Rating: 3.25 stars
Buy Link: Smashwords | iBooks
Length: Novella
Trey was an award-winning journalist until a crucial error cost him his career. After not being able to land his choice of new job, he’s been working for the local paper writing the fluffiest of articles and Trey is ready to reclaim his career. His favorite band is playing a local show and, after the band disappeared awhile amidst gossip, Trey knows there is a story there and sets out to find it. He doesn’t expect his world to be turned upside down when he meets two of the band members, twin brothers Leland and Maddox.
Leland is the lead singer and it was his actions that caused the band’s downfall. They’re trying to claw their way back onto the scene, but Leland is shaky and the set doesn’t go as Leland hoped. Trey is there to stop Leland from making yet another mistake and the chemistry between them zings from the start.
Maddox knows playing their first gig in a bar isn’t the best move for his twin brother, Leland. But when Maddox has a moment with Trey before the show and then finds him in the dressing room with Leland, Maddox’s carefully constructed world starts to spin. Maddox always took on all the responsibility of looking after Leland and it be great to share that with Trey. But after a hot and emotional weekend, Leland and Maddox learn that Trey isn’t the one they should have trusted with all of their secrets. However, Trey is determined to prove them wrong.
When I opened this book, there was a note from the author stating that Double Trouble is a rewrite of her book, Luck of the Irish, which featured Leland and a female lead. It further says that the overall premise of the book remains the same, but that it now centers on twin brothers, plus the reporter, Trey. Having read and reviewed in this genre for many years, I immediately was wary of this type of rewrite, as characters are not easily interchangeable in this manner, particularly just swapping genders.
The characters are interesting as Trey meets both Maddox and Leland. Being a novella, this book has to move fast. But there were aspects that moved too fast for me or weren’t addressed at all. Maddox and Trey have never been interested in men before. And, while Maddox and Leland are close, having an intimate relationship was never on their radar. Yet, the moment Maddox and Trey meet, they are ready to hook up and when Maddox walks in on Trey and Leland together, he is all in on being with both of them with only minor internal hesitations. If I was to separate the intimate scenes from the whole, the interactions between the three of them are heated. But since they are part of the whole, I really needed some more development of these relationships. Also, the issue with the band was a bit murky—they’re rockstars, they make a mistake or create gossip or a scandal, and they can usually get back up and make more music and that part of the story wasn’t well developed either.
The ending was also fast and there was never a true discussion of how a relationship would work between the three of them and the entire book takes place over one weekend. I do have mixed feelings on this one and the book didn’t do its job to alleviate those feelings.
