After tonight, Flynn "Flint" Clinton is going to change his ways. One last night of the good ol' days -- of booze, women and rock n' roll -- and then he'll become a respectable man. Tomorrow he becomes a coffee house proprietor, a landlord and a boss. He's returned to the small town in North Carolina where he was raised for two reasons -- to make himself respectable, so he can convince his parents that he's good enough to raise his own children, and to find the true author of the words on the envelope in his back pocket.

Flint was once the guitarist and songwriter for the top country western band, the Barn Boys. But all that changed after his ex-wife was killed in a drunk driving accident and he himself was injured in a similar accident, wounding his hand and his spirit. The last project he worked on was with his ex-best friend, putting music to the words his partner supposedly wrote. Now with respectability and cash in his future, Flint is becoming suspicious of the origin of the words to his songs.

Joella Sanderson has had enough of men. At 18, the man she loved promised her stardom and she ended up on stage as a stripper. Now she's been abandoned by another man who promised her glory but broke her heart instead. And here she is at a bar with her friends being drawn to the same type of man again. She ought to know better, but her hormones are humming.

Flint and Joella are drawn together like moths to flames. Flirting and dancing a seductive tango, they head out the door toward the back of Flint's truck, until Joella learns that Flint is a musician. Furious, Joella storms off, leaving each of them aching.

Joella has high hopes for the Stardust café. She's been trying to talk Charlie into renovating it for ages. Now that the Stardust has a new owner, she hopes to talk some sense into him and bring in big business. Imagine her surprise when the new owner turns out to be the sexy musician from last night.

Fighting each other and their raging hormones, Flint and Joella finally find a diplomatic working relationship, until he asks her about a man named R.J. Randy Peters was the last man to break her heart. And when Flint asks her about the envelope, she sees her own words, and then she sees red. Turns out good ol' R.J. has stolen her songs, and in order to get the recognition she deserves, Joella may have to hurt Flint, possibly ruining his chance at getting his boys back.

Falling in love was never an option, but now Joella has to choose between following her dreams or following her heart.

It took me a few chapters to get into this story, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend giving it a try.

Book Summary

Hard-living musician Flynn "Flint" Clinton has left heartache and his wild ways behind in Nashville, returning to his sleepy hometown of Northfork, North Carolina. There he hopes to start a new life as owner of the Stardust Café, relaxing and raising his two pre-teen sons in peace and quiet.

Then Flint meets the colorful, indomitable Joella Sanderson, a blonde bombshell who serves a mean cup of joe at the Stardust—and whose amazing voice belongs at the top of the charts. Jo's catchy comedic ditties coffee shop regulars, and even threaten to transform the ever-cynical Flint, who finds himself reluctantly rediscovering the joy of music.

With Jo by his side, Flint can once again appreciate a beautiful melody, or wholeheartedly strum his guitar with the same passion and pleasure that once filled his life. But in Flint's world, trouble is never far away. This time, it arrives just as he dares to open his heart to the possibility of true love.