Tracy’s review of Let It Be Me (The Blue Raven #5) by Kate Noble.
Bridget longs to meet a gentleman who doesn’t mention her beautiful sister upon shaking her hand. But since being branded a shrew after a disastrous social season, Bridget knows she’s lucky to even have a man come near her. It’s enough to make a lady flee the country…
So Bridget heads to Venice for music lessons with the renowned Italian composer Vincenzo Carpenini, with whom she’s been corresponding. But not only is Carpenini not expecting her, he doesn’t even remember her! His friend, theater owner Oliver Merrick, does, though. And one look into her tantalizing green eyes has him cursing his impulsive letter-writing, which brought her across the continent. Yet before Merrick can apologize, Carpenini has ordered her away.
Little does either man know that they will soon be embroiled in a wager that will require the beautiful Miss Forrester’s help—or that there’ll be far more at stake in this gamble than money…
Bridget loves to play music. It’s in her head all the time and it’s really one of the most important parts of her life. Unfortunately her mother makes her attend balls and such but she hates them. Her sister was a diamond of the first water and now people look at Bridget and see, well, not a diamond. Bridget’s also a bit surly because while she loves her sister she hates being constantly compared to her! Her dance card is empty all the time and she thinks it’s a complete waste to go to balls at all.
Five years earlier Bridget’s family had housed the famous composer Vincenzo Carpenini and his companion, Oliver Merrick. During that time Carpenini heard Bridget play the pianoforte and praised her playing. When after five years she gets a letter from Mr. Merrick stating that Carpenini is returning to England from Venice and would like to take Bridget on as a student she’s ecstatic. He never shows up though so when Bridget has the chance to talk her mother into taking a trip to Italy she takes it.
Carpenini in the meantime has fallen out of favor with his benefactor and has created a competition that he will pit his best female student against his benefactor’s new “in” man’s best male student. The problem is that Carpenini has no students at all. When Oliver mentions to Carpenini that Bridget is in the city they manage to talk her into competing. The months that Bridget rehearses go by with her trying to deal with her stage fright, Carpenini’s unending criticism and the feelings that grow in her for Oliver.
There’s so much more that goes on in this story that I can’t begin to tell you all the ins and outs of it all. Despite there being many different parts to the story I thought that Noble brought them all together so nicely.
I absolutely loved the musical aspect of this book. Music obviously plays a HUGE roll in the story and I so enjoyed the way the author described the music and the way it made the different characters feel. It almost made me feel like I was there listening to the music while it played. I did grow up in a musical family but I’m the only one out of my parents and 3 siblings that doesn’t play an instrument! I don’t know how to read music but am a little familiar with the different tempo names and such that are involved. Having that knowledge was nice but I honestly think that someone who has no musical background at all could read this and get exactly what Noble is talking about.
The romance between Oliver and Bridget was so very sweet. It almost played a secondary place in the story but it was always there and present so I didn’t feel deprived at all. The long strolls and talks that Oliver took with Bridget, the times they couldn’t take those strolls, the gondolas rides, it was all just fairly magical to me.
I think the story was a lovely one and I honestly couldn’t put the book down. I definitely would recommend this to everyone, music aficionado or not. It’s a charming story and one I will be reading again in the future.
Rating: 4 out of 5
The Series:
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This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.
I’m really looking forward to this one. Thanks for the review.