After a near-fatal overdose ends his high-profile career, disgraced rock drummer Ryder James is forced into court-ordered community service in the quiet mountain town of Echo Ridge. There, the only gig in town is a youth music program run by Jules Bennett—a former piano prodigy turned reclusive teacher with no patience for fame, excuses, or damaged men.

Jules has built a quiet life around structure and guarded distance, burying the scars of a childhood spent in the spotlight. But when Ryder is assigned to assist her, the friction between them sparks more than irritation. Beneath his tattoos and tarnished reputation, she finds a man desperate to rebuild. And in her carefully arranged world, he finds something worth staying for.

As they work together to prepare the kids for a community recital, tension turns to attraction, and the music they create begins to echo something deeper. But when Ryder's past threatens to pull him back into the limelight, and Jules is forced to confront her fear of being vulnerable again, they’ll have to decide if love is worth the risk… or if some rhythms were never meant to be played twice.

Can two broken artists find harmony in each other, or will fear of the past drown out their future?

Ella R. Whitmore

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