Scratch TrackRating: 4.5 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel


Quinn and Nicky were friends. They were on the road together when their bands were touring, with Quinn as a roadie and manager and Nicky as a drummer. They flirted with each other until they spent one amazing night together. But then the bands went their separate ways. The guys said they would keep in touch and try to see each other again, but shortly after that night Quinn’s brother died unexpectedly and Nicky’s messages went unanswered.

A year later, Quinn has not forgotten Nicky’s touch. Although the bands run in similar circles, Quinn never expected to see Nicky again. But when the two bands are recording in the same location, Quinn is completely thrown when faced with Nicky again. Quinn is filled with grief and guilt over his brother and then over Nicky. While he never meant to hurt Nicky, he learns that is exactly what he has done. The attraction is still there, and Quinn and Nicky are just drawn to each other, but Quinn doesn’t feel he can be what Nicky needs and not let him down. The guys both want a second chance, but Quinn has to face himself head on so he won’t make the same mistakes twice.

Scratch Track is the third book in the Escaping Indigo series and falls back into the same quiet, introspective atmosphere as the two books before it. The book mostly works on its own and if you are okay with not knowing all the small details that came before, you could start here.

This book solely rests on Quinn’s shoulders, even though Nicky is the more energetic and dynamic character. It’s been a year since Quinn’s brother, Eric, died and Quinn can’t seem to move on. He is starting to accept that Eric is gone, but he carries so much guilt that he let his brother down. Quinn takes care of people. It’s what he thought he was good at, but now feels like he failed Eric. And, if he failed Eric, his whole care-taking persona was a lie and Quinn has no idea what to do with himself.

Nicky was devastated when Quinn didn’t call or respond to his messages. He’s not into casual sex and he thought they really had a connection and a chance. He ever knew what went wrong or if it was him that did something, yet when he sees Quinn again, he can’t take his eyes off him. Quinn knows he owes Nicky an explanation, but he’s so caught up in is own head that he can’t find the words to say out loud, but he remembers Nicky vividly and intimately.

Because when I saw him, I remembered how he’d looked when he’s been poised over me, my palm at the small of his back. Urging him on, rising up to meet him.

 When the guys first reconnect, there aren’t a lot of words but Quinn knows this about Nicky:

He made things simple. He made you want to stand beside him and soak up some sun. So I did.

The guys are soft and tender with each other. Quinn is self-conscious that he’s not as beautiful as Nicky and he has no idea how to commit to Nicky because he’s so afraid that he’s going to let him down. But for all the chemistry and intensity they have when they are together and for as careful as they try to be with each other, the hurt lingers.

This book also has more music in it and the drum beats can be taken more than one way and the book has a great cadence and melody to it. You would have to like a softer telling with a lot of inner narrative here to connect with this one. It’s most certainly my favorite book of the series and a good choice for a soft, intense start to a love story.

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