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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very Interesting - Nice Sensual Read, November 15, 2004
Dylan Moore was a brilliant pianist, composer, and conductor whose music was his first and only love and now, reckless as always, his escapades could, to the casual observer, signal something more - like perhaps a death wish? For Dylan, since falling from his horse, the noise in his head was a fate worse than death for he could no longer hear the music. One fateful night he was ready to end it all until a mysterious beautiful violinist came to his rescue and for a moment - he heard the music swirl around her in a lovely melody. Though he tried to find her it would be five long years before he located the woman who had stopped his suicide and stirred his soul.
Grace Cheval, knew when Dylan found her again that she wanted nothing to do with him - he was so much like the artist she had wed and left - the type of man who didn't know how to love anything but their art. Unfortunately, she was destitute as well as disgraced and had very little options left in order to survive, so she accepted Dylan's offer of a position of governess to his newfound daughter. Grace, a passionate woman who had spent so many lonely years alone now denied herself and the growing feelings Dylan inspired. She fought every kiss that was slowly and surely melting the ice around her heart, but before she surrendered to the increasing passion could she melt the ice around his?
I thought this was an absolutely dynamic character study of a brilliantly gifted man and woman. He who was so tormented by an accident that diminished his ability to compose and play the music that he loved. While Grace, who had fiercely loved and saw that love wasted on a husband who had no room in his soul to love anything other than his art, knew that Dylan was cut from the same cloth. When her dire circumstances led her to accept the position he offered she was sure she would not make the same mistake of allowing herself to fall in love with him. The secondary and beautifully crafted 8-year-old illegitimate daughter Isabella, was both the catalyst that began Dylan's initiation into a caring human being and gave a superb strength to the overall plot as Dylan began to see himself in his small daughter. Isabella, the very precocious daughter was a total delight even as she exhibited some of the same spoiled selfish brat traits of the father that he found weren't quite nice. While there were not a lot of actual passionate encounters, the underlying sensuality of the story was extremely well done and I totally enjoyed the beautifully contrived character studies of both the protagonists and the deeply sensual romance.
*** I get thoroughly upset when readers slap a book because they might not 'get it' - My advice - read and decide for yourself! -
--- Marilyn Rondeau, for www.historicalromancewriters.com ---
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
4 and 1/2 stars, October 12, 2004
There are those who bemoan the loss of quality historical romance and sometimes after a particularly bad read, I am inclined to agree with them. But every once in a while an author comes along with a book so incredibly engrossing that I am one again hopeful that the genre will survive the glut of unimaginative, lackluster crap that's put out there.
Composer Dylan Moore is as famous for his brilliant music as he is for his wild lifestyle and his reckless antics. During one wild escapade, Dylan takes a fall from his horse and hits his head on a rock. He survives the fall but the injury caused by the impact creates an incessant buzzing sound in his head that drowns out the music. Tormented by his inability to compose Dylan is driven to near madness and in his typical dramatic fashion tries to take his own life at a concert hall where he had conducted his most brilliant works.
His savior turns out to be the hall's hauntingly beautiful charwoman who manages to convince him in a no-nonsense way that he has something to live for even if it doesn't seem like it at
the time.Dylan concedes, not because of her speech but because for the first time since the accident he is able to hear music. So,the good news is that Dylan might be able to compose again.The bad news is that his muse has disappeared without a trace.
Five years later, Grace Cheval is nearly destitute when she runs into Dylan Moore again. This time he will stop at nothing to possess this sensual woman who has the ability to bring back the music his life revolves around. Grace, on the other hand, already played muse to an artist with disastrous results so she fights Dylan tooth and nail every step of the way. Then one day Dylan's life is changed forever when a daughter he never knew he had is dropped off at his doorstep giving him the perfect excuse to bring Grace into his life. The ever practical Grace, being almost homeless at this point, decides that taking a post as governess to Dylan's daughter is the lesser of two evils.
So,she agrees as long as he understands that she will not now nor will she ever accept to become his lover or his muse.
It is no secret that I'm a sucker for tortured heroes.Dylan Moore is magnificent in his torment and the author does not try to sugarcoat him at any time. He is a gloriously moody,selfish, self-absorbed, devil-may-care bad boy.But, at the same time she gives the reader teasing glimpses of the tender, thoughtful, loving man that lies beneath and it makes for a very potent combination. She also suceeded in creating a perfect heroine for him. Grace is a practical, strong, smart woman who is completely unafraid of her sexuality. She has made some terrible mistakes in the past but she will not crucify herself for them.In short, she is a breath of fresh air in a time period that is polluted with self sacrificing virgins. I also loved Isabel, Dylan's daughter. Other reviewers have pointed out that she was too articulate for an eight year old ,however, the author did describe her as a musical genius like her father. So, the character seemed true to life for me. As for the plot, it's certainly nothing too original, however, the author makes it work. To me this is proof that a good author can breathe life into any old tired plot. In the end though, I just couldn't award the book five stars because I felt Grace held out for much too long and then when she finally gave in to her desires, her about face just seemed too sudden for me. I also thought the end cried out for an epilogue but that's just a small quibble on my part.
After putting out two great books in a row Ms. Guhrke has become an auto buy author for me and so I urge any serious romance reader to run out and buy this book. You will not be disappointed :)
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delicious., June 11, 2005
Dylan is a refreshingly original incarnation of the ol' Tormented Hero in Need of Redemption.
Grace, aptly named, is just the woman to give it to him.
She retains her dignity even when tragic circumstances find her pushing a broom. Which makes her an excellent foil for a man whose own tragedy hasn't been handled nearly so well.
The familiar themes of seduction, betrayal and redemption are given new life here, thanks to finely drawn characters, sensual love scenes, and the unusual nature of Dylan's private torment. I was mad as hell at his about-face when he found a flaw in Grace's perfection. But I was eager to forgive him. He was worth it.
All too often, we're given bad-boy heros whose cruel behavior toward the heroin is relentlessly unfair. Desperate to see some sign that he has a conscience, and that I didn't make a mistake when I bought the book, I've let myself be led through chapter after of chapter emotional abuse presented as romance. When the abuse is spiced with sexual tension, the heroines - and the authors, presumably - seem to interpret the man's rampant libido as evidence that he's in love, but is just too vulnerable to express his feelings any other way. Right.
As a first-time reader of this author, I'm delighted to announce that Dylan is different. His darkness is credible, considering what he's lost. More importantly, it's offset by genuine tenderness and charm, making Grace's love for him believable and not proof that she's a masochist.
I enjoy an emotional rollercoaster, provided there are as many high points as low ones. This was a great ride.
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