Under the Spotlight

Angie Stanton

May 2015 · HarperCollins

About this ebook

After an embarrassing stint on a reality-TV music competition years ago, Riley vowed never to sing again. Now she's behind the scenes, working at the prestigious Sound Sync recording studio, and life is looking up. But then Garrett Jamieson, the oldest brother in the famous Jamieson brothers band, crashes into her world.

Garrett has hit rock bottom, and he is desperate to reinvent himself. After calling in a few favors, he ends up working at Sound Sync to learn the ropes of record producing from the industry's best. And he can't believe his luck when he discovers that Riley has been keeping a secret—she is an amazing singer. By producing her album, he's sure to top the record charts again. But Garrett is forced to use every trick in his arsenal to persuade the sassy girl to record.

Riley refuses to sing—or even entertain the thought of it—and sparks fly as Garrett finally meets his match. But in the heat of the moment, one stolen kiss changes everything. Will Riley be the first person to finally rein Garrett in, or will Garrett succeed in getting Riley back under the spotlight?

Ratings and reviews

2.5 stars — Well…I guess this is one series I should NOT have finished. I should have listened to my gut that had me avoiding reading Garrett’s book, b/c this one definitely disappointed. Or maybe it’s that it lived down to my low expectations. Basically, if you’re hoping that Garrett has a huge transformation, or there is some explanation for his douchebaggery, then you might be disappointed…I was. I honestly did NOT like Garrett in the previous two books, and I was hoping that we’d get some elaboration on why he is the way he is…but for most of the book, he was just the same old jerk I’ve grown to dislike. He was arrogant, pushy, a bully, a know-it-all…just not a lot of redeeming. He never listened to Riley, never tried to get to know why she felt the way she did. He never tried to understand his brothers’ positions. Basically he didn’t show any empathy at all. And I’d like to say I saw softer moments, but other than feeling less than his brothers, and wanting his father’s approval, that was about all I got. He wasn’t all bad, but the little bits that softened me to him were not even remotely enough to redeem him. Riley was somewhat intriguing, I appreciated her odd childhood story. It’s amazing that all the heroine’s in this series have these HORRIBLE childhoods…I wish there’d been some resolution to all of that. Her Mom was a monster, and we didn’t get to see her cut that tie…and I couldn’t help but wonder about her siblings. I enjoyed seeing what she went through on the earlier talent show, and how that affected her…and then seeing how she worked through those fears to come back to something she loves. But then we get to the “romance”. That was flat as a pancake. I have NO IDEA what Riley saw in Garrett other than being starstruck. She claims that she got to see a softer side, but we didn’t really as a reader, so that didn’t help me connect and want to root for them. And their romance didn’t even start until after 60%. I was disappointed in how the author used a certain emotional event as a catalyst for Garrett’s change…it was convenient and didn’t feel long-lasting. And the whole wrap up afterwards was super fast. *sigh* I’m just going to stop. Needless to say I was bummed. I kept waiting for more, and I didn’t get it. I’m giving Riley an extra half star, but really I just wish I’d passed on this one…

Garrett's book is one I've been waiting a while to read. I was worried about how I would like and relate to him when in previous books he'd been lashing out with hurt and anger. I shouldn't have been worried at all, because while Garrett isn't miraculously over the blow he's been dealt, he's learning to move on.I was really wondering what kind of woman Garrett would fall in love with. Riley was really what he needed. He pushed her buttons and she pushed his. Their initial chemistry was from their sparring and it slowly grew into something else. My heart broke for Riley. The situation with her mother was deplorable. I really wanted Riley to take strong action against her, but she never seemed to find that fire in her to do so. I understood her deep seated fear at returning to performing. Garrett came off as a jerk in the beginning but as the story progressed, my opinion of him changed. He realized how his behavior was affecting those around him and he modified those behaviors so he stopped causing pain. There were some really tense moments and some really emotional ones as well. I wish parts of the story would've been handled better.

I absolutely love this series. The way that it made my heart pound, or made me tear up. The Jamieson Brothers series left a special place in my heart, that will never go away. I wish deeply that there is another book in this series, but I am glad my friend showed me this book. I never would have found a book/series that made it's special place in my heart like this one did.

About the author

Angie Stanton never planned on writing books—she wanted to be a Rockette. However, growing up in rural America with her brothers' 4-H pigs as pets, she found that dance didn't quite work out. Instead, she became an avid daydreamer. After years of perfecting stories in her head, she began to write them down, and the rest is history. When not writing, she loves watching natural disaster movies, going to Broadway musicals, and dipping French fries in chocolate shakes. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin.