Rising — Lisa Swallow

"Our demons don't want to play but they sure as hell recognise each other"Three attempts at staying clean after rehab and Jem Jones, Blue Phoenix guitarist, is determined this time he'll succeed. Haunted by his recent past, Jem throws himself into the one addiction he still has left: music. With Blue Phoenix on a break, he looks elsewhere for a place to channel his creativity and discovers up-and-coming band Ruby Riot.For lead singer, Ruby, breaking into the music scene could break the cycle of abuse that's controlled her life since she was a child. Finding release through music, the growing success of the band has set Ruby on the path to regaining her identity and self-esteem. Ruby Riot brings Jem and Ruby together, but Ruby's tangled personal life pushes her closer to a reluctant Jem. Living and touring together, Jem and Ruby discover they have more in common than their passion for music. Can this understanding break down the carefully constructed barriers they're trapped behind? Or is loving somebody too big a risk to take? When Jem's past slams into his present, he has to face the reality behind what made him the man he is and why he hurts the people he wants to love.And as Ruby reaches out to help Jem, she discovers trying to fix somebody comes with the risk of getting cut by one of their shattered pieces. Jem and Ruby's story is the fourth book in the Blue Phoenix series. It can be read as a standalone but contains minor spoilers for the other books in the series.This book includes scenes of domestic violence that are not gratuitously graphic, but may be disturbing to sensitive readers.