Review - A Matter of When by Eden Winters

Henri may be a chart-topping rock star, but he hates his life. He can afford to buy whatever he wants, but what he really needs is freedom from his overbearing stage mother-manager and band members who won't stab him in the back at the first opportunity. A crazed fan who drugs him at a party gives Henri the chance he needs to figure out what he really wants. He fires his mother, and his new manager arranges for voice lessons from an opera singer who lives in the Rockies. Sebastian takes his life in the opera very seriously, with acting and language lessons to help improve his art. Fortunately, he has a patron who helps Sebastian with money and influence, but it all comes at a steep personal cost. When Sebastian takes on Henri as a student, neither man knows their worlds are about to change.

“A Matter of When” is a slow-burn romance with lots of twists and turns. Henri and Sebastian come from such different worlds and have so many obstacles in front of them that it's never clear if they will get a happily-ever-after. For much of the book, it feels like their relationship might never be more than a short fling.

The story is told entirely from Henri's point of view. There's a tendency these days to demonize rich people, but we very quickly become sympathetic to Henri's situation. He's trapped in a world not entirely of his choosing and betrayed by the people he should be able to trust the most. You'll almost certainly be cheering him on once Henri starts to take his life back.

We only get to know Sebastian through Henri's interactions with him. He seems like a very nice man, but it's also clear that he has some aspects of his life that he prefers to keep hidden from Henri. It will probably be clear to you what big secret Sebastian is concealing long before Henri figures it out. Once Sebastian's life begins to unravel, he becomes an even more sympathetic character.

Part of Henri's journey towards a new life is surrounding himself with people he trusts. Real friends rather than paid performers. The members of his new band become standout characters in their own right and lift up a storyline that could otherwise be a bit depressing. “A Matter of When” lacks much of the laugh-out-loud humor often found in this author's work, but it's still a very good read.

“A Matter of When” is available from Amazon (commissionable link).