Whew, what a rockstar ride! Ryder Hart had a tormented childhood but he's made himself into a rock god. He, his sister and the rest of his band are The Ryder Hart band, but they're all special in their own way. Quinn Abernathy, on the surface, seemed to have the opposite childhood, pampered little girl of a rich dad, but one with whom she doesn't see eye to eye. When she and Ryder meet, her as a photographer for Rolling Stone, their meeting is a little antagonistic, but sets the tone for their coming relationship.

I love Ryder and Quinn together. He's sexy, poetic, damaged in his way, but ultimately loving. She's feisty, independent, and determined to prove to her father that her choice of photography over law is the best for her. Together the two have chemistry that's really beautiful. The rockstar and the photographer make for a great combination!

Must read for me. Gave me the feels for this. Recieved this book and was happy I got to read it.

Ryder Hart was a rocker that had brought him and is sister up through a childhood of hell and turned it into future full of fame, fortune and family. The fame and fortune came from creating one of the hottest rock bands around and the family was the other two guys in the band. Who could need or want for anything else? Ryder was every girls dream but he was giving his heart to no one. He couldn’t take the chance that he possibly could be like his own father. Quinn grew up quite the opposite in some aspects. She came from a rich family with her father being a lawyer and had no ears for Quinn becoming anything else other than a lawyer but her childhood was of a broken home and a father who couldn’t help himself with other women. The big difference between Ryder and Quinn’s upbringing was that Quinn knew that aside from all the pressures of her father, she knew she was loved.

Quinn had the opportunity like no others; she was going to get to photograph the notoriously private Ryder Hart Band for a spread in Rolling Stones Magazine. Even though Ryder was sex on a stick there was no way she would do anything to jeopardize her job and that meant no messing around with Ryder no matter how inviting he was at times. Oh, but after that two week job was up she planned on jumping Ryder as quick as she could with the idea that this would be a one and done thing because everyone knew that Ryder never had anyone he stuck with for long. Quinn wasn’t up to getting her heart hurt so she came to terms that she could do this. It would be worth it, right? This book dealt with some pretty heavy issues from child abuse to suicide and was done in a way that you felt the pain that everyone was going through. Would Quinn be ok with walking away from Ryder? Would Ryder be able to get past the childhood that haunted him to this day? No matter how much fame and fortune he accrued, Flowers On The Wall would always be a trigger.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley for a freely given honest review.

Flowers On The Wall
Hart Of Rock And Roll - Book 1,  Mary J. Williams

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  romance,

Hmnn...this has all five star reviews currently – and though I enjoyed it, a lot, its not a  five star for me. Maybe I’m just hypercritical? I hate when I’m out of step with others but – it happens.

So, Ryder and Quinn, both great characters, self confident, strong willed and when they meet there’s a real pull between them.

I like self confident female leads, but at times I felt Quinn was a little too assertive, a bit too confident. In males that comes over as cocky but appealing – so it ought to be the same with her, and yet I found she was almost brash and irritating at times.

Ryder, he’s been through a lot and come out on top, but not without some mental demons. That’s understandable and what makes him the man he is.
He sees Quinn – loved that first meeting BTW – and is attracted, and she feels the same but isn’t going to just jump because he says so. There’s a real sexual attraction here which grew stronger, but somehow I wasn’t convinced that it was more, that it was love rather than lust.

I would have liked to see more of the other band members, they stayed pretty much in the background except for Zoe.
I thought the suggestion of more from the manager would have developed, would have been an interesting storyline, but it seemed to be put in and then left. That could have made for some intriguing subplots, but as it never developed it made me wonder why it was started?

Its a good read, felt very real at times, with characters I liked. I really needed someone/something unpleasant though, some drama that was very down, to take from all the good/sweet/happy parts in this read.
For me a bit of unpleasantness, jealousy, a tinge of malice in action, makes the happy parts so much brighter. Without that contrast they just feel Good but not Great, and that’s kind of how I feel here. It was a good novel, but lacked the contrast, the dark side, the emotional context for me that would have made it a great one.
Others love it as it is though, so its not all of us who enjoy more in stories, need the dramas, the angst, the sorrow, ones like this are perfect for many readers, you’ll have to assess which side you fall ;-)  

Stars: Four, a good read but I wanted more drama for a five.

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers