I read this book as I love James Patterson books but this one did not really do it for me. It was a very easy read and not being a country and western fan may have been a problem in some respects. The book is about a girl called Annielee who arrived in Nashville by whatever means were at her disposal including hitching a ride and then taking the truck to finish her journey. No money and no prospects other than her amazing voice. She goes from bar to bar and eventually is aloud to sing in a bar called the Cats Paw Saloon. She was singing for her supper and sleeping in a park. While singing Ethan Blake comes to the bar as he performs there and is amazed at her talent. As it happens the bar is owned by Ruthanna, a retired country and western singer of massive repute and one the public would love to come out of retirement. Ethan Blake knows her and gets Ruthanna to listen to her sing. Ruthanna has a studio in her home and takes Annielee under her wing to make her dream come true, to be a country and western singer who writes her own songs. Then the drama begins. Annielee has run away from home and the story continues with people trying to find her and ruin everything she is striving to achieve. The main characters of the book are plausible but some of the things Annielee decides to do are beyond crazy but as she has been attacked more than once I guess she feels the need for retribution. The story did flow and I liked the way the story ended.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book and the fact that it was Co-written by Dolly Parton and one of my favourite authors so thought it was worth a go.
The story has a strong focus on the world of country music, which isn’t really my thing, but the characters and story of an underdog with talent making it big did appeal so I persevered.
The lead character is small in stature (don’t mention that to her) but huge in strength of character and her one mindedness and inner strength and determination were fascinating. The undertone of the book were that she’d escaped from a mysterious and sad past and was on the run and the secrets behind this aren’t revealed until the end. The untold perils lurking and sinister side do gradually build up, however, meaning I was compelled to finish the book.
I think the balance of country music star versus mystery and thriller was a bit too uneven for my personal tastes and the storyline was a little too cliched for me but overall it was an intriguing and easy read.

Run Rose Run is a great entertaining story of a young, promising, talented singer-songwriter trying to escape an abusive past and make it in Nashville. This is a perfect read for lovers of the Nashville TV drama series, with a beautiful diminutive singer catching a break when the retired ‘Queen of Country’ takes her under her wing. The ladder to success in the music industry has many difficult rungs to negotiate with setbacks, rejections, predators, greedy and manipulative agents and record labels, and over-whelming competition, never mind the threat of someone wanting you dead.

AnnieLee Keyes arrives in Nashville, penniless, friendless, and sleeping rough in a local park. Driven and sassy, she enters the Cat’s Paw bar and pushes for a chance to perform on-stage. Winning over the barman, AnnieLee borrows a guitar and sings her own songs. Before she knows it, the crowd are cheering and enjoying her set. When she announces that she has sang all her songs and can now sing covers of what they would like to hear, the crowd shout for her to sing her songs again. Hearing her sing that night is Ethan Blake, a musician who is a friend of Ruthanna Ryder, the retired Queen of Country and owner of the Cat’s Paw. These three characters each have secrets and hurt in their lives, and as the story progresses, we start to uncover the truths. There is a nearly nearly love relationship between AnnieLee and Ethan, each harbouring feelings for the other but reluctant to take that first step. I felt this part was managed well, even though it is so cliché.

I enjoyed the story as I love the underdog battling through hardships to achieve a dream. However, there is a significant issue as it’s a story that’s been told so many times before and a road well-trodden. The convenience of meeting two people of crucial importance in a world of dog-eat-dog felt unrealistic, especially as Ruthanna and Ethan went to incredible lengths to help AnnieLee, including putting their own lives in danger.

AnnieLee lives for her music and song verses in her head trip onto the page at every opportunity, which I tended to ignore. I enjoyed reading the book and the momentum of the story was very well balanced. Fans of Nashville, country music and Dolly Parton will enjoy this book, and I would recommend it with the cautions above. I want to thank Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for providing a free ARC in return for an honest review.

i have just finished reading Run Rose Run and am not sue what I expected just know I really like Dolly Parton.

I did enjoy the book and would recommend it to Country fans. I think I would sum it up as a "nice" and an easy read.

Many thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for a copy of this ARC for which I have given my voluntary and unbiased review..

Fantastic read. I love James Patterson and have read almost everything written by him. The story is easy to read and flows well. Good characters and a great plot.

Every song tells a story. She's a star on the rise, singing about the hard life behind her. She's also on the run. Find a future, lose a past. Nashville is where she's come to claim her destiny. It's also where the darkness she's fled might find her. And destroy her.

This is a mixture of mystery, love and song. AnnieLee dreams of being a huge country star, but her past keeps keeping up on her. The story is mainly about mainly making it big in the music business. It's not a twisty thriller, it's more of a fun read. The prologue promised us an action packed thriller, but it never really delivered. This is a quick and enjoyable read. Dolly Parton is releasing an album that she has written for this book to be released on the 3rd March, the same day the book is published.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #RandomHouseUK #Cornerstone and the authors #DollyParton #JamePatterson for my ARC of #RunRoseRun in exchange for an honest review.

This was very different to what I would normally read but was still excited to pick it up and read something different. It has a good storyline but something was missing for me , I was waiting for something amazing to happen but it didn’t. The book just sailed through nicely until the end.

I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as I should have because it’s just not the type of book I normally read, but I am sure others will enjoy reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was really excited to read this book due to being a huge fan of Dolly Parton.
Although I really enjoyed the story, I just felt it wasn't as fast pace as I would have liked. I was left wondering who Rose was and what had happened. I felt once that story was out in the open, it kind of ended and had to re-read it twice to make sure I had missed it. It does actually explain in the next chapter.
It is still a good read if you like mysteries and it's well written.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.

For most of this book you wonder who Rose is, but all is made clear in the final chapters. This is a story of a young woman seeking fame in Nashville and meeting a childhood idol. As her future starts to look brighter her past catches up with her. Dolly Parton has produced an album of the songs described in the book, so this is a multi-media release! Fast-paced, enjoyable hokum.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

I was so excited to read this and I was not disappointed. It does exactly what it says on the tin, it’s cheesy in all the right ways and written in such a way that keeps you turning the pages-I had to know what was going on!

The characters are great and the snippets of country songs and lyrics sprinkled in just made it a joy to read.

I was delighted to have the chance to read this book as I'm a big fan of James Patterson, Dolly Parton and Country music and here we have all three rolled into one to make what was a thoroughly wonderful book! Dolly's influence was evident throughout with her knowledge of the country music scene and Nashville in particular and James Patterson's usual style of writing short chapters made it one of those 'just one more chapter' novels that soon had the pages whipping towards a conclusion. I liked the main characters of AnnieLee, a talented young singer determined to make it big in country music, Ruthanna Ryder, a top country artiste who acts as friend and mentor to the young woman and the lovely Ethan who stands by AnnieLee as she goes through some awful times. The extent of her troubled past is revealed later in the book where there are also some heart thumping scenes to crank up the tension. Overall I loved this book. It was especially enjoyable coming across so many well known names in the country music business for anyone who is into this genre of music as I most definitely am. I would love this to be made into a film and the soundtrack is already there - it was nice to read the song lyrics of titles referred to in the book at the end. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a pre-release copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this. It was exactly what I expected and it was thoroughly entertaining. A definite recommendation.
I'm a bit of a country music fan and I love that Dolly Parton has written the perfect country music story. There's great lyrics, a tenacious musician, a love story and a fantastic cast of characters. There's also a little bit of intrigue with some dark secrets and lies. Some nice insights into the Nashville music community.
When I heard this was coming I requested it straight away, so a big thank you to the publisher for letting me read it before publication.

Great action packed and fast paced book. Just dark enough with the underbelly of Nashville thrown in as the backdrop. AnnieLee is running and eventually hits the jackpot when her music is heard and her voice adored. The past still haunts her though and she holds her secrets tight until they just have to burst free and we go with her to the messy past she needs to sort. The whole book is peppered with music lyrics and the songs that AnnieLee writes and the words are the backdrop to the life of the characters.

A must read for any country music fan. A story with country songs woven through it. I would definitely recommend this book..Annielee’s story is so well written.

So I was compelled to read this book because of the links it had with Dolly and her passion to support and provide books for all regardless of their status and from reading it it's clear to see the influence that Dolly has over the writing

I'm not actually sure were the thriller part in this book is? it's more mystery, at the beginning I felt it was building momentum but then it just feel flat for me, there was no surprises it was pretty predictable if i'm honest.

The shorter chapters worked well in keeping the reader engaged.

All Rose has wanted to do is write and sing country music and hopefully become famous.
However, she hasn't had the best start in life and is now running from her past.
Her past starts to catch up with her but she keeps running.
Will she find the happiness she wants and deserves?

#RunRoseRun #NetGalley I was intrigued when I saw this collaboration. James Patterson has been one of my favourite thriller writers for many many years but I was unsure how the country theme would fit it, however as I am a huge country fan and love Dolly I was keen to give this a go. Whilst it is not a thriller in the normal sense that we have come to expect from James Patterson, there are definitely darker sides to the plot and not just a rags to riches country story. Dolly's input is plain to see with her knowledge of country music and the good and the bad of how the industry operates. Parts of the book reminded me of the hit series Nashville (which I loved) and I could certainly see this as country music film! My verdict? I ABSOLUTELY LOVED it! I could not put it down and read it in 2 days. If you are a James Patterson fan or a country music fan, I don't think you will be disappointed. A brilliant 5 stars!

AnnieLee travels to Nashville to become a singer. She has some talent but things are hard in the music business.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House, Cornerstone for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to #NetgalleyUK and #PenguinRandomHouseUK for a copy in return for an honest review

Run Rose Run

💕As a country music fan, especially a fan of Dolly Parton, I truly wish I could give this book so many more stars, but truth be told, I was a little disappointed, so it's 3 1/2 stars for me.

The story begins with a promising prologue which catches the reader and draws their attention. The main character AnnieLee Keyes is a runaway, with a troubled past, she is sleeping rough, as she tries her chances at singing in Nashville bars. Here she meets Ethan Blake and her life takes a turn in a new direction.

Whilst the knowledge of the Country music scene obviously comes from Ms Parton, and the story is one of finding fame and fortune, against all odds, something is missing.
AnnieLee could be a strong character. She is feisty and hard working, driven and bold. She is talented and beautiful, just what we want her to be, and to top it all, she has a dark past which we are eager to uncover.

But this is where the story lets us readers down. The prologue promises a action/thriller which is great and in the early chapters, it delivers. The pages turn quickly as we find out more about our singer and try to work out what her demons are. And with a writer like Patterson co-writing, I am expecting a lot to happen - but it doesn't really get going. The story is 75% country and 25% mystery, so it almost feels as though the thriller is an afterthought. The story has so much potential and could be far more exciting if only the details of AnnieLee's problem were taken a level deeper.

I'm not saying the story isn't enjoyable, it is! And having visited Nashville and followed the country music scene for years, there are some great song lines, singers names, and happy memories it brings to me. I think Country fans will enjoy it, and look forward to the album of music that will be released alongside it. I'll be purchasing the album for sure!
But I also think that someone buying this book as a fan of James Patterson, looking for his style of thriller genre writing, would be let down.

I think I enjoyed the premise of this more than the actual book, but still an enjoyable read, don't get me wrong.

Dolly Parton - Yes please, and James Patterson, again - Yes please. Together? Absolutely!

There is the usual amount of JP here, so that's to say we have a lot of Dolly and a little JP. This is fine, I was hoping it would be the case. The novelty of the author was what drew me to the story, and then kept me reading.

I enjoyed the story, it was the classic old school struggling singer trope with an abusive ex thrown into the mix. Quite exciting for a lot of the book, but then some of it was a bit drawn out.

Perhaps underwhelmed rather than disappointed in this one. I would probably read it again in the future though, so that's always a good sign.

Overall a good, solid attempt by Dolly and JP.