Mélanie
⭐️ 5/5 | 🌶️ 3/5
L.A. Cannon is one of my all-time favorite authors, and the first two books in the Burn To Rise series were the only ones left for me to read before finishing her entire backlist. So I was incredibly excited to finally pick up Behind The Lights, the first book in the series. I had already met Leah and Søren in Of Chords And Dreams, where they appeared as side characters, and after getting small glimpses of their relationship there, I couldn’t wait to dive into their love story.
For an early work, L.A. Cannon truly impressed me with the depth of her character exploration. Leah and Søren both feel incredibly layered, and I loved how much attention was given to their thoughts, emotions, and inner struggles. They’re each carrying painful pasts that still heavily affect their lives in the present. Leah’s story especially hit me hard, and some of her flashbacks were genuinely difficult to read. Watching her try to learn how to trust again—and open her heart despite everything she’s been through—was deeply emotional.
This is a rockstar romance, and I really enjoyed the contrast between Søren’s band, Dark Omen, already being massively successful while Leah’s band, Buried Alive, is only beginning its rise. That difference in experience and fame added such an interesting dynamic to the story.
It was also amazing to see Marc and Chris again as side characters. Chris, in particular, was absolutely perfect as Leah’s best friend.
Behind The Lights is definitely a slow burn, but the payoff is so worth it once Leah and Søren finally allow themselves to fully give in to each other.
And that twist at the end left me speechless. I immediately needed to know where the story was heading in the second book.
I loved how introspective this story was—how focused it was on making us truly feel the characters and everything they were going through emotionally. I’m completely obsessed with these two.
⭐️ 5/5 | 🌶️ 3/5
L.A. Cannon is one of my all-time favorite authors, and the first two books in the Burn To Rise series were the only ones left for me to read before finishing her entire backlist. So I was incredibly excited to finally pick up Behind The Lights, the first book in the series. I had already met Leah and Søren in Of Chords And Dreams, where they appeared as side characters, and after getting small glimpses of their relationship there, I couldn’t wait to dive into their love story.
For an early work, L.A. Cannon truly impressed me with the depth of her character exploration. Leah and Søren both feel incredibly layered, and I loved how much attention was given to their thoughts, emotions, and inner struggles. They’re each carrying painful pasts that still heavily affect their lives in the present. Leah’s story especially hit me hard, and some of her flashbacks were genuinely difficult to read. Watching her try to learn how to trust again—and open her heart despite everything she’s been through—was deeply emotional.
This is a rockstar romance, and I really enjoyed the contrast between Søren’s band, Dark Omen, already being massively successful while Leah’s band, Buried Alive, is only beginning its rise. That difference in experience and fame added such an interesting dynamic to the story.
It was also amazing to see Marc and Chris again as side characters. Chris, in particular, was absolutely perfect as Leah’s best friend.
Behind The Lights is definitely a slow burn, but the payoff is so worth it once Leah and Søren finally allow themselves to fully give in to each other.
And that twist at the end left me speechless. I immediately needed to know where the story was heading in the second book.
I loved how introspective this story was—how focused it was on making us truly feel the characters and everything they were going through emotionally. I’m completely obsessed with these two.