirt Graves’ exceptional talent helped a lot in that aspect. He’s such an excellent narrator. It brought life to this emotionally charged book.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Five stars all the way!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved this story!

A great story about love and the struggle of addiction. Highly recommended! Do yourself a favor and read it!