[ARC REVIEW] “Makes the Heart Grow Fouler” By: Carrie Aarons

What is “Makes the Heart Grow Fouler” by Carrie Aaron’s about?

Never meet your hero, because they’ll probably turn out to be a villain.

That thought didn’t even cross my mind when the magazine I work for assigned me to do a feature article on Dane, the greatest country singer of our generation. You know, the kind of celebrity who doesn’t require a last name because they’re that prolific.

Along with being one of my favorite artists, the notoriously private man has never given an interview in his twenty-year career, so this piece could make mine. Unfortunately, from the minute I step foot on his massive Texas compound, Dane is determined to break it.

Between his icy stares, lewd gestures, and mocking comments, the one week time table to ask him my questions comes and goes with zero answers. But for some reason, he won’t pull out of the article. And when he insists I move into his guest house in order to observe him, since he refuses to sit down one-on-one, I have no choice but to suck it up for my job.

After the year I’ve had, and the outside world I no longer want any part of, the seclusion is almost welcome. That is, if it didn’t include a sexy recluse who seems hellbent on messing with me. Working with someone I despise wouldn’t be so hard if it meant going home at the end of the day.

From his checkered past, to the rumors about his love life, to the fact that he vanished from the music scene five years ago, to the teenage daughter he’s raised as a single father her entire life … there is so much to unpack in order to learn the truth about the man buried beneath the ink covering his skin.

But the real danger comes when Dane drops the curtain completely, allowing me to see every side of him. Because it makes me want to show him every damaged part of myself.

Except two such opposite, but equally broken, people can never find a happily ever after. Especially since a villain has no heart. So what do I do when the fallen hero I can’t have wants to give me his?

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Review:

First things first, I love the cover of this book. The scraps of lyrics in the back with the unopened CD on the cover? It’s so cute, creative, and matches the book perfectly.

Second, it’s no secret that I love interconnected standalones, and this one is no different. While you don’t have to have read Carrie’s February release “Say You Love Me Again,” characters from that book are mentioned in here — Sophie, the lead character from that book, is really the catalyst for this one — her charity is the reason that Dane agrees to an interview in the first place (well, one of the reasons), which is explored in the previous book. That’s also where we first meet him, so if you’re trying to read in order, I’d highly suggest reading this book second! Again, it’s not necessary, but it will add to your reading enjoyment! 🙂

Okay, time to dive in to Dane and Margot’s story. The book is told in dual POVs, and is an age gap, rockstar, single-father romance. I guess there’s also aspects of forced proximity, to an extent. Margot is a 26 year old journalist assigned to interview Dane, a 38 year old country star and all around recluse. The two of them definitely get off to a rocky start (completely thanks to Dane). Dane was, to sugar coat it, a total jerk to Margot. He was rude, unprofessional, and inappropriate, and I have to hand it to her for putting up with him to get the story. Sure, it’s her job, but he was really putting her through it, almost punishing her for his choice to do the interview.

I’m not always the biggest fan of single parent romances, but Dane’s daughter Shiloh being 18 added a new layer to that, since usually the kids are a lot younger.

The book mentions a lot of heavy topics, including the characters dealing with grief and past traumas. Dane’s not the only one who has secrets he’s not looking to expose to the world, and I liked getting to slowly learn about each of their experiences and how they’ve worked to — or are still working to — overcome them.

Overall, this was a great rockstar romance book, and I think fans of Carrie are going to love it!!

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