Final Encore by Scotty Cade

Check out the songs mentioned in this book at the end of the review!

The Blurb...

When hunky aspiring country singer Billy Eagan heads to Nashville in search of his big break, a relationship and love are the furthest things from his mind. Taking a foreman’s job at the Lazy H ranch and not knowing how he will be accepted, Billy decides to fly under the radar and stay as closeted as he can without denying who he really is. It’s immediately confirmed that he made the right decision when he discovers that homophobia is still alive and well in Tennessee. Then Billy gets his break and meets gorgeous record label executive Ian Dillon. Their worlds collide both professionally and personally, and Billy falls hard. But Ian is still haunted by the mysterious betrayal of his one and only lover, and knowing Billy possesses the power to emotionally destroy him, Ian decides to cut his losses and simply walk away. Determined not to give up on the man he loves, Billy secretly starts to unravel the past and quickly finds that it’s not what it appears. Can Billy rescue Ian’s heart, or will bigotry and hatred win over love?(

So what did I think?

Overall I liked this story and found the plot engaging. Billy is a country singer and is seeking his fame and fortune. He starts working as a ranch foreman and sings at Open Mic Night at the bar owned by his employers. They are good people and draw the attention of their friend Ian who comes along to hear Billy perform. Ian is a talent scout for a music label and he sees great potential in Billy.

One of the main issues faced by the men is Ian’s reluctance to put his heart on the line “He had long ago decided that he could never totally give his hear to another man, never totally trust anyone again. The risk of loving, trusting, and possibly losing was far too great. The stakes were too high, and his heart, even after so much time had passed, was still too sensitive to chance it.” Plus there is drama caused by someone holding a grudge which injects a bit of excitement.

I love a good cowboy and a good musician romance so had high expectations for this story. However it didn’t quite achieve the heights of my expectation. This was mainly due to a couple of factors. In the early chapters of the book I felt like the story was being told but it wasn’t drawing me in. And some parts of the story had a slightly unnatural feel about them. For example, when Ian finally shares some details of his history and recounts an episode from his past, it has a strange level of really specific detail that I wouldn’t normally expect in a memory being shared, recounting every look and touch.

I like country music, as in I don’t mind listening to it but I don’t usually seek it out. so it was really interesting to see the songs sung by Billy. I took the opportunity to look them up and enjoyed being introduced to something new. The songs were:
“Moments” by Emerson Drive

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzriEXPJ1-k
“Love Me If You Can” by Toby Keith

“Find Out Who Your Friends Are” by Tracy Lawrence