Description
“Madly Deeply Always is a masterclass in slow-burn romance!” –Goodreads Reviewer
Heartbroken, burnt out, and afraid to play her guitar, 21-year-old Australian musician Lily-Anne escapes to England, hoping to find her way back to music.
She takes refuge in a seaside cottage owned by Brandon Ward—a once-renowned music manager who worked with her late father.
But Brandon isn’t what she expected.
He’s quiet, reserved, and almost impossible to read.
He doesn’t try to fix her.
He simply gives her space.
And in that stillness, something begins to grow.
But recognising what’s changing between them isn’t easy. Not with her chaotic sister’s Harry Potter road-trip plans. Or the neighbours’ matchmaking schemes. And especially not with the teasing attentions of the charming owner of Willoughby’s Café.
As Lily slowly finds her way back to music and looks to the future, a secretly besotted Brandon remains haunted by a past he’s never truly faced—even as he falls for the one person who might finally bring him back to life.
Inspired by the bittersweet yearning of Sense and Sensibility’s Brandon and Marianne, Madly Deeply Always is an introspective, emotional modern romance about healing after grief, rediscovering identity, and the unwavering devotion of a gentleman who loves without expectation—even when it hurts.
If Alan Rickman’s portrayal of Colonel Brandon stole your heart, this one’s for you.
“Everything I could ever want from a modern romance . . . from the aching mutual pining, to the emotional healing, to the way he absolutely fell first.” –Goodreads Reviewer
This is a complete story with a satisfying happily ever after (HEA), and the first book in an interconnected series of slow-burn romances.
Prepare for the kind of love that takes its time—until suddenly, it’s everything.
“This has all the secret yearning and mutual pining of a Jane Austen novel, and the slow-burn, age gap tropes of a modern romance.” –Goodreads Reviewer
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A modern take on the classic, Sense and Sensibility, the novel follows the path of professional Australian musician, Lily-Anne as she tries to recover from her first serious heartbreak and the death of her music industry-titan father. The shock of both has crippled her ability to both play and write. Hoping to restore her musicality, she reconnects with her father’s friend, Brandon Ward, manager of bands in the UK and Australia, and asks for his mentorship. Reluctantly, Brandon agrees. What ensues are encounters with the ghosts of old relationships, nosey neighbors, and the intrusion of Lily-Anne’s sister Ellenor.
With a ten-year age gap and an undeniable attraction, Lily and Brandon circle one another like two wary feral cats. Starbrook’s writing skills elicited a physical response in me to their individual pain. Told in alternating voice between the two main characters, we witness a man and woman who have been gas-lit in prior relationships leaving them “doubting themselves and the motives of those closest” to them. As Lily’s talent as a singer and song writer re-emerge, she becomes in danger of slipping into the old relationship patterns. Her influence has cracked Brandon’s shell (like the oysters he now harvests) but leaves him feeling powerless to stop her. This is a magical, bright and beautiful book of heartache and happiness. The author attributes certain chapters to the musical influence of a roster of artists as varied as Linkin Park, Billy Joel and My Chemical Romance. Though there is the undeniable similarities between Madly, Deeply Always and Sense and Sensibility, Starbrook’s take on the classic is one of the best I’ve yet to encounter.