The Treble With Men, an all-new secret identity romantic standalone from Piper Sheldon, is now available in Kindle Unlimited!
As far as Green Valley is concerned, Kim Dae disappeared into the Wraiths a decade ago. They were sort of right. Kim has spent her life since Jethro fighting her curious nature and trying to blend into the background. Unfortunately for her, a mysterious Maestro comes to town and takes quick notice of her for reasons unknown to anybody.
The masked conductor, known simply as Devlin, was already a source of much gossip thanks to his reputation for getting fired. Now, his sudden interest in the quiet fourth chair cellist has added fuel to the rumor fire. The new conductor of the symphony needs to learn to control his temper and finish his latest musical masterpiece and only the reluctant star of his symphony can help him do that. If Devlin can’t convince Kim to help to finish his latest composition he’ll lose everything.
Can Devlin and Kim compose without losing composure?
‘The Treble with Men’ is a full-length contemporary romance, can be read as a standalone, and is book #2 in the Scorned Women’s Society series, Green Valley World, Penny Reid Book Universe.
Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/38j9pKK
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2u7p4Om
My Review
This is not at all what I expected, but absolutely loved it.
Kim Dae was once a cellist prodigy. Attended a summer camp
for musicians, was on track to perform with large symphonies, and attend prestigious
musical schools. Then, everything changed. She moved in with her parents, became
Christine Day, and was not at all who she was previously. While she was still
performing, she wasn’t happy about it, and was hiding in the shadows as a 4th
chair. She was perfectly fine hiding in the background.
Enter Devlin, the masked maestro. He’s been given the job of
directing the orchestra and is grumpy, demanding, and temperamental. He’s also
hiding from others, including his own family who doesn’t have the full story of
why he keeps leaving jobs and taking new ones. He also has secrets, and these
are directly tied to his own past, and the one she shares with Kim/Christine.
Both characters struggle with a difficult past, and people
trying to exploit them. With Kim/Christine, it’s an incident that she feels she
had a hand in creating, a wild streak that includes Jethro, and a tie to a
fellow camper / her manager who is trying to make her into something she’s now.
For Devlin, he’s hiding his true feelings for Kim/Christine, his reason for
selecting her to help him with his composition, and his own past as a pop-star
and the one who sent her notes beyond those of a musical type.
This was a really good read, and could be broken down into the
character development using several identity development theories. Overall, it’s
a well written story.
Excerpt
“Let’s play through. I want to
hear if you’re qualified,” Devlin said.
“Yes, Maestro.”
Around me, the symphony moved into
the ready position. Devlin didn’t pick up his baton.
“You’ll need to move,” he said
coolly, as his gaze flicked to the empty first chair.
Amazingly, my legs supported me
despite how badly my knees tingled. The neck of my cello was tightly gripped in
my fist like it was the only thing keeping me from spinning off the earth.
“We will start from the Andante
movement,” he called out as I got situated.
Next to me Barry gave me a brief
nod of encouragement. I managed a small smile back. Playing alone at night was
a heck of a lot different than feeling an entire symphony watch you. I wiped my
palms on my dress pants before straightening my spine.
My nerves were shredded. I did
this for a living and yet I couldn’t get my bow to stop wobbling where it
hovered just above the strings. My heart sputtered and cranked to a manic
tempo. Carla should be here. What if something happened to her? The world began
to tune out around me. Tears pricked behind my eyes. How ridiculous was that? I
played with these people every day, but if I tried to speak or breathe or move,
I’d start to cry.
“Hey.” Devlin’s voice was so soft
I hardly noticed it at first. His biker boots appeared in front of my blurring
vision. “Christine?”
I lifted my chin to find him
standing in front of me with a furrowed brow. “Is she okay?” The question just
slipped out, but I needed to know.
He dropped into a crouch to better
hear me, causing me to pick up soft hints of cologne, fabric softener, and
motorcycle exhaust. “What?”
I asked again a little louder but
likely only Barry would be able to hear, if that.
His face was impassive like he was
processing what I said. “Who? Carla?”
I nodded stiffly.
“Family emergency. She’ll be back
on Monday,” he spoke softly.
“Oh.” A weight lifted from my
shoulders.
My chest rose as I took a deep
breath in. I released it slowly. Surely the entire room was waiting to see what
my deal was.
“I appreciate you stepping in for
her.” He lifted his chin to get me to look into his eyes. “I’m sure she would
appreciate it too.”
I doubted that, but at least I
wasn’t taking the performance from her. I was helping the orchestra out. I
could absolutely do this. My thoughts had me worrying my bottom lip.
His focus lowered to my lips then
quickly to where my hand gripped the shoulder of my cello. He cleared his
throat. “Are you ready?”
I swallowed down my irrational
fears. Carla was fine. It was just one show. I could do this. I got into
position in answer to his question. Those dark eyes flitted around my face as
though checking to see if I really was ready.
“All you need to do is watch me.”
When he spoke his mask hardly moved; nobody would know he’d spoken at all. My
gaze was locked on his as it smoldered with intensity. “It’s you and me.”
As though I could look anywhere
else. When he gave me his focus, the rest of the room faded away. The rest of
the world.
“Ready?” he asked.
I forced my shoulders down. He got
back onto the podium and I lifted my bow to wait for my solo entrance as he
counted the rest of the orchestra in. The notes on the page transformed into a
foreign language. The music quieted, signifying my entrance. I drew my bow
along the string, but my tense arm caused a noticeable wobble. A wave of heat
burned up my neck, a flush likely giving me away. Just when I thought I might
lose total control, I remembered his directions. I looked to him.
His arm conducted the rest of the
orchestra smoothly as they played their soft accompaniment, but his head was
turned to me. He was willing me to look at him. His eyes narrowed when mine
finally met his. He nodded his chin subtly. I didn’t need to read the music. I
knew this solo in my sleep. Instead, I kept my focus on him. I played. Everything
else blurred into the background. The music came then. It flowed through me.
It was just us and the beautiful
music.
About Piper Sheldon
Piper Sheldon writes Contemporary Romance and Magical Realism books that hope to be New York Times bestsellers when they grow up. For now, she works as a technical writer during the day and writes about love the rest of the time. Of course she also makes room for her husband, toddler, and two needy dogs at home in the Desert Southwest.
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