Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers her a lot of money to reunite her mother's band on live tv, Mel begins to wonder if it's time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life... and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.
Beat Dawkins, the lead singer's son, is Melody's opposite--the camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it's nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show.
While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she's never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything--the Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love.
Review:
4.25-4.5 stars
This was so good! In the past few years, Tessa Bailey's books have been more miss than hit for me. But this one hit it out of the park. Wreck the Halls has a magical, soulmates quality that my meager review can't properly describe.
Do not judge the book by this cover!! It is not a cheesy, light, fluffy Christmas novella. These cartoon covers really do a disservice to the books. The cover does not fit this book at all. I feel bad for the readers who will miss out on this book because it has this cover that doesn't fit it. There isn't much Christmas in this book at all and I was fine with it. This book is more about music, love, family and sentimentality.
Wreck the Halls is Melody and Beat's story. Their mothers were Steel Birds - a legendary music duo/band. We're talking super famous rock divas. But something happened that broke them apart when they were both pregnant. Now they despise each other and haven't spoken for 20-something years. No one knows why they split up. Melody and Beat are both their only children. They met once during an interview as young teenagers and felt an immediate connection, but it was
a one time chance meeting. They shared similar, lonely experiences growing up in the spotlight as children of stars, both trying to stay below the radar, but neither feeling like they can be themselves or trust friends to get close to them without running to the press. Now as adults, Beat finds himself being blackmailed and needing money. He is approached by a reality show producer with the idea to get Steel Birds back together. He and Melody would be filmed approaching their mothers with the idea to perform a Christmas Eve reunion concert. He knows the mothers won't agree to the plan, but he is desperate and also wants the chance to see and spend time with Melody again. She also is reluctant to participate as she likes to lay low in the media. But meeting Beat again, she feels their strong connection, like they have known each other forever and can relate to each other in a way no one else could. So they both agree to spending the next three weeks together being livestreamed, trying to get to the bottom of Steel Birds break up and convincing their mothers to reunite.
I loved Beat and Melody. Tessa Bailey wove a spell showing how they were truly meant to be together and were soulmates. The way they fit with each other was magical. They were both sweet characters, had great chemistry and I definitely felt the love between them. There is good spice and a few kinks to work out in that department, but it was ironed out along the way. This is the kind of book that would make a good movie, as I could see each scene so vividly. I enjoyed the great story, the music, their strong-personalitied mothers, the NYC setting at Christmastime, and the reality tv aspect. It was fun seeing the fans fall in love with this couple and their blossoming romance playing out on their screens.
Overall, Wreck the Halls is a great book. Hard to put down, Melody and Beat's story is emotional, heartfelt, sweet and sexy. I was very happy to see them end up together as true soulmates. I definitely see myself re-reading this book again. I hope potential readers can look past this cheesy cover and pick up this book and I look forward to more from Ms. Bailey in the future.
