Main Character: Carmen Bianchi
Love Interest: Jeremy King
Series: None
Author: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads
Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen’s whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn’t just hot…what if Jeremy is better?
Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can’t end well, but she just can’t stay away. Nobody else understands her—and riles her up—like he does. Still, she can’t trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes antianxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what’s expected.
Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall….
I’ve never in my life played the violin before and to be honest, I’ve never been tempted to either. But after I put this book down, I wanted to play the violin something fierce. I wanted to whip out the violin that I didn’t have and step onto the hotel balcony that I wasn’t at and just start playing my heart out. Yeah, that’s my way of telling you guys that I enjoyed this book…heaps!
When this book first started, not a lot was going through my head but before I knew what was what, I was in the middle of the book and I couldn’t read the words fast enough. I enjoyed getting to know Carmen Bianchi even though she wasn’t easy to take at times. There were times when I wanted to pull her hair or stomp on her foot but I kept reading because I was invested in what would happen next. I wanted to know, very badly. I was intrigued by Jeremy King and the relationship that blooming between the two of them.
These two characters are celebrities in their world but I wouldn’t have known who they were. After reading this book, I wanted to know who they were. I wanted to hear them play together and I wanted to hear them play not together. I wanted to call my friend who did grow up playing the violin and ask her if she still had it and if she could teach me how to play. I knew that I would get over it before the lessons actually started and I also know that she knew it too.
Both Carmen and Jeremy’s characters were well written. I wasn’t left thinking that I didn’t know who they were at the end. At the end of the book, I knew Carmen and Jeremy like they were my own friends. I rejoiced in their accomplishments and I worried about them when they were going through the downs. Seeing what Carmen went through and seeing her struggle trying to come into her own made for some great reading and I’m glad that I got to know her. She was interesting and she was raw and I was happy with the way things turned out for her in the end.
I couldn’t stand Carmen’s Mom but I adored Clark. I was so glad that Carmen had both Clark and Heidi in her life to keep her grounded. She needed them and it took Jeremy coming into her life for her to realize it. Jeremy’s character was one of those characters that I wasn’t expecting to like quite as much as I did but I did. The love he had for his family and then for Carmen was too cute for words and I was a total fan.
Overall, this book was a great introduction for me into the world of violin musicians. The pressure these young musicians are under, the spotlight that was blinding was all really interesting to read about and I enjoyed it all. Kudos to Jessica Martinez for writing a story that totally captured my attention and a little bit of my heart. =)
..and that’s your scoop!
Book cover and blurb credit: http://barnesandnoble.com
