Honor Castlereagh ran away from home and never came back. Of course, her mother didn’t want her to come back either. Honor wouldn’t conform to her mother’s expectations but now her mother is dead and Honor is back to take care of her estate.
While she is known as Honor in her hometown of Westerville, OH, the rest of the world knows her as triple-platinum recording artist Norah Castle.
When she walks into a local bar and hers one of her biggest hits being sung brilliantly, Norah makes a point of meeting him. Will is a teacher and has one of those weeks. Actually, it was worse than one of those weeks and he’s set on getting drunk
Norah and Will end up back at Norah’s mother’s house. There they have sex and in the morning have problems going their separate ways. They are drawn to each other and even though Norah knows that this couldn’t possibly work out, she can’t stay way.
First, Will knows her as Honor but Norah has obligations. Will wants her to meet his students but will they keep her cover? Norah/Honor isn’t sure what to do or how things are going to turn out but she wants to find out!
This story is written in the first person so everything is from Honor/Norah’s point of view. At times there is a bit of slip as a scene will be part of Will’s life or someone else’s but for the most part it is almost a running dialog of Honor/Norah. Still reading about her indecision, interactions with people she knew growing up and her life gave a terrific insight into her character.
Will though is not forgotten as far as character development goes. His students are loyal to him and make sure that Honor knows better than to hurt him. Will’s character also develops through his interactions with Honor. Though not as detailed as Honor/Norah, Will isn’t just there either. He does have some depth and interest.
Secondary characters are also well written. Honor’s childhood friend comes to visit and not only do they reminisce a bit, but they catch up with each other’s lives. But, it’s been years since they’ve seen each other so there is some awkwardness too. Will’s students come across as typical teenagers; rowdy, petty issues and worries along with popularity struggles. Yet, they are also individuals and smart. One even figures out that Honor is Norah in a unique and interesting way.
The story is fairly believable. Honor is known at home but people, especially her mother’s friends, aren’t making a huge deal about it and they are calling her Honor. Will is getting over his wife leaving him so there are some tentative moves from him as he gets to know Honor. The paparazzi make their appearance as does Norah’s publicist. Smutty headlines make the sleaze papers and misunderstandings strain the relationship. What’s not to believe!
I found this story to be very interesting. I loved the way it evolved. The twists and turns were realistic and done well. The ending was just about perfect and getting an epilogue by way of news articles was ingenious. While the first person POV was a bit to get use to, once I did I found myself glued to the story and waiting to see how it would end.
This story is definitely a perfect day at the beach book or one for a lazy afternoon. It’s only around 100 pages so it won’t take long to read but each of those pages is well worth the time it takes.
"Good morning, thanks for the amazing night! By the way, I'm kind of a big deal, and I'll be very irritated if I read about it while skimming tabloids in the checkout line."
Norah Castle's life as a triple-platinum recording artist and celebrity is complicated enough, even before her mother's death forces her return to the small town she once abandoned, swearing never to return. She thinks dispensing with her stage name in the interest of privacy might make things less complicated, but that's before she meets a gorgeous man in a bar and decides to bring him home. What could be simpler than a sexy- very sexy- one-night stand? Plenty of things, as it turns out. Apparently the bold stranger who did such dirty, dirty things to her in the dark is sweet and shy once the sun comes up. Even worse, that sweetness makes her feel something when she'd prefer to never feel anything at all. As she struggles to accept her new emotions and reconcile the small town girl she once was with the star she's become, the lines begin to blur, and suddenly complicated doesn't begin to do justice to the mess she's made…
