(Image from Deseret Book)

Violinist Emma Hill knows that moving back to Asheville, North Carolina, will mean taking a step backward in her flourishing music career.  Since the South is not exactly overrun with eligible Mormon bachelors, the 25-year-old's dating life will likely take a hit as well.  Family's worth it, though, and Emma's is struggling.  The effects of her mother's MS are taking a toll on her parents, while her younger sister—also a talented violinist—is threatening to quit music altogether.  Emma wants to be there to help, even if her folks insist they're fine.

To Emma's surprise, Asheville is not as RM deficient as she thought it would be.  In fact, a very good-looking specimen has just moved into the apartment next door.  Not only is Elliott Hart hot, but he's also humble and kind.  And a musician to boot.  With a large YouTube following, the 26-year-old pianist is a minor celebrity—minus the inflated ego.  In fact, he could not be more perfect.  With all she and Elliott have in common, Emma expects their hearts to fall into perfect harmony.  

Except, they don't.

Why is Elliott rebuffing Emma's every (admittedly clumsy) move?  How can she convince him she's serious Eternal Companion material and not just another star struck fan?  Will the two ever make beautiful music together?  Or has Emma struck too many wrong notes with the man she's coming to love most desperately?

I don't read a lot of them, but I do love me a fun, swoony rom com.  It has to be done right, though, and Love at First Note by Jenny Proctor definitely struck a chord.  Yes, it skims on plot.  Still, the novel is light, sweet, and humorous, just as it should be.  As a bonus, the characters have depth to them; the story is engaging; and the tone is upbeat.  It's a cute, clean romance.  Easy to read, easy to love.  Which I did.  This is the first book I've read by Proctor, but Love at First Note convinced me that it won't be the last.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Although Whisper's cleft palate makes her an outcast in the outside world, the 15-year-old lives a peaceful, happy life in the woods with a group of other disfigured children.  Cared for by a kindly old man, the kids have all been abandoned by their parents—except for Whisper, who still receives yearly visits from her mother.  While Whisper longs to be able to live with her parents like a "normal" child, she knows it's not possible in a society that fears and abuses people who look like her.  She's content with her lot in life, even if she can't quite understand it.

Everything changes when Whisper's mother dies and the father she's never met takes Whisper away from her forest home.  He wants her to live with him—as his house slave.  When she fails to please the hateful man, she's sent to an even more horrifying place: the city.  Forced to beg on the mean streets in order to keep a roof over her head, Whisper fights just to stay alive.  Only one thing brings her comfort: the music she creates with the violin her mother gave her.  

As Whisper learns to survive in the harsh, unkind world, she finds glimmers of hope in the most surprising places.  While being shunned for her "ugliness," she discovers great truths about family, friendship and beauty.  Is it possible that she can find the happiness she desires even in such a cruel place?   

So, I've discovered that the most difficult books for me to describe are those that skimp on plot.  Things happen in these novels, yes, but because the various scenes aren't tightly and skillfully woven together, the whole story feels floppy.  Such is the case with Whisper, a debut novel by Chris Struyk-Bonn.  While the book offers an intriguing futuristic/dystopian setting as well as a very sympathetic heroine, the story drags along in an aimless, unfocused manner.  Why?  Because Whisper lacks a strong, clearly-defined story goal.  Without one, her tale feels too episodic and disjointed.  While this bugged me throughout the book, I did find the overall story fairly compelling.  I also appreciated the lessons it teaches about the true nature of beauty and accepting people for who they are instead of what they look like.  Still, I ended up liking this one, but not loving it.  

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of Wonder by R.J. Palacio)

Grade:

I'll be honest, I don't listen to a lot of violin music.  Too many years of attending screechy elementary school orchestra concerts may have ruined the instrument for me forever!  Kidding, kidding—I love that my kids, along with all their classmates, get to learn to play violin.  It's just that when I'm listening to music, I prefer rock or pop to classical.  I need songs I can sing along to, you know?  Which, come to think of it, might be why I decided to accept this CD of violin music for review.

I'd heard of Jenny Oaks Baker, an LDS, Juilliard-educated, Grammy Award-nominated violinst, but until now, I had never listened to any of her music.  Something about her newest CD, though, made me want to change that.  As you can probably surmise from its title—Classic: The Rock Album—it includes violin versions of popular (singable!) rock ballads.  From well-known oldies like Yesterday (The Beatles) and Scarborough Fair (Simon & Garfunkel) to more recent hits like Sting's Fields of Gold and Everybody Hurts by R.E.M., the CD offers a nice variety of recognizable songs on its ten tracks.

Although I appreciate beautiful violin music, I admit I've often found it snooze-inducing—that's not true at all with Baker's newest collection.  Even the more melancholy numbers feel not just upbeat, but also uplifting.  While I enjoyed all of the pieces, my favorite is Liverpool Suite, a medley of Beatles songs.  It's lively and fun—the perfect choice for Track #1.

So, did Baker's latest convince me to head right over to Spotify and download as much violin music as I can find?  Well, no.  However, it did remind me how lovely the instrument sounds in the hands of a master.  And, okay, that it wouldn't hurt me to listen to more inspiring music (especially when played by Baker), even if it doesn't have any words.  A serious epiphany, I'm telling you!

Classic: The Rock Album, which comes out on April 7, can be pre-ordered from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Deseret Book, and other retailers for under $20.  

To the FTC, with love:  I received a free copy of Classic: The Rock Album in exchange for an honest review from the generous folks at Deseret Book.  Thank you!

After the catastrophic events of Kristallnacht, Berlin's remaining Jewish residents knows they can never be too cautious.  With tensions between them and the Nazis running so high, a single misstep can mean a bullet in the head.  Or, worse, a one-way trip to a concentration camp.  Simon Horowitz is a wealthy Jewish banker whose position has made him exempt from registering his religious preference with the government.  But, in November of 1939, his luck runs out.  SS officers forcibly remove him from his bank, evict his family from their home, and steal priceless family antiques—including a 1742 Guarneri del Gesú violin.  Even as Simon withers away in Dachau, he can't stop thinking about the remarkable instrument in the hands of the heartless Nazis.  

Seventy years later, 14-year-old Daniel Horowitz is tiring of life as a violin prodigy.  He's sick of attending a special school, spending hours practicing and not being allowed to play baseball with his friends for fear of injury to his hands.  Even though he's just won a prestigious international competition, David's ready to quit music altogether.  His family's musical legacy be darned, he just wants to be a normal kid. 

When Maestro Rafael Gomez—a world-renowned conductor—hears Daniel play, he's blown away by the boy's talent.  With some instruction, Rafael knows the teenager can become one of the greatest violinists the world has ever known.  The only problem is convincing Daniel to continue playing.  Not an easy task.  When Rafael discovers the Horowitz Family once owned a precious Guarneri, he sees a brilliant solution to his problem.  If Rafael can find the lost violin, perhaps he can not just right a decades-old wrong, but also entice young Daniel to re-enter the musical world.

As the Maestro digs into the history of the priceless Guarneri, he's floored by everything he learns about the treasured violin and its indomitable owners.  It's an incredible tale about family, faith, and the enduring power of music.  The Maestro knows he can negotiate a happy ending to the tale, but only if he's willing to sacrifice his own career.  How much will redemption cost them all?  And is it worth the enormous price?

The Keeper of Secrets by Julie Thomas, is a sweeping, impressive debut.  A little too ambitious, maybe, but still, it's a vivid, engrossing read.  Although I would have liked the narration to be a bit more intimate (I never felt really, really connected to the characters, especially the contemporary ones), I ended up enjoying the story quite a lot.  The Keeper of Secrets isn't a perfect book, but it's definitely a compelling one.  

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Grammy-winning violinist Carmen Bianchi only wants one thing:  to win the prestigious Guarneri music competition. The top prize includes serious cash, the use of an antique violin for four years, and performance opportunities all over the world.  But it means even more to Carmen; for the 17-year-old, winning will prove to the world that she's a talented musician in her own right.  Not just because her mother's a famous professional soprano.

Carmen would be a shoo-in if it weren't for Jeremy King, an English violinist who's also 17.  Not only is he gorgeous, but he's the male version of Carmen—a child prodigy who's been winning music competitions practically since birth.  Carmen can't stop thinking about him, obsessing over him.  He's handsome, for sure, but is he, in fact, a better musician?  She doesn't know.  She does know he's an arrogant jerk—ho just happens to understand her better than anyone else.  Carmen absolutely cannot let herself get distracted by Jeremy, the one person who could stand in the way of her fulfilling her fondest dream, but it's happening anyway ...

With Jeremy on the brain, Carmen can't focus.  Keeping herself calm before the competition is hard enough—even with the anti-anxiety pills she pops like candy—but Jeremy's presence is making it downright impossible.  Maybe that was his plan all along, or maybe Carmen just isn't cut out to be a professional musician.  As the competition creeps closer and closer, she'll have to decide what her heart really wants—and needs.

Because Jessica Martinez herself was a child prodigy with the violin, Virtuosity has a very authentic feel to it.  Carmen's the kind of character that speaks to every reader—despite being a world-class musician, she's self-deprecating, down-to-earth, and beset with feelings of inferiority and anxiety.  It's easy to empathize with her, simple to cheer her on.  The story moves along at a good clip, taking interesting turns that lead to intriguing subplots.  To me, the ending felt a little unrealistic and abrupt.  That, coupled with some irritating copy editing errors detracted from my reading experience; otherwise, I enjoyed Virtuosity.  Not as much as I liked Martinez' second novel (The Space Between Us) but still, this one is a solid novel and an engaging read.    

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a bit of Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer)

Grade:  B-

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG-13 for mild language (no F-bombs) and sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find