Book Blitz: In Harmony (Fenbrook Academy #2) by Helena Newbury
(Blurb): Everyone expects her to succeed….
Karen plays the cello like an angel, and it’s the only thing that makes her truly feel alive. But her father’s dream—for her to join a prestigious orchestra—leaves no time in her life for anything but music…not even love. Trapped on her path, she doesn’t know how to rebel.
Everyone expects him to fail….
Connor plays rock guitar like the devil himself, and his ability has got him all the way from a dead-end life in Belfast to a scholarship at Fenbrook Academy. But beneath his arrogance and charm, he doesn’t believe he has what it takes. He’s spent his time in New York drinking and partying, and the only future he sees is a return to Ireland as soon as he flunks out.
But what no one expects….
When Karen’s duet partner is injured, the bad boy guitarist and the shy, sheltered cellist are forced to team up. Neither likes the idea, but what begins as anger and distrust slowly spirals into love…and lust. If they can face up to their feelings, they might just have a chance together. If Connor will allow Karen to stop his fall, maybe he can show her a life she never thought possible....
Book Information:
Genre: Contemporary romance, music
Age Group: New Adult
Series: yes, stand-alone
Length: eq. 400 pg paperback
Version: eBook, Kindle
Note: An ARC of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
Review:
In Harmony follows two students, Karen and Connor, through personal trials and tribulations as they try to live up to parental and personal expectations.
What I liked
As many of my readers/followers are aware, I love books that deal with music or artistry. As music is a passion in my life (one of many), it becomes really easy for me to loose myself in books that deal with the ups and downs in that hobby (or as a career).Author Helena Newbury did a great job at taking a topic that is commonly wrote about and still making it a page turner (let's be honest, bad boy meets good girl in a music school isn't an uncommon story line). I started this at about 8pm after work and didn't go to bed until it was finished in the early morning hours...and then got up for a 12 hour work day...But it was totally worth it!
All of the main characters are very likable. Karen is a very driven and determined person and you can tell that she is truly passionate about her music career. Connor - not so much. I actually wasn't all that sure what to think about him in the beginning. But he's one of those characters that as the story unfolds and you get a peek into his mind you start to understand him.
There is a bit of a twist in the story that I was not expecting and I thought that it added an interesting aspect to the plot. This was a nice deviation from a fairly straight forward story line as I mentioned before.
What I didn't like
I wished there would have been a little more of a climax in the plot. Besides the little twist I mentioned previously, everything in the characters lives seemed to go a little too smoothly considering their individual situations. While each character clearly had their own problems to overcome, I thought that their problems were solved a little too easily. In some cases, I couldn't understand why the characters went about things the way that they did. For example, Karen's father came off as having a lot of power and control over Karen - but legally (and logically) I don't see how that kind of control could have really existed. I mean we're dealing with 21+ year old characters so while he could control some aspects of Karen's life, I think there are many ways in which situations were blown out of proportion.
Overall, I really enjoyed In Harmony. It dealt with the pressures of life - both personal and those that family expectations can create - and showcased how a fairly healthy relationship can really help people find their own footing in life. Connor and Karen are great characters who's personalities and lives offset each other just enough to really bring In Harmony together. My dislikes of the book are fairly minor in relation to the overall plot.
Ratings:
Romance: Steamy
Plot Progression: ***+
Character Development: ***+
My Rating:
About the Author: Helena Newbury
Genre: Contemporary romance, music
Age Group: New Adult
Series: yes, stand-alone
Length: eq. 400 pg paperback
Version: eBook, Kindle
Note: An ARC of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
Review:
In Harmony follows two students, Karen and Connor, through personal trials and tribulations as they try to live up to parental and personal expectations.
What I liked
As many of my readers/followers are aware, I love books that deal with music or artistry. As music is a passion in my life (one of many), it becomes really easy for me to loose myself in books that deal with the ups and downs in that hobby (or as a career).Author Helena Newbury did a great job at taking a topic that is commonly wrote about and still making it a page turner (let's be honest, bad boy meets good girl in a music school isn't an uncommon story line). I started this at about 8pm after work and didn't go to bed until it was finished in the early morning hours...and then got up for a 12 hour work day...But it was totally worth it!
All of the main characters are very likable. Karen is a very driven and determined person and you can tell that she is truly passionate about her music career. Connor - not so much. I actually wasn't all that sure what to think about him in the beginning. But he's one of those characters that as the story unfolds and you get a peek into his mind you start to understand him.
There is a bit of a twist in the story that I was not expecting and I thought that it added an interesting aspect to the plot. This was a nice deviation from a fairly straight forward story line as I mentioned before.
What I didn't like
I wished there would have been a little more of a climax in the plot. Besides the little twist I mentioned previously, everything in the characters lives seemed to go a little too smoothly considering their individual situations. While each character clearly had their own problems to overcome, I thought that their problems were solved a little too easily. In some cases, I couldn't understand why the characters went about things the way that they did. For example, Karen's father came off as having a lot of power and control over Karen - but legally (and logically) I don't see how that kind of control could have really existed. I mean we're dealing with 21+ year old characters so while he could control some aspects of Karen's life, I think there are many ways in which situations were blown out of proportion.
Overall, I really enjoyed In Harmony. It dealt with the pressures of life - both personal and those that family expectations can create - and showcased how a fairly healthy relationship can really help people find their own footing in life. Connor and Karen are great characters who's personalities and lives offset each other just enough to really bring In Harmony together. My dislikes of the book are fairly minor in relation to the overall plot.
Ratings:
Romance: Steamy
Plot Progression: ***+
Character Development: ***+
My Rating:
About the Author: Helena Newbury
Helena Newbury is a New Adult Romance author with a love of bakingly hot summer days, strawberry gelato, good coffee and interesting people. Unlike the characters in her books, Helena cannot dance, act or play anything (though she is substantially more flexible since she started writing Dance For Me and tried doing dancer’s stretches, so she's hoping that something will rub off on her from each book).
Helena writes in a very noisy, very busy coffee shop which means she sometimes end up mainlining caffeine to keep her seat. You’ll know when this happens because she’ll still be on Twitter that night at 4am.
She loves meeting and talking with other authors, traveling to new places and discovering new books.
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Thanks, Jessi :)
ReplyDeleteNo problem! I enjoyed every minute of it :-)
DeleteGreat tour as always Shane :-)
ReplyDelete