When 27-year-old pop sensation Brooklyn Heart steps in front of a microphone, her love songs enchant audiences worldwide. But when it comes to her own love life, the only spell she’s under is a dry one.
So when her label slots her for a Grammy performance with the sexy and soulful Jason Monroe, she can’t help but entertain certain fantasies... those in which her G-string gets more play than her guitars'.
Only one problem. Jason is a lyrical lone wolf that isn’t happy about sharing the stage—nor his ranch — with the sassy singer. But while it may seem like a song entitled ‘Jason Monroe Is an Arrogant Ho’ basically writes itself, their label and their millions of fans are expecting recording gold…
They’re expecting The Duet.
Being a big fan of some of R.S. Grey's other books; With This Heart & Scoring For Wilder, I eagerly looked forward to reading her newest novel The Duet and I am so glad that I did! The Duet is a story that will make you laugh out loud on more than one occasion, while also tearing at the strings of your heart in others. This was a 4 star read for me and I would highly recommend it to everyone, I promise that you will not be disappointed that you did!
Brooklyn Hart is a famous pop singer, who lives a life conscious of the paparazzi lurking behind every corner. Her grueling schedule of training sessions, voice, guitar and piano lessons, recording and practicing for her upcoming tours leaves little time for love. Instead of experiencing it first hand, she write and sings songs about it; that is until she is forced to collaborate with Jason Monroe for a Grammy Performance.
Brooklyn and Jason get off on the wrong foot from their very first meeting and it seems that any collaborative effort will be less than fruitful between them. Determined to win him over, she brings him gifts when arriving at his ranch in Montana where they are set to write their duet. Unfortunately for Brooklyn, even her gifts aren't enough to warm Jason up to her side and she is determined to not let him affect her since his feelings toward her are anything but hospitable.
Facing writers block when they begin to work; the only logical explanation to ease them into the comfort of composing a song worthy of the Grammy's would be for them to have sex. With both agreeing that it is nothing more than releasing some steam, they get lost in the sheets together more than once during Brooklyn's stay at the ranch. Although she begins to have deeper feelings for Jason, she knows that he doesn't feel that way about her; or so she thinks. Just when Brooklyn starts to gain some ground with him and break down his almost impenetrable wall; the unthinkable happens. She is faced with being the other woman; as she so eloquently puts it and literally runs from his arms jumping on the first plane back to LA.
The days that follow without him are harder than Brooklyn thought they could be but she knows all she has to do is get through the performance and then she can walk away from Jason and her feelings for good. But he has other ideas when he shows up at her condo trying to explain his situation, telling her that it wasn't what it seemed. Not wanting to have her heart broken further, Brooklyn dismisses the conversation without telling him how she really feels.
The anxiety that Brooklyn feels int he days leading up to their Grammy performance can be felt by the reader and allows for us to feel the emotions that she is feeling before she ever hits the stage with him. Wondering how it will all play out in the end; I excitedly turned each page wondering if they would finally admit to each other that they were in love and I was soon rewarded for the anticipation I had with a Grammy performance that will make you swoon!
R.S. Grey has done it again and I cannot wait for you to read this amazing story. The candid banter between the characters makes you feel like you are there witnessing the conversation between two of your friends and the amount of times I laughed out loud were countless. I cannot wait to read Cameron and Grayson's story next because I don't doubt that it will be just as amazing as Brooklyn and Jason's story! You should run to grab this book because it is worth every word written!!
Reading the blurb for The Duet it intrigued me… I love a good rocker romance story. The blurb mentioned having humor but I didn’t really read that much into it. Let me tell you… I laughed my ass off!!!!!!! This is the first book I have read from RS Grey and I am now hooked! I would definitely read anything she has out as The Duet just blew me away! I loved the sexual tension between Brooklyn, the reigning pop star and Jason, the smooth folk singer. They could not be more different! But like they say opposites attract! I devoured this book in one day and I would highly recommend it! It’s a complete story told in Brooklyn’s POV. There will be a spin off from secondary characters and you better believe I’ll be chomping at the bits waiting for that release!
With the Grammy’s on the horizon, the record label that Brooklyn and Jason belong to decide the top two artist could team up to perform an original duet. Only problem, both Brooklyn and Jason write their own songs and do not play well with others! They both have their own writing style and are forced to come together to write a song. Oh let the sparks fly!!!! Brooklyn flies out to Jason’s Montana ranch to spend a month writing and preparing for the performance. Brooklyn has a very hard time reading Jason’s emotions and is not sure about it, yeah he’s a hot singer but he keeps his emotions buried and doesn’t open up to many people. She’s attracted to him but knows he’s not interested in her since he’s always giving her the cold shoulder. After a few writing session, the sexual tension builds and they decide to act on it. Brooklyn knows instantly that once would never be enough… They made a deal, no complications, just sex.
“Jason had made it perfectly clear that things were complicated for him and that he wasn’t interested in anything beyond sex. Which meant, if I wanted things with Jason to continue, I had to follow his rules.”
As time go on Brooklyn finds herself getting more and more attached to Jason. I loved the times they spent together and it seemed like a relationship was brewing. But when an appearance from Jason’s past changes everything and it sends Brooklyn running back to LA. She is heartbroken and feels lost without him. She became dependent on their relationship and it wasn’t until she came back home did she realize just how serious things were for her.
“I was supposed to be cool, confident girl that could have sex without the commitment, have the orgasms without the relationship. In reality, I was as much as a fraud as Jason was.”
Jason has to come back to Los Angeles for the Grammys. What happens when they two are together again? Will the spark that was in Montana continue or will they continue on their separate paths? It’s a laugh at loud, make you cry from laughing, hysterical comedy romance that I could not get enough of! RS Grey knows how to do romantic comedy and I will forever be a fan of hers after reading this one!
The M Lounge was the hippest and most discreet club in LA. If there was any hope of me locking down a one-night stand, M Lounge was the place to go.
“I can’t drink much tonight because I have that meeting with my record label in the morning,” I warned as we passed through the back entrance to the club and headed up a set of stairs that were used exclusively for the VIP level. Fun fact: one time I was going up those stairs when P. Diddy was coming down, and he totally touched my ass. Allegedly.
“Just to clarify: if you’re begging me for tequila shots at midnight, threatening to kill my first born if I don’t give them to you, I should still tell you no?” Cammie asked, just to ensure the boundaries were set. Better safe than sorry.
“That was one time and it was in Cabo,” I protested. “What else are you supposed to do in Cabo other than challenge a mariachi band to a tequila shot contest until the lead singer passes out beside a donkey?”
Cammie held up her hands and started listing off items. “I dunno— enjoy the beach, check out the museums and the culture—”
“That was a rhetorical question,” I interrupted as we made it to the top of the stairs.
As if by magic, the black curtain in front of us swept to the side, opening up an entire room of drunken debauchery before us. In one corner, a celebrity who shall remain nameless (we’ll call her Nennifer Janiston) was sucking face with a sexy man, and across the room two of the funniest women in comedy were doing body shots off of a waiter from the club.
“Welcome to the behind the scenes of Hollywood,” I whispered to Cammie.
I live in Texas where I spend my free time writing and reading. My favorite authors include Mindy Kaling & Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm a comedy geek and love all things "funny". Women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling are definitely the biggest inspirations for my writing, though I think my work tends to skew a bit smuttier than theirs.
