Nocturne by Andrea Randall, Charles Sheehan-Miles

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Authors':

Charles Sheehan-Miles: Website / Twitter / Goodreads

Andrea Randall: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads 

Summary:

"Savannah Marshall is a gifted flutist and daughter of musical royalty when she enrolls in the elite New England Conservatory of Music. Brilliant, eclectic and passionate, she lives music, but struggles with her plans for the future.

Gregory Fitzgerald is one of the most renowned cellists of his generation. A member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and professor at the Conservatory, he is laser focused on his career to the exclusion of friends, family and especially romance.

When Gregory and Savannah’s paths cross in the classroom, it threatens to challenge more than their wildly differing beliefs on music. Friendships, ethics, and careers are put on the line as Gregory and Savannah play a symphony of passion and heartbreak. 

In the final movement, Gregory and Savannah are handed their greatest challenge, as the loss of absolutely everything they’ve held as truths hangs in the balance.

Rating:

Review:

This book.. It's.. ABSOLUTELY EPIC! A strange combination of The Bronze Horseman, with the longevity, the complexity, the forbidden love, the epicness and other things; and Thoughtless - with its deep hurt and angst. And music. Such profound, beautiful music that touched me even more then if I were listening to it live. The descriptions were incredible, the style so expressive.

I hate myself for giving this 4 stars - the measly, stupid 4 stars that don't even begin to express what I felt during and after reading this book. I want a "something different and special" rating!!!!!

.....

"I held my breath, my throat tight with anticipation, and tears stinging my eyes at the absolute beauty of this seemingly elementary song he'd just taken to a level I didn't know existed... we just watched a musician with one of the sternest reputations live up to it in a classroom full of students who could only dream to play with a fraction of the greatness he possessed."

And that's how it all truly began...

The story of Savannah and Gregory spans over long 10 years, during which there were many hardships, many obstacles, hurt, betrayal. And so much passion and soul connection that never vanished in those years.

They met as teacher and student in the New England Conservatory of Music. Gregory, the talented, intimidating cellist, plus a strict teacher, unexpectedly appeared in Savannah's music theory class where the mutual fascination sparked. Those two have very opposite beliefs and opinion on music. Gregory thinks that music is all math and rules, no feelings. On the other hand, Savannah is firm on the idea of music as expressing emotion. But in spite of everything, Savannah sees the passion in Gregory. I mean the man's only priority in life is music, he doesn't care about anything else and 18 hours of playing a day is no strange thing to him.

"Your must be willing to sacrifice everything for the music. This wasn't a hobby. This wasn't a nice job in an insurance company. This was an artistic calling that required the utmost passion, commitment and sacrifice."

Add to that the insane attraction between them and you've got a recipe for a disaster. A glorious disaster.

What brought my attention to this book was music and the fact that the hero is a cellist. I am completely over the moon for cello music! Add a hot guy playing it and I'm wondering about being in heaven. There is just something beautiful but haunting in the sound, something not other string instruments have. I love to swim in the sound of it. And the way these two authors used words to describe the sensations and allowed us to picture how these two played... Gregory and Savannah first connected through music and their talent. It was beautiful - the style of writing is just so beautiful. You don't even notice that two people were writing it. 

"Not one of them would believe that we were improvising, that right there on that stage she was telling a story of hurt and anger and betrayal That she was telling me just how much I'd hurt her."

What I loved most in this book is just that - the disaster of their life's circumstance. It's not just the student/teacher situation that puts their relationship as a question of ethics. The more bigger problem comes later, 5 years after. I'll only warn you that there is cheating in this book. Many readers will severely dislike and judge them and this book. I do too, in a way. What they did because of their feeling for each other, for the one-of-a-kind love? It was beautiful, but cruel to other people. It just proves that even a great love makes people hurt others for selfish reasons. Love makes you feel like nothing is important then the two involved.

Gregory and Savannah proved that love is a toxic thing. It was so wrong, but so, so right.

"Obsession makes people crazy.

Maybe crazy was okay if love was the reason."

"You're my heart, Savannah. Not in it. Not part of it. I'm consumed by you. Obsessed by you. I need you in my life any way I can have you. Don't tell me you don't feel the same way."


"Don't make things harder on yourself than they need to be. Love shouldn't be a fight, Savannah. It shouldn't be hard. It shouldn't tear people apart and leave everyone broken. If someone loves you, they give you all of themselves, not just parts."

This would've been a more epic book if it was non-HEA. A complete 5 stars. But true love heals too, I guess. It survives everything. Gregory and Savannah never broke. They ended up together in spite of it all. It would be a wonderful thing in finality... If it didn't leave a bitter taste in your mouth.

Until next time,