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The Breakout Sessions #3
Deep Cuts: A Secret Marriage Rockstar Romance
One secret Vegas wedding. One tragic accident. One year of silence.
Dani Cassidy is chaos in eyeliner—a wildfire on stage and a ghost off it. One year ago, she married her brother’s best friend on a drunken Vegas dare… and the next day, a tragic car accident changed everything.
She hasn’t picked up a mic—or spoken to Ellis Foley—since.
Ellis is quiet. Steady. The kind of man who says I do and means it.
He’s also still legally her husband.
When they’re accidentally paired for a duet at Dani’s comeback festival, the chemistry is undeniable—and dangerously real. The song goes viral. The fans want more. Suddenly, they’re on tour dive bars, green rooms, late nights… one last chance to figure out if what happened in Vegas ever really ended.
They agree on a
By the end of the tour, they decide—stay married or let go for good.
But some love stories don’t fade out.
They live in the deep cuts.
Tropes and Themes
Secret marriage romance
Vegas wedding gone wrong
Brother’s best friend
Second chance love story
Forced proximity romance
Music industry romance
Rockstar and songwriter
Grumpy and sunshine dynamic
Opposites attract
One bed, one tour bus
Marriage of convenience with feelings
Emotional slow burn
Friends to lovers
Hidden relationship
Viral duet and comeback tour
Healing through music
Grief and redemption arc
Found family
Public meltdown and redemption
Ultimatum stay married or let go
Dani Cassidy is chaos in eyeliner—a wildfire on stage and a ghost off it. One year ago, she married her brother’s best friend on a drunken Vegas dare… and the next day, a tragic car accident changed everything.
She hasn’t picked up a mic—or spoken to Ellis Foley—since.
Ellis is quiet. Steady. The kind of man who says I do and means it.
He’s also still legally her husband.
When they’re accidentally paired for a duet at Dani’s comeback festival, the chemistry is undeniable—and dangerously real. The song goes viral. The fans want more. Suddenly, they’re on tour dive bars, green rooms, late nights… one last chance to figure out if what happened in Vegas ever really ended.
They agree on a
By the end of the tour, they decide—stay married or let go for good.
But some love stories don’t fade out.
They live in the deep cuts.
Tropes and Themes
Secret marriage romance
Vegas wedding gone wrong
Brother’s best friend
Second chance love story
Forced proximity romance
Music industry romance
Rockstar and songwriter
Grumpy and sunshine dynamic
Opposites attract
One bed, one tour bus
Marriage of convenience with feelings
Emotional slow burn
Friends to lovers
Hidden relationship
Viral duet and comeback tour
Healing through music
Grief and redemption arc
Found family
Public meltdown and redemption
Ultimatum stay married or let go
- GenresRomance
408 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 3, 2026
About the author
Sera Elly
9 books23 followersSlow burns. Second chances. Set to a killer soundtrack.
Sera Elly is an award-winning Chicago-area writer, marketer, and professional wrangler of two wild sons, three even wilder dogs, and one husband who’s somehow still on board with all of it. When she’s not turning her love of music and messy road trips into angsty fiction, she runs Tiny Marketing, helping B2B businesses grow without burning out. She thrives on emotionally-charged storytelling, big feelings, bigger playlists, and iced coffee in all seasons. If she disappears, she’s probably on a back road somewhere with the windows down, scream-singing with a half-written scene running on repeat in her mind.
She is the author of the Breakout Sessions, a series of standalone, interconnected romance books set in the indie music scene, featuring messy musicians and earned love stories.
And always...an HEA.
Sera Elly is an award-winning Chicago-area writer, marketer, and professional wrangler of two wild sons, three even wilder dogs, and one husband who’s somehow still on board with all of it. When she’s not turning her love of music and messy road trips into angsty fiction, she runs Tiny Marketing, helping B2B businesses grow without burning out. She thrives on emotionally-charged storytelling, big feelings, bigger playlists, and iced coffee in all seasons. If she disappears, she’s probably on a back road somewhere with the windows down, scream-singing with a half-written scene running on repeat in her mind.
She is the author of the Breakout Sessions, a series of standalone, interconnected romance books set in the indie music scene, featuring messy musicians and earned love stories.
And always...an HEA.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Did Not Finish
March 8, 2026Shelving this one for now…
March 30, 2026
This book was full of love, hope, loss, grief, autistic talent .
How all can carry and deal with trauma so differently. But life and determination can pull them back together again in many different ways.
This is a very emotional story line. Have some tissues handy.
How all can carry and deal with trauma so differently. But life and determination can pull them back together again in many different ways.
This is a very emotional story line. Have some tissues handy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Wow. This book ruined me (in a way that only a truly amazing book can). I think I must have cried for the first 1/4 of the book, and then sat in quiet suspense for the remaining 2.75/4 of the book, only to break down and cry at the very end. And I'd do it all over again.
Ellis, the MMC, has been head over heels in love with Dani basically his whole life. But--and I had no idea prior to reading--he's autistic and has assumed for years that she would never be interested. As soon as I started reading and realized he was autistic, he had my entire heart. He is THE sweetest man to ever be written, I'm positively sure of it. The way he loves Dani with every single fiber of his being 😭 I absolutely loved the way the author incorporated his stimming frequently throughout the book, his little differences and coping mechanisms. Sometimes I feel like authors shy away from really leaning into that, and that is not what happened here. I'm also autistic and I was really truly thrilled to be able to relate to him so much.
Dani, our FMC, has liked Ellis for... well, most of her life too. But she never knew Ellis' true feelings and didn't truly act on her feelings until that fateful night in Vegas. The way she treats him with such patient, quiet, loving care made me want to cry. She knew every one of his stims, how to calm him down, and never treated him like he was different. She never made a big deal when he was stimming or going through one of his coping mechanisms, just silently noticed and would do little things she knew would help him. She loved every single quirk about him.
As for the plot, it's heartbreaking. It shattered me and, eventually, put me back together. After a fun night out in Vegas where Dani and Ellis get hitched, they head out for the next part of their trip when tragedy hits. And none of them would ever be the same. They all dealt with it differently; Dani ran away and isolated herself from literally everyone for a year, Ellis bought them a house and worked tirelessly to do anything that would make things easier on Dani when and if she came back. Did I mention he left her a voicemail every single day for a year? 🥹 Danis brother unexpectedly drags her away from her isolation, but her and Ellis are thrown back together before either of them are ready. After a clip of them performing together goes viral, they reluctantly agree to tour together on a 6 week trip, and decide at the end of their trip if they want to stay married or get an annulment.
This book is just so full of grief, loss, hope, yearning, love. Do yourself a favor and have your box of tissues ready. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read and review. This one will sit with me for a long time.
Ellis, the MMC, has been head over heels in love with Dani basically his whole life. But--and I had no idea prior to reading--he's autistic and has assumed for years that she would never be interested. As soon as I started reading and realized he was autistic, he had my entire heart. He is THE sweetest man to ever be written, I'm positively sure of it. The way he loves Dani with every single fiber of his being 😭 I absolutely loved the way the author incorporated his stimming frequently throughout the book, his little differences and coping mechanisms. Sometimes I feel like authors shy away from really leaning into that, and that is not what happened here. I'm also autistic and I was really truly thrilled to be able to relate to him so much.
Dani, our FMC, has liked Ellis for... well, most of her life too. But she never knew Ellis' true feelings and didn't truly act on her feelings until that fateful night in Vegas. The way she treats him with such patient, quiet, loving care made me want to cry. She knew every one of his stims, how to calm him down, and never treated him like he was different. She never made a big deal when he was stimming or going through one of his coping mechanisms, just silently noticed and would do little things she knew would help him. She loved every single quirk about him.
As for the plot, it's heartbreaking. It shattered me and, eventually, put me back together. After a fun night out in Vegas where Dani and Ellis get hitched, they head out for the next part of their trip when tragedy hits. And none of them would ever be the same. They all dealt with it differently; Dani ran away and isolated herself from literally everyone for a year, Ellis bought them a house and worked tirelessly to do anything that would make things easier on Dani when and if she came back. Did I mention he left her a voicemail every single day for a year? 🥹 Danis brother unexpectedly drags her away from her isolation, but her and Ellis are thrown back together before either of them are ready. After a clip of them performing together goes viral, they reluctantly agree to tour together on a 6 week trip, and decide at the end of their trip if they want to stay married or get an annulment.
This book is just so full of grief, loss, hope, yearning, love. Do yourself a favor and have your box of tissues ready. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read and review. This one will sit with me for a long time.
February 17, 2026
Be still my heart. Ellis and Dani are everything. I knew their story was going to cut deep but it wrecked me in the best way only to put all the broken pieces of my heart back together again. Get your tissues ready...
Things start so sweet, fun, and cute at the beginning and I just held my breath waiting for the other shoe to drop. When their whole world gets turned upside down I had my heart in my throat as they navigated life through the emotional turmoil.
Ellis is the biggest green flag there ever was his patience is unmatched and Dani is a big ball of chaos but together they were meant to be and bring balance to one another's lives.
Do yourself a favor and sign up for the emotional damage that is the voicemails and unsent messages between Ellis and Dani's year-long separation on the author's website.
Tropes:
• Secret Vegas marriage
• Rockstar romance
• Brother’s best friend
• Second chance
• Forced proximity
• Rockstar + songwriter
• Grumpy + sunshine
• Opposites attract
• One bed
• Marriage of convenience
• Emotional slow burn
• Friends to lovers
• Hidden relationship
• Healing/Grief/Redemption arc
• Found family
• Dual POV
Check TW
Overall it's an emotional raw story that will make you want to scream at times because you want nothing more than to see the HEA for these characters.
Thank you NetGalley and Sera Elly for the opportunity to read this book.
Things start so sweet, fun, and cute at the beginning and I just held my breath waiting for the other shoe to drop. When their whole world gets turned upside down I had my heart in my throat as they navigated life through the emotional turmoil.
Ellis is the biggest green flag there ever was his patience is unmatched and Dani is a big ball of chaos but together they were meant to be and bring balance to one another's lives.
Do yourself a favor and sign up for the emotional damage that is the voicemails and unsent messages between Ellis and Dani's year-long separation on the author's website.
Tropes:
• Secret Vegas marriage
• Rockstar romance
• Brother’s best friend
• Second chance
• Forced proximity
• Rockstar + songwriter
• Grumpy + sunshine
• Opposites attract
• One bed
• Marriage of convenience
• Emotional slow burn
• Friends to lovers
• Hidden relationship
• Healing/Grief/Redemption arc
• Found family
• Dual POV
Check TW
Overall it's an emotional raw story that will make you want to scream at times because you want nothing more than to see the HEA for these characters.
Thank you NetGalley and Sera Elly for the opportunity to read this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Dani Cassidy is a magnetic performer who vanished from the spotlight after a drunken Vegas marriage to her brother’s best friend ended in tragedy the very next day. A year later, she’s still estranged from Ellis Foley, but he is technically still her husband until fate throws them together for a duet at her comeback festival. The performance reignites their undeniable chemistry, sending them on tour and forcing them to confront what really happened between them and whether their marriage was a mistake or something worth fighting for.
Elley’s writing shines in its honest emotional depth and music-driven intimacy. I loved how the duet performances and the chemistry between Dani and Ellis pulsed off the page. I found that both characters to be well delivered, with Dani being at times volatile in her artistic chaos, whilst Ellis was steady and grounded. Together, they balance each other beautifully, making their path from estranged partners to potential soulmates compelling and heartfelt.
There were moments where the pacing felt a touch uneven, and a few secondary plot threads could have been developed further, but I found it to be a memorable read about two people given a second chance at love.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Elley’s writing shines in its honest emotional depth and music-driven intimacy. I loved how the duet performances and the chemistry between Dani and Ellis pulsed off the page. I found that both characters to be well delivered, with Dani being at times volatile in her artistic chaos, whilst Ellis was steady and grounded. Together, they balance each other beautifully, making their path from estranged partners to potential soulmates compelling and heartfelt.
There were moments where the pacing felt a touch uneven, and a few secondary plot threads could have been developed further, but I found it to be a memorable read about two people given a second chance at love.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
February 10, 2026
Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for the ARC.
This book is very emotional and hard to put down. It starts with Dani and Ellis making a big, impulsive choice in Vegas, and then everything changes fast because of a tragedy. After that, the story is not just about romance...it's about grief, guilt, and what it takes to come back to someone when you don't feel like yourself anymore.
I really liked the two main characters. Ellis felt gentle, steady, and deeply loyal. He shows his love through small actions and consistency, and that made him easy to care about. Dani is talented and intense, and sometimes messy in the way artists can be, but her pain felt real. When they are together on stage, you can feel the connection between them, and the music parts made their relationship feel even more personal.
My favorite part was how the book shows that love isn't always loud...it can be patient and quiet, even when everything hurts. The tour idea also worked well because it forced them to talk, perform, and face the past instead of running from it.
The middle felt a little uneven in places, and I wished a couple side storylines went deeper. But overall, it's a touching second-chance love story with a lot of heart. If you like romance with strong feelings, healing, and music, this one is worth reading.
Definitely checking out other books in the series!
This book is very emotional and hard to put down. It starts with Dani and Ellis making a big, impulsive choice in Vegas, and then everything changes fast because of a tragedy. After that, the story is not just about romance...it's about grief, guilt, and what it takes to come back to someone when you don't feel like yourself anymore.
I really liked the two main characters. Ellis felt gentle, steady, and deeply loyal. He shows his love through small actions and consistency, and that made him easy to care about. Dani is talented and intense, and sometimes messy in the way artists can be, but her pain felt real. When they are together on stage, you can feel the connection between them, and the music parts made their relationship feel even more personal.
My favorite part was how the book shows that love isn't always loud...it can be patient and quiet, even when everything hurts. The tour idea also worked well because it forced them to talk, perform, and face the past instead of running from it.
The middle felt a little uneven in places, and I wished a couple side storylines went deeper. But overall, it's a touching second-chance love story with a lot of heart. If you like romance with strong feelings, healing, and music, this one is worth reading.
Definitely checking out other books in the series!
February 6, 2026
The rock and roll life
The primary characters in this book are Dani and Ellis. They have loved each other for years but have maintained a “just friends” relationship. Dani has to deal with two major issues — a friend’s death and her “on stage” persona. Ellis is a sweet soul but has his own issues too. The book held my interest for the most part but the last 30% dragged for me.
The primary characters in this book are Dani and Ellis. They have loved each other for years but have maintained a “just friends” relationship. Dani has to deal with two major issues — a friend’s death and her “on stage” persona. Ellis is a sweet soul but has his own issues too. The book held my interest for the most part but the last 30% dragged for me.
March 9, 2026
Sera Elly did it again. I keep picking up her books, forgetting that they wreck me and then BOOM. Its the best wreckage possible tho. The emotionally charged romance ticks all the boxes for me:
-secret relationship
-brothers best friend
-rockstar
-nuerodivergent rep
-forced proximity
-opposites
-messy beautiful all consuming love
Ugh its like she wrote it for me!!! I loved every second of seeing these two slowly discover their mutual pining is MUTUAL. Easy 5 stars
-secret relationship
-brothers best friend
-rockstar
-nuerodivergent rep
-forced proximity
-opposites
-messy beautiful all consuming love
Ugh its like she wrote it for me!!! I loved every second of seeing these two slowly discover their mutual pining is MUTUAL. Easy 5 stars
Review of advance copy
What a wonderful deep meaning book in my favorite genre, Rockstar. The relationship between Dani and Ellis was so special. Each one knew their others special needs and knew how to work each other to get what they needed. Their love story was a beautiful one with true love ivl;ved. Thank you Booksprout for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy
This story pulls you right in. The characters have so much heartache. Dani and Ellis, with their unique abilities, find their way to work through things and definitely fight for each other, eventually getting their happily ever after. I enjoyed seeing characters from the other books. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
February 16, 2026
Dani and Ellis have a beautiful and somewhat tragic story. I am glad they found each other again after such a long time and figured out the marriage. I enjoyed their story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 7, 2026
What an amazing well written book!!📕 this is a beautiful story of a couple the characters are amazing there journey will have you in tears,laughter,and captivated. I just couldn’t put this book down and I differently didn’t want it to end!! 😃❤️
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews