A Different Kind of Love Song: Rock My Stars is a story of an unlikely romance

 

Rock My Stars (Starstruck Universe)

Ellie Potts

Independently Published, 2021

ISBN-13: 979-8767487950

Ebook, 258 ppg.

Buy link

 

When I posted about my books being available for free as well as at discount prices on Smashwords for Read-an-Ebook-Week, my friend Ellie Potts let me know that her novel, Rock My Stars, was available for free through Kindle Unlimited. I grabbed a copy to read for Read-an-Ebook-Week, but it took me longer than one week to read this book. It actually took me two weeks. It was such an enjoyable story to read! I was hooked from the very beginning!

 

Rock My Stars by Ellie Potts is about a young woman named Tabby who has a HUGE crush on band member Spencer Tate of the band, Suspected Tragedy. Tabby is a music blogger, so music is her whole world! (Along with books, video games, and her best friends.) She’s been blogging about the band for years, so when she has a chance to see the band at a concert with her two best friends Walt and Danny, she jumps at the opportunity! While she is at the concert, she happens to meet her crush, along with the rest of the band, and Tabby’s world is about to change when she discovers that her crush just might turn into something more!  

 

Even though I am profoundly deaf, I was not born deaf, so I have been exposed to music in the past. So I totally get how music is such a big deal for Tabby! Music has the power of changing people’s lives, stirring up emotions, offering comfort, and leaving a lasting meaning for people. Tabby has loved music for, like, forever, and everything about music shows in her blog posts and live videos she writes and creates from the concerts that she goes to. It is this role of being a “music blogger” that turns Tabby into a media person, and she has a chance to be in that role not only to participate in Q&A sessions with the band but also to help the guys boost their presence on social media. Apparently, this is effective, because her notifications of likes and comments blow up after she posts things about the band.

 

I thought it was cool how Tabby also interacted with other bands and she got to include these other band members in her posts and videos. The other band members all treat her like she is a friend, not an outsider, and it’s just so awesome to see how everybody welcomes her and accepts her as one of their own. They all hang out together, do stuff together, and have fun together. It’s like suddenly having the biggest family ever. As Tabby observes on one occasion, after the guys in the Suspected Tragedy band all come to her defense:

 

“I freaking loved these guys so much. We were strangers when we started this journey, and now we were family. They had accepted me as part of the group. At the moment, they had me in protection bubble.” 

 

It should be noted, however, that not everyone is so welcoming and friendly with Tabby. Anika, Spencer’s ex, keeps giving Tabby a lot of grief, all which Tabby is not afraid to fight. Seamus, Spencer’s brother, has a grudge against Tabby after she physically fought back against him when he groped her, and Hector, the band’s manager, also dislikes Tabby. He even tells her this point blank, to which Tabby replies, “The feeling’s mutual.”

 

And that’s the thing I love about Tabby. Aside from two creepy weirdos she tries to avoid running into at music events, she is not easily intimidated by people. She is gutsy, bold, and defensive. She is not afraid to stand up for herself, even with Spencer, and draw the line when someone is trying to use her, hurt her, or take advantage of her. She even clobbers her best friend, Danny, after he slaps her.

 

The story line with Tabby and Danny was also interesting. I kept wondering how it was going to turn out in the end. Tabby did have a crush on Danny at the beginning of the story, but she learns about his true colors as the story unfolds. I could only shake my head over Danny telling Tabby that she was his fallback, his “safety net.” He never took her feelings seriously and then it was too late. That’s what happens when you are put on hold while the object of your heart goes chasing after someone else. People want to be the choice, not the option.

 

I also appreciated how Tabby understood all of the hard work that is required from Spencer because of his job with the band. And she makes it clear how she feels about him every time a doubter comes along saying that she’ll dump him or how Danny sees it as a “fling.” I loved how Spencer never got jealous over Tabby’s friendship with Walt. He understands that it is strictly platonic, with Tabby saying that she loves Walt like a brother. Spencer DOES get jealous of other guys, though, and Tabby has to make it clear to him that she her heart only belongs to him. Another thing I really liked about this story was how Tabby and Spencer’s relationship survives challenges. He doesn’t get rid of her when things get hard. That’s love.

 

Rock My Stars is a sweet and steamy romance that takes readers behind the scenes of the music world. The characters and the story are so well-written, and the ups and downs of a relationship that gets off to an unusual start will keep readers guessing on how everything will turn out in the end. This novel is sure to be enjoyed by readers of romance novels, as well as readers who enjoy stories about music and rock bands.

 

 

Five stars

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I downloaded this ebook through Kindle Unlimited. This review is entirely voluntary.   

Creating a Positive Mindset: Healthy Thinking, Happy Life Provides Tools and Guidance for Better Living

 

Healthy Thinking, Happy Life: Master Your Mindset and Get $#it Done!
Created by Denise E. Stegall (with 14 co-authors)
Kindle ASIN:  B0BV42LD6D
(Also available in print)
Living Healthy List, 2023
Ebook, 194 ppg.
Buy link

I really didn’t know what to expect before I started reading Healthy Thinking, Happy Life: Master Your Mindset and Get $#it Done! My first thought was, This is just another self-help book. But as I started reading this book, I realized I was wrong!

This book is NOT your typical self-help book! It’s a one-of-a-kind collection of stories and insights from some of today’s most successful movers and shakers who have taken life by the horns and went after their goals. The chapters in this book inspired me in so many ways and it provided so much insightful and helpful ideas that really motivated me to shed old ways to embrace the new.

I liked this quote a lot, in the chapter written by Kimberly Ann Price: “Becoming wholly you means hard days with no answers and sleepless nights of not understanding. It’s a constant tension that you will wrestle back and forth with throughout your whole existence. Sometimes for weeks, sometimes months, and sometimes no prescribed amount of time. As long as you exist, so will this tension, so will these gifts, and so will what you are here to give the world. And trust me, the world needs what you’ve got.” It is so true!! There may be a lot of work involved in becoming wholly ourselves, but it is so worth it to do the work. To put in the time and effort to allow the REAL you to surface. It may also require sacrifice, but the sacrifice is not entirely a bad thing if it requires shedding unhealthy habits or letting go of the things that keep us down. Unfortunately, most people don’t want to put in the work. They don’t want to put in the time or effort. They are too comfortable in their comfort zones and maybe even too scared to leave it. Yes, there is some fear in not knowing what you’re getting into when working on improving yourself and your life, but it’s easier to embrace that change than it is to live with regret or never knowing who you truly could be.

The chapter on limiting beliefs by Susanne Taylor King was very inspiring. I loved this quote: “YOU are the creator of your dream life, and only YOU can make the changes necessary to find joy.” Now, if I had read that quote 20 years ago, I wouldn’t have believed it. I thought I was a prisoner to my alcohol addiction, that I was too ugly to be accepted in society and that I didn’t have it in me to bring about the changes that I wanted. It took getting sober and completely rebuilding myself to realize that I was wrong! You CAN create the life you want! It may take a long time, but it IS doable. Limiting beliefs can, unfortunately, hold us back. That’s why it’s so important to tear them down and create newer, positive beliefs, such as that anything is possible and that there are no limits. The only limits we have are those that exist in our minds. As she writes, “Limiting beliefs are dangerous to you fulfilling your purpose because they stop you from taking action toward who you know you’re meant to be.”

I also really enjoyed reading the chapter written by Matthew Lucchetti. What an inspirational story! I am so glad he took the leap to share his story, but making a leap of faith is not new for this guy. He made a leap of faith when his health got so bad, he ended up looking Death in the eye. He had a choice: Either allow his poor eating and lifestyle habits to end his life, or fight to live by making some major changes. Once he made the decision to live, it’s like he was put on a journey with the universe guiding him along the way. I loved reading his story of transformation and how he inspired others to do the same.

This book offers a lot of takeaways after some of the chapters, but the biggest takeaway of all is this: Mindset is everything. Having a positive mindset can help us to realize that we are not a prisoner to our circumstances and we have the power to create the kind of change we want. This is echoed in the book’s conclusion, written by author Denise E. Stegall, where she writes, “While mastering your mindset, you realize that you have more choices in your life than you might have believed. Too often, we think that we are stuck in our circumstances, yet we have the power to choose to look at them from a different perspective.”

She also notes that mastering our mindset can take time and that it’s not always perfect. However, if you commit yourself to having and maintaining a positive mindset, it can work wonders for you and your life.

By having a healthy and positive mindset, you can do anything, be anything and change anything. Even if other people have given up on you, don’t ever give up on yourself! With insight and guidance from some of today’s thought leaders and life coaches, Healthy Thinking, Happy Life can help you get on track with your life and create the kind of change you want for better living.

Five stars

 

 

Disclaimer: I downloaded this book onto my Kindle reading app. I was not paid or coerced in any way to review this book. My decision of whether or not to review a book for this blog is strictly personal and without any pressure from the book's author.