Review: ‘Cover Me Up’ by Juliana Stone
Cover Me Up
by Juliana StoneSeries: The Bridgestones of Montana #1
Published by Self-Published on December 20, 2023
SubGenres: Contemporary Romance
Format: Paperback
Pages: 254
Source: Purchased
Audience: 18+/Adult
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Coming home to Montana wasn’t on country superstar, Cal Bridgestone’s agenda. But when his older brother is badly injured in an accident, he has no choice. With a family that’s scattered, a young niece to look after and an estranged father to deal with, he shouldn’t be thinking about his old flame, Millie Sue Jenkins. Seeing her stirs up all kinds of stuff. Their history is tricky, and starting up where they left off is probably not a good idea.
So why can’t he stay away?
Millie Sue gave her heart to Cal when she was seventeen, and he still has it. She’d love to hate him for leaving Big Bend and breaking her spirit, but all she feels is want and need. Starting up with him isn’t a good idea—he will hurt her. Because Cal Bridgestone outgrew Big Bend a long time ago and belongs in a world of celebrity, music, and superstardom. He will leave again.
And this time, she’s got to make sure her heart doesn’t go with him…
It had been a while since I picked up a Juliana Stone book, and I was happy to find out she was releasing a new series, especially one set in a small town in Montana. I read her Bad Boys of Crystal Lake books years ago and loved those books and couldn’t wait to read Cover Me Up, the first book in The Bridgestones of Montana.
I’m a sucker for Second Chance Romance storylines, and Juliana Stone did a beautiful job with Cal and Millie Sue’s story. My feelings were all over the place when reading their story and I loved not only getting to know Cal and Millie Sue, but the other Bridgestone family members.
I understood why Cal left his small town due to family drama, and he didn’t really want to come back, but he had to due to his older brother being badly injured. Cal knew he would have to step up and put his music career on hold temporarily, especially when it came to taking care of his niece, amongst other things. Cal is what I consider the typical famous star getting into things and having fun, but he’s not over the top like I expected. (I’ve read Rockstar Romances where they tend to be over the top and drive me crazy with their player ways). It was obvious once Cal returned home, he had feelings for his old flame, Millie Sue, and I loved how he was determined to win her over again.
I loved Millie Sue because she wasn’t going to let Cal just waltz back into her life. I adored her attitude and personality. She had made a life for herself, and she didn’t need him breaking her heart again. It was envitable for these two to rekindle their love for one another because it was hard for them to walk away from one another in the past. Even their friends and family knew these two would end up coming back together. The issue was if Cal would leave again because Millie Sue didn’t know if she could handle it.
The book was paced perfectly, and I loved that I got both POVs because I felt both characters’ feelings for one another while reading the book. This book was hard to put down, especially once you find out the reason why these two went their separate ways. Whenever a book can make me feel so much for its characters and their story, it immediately becomes a favorite, especially when I find myself smiling and also crying for different reasons. Yes, I cried, especially at the end.
Cover Me Up was an amazing start to Juliana’s new series, and I give it five stars. I’m so glad Juliana Stone is back, and I look forward to reading the rest of this series, plus whatever other book she decides to write in the future.
Story Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Steam/Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the Bridgestones of Montana Series.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. If you love reading Small Town Romance with Second Chance storylines, this is a must-read to add to your TBR.
Genre/SubGenre(s): Romance | Contemporary Romance
Trope(s)/Element(s): Small Town Romance | Second Chance | Celebrity/Country Singer Hero | Business Owner Heroine
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About Juliana Stone
Juliana Stone is also known as J.A. Stone.
USA Today bestselling author and 2015 RITA® winner JULIANA STONE fell in love with books in the fifth grade when her teacher introduced her to Tom Sawyer. A tomboy at heart, she splits her time between baseball, books, and music. When she’s not singing with her band, she’s thrilled to be writing young adult as well as adult contemporary romance—books that have garnered starred reviews from Publishers Weekly & Booklist—from somewhere in the wilds of Canada.
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