Okay - this was a struggle. At times it was great, hot, emotional, intense. But then it delved into the 'are you freaking kidding me?' and 'there's no freaking way' realms that just made it tough. I mean if you find out something huge, a big piece of news that could potentially blow your relationship to bits it just seems to me that it should take more than a few pages to work though it. I don't know, maybe that's just me. I'm glad these guys got their HEA but it just felt too perfect

His whole life, all Lincoln West has ever wanted to do was make it big in a band, as an amazing guitarist. When an accident caused traumatic brain injury and put a damper on those dreams, Linc tries to live life to the fullest that he feels he has left. And knowing that his dream lover, Dominic is out of his reach, he tries to find someone that can be a filler and maybe help him out of his hole of depression.

In comes Emmett. These two immediately fall for each other. But both have issues and the elephant in the room, for the majority of the book, could very well destroy everything that two have built and gained ground on. I feel like there were times when the book could have had more action going on, but the hot sizzling connection between these two did make up for it. This is the second in the series. I do feel that reading the first might have helped with some background knowledge, but I really didn’t struggle to follow the plot without reading it.

Lincoln West and his band were on the verge of something big, until a car accident derailed everything. Lincoln suffered a traumatic brain injury that left him with debilitating migraines and the inability to play his beloved guitar. His best friend and bandmate, Dom, has moved on to a duo with his new boyfriend, Trey. While they are traveling, Lincoln is staying at Trey’s house and trying to put his life back together after the accident. One night, Lincoln decides to finally get out of the house and heads to a local club where a gorgeous bar back catches his eye. The guy is very shy, but Lincoln manages to convince him to spend some time together.

Emmett Westmore just wants to keep his head down and for nobody to notice him. He is trying to put a tragedy in his past behind him, and he is now living with his aunt while he tries to move forward. Emmett is shy and wary, but Lincoln is sweet and patient and the guys hit it off. Soon they are spending more time together, getting to know one another, and beginning to fall for each other. But Emmett has a devastating secret from his past, one that could destroy what he is building with Lincoln. He knows he must come clean, but when he does, it could ruin everything they have built together.

Steady Stroke is the second book in A.M. Arthur’s Off Beat series, following Body Rocks. The story takes place about a year after the first as Lincoln has been rehabilitating from the accident (which occurs in the first story). Now we see Lincoln has recovered quite a bit, but he is lonely with Dom traveling and frustrated with the limitations his brain injury is placing on him. He can’t find a job and the migraines knock him flat and he is definitely out of sorts. Things are even worse when a bad date with a guy who can’t take no for an answer leaves him really shaken. When Lincoln meets Emmett, he is drawn to the young man right away. The two of them begin falling for each other almost immediately and their relationship grows quickly and easily. The focus of the conflict is really on Emmett’s past and the secret he has that could destroy their relationship. So things build between them quite easily and the guys fall pretty hard and fast. Sometimes things felt a bit too sweet and easy, and sometimes even over the top perfect, but again, the conflict is external so the focus is on how their rapidly developing relationship might be derailed rather than on their coming together in the first place.

Speaking of the big secret, wow, it is a doozy. I literally gasped out loud when I read it. What is interesting is that we learn this secret fairly early on in the book as the guys are still building the relationship. So we know something big is inevitable, something that would be really upsetting to Lincoln, even as we see the guys falling for one another. I found that it hindered my connection with their relationship a bit knowing that Emmett is hiding something so big from Lincoln, even as Lincoln is letting Emmett in and building trust. I knew something big was coming between them, not to mention it seemed unfair for Emmett to be leading things along knowing the truth would be so upsetting to Lincoln. But on the other hand, it was helpful as a reader to get to know Emmett, to see that he really is a good guy, and to see how much he cares for Lincoln before things blow up between them. I’ll also say I was kind of shocked at Lincoln’s reaction when he learns the truth. He is upset, but at something totally different than I expected. I can’t say more without spoilers, but it seemed like the obvious point of conflict was a total non-issue and he was upset about something that didn’t seem like nearly as big an problem to me.

The story explores some other issues as well. One is with Lincoln’s date who doesn’t take no for an answer and leaves Lincoln shaken and traumatized. He doesn’t want to talk to anyone about it and he has to work through his feelings about it over the course of the book. The story also deals with Lincoln’s return to music and how he finds a way to continue playing after the loss of his guitar. We get a chance to reunite with friends from both the original bands and see Lincoln get an opportunity to play again. I am really enjoying this series and liked the chance to connect again with characters from the first book. Arthur definitely seems to be setting things up for Benji’s story, but things are also intriguing with Tyson, as he has pretty much been MIA and no one knows what is happening with him. So it seems like there is lots more opportunity for good stories from this group.

I definitely enjoyed this second installment and am really looking forward to more from this series.

Overall this is a nice story with a believable happy ending and some interesting characters.

I haven't yet read book one from this series but I was having a great time reading this book and picking up the background to book one from this story. My only misgiving was that there was a lot of angst that felt a bit unreal. It initially started out as a four star for me but by the end having weathered the angst it ended up as three stars. I don't mind angst, but I like it to feel real an not some huge bad coincidence.

But generally it was an ok story.

Here we meet Emilio who struggles with his sexuality and the loss of his family. He blames himself for their loss even though it wasn't his fault. He lives with his aunt, working at her bar and hides his burdens and his sexuality from everyone.

And then Lincoln comes into his life. Lincoln is putting his life back together again. He has lost his career in a band and his hope for the future due to a car accident. He struggles with migraines but he is willing to take a risk and try to revive his musical career by playing another instrument. He is deeply interested in Emmett and the scars he hides because Lincoln has scars of his own.

But Lincoln doesn't realise that Emmet's scars go deeper than he could imagine. And so the two men begin to get closer to each other but can they hold together as secrets are revealed?

I would definitely like to read book one of the series . I think the story has a rich cast of characters which I would like to explore, however the challenges facing the couple were a bit too unrealistic for my tastes.

It is also interesting that Emmett was a muslim. I think this aspect of the story could have been given more depth because I felt that we were told Emmett was muslim but we were not shown what made him muslim.

Altogether it is a nice story.


Copy provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Sorry, couldn't finish reading :(
Something about the characters rubbed me the wrong way....
Thanks for giving me the chance to read it anyway! Highly appreciated.