Rhythm In Blue [Kindle Edition]

tfc Parks (Author)

Book Description

Rick Rowland isn't your typical rock star. Certain he’s undeserving of the love and adoration of his fans, the attention makes him uncomfortable. As the bassist for a popular rock band, the perks are great, but stardom will never make him as happy as the one that got away. Well, more like ran away screaming after Rick's misstep with her young heart. Forgiving himself may be hard as he spirals out of control, but her forgiveness will be impossible if she won't stop running. How much sorrow can a man endure before he finally takes control and finds the way back to his heart?

Revised November 2012

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

tfc Parks lives in South Dakota with her three children in an old funeral home. She traveled extensively as a youth, and lived in Greece for many years. That experience colors every aspect of her life, writing, and being.

Product Details

• File Size: 441 KB
• Print Length: 322 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0615456030
• Publisher: Archilochus Press (March 1, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004Q9TYIA
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #200,118 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An engaging, vivid, and emotionally torrid journey. March 16, 2011

By Larry Batts

Format:Kindle Edition

The best stories don't tell a story, they bring you into the story. When reading this book, there was never a moment that I didn't feel as though I was actually in the scene and watching these characters come to grips with their various choices.

The center of this story is Rick and Shelby and as we follow them over the course of the novel, we find much to love and hate in each. We hope that they are meant to be together, but the beauty of the writing is that we are never sure what Ms. Parks has in store for them. We do however come to understand each of them, and those around them in dramatic layers that unfold throughout their journey to reconcile, re-invent and define themselves.

In the end this is a less a story about love and more a tale about connections, both the healthy and the dangerous, that help shape our lives. TFC Parks was able to lay out the complexity of these relationships on the page without overplaying the dramatic elements for effect.

Overall, I enjoyed following these characters and I found the writing smart, sensual but also very rhythmic. The mood of the writing stays with you long after you've finished the last page.

Very well done debut for Ms. Parks and I look forward to her next project.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Settings, Heartbreaking Impossible Romance, Drugs, Rock and Roll. What else could you ask for? March 16, 2011

By J. L. Stratton

Format:Kindle Edition

Nicholas Sparks and Vladimir Nabokov had a baby, and she is TFC Parks. I believe that is the best explanation I can formulate for "Rhythm in Blue." In this story, the reader is invited into the life of Rick, an abused teen turned rock star. I was drawn into the trials and tribulations of Rick, Shelby, and all of his band mates and friends in beautiful, graphic, painful, sensuous, and heartfelt detail. I know that everyone wants a story that draws you in and makes you read it in one quick sitting. Rest assured, this book has that capacity, but I read it slow, savoring every word, thought, and feeling expressed by the realistic characters. At times, I found myself rereading a section just to relive the emotion, trying to somehow will Rick or his friends to make the right decisions. Maybe I had some fantasy that I could change the heart wrenching parts by re-reading them--that's just how this story draws the reader in! I felt like I wasn't just reading the words, I was living right beside Rick, struggling to overcome past history and poor decisions, and win the heart of my one true love at any cost.
TFC Parks does an outstanding job of bringing the reader into the story, set in the late seventies and early to mid eighties, transporting the reader to the beautiful Mediterranean and contrasting this surreal beauty with equal pain and hope. Great first effort by TFC Parks. I can only hope to read more from her in the future. Five stars all the way!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down August 21, 2012

By Michael Williams Jr.

Format:Kindle Edition

From the beginning of the book till the end it was hard for me to put it down. There isn't one slow spot in the book and has you on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to happen next.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Insider track to a 80's Rock Band April 9, 2011

By Cwaider

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you've ever wanted to have an insider's look at an 80's rock band this is the book for you. I enjoyed the descriptions of the scenery, character development, and the riviting story line. A good book makes you think and argue with yourself. That is exactly what this book made me do. At one point I felt great pity for the main character, but he also disgusted me at the same time. I felt that the journey the reader takes with the main character was a rollar coaster ride of emotions. It was like being on tour with one of the greatest rock bands of all time. The book is descriptive, well written, and a good read. The author made me want to hop a plane myself and go to Greece. In the end, friendship and true love prevaiol. Warning: The end leaves you hoping for a sequel.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Amazing. July 12, 2012

By C. Priest Brumley

Format:Kindle Edition

I don't know where to start with this. I thought about writing a critique piece, but shortly realized that I had no critiques to give. I think, if I may, that I'm just going to hip-shot this one. Here we go.

It's extremely rare that I come across a book that engrosses me as completely Rhythm In Blue did. I don't know why. I couldn't explain it to save my life. It may be the relatable characters; being a former musician myself, I knew these men the moment they opened their mouths. I knew Shelby, precocious and wise beyond her years. I knew them all. I knew the setting, though I've never been to Greece, but the scenery jumped in my head without a second thought. I just, well, knew it.

The twists and turns in Rick's life are believable, well-thought-out, and surprising. The tragic turbulence of his times are presented in a way that leaves you constantly wanting more. And then more. And then a bit more for afters. And then, you realize with a dawning awareness, that it's over. It's THAT good. You devour the whole of the story, anxious for more, until you reach the end, waiting for the next page that isn't there.

To Ms. Parks, I say this: Thank you for this story, and I await your further writings with a near Rowling-esque fervor, ma'am.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read, romantic and fun. October 22, 2011

By Mdandy

Format:Kindle Edition

I'm a guy, so I don't read books with a lot of romance, this one was recommended to me and I'm glad I read it. The characters feel alive, the writing is rock solid and the story feels honest and true. Great book.

More About the Author

I am a U.S. based writer of fiction and short articles. I completed my first novel, Rhythm in Blue, in April 2010, and have since been experimenting in other genres. I have several erotic short stories and novellas published under the pen name Brandie Buckwine. I like to write about music and bands because music has always been such a big part of my life, but I never had the attention span or dedication to learn to play.

Growing up, my family moved around a lot. I've lived in eight states and spent a total of eight years living on the Greek island of Paros. All of these locations and experiences have shaped me, in an odd, disconnected sort of way, but such is life (etsi enai h zoi) as they say...

My current project is a New Adult Romance about three young adults living under the intense focus of their peers, family, and community, and how their every action, word, and thought affects everything around them. The working title is Pushing Away and I hope to complete it this spring, 2013.

Amazon Brandie Buckwine page:http://www.amazon.com/Brandie-Buckwine/e/B005HSWYWC/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1362666850&sr=1-2-ent

tfc Parks website: http://tammyparks.wordpress.com/