Long before the world bowed down to the band Whispered Words. They shattered me to pieces when they walked away.

Now, after five years apart, they're back to fix what they broke.

If I let them...

Before our fall—Callum, Rad, Kieran, and Asher—were mine. My everything. My rock stars. My future.

Until they weren't.

All it took was one night. One massive lie. One false accusation. And they were gone. Leaving me with a broken heart, a restraining order, and a baby on the way.

After being presented with a new job and an inheritance, I move on with my life and build an empire of my own.

But there's more to my life than meets the eye.

A stranger lurks in the shadows, stalking my every move. Planning nefarious things, I can't even comprehend.

And then there's them….

The four boys who broke my heart. They're back in my life in the most unexpected way.

But I'm not the girl they once knew. I'm their band manager now. Their boss for the next six months.

Can we survive?

One by one, our secrets crumble to ashes. Confessions shatter us, and lies become irreparable truths.

My name is River West, and this is the story of how Whispered Words broke my heart, repaired it, and made me whole.

Tropes:

  • whychoose

  • Rock stars

  • Second chances

  • Spice

  • Betrayal

  • Angst

Trigger Warnings:

All characters depicted in this book ARE 18+ and consenting adults. This is a why-choose romance with some scenes you need to be aware of. •This story does involve a four-year-old child and parenting. Sometimes chapters revolve around her. •Flashbacks of childhood abuse and discussions about it in detail. (The same as Bitter Notes). •Drug mention and flashbacks of drug usage. •Mentions of parental deaths and graveside visits. •Flashbacks and discussion of previous SA and physical assault that happened in the past.

What People are saying…

  • Five-star plus!!

    I adored this second half of River’s story. It is easily worth more than five stars. I cannot even begin to put into words how much I loved the duet. Book one broke me, and book two was everything I needed to rebuild my heart. Second chances, atonement, forgiveness, and the overarching threat of a stalker, followed by the most satisfying HEA you could ask for.

    I needed the guys of Whispered Words to atone for their leaving River in Central City without a word and pregnant with their child. Their redemption arcs were better than I could have hoped for. Aly more than delivered; she exceeded expectations. Asher was on my permanent shit list after orchestrating the betrayal that prompted the guys to leave River, but he was able to prove himself and show his worth.

    His manipulations destroyed a bit of all of them. Coming clean to his bandmates and River was the first step in healing the festering wound that was pulling the band apart, and that left River raising their daughter alone. The hurt and regret they all felt once they discovered Lyric’s existence never could be healed entirely, but they jumped in 100% and showered her will love once they learned of her. She became their entire world.

    I thought I wanted a scorched earth response with River ruining Whispered Words' career, but I was surprised how I actually appreciated her more adult response. She kept them alive in Lyric’s life, showing her videos, playing their songs, tell their stories. She protected her heart and made them earn their forgiveness but didn’t require them to crawl through a field of broken glass. The way they were with their daughter, Lyric, was so beautiful. Seeing their softer side made forgiveness easier.

    It is slower burn than the first book, as forgiveness takes time. Time and motherhood have only increased River’s beauty in her men’s eyes, a fact they are only too happy to share with her. They are almost reverent (but still hot).

    I am going to miss River, Lyric, and Whispered Words. This will definitely be a duet I grab in paperback. Highly recommended!

    -lady_h_reads-

  • A really wild rollercoaster of feels

    I really enjoyed this book. This duet series is an amazing rollercoaster of angst, feels, and laughs. I really enjoyed the boys’ reactions to coming face to face with Lyric, as well as how Rad, Callum, and Kieran responded concerning River when Asher’s admissions came to light about what actually happened 5 years ago. The growth of all 5 characters was breathtaking, had me on the edge fo my seat a lot, and also had me cackling a lot. The plot twists in the book were really fun, one caught me off guard, but I also was relieved at the reveal. The other plot twist I kinda had a feeling I was right about was who was stalking River. But at the same time, I did keep second-guessing who it might have been.

    I personally also REALLY loved all the Carter cameos—really loved him and the others from TAS series got to cameo in the besides just the twins. (Given they are working at West Records and all.)

    -Serenity B-

  • All the feels!

    All. The. Feels. This book gave me them in spades. River’s story is so beautiful. The guys really came through and stepped up. They proved themselves over and over again. Even Asher, and after the ending of their relationship in Bitter Notes, I didn’t know if he was redeemable. But oh man was he ever!! I absolutely love the way they are all Lyric. No hesitation the second she calls each of them Daddy, and they realize the truth, they’re all in. They’re amazing fathers, and they’re amazing men for River. I love love love how they were so sure about their relationship with her, and they didn’t hesitate to do what they felt was necessary to prove themselves and give River and Lyric the world. I’d give this a hundred stars if I could!

    Aly Beck is amazing, and I adore this world she has created. I can’t wait for more West stories.

    -Eamacire-

  • I loved this duet!!

    The end of River and her guys. I loved this duet. There was a lot happening in Sweet Strings and many things needed to be solved by the end. We also got a new aspect of a stalker being added and mysterious packages showing up at River’s work and house.

    I loved that it didn’t take so long for the guys to discover Lyric. I feel like she helped the relationships between them and River. I did guess a few things, so I didn’t feel blindsided by the twists that were thrown at me.

    All in all, this duet is great. We see Kaycee and her crew, as well as others that will be in future series. I’m excited to read Journey’s. I know I will love it!

    -Jess McDaniel-

  • Why Choose Right?

    I will not choose I will not choose! Oh my gosh I don’t know if I could pick a favorite if I tried! These men came back into her life and put it all on the line. From moment two, I would say one but IYKYK. I absolutely loved this duet but this is by far my favorite of the two. The love they all share is what dreams are really made of.

    -amberebooksandmore-