His Secret Past

How do you make a romance featuring a retired rock star believable? You make him into a real person, instead of a cardboard cliche. In HIS SECRET PAST, former rocker Mason Star now has a teen son to contend with, and I love the way Hartman takes the time to develop their relationship realistically. Heroine Anna Walsh is well-drawn, too, as the documentary filmmaker who wants to know the truth about what happened in the bus crash that ended Mason's rock career. But the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she gets to Mason -- and the more she's afraid of breaking a good man's heart.

Mason Star may have been kicked out of his band, Five Star, but he got his life together and made himself a better man. Drugs, sex and rock and roll may have been what he thought he needed in life, but after he got left behind, he found rehab and a clean and sober life. Mason left behind not only the bad, but the fame and fortune. He has spent his life raising his son, Chris and creating a home at Mulligan's for those wanting a better future. Anna Walsh is a documentary maker with an agenda. As a high school senior she and her best friend attended a Five Star concert and her best friend ended up dead in a horrible accident. Anna feels her family and friends blame her, and she needs to find out what really happened that night. When she approaches Mason about a documentary he turns her down - until he finds out his home is in trouble and he needs her help. Anna and Mason's coming together can only be described as fate. When a girl gets a chance to meet her teenage idol, it can only be described as a dream date. Although she doesn't expect to feel drawn to a man she feels ruined her life, she finds herself physically attracted to him, and emotionally charged by the man he has become. Anna and Mason have sparks flying from the moment they meet, and while both fight the attraction, they are destined to have a future. Anna is a perfect heroine. She is a real woman, she has a career and plans for the future. When her plans take a nosedive, she makes lemonade from the lemons, and finds a new path for her life. As she finds that she doesn't need to live out of a duffle bag, and makes a home for herself, she becomes even stronger, and more loveable. Anna is a character to treasure. Mason is a strong, caring man whose stability balances Anna and shows her what could be, if she is ready to settle down. As these two take a chance on love, both make their way into a new life. Review Courtesy of LoveRomancesandmore

In Hoboken, siblings Jake and Anna Walsh have had some success with their documentary film making company Blue Magic. However Jake is tired of globetrotting so he informs his sister he is quitting to stay home more frequently with his significant other partner Rob. Anna persuades Jake to help her make a final film together, which he agrees. They will produce a documentary on the second most famous rock act to come out of New Jersey, Five Star. Apparently the group is coming together to make their first album in fifteen years. However, Anna has a personal reason as she wants to know the truth behind the band's touring bus crash that killed her best friend. However, she is stunned when the lead singer Mason Star is not a pompous superstar, but a loving father fearing he will lose custody of his son and Mulligan's community center that he built and manages. To her chagrin, Anna finds herself falling in love with him. This engaging contemporary romance hooks readers from the moment that the lead couple meets as their attraction could light up that city across the Hudson and never slows down. Anna is so sure that Mason is a wasted druggie until their initial encounter and she reassesses her thoughts. Fans will enjoy this delightful tale as HIS SECRET PAST may prevent this loving couple from sharing a passionate present and future. Harriet Klausner