Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Life hasn’t been easy for honky-tonk guitarist Guthrie Woodson, but he’s practiced at enduring the bad times and treasuring the good. He’s been in love before, and while the guy just got married, Guthrie figures that now that he knows what love is, he’ll recognize it if it comes his way again.

Which makes his attraction to Tad Hawkins, the Sacramento cop who has been showing up to Guthrie’s weekend gigs, all the more dangerous.

Tad’s had troubles of his own, but he’s always felt loved. Trying to coax Guthrie, his snakebit guitarist, into his arms is an exercise in patience, but Tad has experience with that. His sister, April, is in addiction recovery. He can take it slow if it means he’ll get to keep some “Guthrie goodness” for himself.

But then Tad has an accident and Guthrie's forced to take actions that leave his vulnerable heart exposed. Tad must fast-track his plans to gentle Guthrie in his life, and Guthrie needs to clear out the history holding him back. Can they forge a solid future on the shifting sands of fortune, or will Guthrie’s past and Tad’s present break them apart before they have a chance?

 

Book Review

It was almost bittersweet reading ‘Torch Songs’, the fourth installment in Amy Lane’s ‘Bonfires’ series. Mainly because I didn’t realize until I was a few pages in that I knew Guthrie. I remembered Guthrie. Guthrie was the young man who fell in love with Seth in ‘String Boys’. Oh, my heart knew joy when I realized that because when I read ‘String Boys’ I truly wanted him to find his own happy ever after and get away from his rotten family members he was stuck with. Needless to say, Guthrie knows heartbreak and he is so deserving of all the good things in the world, even if he doesn’t agree.

 

I fell in love with Tad during ‘Sunset’, the third installment in the series. How could I not? He was so amazing and even more than that, he recognized how incredible Aaron and Larx, plus their family, truly are. I figure anyone who can see all that goodness amidst snark is someone I wanted to see more of. Luckily the author obviously felt the same way. I have to admit that seeing the canyon scene from ‘Sunset’ through different eyes did not detract from its impact in any way.

 

Tad laughed a little. “Well, I was lucky, you know—”

”Oh I know,” Guthrie said, his eyes shifting wildly. “If you had to drop through a hole in the world, you ended up doing it with, what? Dad gods? Is that what you found? Dad gods of backcountry California?”

Tad laughed a little harder. “Yes!” he said, hysterical. “Oh my God, yes.”

 

Guthrie grew up abused even though he’d be the first to disagree with that statement. Personally, I think being dragged all over the place to bars so his dad and uncle could play their band and make money for alcohol is not a healthy childhood. Being forced to busk so he’d have money to get some small amount of food since more than half the time no one remembered they had a kid who needed to eat leaves a lot to be desired. Once Seth left the band, Guthrie’s dad kicked him out for being gay and he’s been traveling and playing music ever since, cobbling together bandmates here and there. I was ready to see Guthrie be appreciated and loved for who he is and not what he can bring to the table.

 

Tad is a detective with SAC police department and is responsible for his younger sister, April, a woman much like Olivia – bipolar with severe anxiety. Except April took the street and meth method of handling her issues before Tad found her, helped her get clean, and through a rehab center. I adored her and the author’s idea of pairing her with Berto is just too perfect for words. Tad is the best person imaginable for Guthrie. He’s patient, kind, and understanding. Watching these two fall in love was joy, plain and simple joy.

 

I guess this is sort of a strange review, but partly it’s because I’m under the impression that these books really aren’t standalones, at least in my opinion.  There’s way too much inter-connectedness amongst characters and plot lines. Regardless, I found Tad and Guthrie’s story to be just what I needed along with the glimpses of characters from other stories, and even books. As always, thank you, Amy, for this much-needed story and I hope you continue in this world because I definitely think there are more tales to be told from Colton, CA.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been purchased by the reviewer.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 344 pages/132393 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	24-September-2024
Price	$6.99 ebook, $20.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/torch-songs-by-amy-lane-12505-b