Loved the story, so so narration

I essence, I absolutely loved and adored this story. I'm always partial for a scarred man, second chance stories and when combining that with a famous musician, I'm over the moon.

This book opens up with present day Lincoln, rock star extraordinaire in the band Downward Spiral. An apt name if there ever was one as all of its members are spiralling fast out of control in one way or another. Lincoln is a bit worse for wear, drunk and passing out in the cold and almost freezing to death. He basically couldn't care less. He's numb, and the only way he feels anything is by self-harming, cutting. The only thing in his mind is remembering Jace. The love of his life. The boy he walked away from, broke, ten years earlier when his music career really took off.

After another close call with Linc's life, Archer the band manager, cancels the upcoming tour, orders all the band members to a mandatory break to get their heads back together And hopefully by the end of the break, there will still be a band left to save. Linc decides to go back to the one place in the world where he was truly happy, the place where he met and fell in love with Jace. What he doesn't count on is standing face to face with Jace once more. A freshly dumped Jace who don't want anything to do with him anymore.

Face the Music is a second chance story. It's told from a dual POV in more ways than one. We get both Linc's and Jace's perspectives, but we also get the past interwoven with the present. So we are there watching Linc and Jace fall in love, the first kiss, we feel the sweetness, the giddiness and hope for the future. But we are also there for the hard parts, Linc leaving and Jace realising that the love of his life has left him. We are there for the pain as well as the happiness before it. We can relate to them both, understand the motives that drove them. We understand the heartbreak that are still present ten years later. We know the love that lurks underneath the surface, ready to bloom once more.

This book drew me in from the start and I couldn't put it down but listened to the whole thing in one go. I just needed to know how Linc and Jace finally got back together. Needed to see the journey, the forgiveness and healing. I'm also partial to characters with any kind of mental health issue, to Linc ticked a lot of my boxes. And while I didn't always agree with his actions, I could understand why.

Kenneth Obi's narration of this book is a bit of an oddity for me. He has different voices when narrating the different characters - which is always a huge plus for me. It makes it so much easier to follow along with the story. He also adds in feelings to his words, emotions and is not simply reading the words in front of him. Despite all that, he still manages to sound bored though it all. It's a bit of a mystery to me to be frank. On the other hand, that would fit when he narrated the fist part of the story from Lincoln's POV. It fits with his depressed, moody and "who cares" attitude. But it doesn't fit with the rest of the book, when the feel of it is happy. I did feel like even during the happy moments, there was still a wall between the characters and the listener, we weren’t quite there.

Face the Music was a beautiful second chance story. I loved everything about it, the plot, the characters and the amazing love that Linc and Jace shared. The narration was a bit off for me, which might be just me, so you should definitely have a listen to the sample to decide if this audio is worth trying. If not, you need to pick up the book, because this is a story you shouldn't miss.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review for Love Bytes.

2 people found this helpful

Unrealistic separation but overall OK

Not exactly my cup of tea but the engaging narration made it palatable and enjoyable enough that I actually finished the story. The story is interesting and not boring, but have a little too much angst for my taste. It really DID NOT make sense to me that Lincoln just left Jace (and went so far as to disconnect the phone) and they did not meet each other for 10 years!!! How Linc survived for 10 years with his problem is simply unbelievable!

1 person found this helpful

So good! So heartfelt!

This book is definitely near and dear to my heart. No one understands how hard it is to love someone with bipolar disorder. Ms. Neuhold, you managed to give a voice to the person that has to witness the highs and lows. Thank you! Plus, their love is epic!!

1 person found this helpful

A little hard to get through

The first part or the story was hard for me to get through. I didn’t read the book first so did not know what was going to happen. I actually had to stop and come back and finish the story a few days later and I’m glad I did. Kenneth did a great job like always. Don’t pass this one by!

1 person found this helpful

Going Back

I love the way fate has brought these men back together after all these years. I was so glad when Jace really understood why Linc did what he did in the past. I also love the honest look at the issues Linc is having. I'm really excited about starting this new series. I can't wait to start out the next book in the series.
I listened to the audio version and it was very well done.

Second chance romance

This is book one of a new series and I have read the book so I am aware of the trigger warnings and the level of angst.

I love K.M. Nuehold as an author. She has done an outstanding job of describing Linc's highs and lows.

This is full of angst but its so well written and narrated. K.M. Neuhold has been extremely respectful when writing about mental illness.

5 stars - highly recommend.

Second Chance with Love

Face the Music is the first book in the Replay series, a contemporary romance series revolving around the members in the band Downward Spiral. This book deals with heavy issues and I suggest readers check out the trigger warnings to determine if this is the right book for them. I really liked this book and found it touching.

Lincoln is the singer for Downward Spiral, a poplar band on the verge of destruction. Lincoln himself is self-destructing, but a vacation to his family cottage reunites him with his long, lost love. Jace has been resentful of Lincoln for breaking his heart all those years ago, but even though he keeps telling himself to keep Lincoln at arms length, Jace can’t help falling in love with Lincoln all over again. This was a beautiful story with a lot of angst and sorrow, which ended with a lovely happy ending. I also liked how it introduced the overall arching plot line that connected each book. Due to this series plotline I highly suggest reading all these books in order.

A beautifully heartbreaking portrayal of what it’s like to struggle with mental illness

I love K.M. Nuehold’s writing, but this story has become my absolute favorite. She does an amazing job describing the feelings and emotions that go through a person’s mind when struggling to accept their diagnosis, especially when having had negative experiences with another person who has the same. The romance genre gets a lot of flack for having vapid cheesy stories, but Face the Music proves that is not the case. Forewarning: there are triggering scenes, but I feel Neuhold handled them in a respectful and careful manner, not vilifying mental illness. This is a beautiful story and I highly recommend it!

loved it

I loved this story. As someone who has the mention mental illness. I appreciate the representation.

It was me, not the book.

This book just wasn’t for me. Objectively It’s good. It’s just not for me.
Great narration by Kennet Obi as always though.