Lucky: A Rockstar Romance Two Book Boxed Set Read online

  Lucky

  Liliana Rhodes

  Jaded Speck Publishing LLC

  Contents

  Dear Reader

  About Lucky

  Lucky Break

  I. WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

  1. Lucky

  2. Lucky

  II. PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM

  3. Lucky

  4. Jordan

  5. Lucky

  6. Jude

  III. WELCOME TO DC

  7. Lucky

  8. Jordan

  IV. HOTLANTA

  9. Jordan

  10. Lucky

  11. Lucky

  V. ALL MY EX'S LIVE IN TEXAS

  12. Jude

  13. Lucky

  14. Jordan

  15. Lucky

  VI. WILD WILD WEST

  16. Lucky

  17. Jude

  18. Jordan

  VII. CITY OF ANGELS

  19. Lucky

  20. Jordan

  VIII. NEW YORK STATE OF MIND

  21. Lucky

  IX. GOING TO CALIFORNIA

  22. Lucky

  The Ballad of Jude

  1. Jude

  2. Zoey

  3. Jude

  4. Zoey

  5. Jude

  6. Jude

  7. Zoey

  8. Jude

  9. Zoey

  10. Jude

  Epilogue - Ten Years After Lucky Break

  Lucky

  Jude

  Lucky

  Also by Liliana Rhodes

  About the Author

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  Dear Reader

  Thank you for picking up Lucky. Lucky is the two book boxed set of the novel Lucky Break and the novella The Ballad of Jude. Lucky Break was originally published in March 2013 and The Ballad of Jude in December 2013.

  I was always very proud of my rockstar romances, but in 2015 I started thinking about rewriting Lucky Break because I felt my writing had improved so much. In October of 2015, I unpublished both Lucky Break and The Ballad of Jude. But after a lot of thought, I decided to leave both books as is and offer them in this boxed set. I have added a brand new epilogue and fleshed out some scenes more, but other than that, the books in this boxed set are true to my original vision.

  I can remember writing Lucky Break as if it was yesterday. It was early 2013 and iBooks readers had just discovered my serial His Every Whim. To say I was excited is putting it mildly. Soon after Amazon readers followed and I was living in this surreal world where people were actually reading what I wrote. It was a dream come true. And it still is. Every day I count my blessings with how lucky I've been to have readers like you pick up my books and email me letting me know how they touched them.

  For those of you who are new to me, I grew up always wanting to be a writer, but never thinking I had the skills to become one. In 2012 I was holding my infant son and thinking about how I wanted to tell him he could do anything he wanted to in life, he just needed to believe in himself. As I looked into his tiny face, I realized I was a hypocrite. How could I tell him that when I never did it myself? I started researching how to get an agent, but I didn't like losing so much creative control. That's when I found out about Indie publishing. I published a couple of short stories in July 2012 and have been writing ever since.

  Lucky Break came about because I was part of a group of writers back then and most of us hadn't written anything as long as a novel before, but we wanted to. We figured we could do it together and support each other, so the Insatiable Reads Tour was born. We released our first titles in early 2013. That tour helped launch some now familiar names in the world of Romance. The original tour line up included Jordan Bell, Tabitha Conall, Anya Karin, Julia Kent, Selena Kitt, Tanya Korval, Krista Lakes, Marina Maddix, Malia Mallory, Melanie Marchande, Erika Masten, Kensi Quinn, Liliana Rhodes (me!), Nadia Simonenko, Aubrey Watt, and Carré White.

  For my book, I always found inspiration in music so I decided to write a Rockstar Romance called Lucky Break. Instead of writing about the usual bad boy rockstar, I thought it could be fun writing about one on the other side of fame. I imagined him not as famous anymore, but still in the music scene. And I wondered what a guy like this would feel about a new artist coming along and his having to support her on tour, when it used to be the other way around.

  That's how Olivia "Lucky" Saldano was born. Lucky's last name was inspired by Soldano, which is a guitar amplifier company. And the name Lucky came about because my in-laws had this dog they named Lucky because that's what they said they were told about him when they rescued him. I can't explain why, but I thought it made a good name for an up and coming rockstar.

  My initial thought about the band Silverlight, was of the 80s hair bands that were huge back then, but then faded away. When Lucky talks about seeing Silverlight perform and Jude's drum solo, my first thought was of Tommy Lee in the spinning drum kit. But as I got to know Jude, I realized he wasn't that guy so he performed a skillful, jazzy solo instead of a big display.

  Lucky Break was written as a kind of a Behind the Music sort of documentary where we get glimpses of her life as a new artist. The different parts are song titles I felt had a connection to that part of the book. My writing has changed a lot since then, but being that this was my first novel Lucky Break will always hold a special place with me.

  Jude really stuck with me after I completed Lucky Break. When I later wrote The Ballad of Jude, I imagined Silverlight getting together like the stories I heard about how bands like Pearl Jam were formed. I liked thinking of Jude as this talented musician who just wanted to play and didn't really care about the fame or anything else that could come with it. And I named him Jude Morrison because I like the name Jude and I used his last name as a tribute to Jim Morrison of The Doors.

  It’s been a lot of fun for me to re-read these two books. I hope you enjoy them too.

  Thank you for reading!

  All my best,

  Liliana

  About Lucky

  Jude Morrison…drummer, songwriter, rockstar god. His poster hung from my bedroom wall and it wasn't just that he was hot, he was a talented musician too. He inspired me. The one time I saw him perform live with Silverlight was enough to make me realize that was what I wanted to do with my life.

  I got lucky, but I've always been lucky, that's my name. I got a recording deal and a tour to go along with it. Only problem is the record company wants a big name to be on tour with me. I should have been happy hearing they tapped Jude Morrison for my tour, instead I thought my luck had finally run out.

  How am I supposed to perform with this cocky jerk when I can't even take my eyes off of him? What's worse is when I catch him looking back at me, I want to forget about the bad boy I've heard about in the news. He says he's never been that guy and I should give him a chance. But am I really that lucky?

  Lucky is the re-release of Lucky Break and The Ballad of Jude. These books are available for the first time since 2015 and are being offered as a two-book boxed set. Lucky includes a brand-new epilogue, extended scenes, and a special note from me about the inspiration behind Lucky and Jude.

  WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

  1

  Lucky

  "Is Lucky your real name?" the deep voice on the phone asked.

  After spending the afternoon doing phone interviews, the different voices melded into one. She was so tired she couldn't even remember the voice's name. All she remembered was that it started with an H.

  Harry? Henry? Humbert? He doesn't even know my real name, why should I care about his? she thought. I'll stick with Harry.

  Olivia "Lucky" Saldano stifl
ed a yawn before answering. She knew her answer didn't matter much. No matter what she said, she'd always be called Lucky whether she liked it or not.

  "No, it's Olivia, Lucky came from my parents," she said. "When I was born, the doctor said I was lucky to be alive. My father started calling me Lucky and the nickname stuck."

  Lucky sighed with annoyance. She didn't know why she gave the interviewer so much information, but she couldn't help herself. Whenever her nerves got the best of her, she babbled. She had hoped she would get used to it, but it never happened. She didn't know how many interviews she had done that afternoon, but each time the phone rang the butterflies in her stomach kicked into high gear.

  She wished she didn't have to do any interviews, but that wasn't what the record label wanted. She had only been signed a month, but she already knew there was only one way things happened--the label's way.

  Lucky wondered if it should bother her more. She thought about the interviews and articles she had read with artists talking about being owned by their label like a form of slavery. But it really didn't bother her much. She was living her dream.

  "You're getting ready for your first tour now," Harry said. "Have there been any concerts that made an impression on you?"

  "Well, I've only been to one concert, Silverlight, but it was amazing. I'll never forget it. I begged my parents to let me see them three years ago."

  "Their final tour?" he asked.

  "Yeah, that one, but at that time no one knew it was their last tour. Everyone thought Silverlight would continue forever. Jude Morrison played this drum solo that was out of this world. It had so much feeling and finesse to it. There we were in an arena, but he made that moment so intimate. I knew right then what I wanted to do with my life," she said as the smile on her face widened. "I swear every time I write a song, I imagine him playing it."

  Lucky bit her tongue before she said how much she had always loved Jude Morrison. While her friends had posters of Silverlight's lead singer on their wall and in their lockers, she had Jude's. He was the only reason she wanted to see Silverlight.

  Sitting in a wood-paneled office, musty from decades of use, Lucky couldn't be happier to talk about her rock star crush. She imagined some of her heroes sitting there decades before her, fielding stupid interview questions over the phone too. It was surreal.

  "So is it clichéd to call this your lucky break?" the interviewer asked.

  She rolled her eyes and sighed, this time forgetting to cover it up. For as long as she could remember, people came up with ways to use the word 'lucky' to describe a situation with her. She knew landing a record deal was amazing, but to her the real lucky break was being able to get away from her parents for the first time.

  "I've heard things like that my entire life. You'd be surprised at what people come up with. But no, I wouldn't call this my lucky break. I've worked hard to get to where I am. I deserve this," she said.

  "I'm sure you do. A Berklee degree is nothing to sneeze at. Especially when you graduate early like you did. Would you mind telling us some other ways people have used your name? I think our readers would be interested in that."

  "Off the top of my head, there was this guy who declared it my lucky day before he asked me out."

  "And did you go out with him?"

  Lucky's laughter filled the room. "No, but not just because of that. I didn't have time for a social life. I’ve not been out with anyone."

  "You've never been on a date??" he asked, sounding shocked.

  Dammit! She knew she'd end up saying something she would regret. She chewed her bottom lip as she wondered what to say next, but she knew the truth was the best route. "Umm…no. I uhh…didn't get out that much," she stammered.

  "But while you were in college, surely you did some partying. What about high school?" he asked.

  The intrusive questions were blasted at her at top speed, but she didn't know how to stop it. She wanted to hang up the phone and pretend they lost their connection, but she knew she'd feel bad about doing that. Too nervous to think of a witty way to end the interview, she decided to answer.

  "My parents were very strict. They still are. I think it scared a lot of friends away because they had much more freedom than I ever did." She paused for a moment, wishing the interview would end. Unfortunately, she wasn't that lucky. "I lived at home in college. I didn't grow up very far from Boston, so it was an easy commute. Plus I spent as much time as I could in the rehearsal rooms practicing and writing. Sometimes I could only get in at 3 in the morning, but the time didn't matter, it's what I love. Music was the one thing my parents never restricted me with."

  Lucky looked up from the old desk chair as Chuck Russo, her album producer, opened the door and signaled time was almost up. Nodding at him, his jet-black hair gleaming under the fluorescent lights, she was grateful for the excuse to end the interrogation.

  "It's a shame, you have a really pretty face. Maybe once you're on tour you'll get out more. Thank you for answering my questions."

  Lucky cringed as she hung up the phone. She knew what the interviewer really meant--you have a really pretty face for a fat girl. It was something she had been hearing a lot lately, and she didn't like it one bit. Pretty was pretty, whether someone was fat or not.

  She didn't consider herself fat, but she definitely wasn't skinny. Lucky never thought much about her size until recently, when the record execs made it a big deal. Lucky was confident in who she was, but lately with so much fuss being made about her appearance, she wondered if she was being naive; something she was often called.

  Entering a small powder room to the side, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her light brown waves hung down her back, almost to her waist. The length of her hair reminded her that she hadn't had a haircut in years. Her dark brown eyes had the same slight upward slant to them as her mom's, making her look a little exotic especially combined with her high cheekbones.

  She pinched her full cheeks then sucked them in, accentuating her cheekbones. There wasn't any point in it. She knew nothing short of a miracle could make her look thinner. She simply needed to get the naysayers out of her head.

  Smoothing down the boho-style peach tunic she wore over a faded pair of jeans, she hoped one day the looks and words of others wouldn't mean so much. For now though, they did. While she thought nothing could shake her confidence on stage, she was beginning to feel less sure of herself off of it.

  Hearing a soft knock on the door, she shook her hair with her fingers. She hoped the musicians arriving for auditions today would be more concerned with talent than if she ever had a boyfriend or what her real name was, but she doubted that.

  "Just another minute," Lucky yelled.

  "Hey, it's me, open up," said the soft squeaky voice of Jordan Blake, Lucky's best friend.

  Jordan and Lucky had met on the school bus ride home when they were five years old. Seated next to each other, they put their feet up against the back of the seat in front of them and discovered they had the same shoes on. They had been best friends since.

  Jordan's blonde pixie cut suited her. She was petite, small boned and fragile looking, but her blue eyes heavily lined with black kohl hinted at her toughness. Wearing a pair of work boots with black leggings and an oversized shirt, she looked like Tinker Bell gone bad.

  Even though they had drifted apart after high school, they still considered themselves best friends. Jordan had grown quiet over the years and kept more to herself than ever. But Lucky knew she shouldn't take that personally.

  Lucky kept quiet about how much Jordan had closed herself off over the past three years. She knew it was better to stay friends than force Jordan to talk about things she didn't want to discuss. Jordan didn't have anyone else to talk to so when she was ready, Lucky would be there. And no one else understood the dynamics of Lucky's home better than Jordan. It went unspoken, but they knew if they didn't have each other, they wouldn't have anyone.

  Lucky knew her best friend had problems at home and
would do anything to escape. What she didn't know was how bad things really were for her. Jordan never spoke about it and Lucky knew better than to ask. When Jordan was ready to talk, she would.

  When Lucky got word of the tour happening, she knew Jordan would jump at the chance to go with her. The words had barely come out of Lucky's mouth before Jordan said she would go. She even agreed to join Lucky for band auditions.

  "All done with the interviews?" Jordan asked as she entered. "Did any of them call you Olivia?"

  "No. I don't think they even care what my real name is. Everyone's focused on Lucky."

  "Lucky you," Jordan said with a grin. "Have you heard from your parents today?"

  "What do you think?" Lucky asked sarcastically.

  Lucky showed her her cell phone with multiple missed calls and texts. "I told them I had a busy morning with back to back interviews before meeting the band. They wanted up-to-date details though."

  "They should've come out to LA with us then."