I was not even a little bit ready for this series to end. Rome was the best way to go out.

The narration brought so much extra to these characters I couldn’t stop listening.

He has always been obviously very tormented and broken man. I couldn’t wait to read about why he was hurt the way he was and the happily ever after he deserved.

While this is a standalone I recommend reading the series first. They are interconnected so beautifully you won’t want to miss a moment.

The character growth throughout was amazing and equally heartbreaking. I love the band and how supportive they are of each other.

Lili was the sunshine to Romes Darkness. While she carried her own darkness they were perfect for each other. I loved reading her journey to finding herself again and realizing her worth.

Their chemistry was amazing and the pace of their relationship felt realistic.

I miss them already.

Raw, unfiltered, real. Beautifully tragic.

Rome is the last of the band members to find himself single and he’s a-ok with that. He’s the life of the party with a constantly rotating bedroom door. The women, booze, and drugs, though? All a front for the abuse and detachment he’s had to experience. He’s become numb to everything and even his go-to coping mechanisms aren’t satisfying him anymore.

Lili is a picture-perfect ballerina living an empty life controlled by her mother. Nothing she does is for herself, not even her past relationships. She’s made herself small and can’t see a way out. With few friends and a distant mother left as her only family, her days are lonely.

But when the two meet, they see each other. The masks they wear are so obvious to the other, despite being so completely different. Rome’s chaotic behavior and Lili’s perfect facade make for the best of opposites attract.

The fire that immediately ignites between the two only grows hotter throughout the book and that translates to the spice 🥵🔥😮‍💨

If this doesn’t sum them up:

“Don’t mistake me for a gentleman because I’d rather destroy you than save you.” I move my hand once more to her throat and she tips her head back against my chest breathing hard. “Or is that what you want?” […] “I don’t know, Rome,” she says, it’s almost a whisper, “Maybe I just want to feel something again.”

I never love a playboy, despite that seeming to be all I’ve read lately. It’s especially not my cup of tea when it’s basically their whole personality. We eventually see Rome open up and his character grow, but it took me a minute to warm up to him, I won’t lie.

I did absolutely adore that they never once tried to change each other. They embraced each other’s flaws and because of that, they only made each other better. They wanted to be better for each other, which is really what romance is all about, right?

The author’s writing really allowed me to jump right into the series, despite reading the last book first and knowing nothing that happened previously. I was sucked right into the world of Enemy Muse, which only made me add the others to my tbr.

The Basics:
Rock Star 🎸//Ballerina 🩰
1st Person Dual POV
4th book in the Enemy Muse series - standalone but better if read in order
CW: eating disorder
HEA
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review 🤍🎧

3.75⭐️
2🌶️

Thank to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the ALC of this book.

This duel narration audiobook was such an easy listen and was executed very well by both narrators, in my opinion
I felt the female narrator(Desiree Ketchum) truly encapsulated both characters with her performance making this a very enjoyable listen for me.

In this book, famous Rockstar, Rome Morreno parties his way through life and vows to never settle down. Until of course, he runs in to Lili Chen (professional dancer) and would love to rumple her prim and polished persona.

This book had some traumatic aspects in it which gave the characters a depth that I really enjoyed. Lili is a professional dancer and has every inch of her life controlled by someone else. From her clothing, work, meals, and time, nothing in her life is her own.

Rome had a very traumatic childhood that also controlled his every movement, so in his adult life, he goes with the flow and lives in the moment. This mentality had led him to be the last member of his band to settle down and love with not on his radar at all.

'But she tastes like mine.'

I absolutely love to see a man realise he is in love, albeit begrudgingly😂. Giving up his womanising ways, Rome gave his tainted heart to Lili to keep safe and even though shes terrified, she allows him to crack through her walls and accept her entirely, flaws and all.

This is the 4th book in this series, I was worried going in that I wouldn't be confused by the side characters but it just made me want to go read the first 3! I had such a fun time with this listen and I look forwards to hearing the rest of the series.

3⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC!

Worth the Trouble was a sweet and steamy read, and I can see why readers who love rockstar romances will eat it up. Rome Moreno has all the makings of a tortured, irresistible lead — and the dynamic with the disciplined ballerina brought some fun contrast and tension.

That said, while I enjoyed the overall vibe, it didn’t quite stand out for me. The plot followed a very familiar arc, and I felt like I’d read versions of this story before. I kept hoping for a twist or a moment that would shake things up or dig a little deeper emotionally, but it stayed in safe territory.

Still, it was entertaining enough to finish in a couple of sittings, and there’s definitely an audience for this type of romance. If you’re looking for a fast-paced, low-angst love story with a broody musician and a determined heroine, this might hit the spot — it just didn’t bring anything especially new to the table for me.

I wish I would have read this on my kindle. I had a hard time connecting with the audiobook, and I can’t put my finger on exactly why.

I loved the opposites attract dynamic. An edgy rockstar paired with a dedicated ballet dancer. It was refreshing to see the characters being open and honest with each other, despite their individual struggles. I wish there wouldve been more character growth, especially for Rome. I wanted more of a connection and to see them truly healing together.

I enjoyed it for the most part and will definitely check out the previous books. I love a good rockstar romance and Eva’s writing really works for me.

ALC review

This book was absolute magic!! I have never liked books like this with danger but this was absolute perfection!! Now I have another books series I have to read!! Eva Simmons is officially added to my list!!

I enjoyed this more than I was expecting, and it was nice to be able to pick this up without reading the previous books, though I am absolutely on my way to devour books 1 - 3! The levels of spice and angst were just right to keep me engaged throughout, and though I don't normally pick up rockstar romances, I'm obsessed with Rome! Desiree Ketchum and Connor Brown were absolutely fantastic at bringing these characters to life

Love a bad boy who is a total cinnamon roll for his girl, and Rome was definitely that for Lili!

Their story was a super cute and quick listen, with just enough spice to keep it interesting!

4⭐️ 2🌶️ 5🎧 This was such a good book with villains that took their role seriously! Lili’s mom and ex...simply infuriating!

I loved Rome! He was such a bad boy on the outside, but such a softy on the inside, especially when it comes to Lili. Lili and Rome both had such traumatic childhoods, it was so wonderful to watch them grow from their past experiences and move forward in life towards each other.

This was my first time listening to Desiree Ketchum and Connor Brown and thought they did a fantastic job narrating this story.

I really wish I had been Introduced to this series earlier! I must read all the others ASAP because what! I’m obsessed!

Not terrible, but not super awesome either. It’s a perfect ballerina and a bad boy rocker romance. It was very lust driven. The transitions were awkward at times and made me confused where the story was going. I wouldn’t read it again.

Overall the book was ok. It was your typical bad boy meets good girl scenario and just goes from there. It was a quick cute story with a little spicy. I feel like it was missing so much. The book had a TON of potential and could’ve been such a great read. I think there could’ve been more drama to make it more interesting and give them reader some excitement. It could’ve gone in so many directions but it just felt like you skimmed along then book HEA without much happening. If you’re looking for a quick cute read then this will be good, but if you’re looking for something with some drama… omg moments…. Or heartbreak, this isn’t it.

Worth the Trouble
by Eva Simmons
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Story & Narration)
🌶️🌶️🌶️ (Spice level: Steamy with substance)

Review:
This was a high-sizzle, emotionally grounded romance between a rock star with a bruised past and a ballerina trapped in a high-society world. Rome is all rough edges and unexpected tenderness, while Lily is poised and polished on the surface—with a quietly rebellious streak underneath. Their chemistry builds through a series of “chance” meetings that become very intentional, very fast.

Rome really shines here—emotionally layered, a bit broken, but still fiercely lovable. The romance is as much about self-acceptance as it is about steamy tension (and yes, there’s plenty of that too).

Narration-wise, both voices were strong. It took me a beat to adjust to the male narrator—he didn’t scream “rock god” at first—but his delivery grew on me, especially as he shifted between characters with ease.

Tropes I loved:
🎸 Opposites attract
🎭 Forbidden romance
📍 Fate-driven run-ins
💞 Emotional past
💃 Rock star × ballerina (yes please)

———————

If you’re into romances with unlikely pairings, found freedom, and just enough spice to fog up your earbuds, Worth the Trouble is… well, worth it.

Rome Moreno is a rock god but he started off by thinking I was a stripper and asked me to ride his lap. Not exactly how you impress a dance princess who lives by the clock I sold my soul to pay for my dreams and Rome with his tattoos and scars shakes up my carefully planned life. One taste of forbidden fruit and things get messy I thought I had nothing left to lose but I was wrong. Cute story but it did not fully win me over

Thank you to NetGalley & Tantor audio for the ALC!

I think that this had potential for sure, but execution wasn’t the best! I did find myself enjoying this, but I do have a few things to mention.

First, I feel like the pacing of the narration was off, but very possible that that’s just a ME problem.
Second, I feel like I wanted Lily’s mom to apologize better/more for the way she was treated.
Third, something should have happened to Von, he got let off wayyyyy too easy for my liking.

I DO like when a man is a player and then turns his life around for her, big fan of that. I love that she didn’t judge him, based on his past. I do see why other people loved it though!

**I also didn’t realize that it was the 4th book in the series when I requested it, oopsies**

It is definitely a book I went in to with an open mind. I’ve only ever read one other Rock Star book and it is one of my most favorite books. So I had to make sure I didn’t compare that to this one. I am so happy I didn’t have Rome is definitely an amazing man! Sure he acts like the play boy and plays the role, but deep down, he is a man with a broken heart. And then you have Lili that is just as broken thanks to her parents but no one knows. These two open each other up and become part of each others souls. It was definitely a good read!

Just another insta lust smut book that attempts to create deeper characters by giving them issues that are only occasionally addressed. Read it for the smut, not the romance.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7567444593

Overall I loved the story. Rockstar romance is one of my favorite genres. It took me a bit to get used to the male narrator but after I did he fit Rome. The female narrator was absolutely brilliant. Desiree Ketchum is always a fantastic choice of a female narrator.
There were some production issues such as a burp I heard and some pauses that did not seem natural and some of the clicks marking places were heard. That I am sure is easily fixed.
The story again was good. Two broken pieces coming together to form an unbreakable relationship. Rome was the the playboy band member that slept with woman and used other things as therapy.
Enter a gorgeous dancer that he mistakes as a stripper. She’s got a personality that intrigues him and challenges him. Of coarse they meet again when her car breaks down and he happens to be driving by and what do you know, they are neighbors. Good girl meets bad boy, enemies to lovers, rock star romance are just a few tropes in this book that I enjoyed.
I definitely plan to read about the other 3 bandmates and their stories. I am giving the story a 4 star but few things do need fixed before release.

Truly enjoyed listening to this book so much. Rome was the best MMC.

I was so intrigued by the first chapter it was so hard to stop listening.

Thank you NetGalley and Eva Simmons for allowing me to listen to this ALC.

This dual narration audiobook was a fantastic listen. Being the fourth book in a series, I had reservations about not understanding the world enough to enjoy this book but I was proven wrong. The narrators did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and injecting them with personality, making them feel so lifelike and believable.

The romance was gentle and engaging, a truly beautiful love story. Both characters face struggles that neither want to show to the other but find themselves slowly becoming more vulnerable with each other, opening up and sharing the burden.

To watch our MMC, Rome, fall head over heels was such fun, seeing him begrudgingly admit that he was obsessed with Lily had me giggling and kicking my feet.
Lily falling for her polar opposite in Rome was such a healing experience, watching her realise life is more than what she’s been forced into over the years felt very special.

I will absolutely be starting this series from the beginning.