If Not for My Baby - by Kate Golden (Paperback)

About the Book

"It's the duet of a lifetime when a rock star and his backup singer find a new kind of harmony off stage in this sensational contemporary romance. Clementine Clark isn't looking for love. Growing up with a single mom who weeps over a new guy each week tends to have that effect on a girl. But Clementine doesn't mind being the rational one-she's even buried her musical dreams so deeply within herself that she hardly notices the hole they've left in her life. That is until her best friend calls her with a life-changing opportunity: to join Irish megastar Halloran as a backing vocalist on his first US tour. Clementine wants to reject the offer, but the pay is enough to change her life-and her mom's. Overnight, Clementine goes from serving enchiladas at the Happy Tortilla to belting high notes before a cheering crowd. But the whiplash of trading small-town Texas for sold-out stadiums is nothing compared to the rush of performing with the enigmatic Thomas Patrick Halloran. Poet, introvert, and lyrical genius, Halloran quickly gets under Clementine's skin. The two couldn't see the world more differently. Yet, over the course of the next the eight-week tour, the romantic rock star strikes an unforgettable chord in Clementine. But will it be enough for an encore?"--

Book Synopsis

It's the duet of a lifetime when a rock star and his backup singer find a new kind of harmony off stage in this sensational contemporary romance.

Clementine Clark isn't looking for love. Growing up with a single mom who weeps over a new guy each week tends to have that effect on a girl. But Clementine doesn't mind being the rational one--she's even buried her musical dreams so deeply within herself that she hardly notices the hole it's left in her life.

That is until her best friend calls her with a life-changing opportunity: to join Irish megastar Halloran on his first US tour as a backing vocalist. Clementine wants to reject the offer, but the pay is enough to change her and her mom's life. Overnight, Clementine goes from serving enchiladas at the Happy Tortilla to belting high notes before a cheering crowd.

But the whiplash of trading small-town Texas for sold-out stadiums is nothing compared to the rush of performing with the enigmatic Thomas Patrick Halloran. Poet, introvert, and lyrical genius, Halloran quickly gets under Clementine's skin. The two couldn't see the world more differently. And yet, over the course of the next eight weeks on tour, the romantic rockstar might just strike an unforgettable chord in Clementine. But will it be enough for an encore?

Review Quotes

"Sensual, poetic, and full of delicious, excruciating yearning. If Not For My Baby is the kind of book I love to recommend to everyone in search of an emotionally resonant, profoundly romantic read. A tender, determined, heartfelt look at the vulnerable business of falling in love. Kate Golden wrote a chart topping hit worthy of Thomas Patrick Halloran."--Ali Hazelwood, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Deep End

"The sultry, sexy, whirlwind romance of my dreams. No one writes an earnestly yearning man quite like Kate Golden. Thomas Patrick Halloran can literally have whatever he wants. This isn't a book you're going to want to miss."--B.K. Borison, New York Times bestselling author of First-Time Caller

"If Not For My Baby is the rockstar romance of my heart. Clementine and Thomas's chemistry is palpable, and their romance is off the charts. Kate Golden's contemporary debut is a smash hit, and I hope she never stops writing them."--Lana Ferguson, USA Today bestselling author of The Nanny

"With a romance as mesmerizingly sensual as the lead singer himself, If Not for My Baby sings! Kate Golden is ready for her turn center stage in the romance genre."--Julie Soto, USA Today bestselling author of Not Another Love Song

"Nothing makes me feel quite like music does, and this passionate, angsty, tender rockstar romance from Kate Golden lit me up in all the same places. I would go anywhere with this book -- on a tour bus to every major city in America, or all the way to a castle in County Kerry. If Not for My Baby might be contemporary romance, but it reads like pure fantasy in Kate Golden's capable hands."--Alicia Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of Never Been Shipped

"If Not for My Baby is lyrical and stunningly romantic. The music, the poetry, the pining! Tom and Clem are magical together, and I was rooting for their happily ever after from the start. I adored this swoony and sexy love story, and I will read anything Kate Golden writes."--Sarah Hawley, USA Today bestselling author of Servant of Earth

"This book had me FERAL. Soulful. Intoxicating. Transcendent. Sign me up for anything and everything she writes next!"--Jo Segura, USA Today bestselling author of Temple of Swoon

"What can't Kate Golden do? If Not for My Baby completely swept me away with its intensity, softness, and killer soundtrack. I swooned from beginning to end."--Kate Goldbeck, national bestselling author of You, Again

"In equal measures soulful, sexy and sweet as cherry wine, If Not For My Baby is a rhapsodic rockstar romance with a poet's heart. Golden's prose and characters can't help holding the spotlight in this romantic, unforgettable read."--Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of Book Boyfriend

"Kate Golden can do it all--and her first crack at contemporary storytelling is an immersive, heartfelt, and unbelievably sexy knockout. If Not For My Baby isn't just for music lovers. It's for any reader who's ever wondered how much brighter life might be if they finally got out of their comfort zone."--Lauren Okie, author of The Best Worst Thing

"Painfully romantic, gorgeous, gorgeous prose, laugh out loud funny, I literally cried multiple times, INSANE original song lyrics by Ms. Golden herself... A top contender for fave read of 2025."--Meg Smitherman, author of Thrum

About the Author

Kate Golden is the USA Today bestselling author of The Sacred Stones trilogy. She lives in Los Angeles where she works in the film industry developing movies with screenwriters and filmmakers. When she isn't telling stories, Kate is an avid book reader, puzzle addict, and game night enthusiast which she hosts with her husband and puppy, Milo. You can find her on Instagram at @KateGoldenAuthor and on TikTok at @Kate_Golden_Author.