Terrible Things

Star Shadow Series, Book 1

By: Beth Bolden

Narrated by: Kirt Graves

Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Amazing story

Story has all the emotions covered.
Kirt Graves is a fantastic narrator.
I will keep this in my Listen Again folder.

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!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oh the feels!

This is my first time with this author. Truthfully I bought it because Kirt Graves was the narrator and I’m a sucker for music stories. But man was I blown away by this one. Caleb’s story is heartbreaking. And the fact that Leo lives without him for 5 whole years did me in. He never got over Caleb’s addiction even though it would have sent most people running. Their love story is one of soulmates who can’t live without the other. But their journey back to each other is long...and so worth the wait. The other band members are great side characters that I can’t wait to listen to. Kirt’s narration knocked this one out of the park!!!

Needed to be tighter, but still enjoyable.

This is one of those books where the premise is crazy silly, but Bolden seems to pull it off. It needed to be a good 50 pages shorter, there is too much meandering about. But I liked the main characters as well as the supporting cast.

I enjoyed Graves narration, he adeptly handled five primary characters who are all mid-twenties, I never felt that I was unsure of who was speaking.

The set up for this story is pretty grim, two members of a boy band are forced to keep their relationship a secret by their label, the pressure causes one of them to sink so deeply into alcoholism that one day he simply walks away and isn't seen for five years. The plot is a bit of a stretch that he can come back and force a contractural obligation to compete the tour he abandoned, but allowing some suspension of disbelief, it works. Caleb, our guy in recovery, wants to make amends to everyone, especially his boyfriend Leo. Leo is a hard sell for quite some time.

Bolden smartly uses flashbacks to take us though Leo and Caleb's key moments, culminating with what led up to Caleb walking away. Married to a recovering alcoholic who is nearly ten years sober, there are many aspects of how Caleb's story is written that I like, but not all. Caleb had multiple attempts at recovery, ultimately being helped by a man who ran what is described as a small clinic in his home, using aversion therapy. Unfortunately, Bolden is light on details, and the aversion is put to the test at one point in the story. Everything around that element of the story felt a bit thin, which didn't help as she wanted it to have a big impact moment, but instead I was left feeling off.

For as long as this story is, the timetable feels very short. The boys begin their band in high school, are discovered, have a five +/- year run, then fully collapse when they are basically 21. Even with the flashbacks, the alcohol abuse feels very rushed in the timeline. For as controlled as the band is, where is this kid getting the alcohol? Everyone would be aware of the problems being drunk would have on performances and touring. I wish we had a hint of an addictive personality earlier in their flashbacks, or that they had been together longer, allowing this slide to happen.

Bolden lays the groundwork for the sequels, and it isn't subtle. You might not know exactly how she will flesh out the books, but we know for a fact there will be two more books following two more soon to be couples. This needed to be done with a light hand, and fewer words. This book is supposed to about Caleb and Leo. There are times where the waters are very muddied with these other relationships. She also gets mired down in the concept of forgiving and being forgiven to the point that I began some light to moderate eye rolling.

The other issue, and it is pretty minor, is how terminology like Rock Star or Punk Rock are used as one size fits all. The guys are clearly a boy band, they sing pop ballads - its right there in the book. None one ever call NSYNC or One Direction Rock Stars or Punk. They are Pop Stars, and calling them such isn't a negative, nor is it a term no one knows.

All in all, a good effort, this title is a very enjoyable listen with leads you can root for, and solid narration that helps offset some of the story issues. Recommended.

Very moving! ❤️

Beth Bolden is a new author for me. I really enjoyed this book and it will be going on my “relisten” list. I will be looking at the rest of her books and will definitely be checking for the rest of this series!

A Thumbs Up For Sure!

This was a read and listen for me. Kirt Grave's performance was awesomeness. The narration was perfect. However, what most people don't understand is that Kirt's performance can only be great if what he's reading is greatness! That being said I'd like to give a shout out to the author, Beth Bolden. Thank You for sharing with us readers your incredible imagination. I loved this romance. It is what I would call a slow burn. I usually hate slow burns, but this one was so delicious. It was romantic, sexy, seductive, interesting, morally sound and most importantly food for thought. I highly recommend this book to the mature reader and Listener. Thank You Beth for Sharing.

This one is going to stay with me for a very long time.

This is a heartbreaking and achingly sweet love story filled mostly with sexual tension, but it is an important part of their journey. The music also plays an important role. The cover song that is featured because the lyrics fit their story so well, had me in literal tears. I will never listen to that song again without thinking of Leo and Caleb. I want this as a movie!

The only negative is that it’s only told from Leo’s POV. I would love to have heard Caleb’s as well.

I thought it was beautiful

I spent most of this book crying. It was a cathartic experience with so many emotional memories that I cried along with.

Leo needs to be slapped

Main character is such a whiney little Bi*&^! No one would put up with Leo's BS and certainly not for 5 YEARS!

Sooooo SLOW

This book could've been amazing. Glad it was free. DNF if you have to purchase.