First Verse

A Rockstar Romance (A Perfect Song Duet, Book 1)

De: L.M. Halloran

Narrado por: Isabelle Ruther, Austin Stone

Growing up, Wilder Ashburn was the hero I worshipped.
I was the pigtailed pest who never left him alone.

Everything changed the day I gave him a poem.
For the first time, he saw me...
And then he reached for his guitar.

From that moment on, we were entangled.
Bound by music and a shared dream.

Along the way, we made vows:
To always stay the same,
To never let anything come between us,
And above all, to never, ever fall in love.
But it turns out our promises were poison,
Corrupted long before spoken.
And for us, there is no antidote.

Falling in love was as inevitable as stardom,
And it would destroy us both.

What To Expect:- Heavy Angst
- Childhood Best Friends
- Musical Soulmates
- Anxiety + Addiction Rep
- Dual POV duet narration

While this duet can be listened to as a standalone, it's also a second generation story set within the Breaking Love universe. As such, it contains characters and spoilers from prior books in the series. Content warning can be found at the beginning of the book and on the author's website.

©2025 L.M. Halloran (P)2025 L.M. Halloran

An angsty, rockstar romance not to be missed!

This is not a review—it’s a post-mortem. First Verse by L.M. Halloran on audio? Strap in. Because this audiobook didn’t just whisper sweet nothings into my ear—it ripped out my soul, slammed it against a brick wall of trauma and lust, then kissed it better with a voice like sin-drenched velvet.

Let me tell you something. I went in thinking I’d vibe with a moody rockstar romance. What I got was a full-body spiritual possession. This book didn’t “make me cry.” No. This book ripped open my ribcage, looked at my trauma like it was reading a diary, and said “cute—let’s make it worse.” And the narrators? They relished every word of it.

This audiobook is auditory warfare. Isabelle Ruther and Austin Stone didn’t just perform First Verse. They resurrected it. They possessed it. They made art out of agony. They sang pain like poetry. They whispered love like a threat and made silence louder than screaming. They don’t just voice Wilder and Eva. They become the entire atmosphere of the book.

From the first second Isabelle opened her mouth, I knew I was in danger. She didn’t just read Eva’s trauma and desire—she made me feel it like it was mine. There’s a delicate edge to her performance that feels like a storm barely held back. Every line had this ache to it. When she broke, I broke. She gave Eva dimension, vulnerability, and a backbone made of broken poetry. Her voice is soft when it needs to be, but it has teeth. She’s not a damsel—she’s a girl on fire, whispering her own eulogy in the arms of a man who doesn’t know how to love gently.

When Eva spirals? Isabelle spirals.
When Eva yearns? Isabelle aches.
When Eva loves? I swear to God, I felt oxygen flood back into my lungs.
She gave Eva spine and sorrow.
Desire and devastation.
And when she broke? I was THERE.
I was on the floor.
Clutching my chest like I’d lost someone too.
She doesn’t just read pain. She embodies it.

You know how Wilder is written like a walking contradiction? Gentle. Brutal. Loyal. Ruined.
Yeah—Austin didn’t narrate that. He became it. Wilder came out of his mouth like danger wrapped in velvet. This man’s voice is a sin you whisper in confession. It’s gravel and grief and tension so thick I could feel it in my bones.

When he hit the emotionally devastating lines—the ones laced with guilt and longing? I FELT THOSE IN MY BLOODSTREAM. His voice has this aching cadence, like he’s trying to hold himself together while unraveling. You can hear the things Wilder won’t say out loud—but Austin says them anyway, in every pause, every crack, every breath. His vocal control is sickening. He’ll give you a line all rough and guttural, then pivot into a moment so intimate it’s like a kiss whispered against your skin. There’s grit in his grief, silk in his seduction, and blood in every confession.

So if you’re wondering if it’s worth the listen?
YES. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. You’ll finish this book with your heart in splinters and your brain rewired.

This wasn’t a romance audiobook.
This was a haunting.
This was a possession.
This was Isabelle Ruther and Austin Stone dragging me into the depths of poetic longing, setting me on fire, and then reading me my eulogy in stereo.

Run. Don’t walk. Put on your headphones. Let it destroy you. Then message me so we can SCREAM about it together.

If you haven’t listened yet, good luck. And if you have?
Welcome to the club. We meet every Wednesday to sob and re-listen.

You were mine at the end of time.

First Verse really felt like part of a song. It’s an eclectic mix of styles coming together to make it effortlessly beautiful and beautifully angsty.
What an audiobook! Thank you, Isabelle Ruther and Austin Stone for breaking my heart.

Evangeline and Wilder have always been close. They have written music together since they were kids. And there’s an undeniable connection between them. Maybe they’re opposites, maybe they complement each other… Regardless, they’re meant to be.
Even when he hurts her to keep her away.

There was so much vulnerability in the narrators’ voices, and that’s what drew me in. This was my first time listening to Isabelle Ruther, and I loved her. She gave me all of Evangeline’s strength, focus, and drive, but also her indecision, her moments of self-doubt, of worry and care.

Austin Stone has a voice made for tortured heroes, and I absolutely mean that as a compliment! Austin didn’t play Wilder—he became him—with all his demons and his darkness, and the want and deep, endless feelings he has for Evangeline.

What binds them runs a lot deeper than “just” love. And it’s the dichotomy between what they want and what they almost have that makes this tragic—and a love story for the ages. The fact that music permeates the book only made it better.

When they finally get together? They’re perfect. Steamy and hot but intimate. Romantic in their own way, in a symphony only they know.
But when their love faces reality… it’s devastating.

As a duet, you get all the love and want mixed with anxiety, darkness, sadness… and hope. It’s one of the best depictions of addiction I’ve ever read or listened to, beautifully done with how real it is.

Isabelle and Austin made me believe it. They made it hurt.
And I wouldn’t change a thing.
Because you need the darkness to appreciate the light. And love sometimes hurts because it’s too big to be contained.

I feel broken but hopeful. And I can’t wait to listen to Last Chorus so they can put me back together again.

Audiobook was just as good as the epub

I read this book and wanted to listen to it once it was released. These narrators were perfect for these characters. They poured themselves into Eva and Wilder, allowing their story to penetrate the soul. Well done!