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Wounded Martyr

Courtney Maguire (Goodreads Author)

3.43 · Rating details · 23 ratings · 15 reviews

Ice is an asshole, but he’s working on it. He’s two years sober, no small feat when you front a heavy metal band facing waning popularity and dismal ticket sales. But, the pieces of a life torn apart by alcoholism are finally coming back together. His band, Wounded Martyr, has written a great album with the potential to launch them back into relevancy. And Ricky, probably ...more

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Published December 16th 2019 by Nine Star Press

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Dec 23, 2019 Jeannie Zelos rated it liked it

Wounded Martyr, Courtney Maguire

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Romance, LGBTQIA

I really thought I'd like this book, I love romance, love m/m romance and love the rock star trope. And yet I just feel confused about this story. I got to the end and it wasn't with the satisfaction of a good read, but with the feeling of What did I just read? Was that really how it would end?

Its very well written, the words convey really clearly the downsides of addiction, of how staying sober seems t Wounded Martyr, Courtney Maguire

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Romance, LGBTQIA

I really thought I'd like this book, I love romance, love m/m romance and love the rock star trope. And yet I just feel confused about this story. I got to the end and it wasn't with the satisfaction of a good read, but with the feeling of What did I just read? Was that really how it would end?

Its very well written, the words convey really clearly the downsides of addiction, of how staying sober seems the hard choice when everyone around you is drinking. How difficult it is to like the person you are now, when all you've known for years is the addict, how even though you know how awful you are when high or drunk you don't really seem to be a better person sober. All that came over so very clearly, along with the difficulties of relationships when touring, when distance separates and opportunities come unasked for.
Yet somehow the sheer grimness of Ice's life just got me down and coloured what I was reading. He didn't know what he wanted, and Ricky paid the price, band mate Ash was equally ambiguous, and the band after twenty years together seemed to have no kind of camaraderie or affection left. It was just grim all the way, and for me it was too much.
I kept wondering, if they'd been together twenty years and were playing to thousands why were they sharing rooms when they didn't want to and ought to have had the money to room alone – heck, have a suite alone. Does coke really only cost $50 a vial? Why did they still continue when the band really didn't seem close, were they ever close, did any of them actually enjoy the life anymore?
Ash and Ice, friends since childhood, and yet apart from some moments of lust and jealousy I didn't feel anything much between them. I guess I just needed more detail about the characters, their history, and something light to enliven the atmosphere of doom that seemed to live over the band.

The ending seemed a bit of a cop out, I didn't really feel as if anything had changed, except for the one major point, and wasn't convinced of long term happiness for any of them. Where was Sid gong to fit in with the Ricky/Ice/Ash grouping? And wasn't that going to cause more issues? The root causes of the problems still hadn't really been resolved I felt, and the way it seemed to finish held more problems in store IMO.

I find it hard to actually class this as romance, it didn't have any of the love, intensity of emotion, the feel good factor that romance holds for me, and even when it got close to a good emotion it was coloured by jealous thoughts.

I
Stars: Two and a half. Writing quality is four star for making me feel whats happening, for sheer realism, but content for me was just scraping a two, and unfortunately content is the greater sway when I'm reviewing how I feel about a story.

Arc via Netgalley and publishers ...more

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Dec 15, 2019 Mare SLiTsReaD Reviews rated it liked it

Shelves: arc-net-galley, fight-club, lgbt, maleonmale, mindfuckery

You ever sit down and start a book and dont stop until it's finished?!??!!!
This was that book.
And to be honest I dont even know if I can describe whether or not I liked it.

This book in a nutshell is about addiction and other stuff but I wouldn't necessarily say it was a romance....

Yes there was sex and a few MC's and rock and roll.

And the ending left me feeling incomplete, like wrapped up in a bow and done.

I felt like I didnt get the closure that "I" needed with this book.

I liked it but I ...more

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Dec 14, 2019 Charlotte rated it liked it

Shelves: in-recovery, lgbtq, mental-health, musicians, substance-abuse

Ice is the lead vocalist for Wounded Martyr. He’s sober. But he makes one of those mistakes that you usually make when you’re drunk… he has sex with bandmate and best friend, Ash. From that point forward things in Ice’s life begin to come apart.

This is an interesting novella with a lot of substance in it! Ice’s issues with alcohol (and later cocaine) are the way that he deals with … everything. The one place that he seems comfortable, is buried in his music and working with the band. The problem Ice is the lead vocalist for Wounded Martyr. He’s sober. But he makes one of those mistakes that you usually make when you’re drunk… he has sex with bandmate and best friend, Ash. From that point forward things in Ice’s life begin to come apart.

This is an interesting novella with a lot of substance in it! Ice’s issues with alcohol (and later cocaine) are the way that he deals with … everything. The one place that he seems comfortable, is buried in his music and working with the band. The problem is that one night of sex with bass player, Ash, changes the dynamics of everything. Ice finds himself jealous of other people who are receiving Ash’s attention and he’s struggling with thoughts of Ash invading when he’s with his partner Ricky.

Substance abuse and interpersonal relationships are the backbone of this novella. Maguire has written a great depiction of the backsliding that can happen when one is one the recovery road. Little things become an excuse for Ice to drink … big things are a justification.

The interesting twist to this plot of the way in which Ice is struggling to maintain a relationship with his best friend, Ash… and begin anew with his partner, Ricky. Ice relies on the two men differently but they both have a significant place in his life. He seems to need them both… sometimes that manifests itself physically other times it’s emotionally. As his struggle becomes more intense things cycle out of the control until Ice hits bottom.

I would have loved to have read more about the conversations with Ricky and Ash… ultimately they seem to come together and realize that they have to accept each others’ presence if they want to keep Ash alive. I felt as though I was really missing out by not being able to be a party to how they came to that understanding. While the premise was set up exquisitely, I really wanted to know more about what would happen between the three men and what the dynamic of their relationship would ultimately become.

The end of the story felt a little rushed. Once Ice’s health was affected, Ricky and Ash united quickly to support him and I felt I needed more of an understanding of how that happened.

Overall, this is well-written and a very accurate depiction of a person struggling with addictions. ...more

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Apr 20, 2020 Angel Hatfield rated it liked it

Ice is an asshole, but he’s working on it. He’s two years sober, no small feat when you front a heavy metal band facing waning popularity and dismal ticket sales. But the pieces of a life torn apart by alcoholism are finally coming back together. His band, Wounded Martyr, has written a great album with the potential to launch them back into relevancy. And Ricky, probably the biggest, most important piece, has finally forgiven him for the wreck he made of their relationship. There’s only one prob ...more

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Dec 23, 2019 Sam B rated it liked it

I wanted to like this book more than I did but unfortunately, for all that the writing wasn't bad, I found that I didn't really care for any of the characters, especially not the main character. I understand that addiction is a difficult thing and I thought the author dealt with it well. It wasn't something, however, that made me want to continue reading it. Honestly, it felt more like a chore, needing to see the ending just to say that I could and thankfully, it was short enough that I was able ...more

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Dec 31, 2019 Lauren at Live Read and Breathe Reviews rated it it was ok

Shelves: arc-to-review-read, friends-to-lovers, m-m, netgalley, rock-star

2.5 Stars!

Source: eARC for Honest Review Courtesy of NineStar Press via NetGalley
Genre: MM Rock star romance
Standalone

The synopsis is what pulled me in but there were parts that didn't do it for me in the long haul.

The story is about Ice whom is the lead singer of Wounded Martyr. He's also an alcoholic but has been in recover for 2 years. Ashton has been his best friend and band mate for over 20 years. Never have they crossed the line until this tour which drives Ice back to his ex-boyfriend R ...more

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Mar 07, 2020 Bronwyn Heeley rated it liked it

this book was about relapsing.
I read it in one sitting, didn't realise I'd not moved until I finished it.
the thing is it was so unemotional.
there was no emotions in his relationship with Ashton, we just were told, sorta that they were best friends, maybe, but not really. they knew each other for twenty years, that's for sure.
there was no real emotion for Ricky, because he was lusting after Ashton the whole way so even though it was told that there was a relationship it wasn't really shown.
hone ...more

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Jul 04, 2020 Just Gimme Da Books rated it liked it

Shelves: lgbtq, lgbtq-romance, m-m-romance, rock-star-romance

I wanted to love this book. I really did. It had so much catnip and the writing really was well done. However, I struggled to connect with the story or to believe the relationships. Ice's addiction and all the ramifications that come with it are by far the best part of this story because the author delves deep and they feel real. But the relationships? The endless doom and gloom and sadness hanging over everything? It got to be a bit too much.

I'm not sure I'd even call this a romance. It doesn't ...more

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Dec 29, 2019 Emalie marked it as did-not-finish

I'm going to honest and admit that the only reason I requested this book was because I did not understand the synopsis in the slightest. Maybe I was sleep-deprived in that moment or just stupid, nonetheless I did not understand it. Sadly this carried over to the book. By 37% I still wasn't sure who the actual couple was to be, because the two guys that I think will get the HEA in the end were still sleeping with other people at 37% and had maybe exchanged 10 sentences with each other. You might ...more

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Feb 22, 2020 L H rated it liked it

Ice is now sober and working to stay that way. His band suffered because of what happens when substance abuse is a part of the story and they are trying to pull it together and climb back up. But there are personal things that are getting in the way. Ice and Ashton - his bandmate and friend, had a one night stand that they must work beyond. And Ice is in a relationship with Ricky. There is a lot going on in this well written story. It really is about the three of these men finding their rhythm a ...more

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Dec 21, 2019 Amy Dufera - Amy's MM Romance Reviews rated it did not like it

Wounded Martyr is a story with a complex relationship between two band members.
It's messy and complicated, as one is torn between love and lust.
Oscar's a recovering alcoholic, which is well explored.

It has a ton of potential, but it feel very short for me. I felt like I missed something, like from a previous book. I wanted to like it, but I just didn't feel the connection between the men. ...more

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Jan 10, 2020 Coltostallion rated it liked it

The story was interesting and the characters were decent, but I failed to really get into this story very much. The relationships would have benefited from more background. The love triangle angle didn't really feel real with so little time given to any sort of relationship back story. We are told that Ricky and Ice have history but you don't feel it. ...more

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Jan 05, 2020 Joscelyn Smith rated it liked it

I don't really get why this didn't work for me, it was well-written and the characters were engaging but I just did feel any kind of way about them. Maybe I wasn't in the right mindset at the time but it's only a 3.5 for me, maybe I'll like it more if I reread it at a later date. All in all an okay read.

*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley* ...more

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Mar 04, 2020 Jeanne Richardson rated it really liked it

This is the 1st book I've read written by Courtney Maguire; she has done a great job at writing a good book; I can’t wait to read more of her books.

The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.

I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review. ...more

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Dec 20, 2019 H. Taylor rated it really liked it

I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did! I’ve discovered that I am a sucker for a MM romance, involving a band! Also, I suppose this may be a spoiler (?), however there is a love triangle of sorts, and I hate this trope, but it was done in such a way that I actually didn’t mind it! I do wish that they had really gone into more exploration around this part of the story as it seemed to resolve itself a little too quickly to be believable.
I loved the look into addiction; I don’t know ho ...more

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