Don't Tell Me Twice

Jems and Jamz #1

by Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue

Buck Miller, lead singer of the all-female rock band Jems and Jamz, is reeling from heartbreak after losing her girlfriend—and lead guitarist—Olive to a rival band. With her personal and professional life in chaos, the last thing she expects is to face even more disruption. Enter Ziggy Johnson—a charismatic, insanely talented guitarist hired to take Olive's place.
From the moment Ziggy joins the band, Buck feels both challenged and threatened. Ziggy's musical skills and stage presence stir up more than just professional tension—she's gunning for Buck's spot as lead vocalist, and it's not sitting well. As rehearsals heat up and egos clash, so do emotions. Buck must navigate jealousy, buried grief, and an undeniable spark forming between her and the very woman she sees as competition.
Set against the high-stakes backdrop of the music industry, Don't Tell Me Twice is a lesbian rock band romance full of rivalry, slow-burn chemistry, and personal transformation. Can Buck move on from the past and embrace something new, or will pride cost her more than she's willing to lose?
Perfect for fans of LGBTQ+ romance, music-driven drama, and enemies-to-lovers dynamics.

Genres: Music, Romance

Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2020

About the author

Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue is a Midwest-based author known for her captivating lesbian romance novels, compelling mysteries, and heart-pounding thrillers. With a talent for weaving emotion, suspense, and authenticity into every story, Nicole has built a loyal readership drawn to her richly developed characters and relatable themes. Her work reflects a deep understanding of human connection, identity, and resilience, often exploring the complexities of relationships in high-stakes settings.

Nicole holds a Master’s degree in Business Management with a focus on marketing, a background that not only informs her strategic approach to publishing but also brings a thoughtful precision to her storytelling. She began writing at a young age, inspired by a book she found in her local library written by a fellow eight-year-old. That early moment of discovery sparked a lifelong passion that has guided her creative journey ever since.

When she’s not writing, Nicole enjoys cooking new recipes, exploring new places through travel, and spending quality time with her family. Her stories are rooted in experience and imagination, making her voice both grounded and uniquely engaging. Whether penning a slow-burning romance or a thrilling mystery, Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue invites readers into worlds where love and intrigue go hand in hand.

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.75 stars, I'm almost did not finish this book. This one rounds out the trifecta of music/rocker themed books as of late. The main character/singer of the band, Buck is in love with her guitarist Olive. Olive breaks up with her out of nowhere & immediately the tabloids show the secret love affair Olive had with another band's singer Viola. She of course joins their band. Then promptly gets hooked on drugs. Buck pines for Olive, &so the remainder of her band holds auditions to replace Olive. They hire Ziggy from Chicago. Buck doesn't like Ziggy, but then instantly falls for her. Good thing this book is around 100 pgs, not worth the time.

[Monique S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

After contacting Nicole my initial resevations were resolved. It is an unfortunate coincidence that the cover image was previously used for another lesbian romance set in the music industry, which proves that it pays as an indie author to buy the rights to your cover image outright.

The story is well told and keeps you reading from start to finish. The romance clear cut and life-like for most of us. It is difficult to trust again after a betrayal by someone you well and truly loved.

The dangers of craving admiration and the all too present drugs of today in the stressful competition for stardom are well described and resolved with a hopeful end.

I am looking forward to reading part two and three.

[Kay]

BIZARRE COINCIDENCE?

I didn't read this book. I'm just writing a note here because I found it odd that the cover of this book is the exact same image as the cover of Adrienne Marsh's Some Part of Me Is You, published two years earlier. Isn't that kind of strange? I'm curious as to how that came about.

[Lorraine Rusnack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wished it was a bit longer I know there are other books in the series. It moves along very quickly and I guess sometimes life does. I did enjoy it and look forward to the next book

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 81%

This is not a romance and it is SO not slow-burn.

First of all, the whole story was too fast. It felt like a whirlwind. Also, nothing about the timeline made sense. I could kind of buy the rush for a new guitarist, to finish the tour or hurriedly plan another one for the fans. Maybe. But then they're supposed to put out a promo CD so everyone can get to know the new band, and before they've even finished recording, Buck tells Ziggy that they go back on tour in two days. Like, WTF?? What is the point of the CD, then? How did they have time to even adjust tour dates or anything? And where is the time for the band and the new girl to get to know each other as people and musicians?

Also, there is so much inconsistency from POV to POV. So in Ziggy's POV, she is practising with all of them for the first time, and Dave, the producer, suggests combining her vocals with Buck's. She is hesitant, but excited to sing with someone she looks up to. It switches to Buck's POV in the next chapter, and she is seething. And when Jemma and Spike, her fellow bandmates ask her why, she says Ziggy is clearly out to steal her position as lead singer. Obviously, given the fact that 'she convinced Dave to let her share my spot as the lead singer'. And her bandmates don't even push back that that was absolutely not what happened? They just try to talk her down, like that was what happened, but surely no, Ziggy doesn't have malicious intent. And I'm wondering what is reality when it just changes from chapter to chapter.

Ziggy encourages Buck to try to win her ex back, if she still loves her and genuinely wants to be with her. So she helps her write a song to tell her how she feels. And Buck sings it at their first show back on tour, walking through the crowd until she finds Olive. But Olive (who I don't know why she wants back, seeing as she nearly ruined your career AND cheated on you) just turns and walks away, causing her to be unable to even finish the song. That same night, the band goes out for drinks and dancing. And Ziggy convinces Buck to go on a walk with her for fresh air and conversation. This leads them back to the bus, where they end up having sex. Not the definition of a slow burn, but I might have been able to let that go if they hadn't promptly exchanged I-love-you's after they were done. Like...did you just get over your ex and your night's fresh heartbreak in 30 minutes and one orgasm?? Wow, so realistic. I really feel this couple and their chemistry, for sure.

Ugh, just done.

[Mx Phoebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buck Miller is having a bad day. She loses her girlfriend, her bass player, and has to stop her concert tour all in one-day. Now her manager and her bandmates want to hire someone who could replace her...could it get any worse?

Buck Miller was on cloud nine or well pretty close to it. She is the lead singer of the Jems and the Jamz. Her girlfriend is in the band and travels with her until one day she suddenly breaks up with her and the band. So now the concert tour is on hold until they find another bass player.

Buck ends up going back home to recoup and in the meantime her manager and bandmates find a new member they really like: Ziggy. The problem is that not only can she play guitar, she can sing too. Plus she is charming, pretty, nice...and really pretty.

Can’t everyone see that Ziggy does not belong and all she is trying to do is take Buck’s spot in the band? This makes touring a lot more interesting especially when Buck’s ex-girlfriend comes back into the picture.

Gotta love a girl in a band and Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue knows that in Don’t Tell Me Twice (B07WPYR7Y6, 2019) the first book in the “Jems and Jamz” series. I think Buck is an interesting character study of how we can fool ourselves when we want love to work so bad. Buck’s relationship with Olive is an excellent example. I do not want to give any spoilers away, but Buck’s emotional journey is well-written and at times tough to read without being able to give the character a hug.

Don’t Tell Me Twice is a slow-burn romance. Higginbotham-Hogue deals with the past in this book and basically cleans it up. This is not to say that we do not carry the past with us or the scars, I am not trying to minimize anything - just summarizing (laugh).

I had a completely different ending paragraph and then I looked at the description of the next book in the series (laugh). See what happens when you look ahead?! I would have given you a different path (laugh). Same result just a different walk - Let’s check out what else Higginbotham-Hogue has in store for us with the ladies in the band in the “Jems and Jamz” series. See you on tour!

I received an ARC of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.

[Patricia OHara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somewhat different story

I did enjoy ziggy and bucks stories. One of love lost and love found. The introduction of a slightly drug induced former partner just added to the story. Ziggy being the nice girl that buck finally decided on was the catalyst buck needed to restart her love life

[El · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provided with a free copy in exchange for an honest review through VoraciousReadersOnly.com.

This was cute! It was pretty short, so it didn't take a lot of time to get through and it was a nice little sapphic romance story that I thought worked out well. I did find that things were a little rushed, and that a lot of exposition and a lot of big events happened all in quick succession, so I could have done with it being a little longer, actually, but it was really enjoyable for what it is.

The characters were interesting, and I really liked how they weren't irredeemable just because they'd done some bad stuff and made bad choices, and how there was very little internalised misogyny throughout the whole cast of women. I'm very much looking forward to reading the follow up novellas and I definitely recommend this one if you want a short, sweet read with a great romance.

[FSH78 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buck has her heart broken by her girlfriend and band guitarist Olive. The band has to suspend their tour while they find a replacement for Olive. Ziggy is a skilled guitarist and vocalist who enters Buck's world to an icy reception.
The book had some okay parts, but I found it very hard to follow the timeline. The action between the characters needed to be more well-developed as the changes of opinions of people was supersonic, which especially for women is not likely. It was an easy, quick read and looking at other reviews some loved it and some were fairly cool to it. I am in the middle. I probably would not read it again, but don't regret reading it this time.

[Jeanne Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 3rd book I've read written by Nicole Higginbothan-Hogue; 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.

[Maxine Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was gifted this book from voracious readers and it was a pleasant quick read, I did feel everything moved along too quickly but I enjoyed it.

[JoAnn Greene · Rating 3 out of 5]

A relatively good read. I felt like the relationships seemed forced