Book Review: Blue Notes by Carrie Lofty

Blue Notes
By: Carrie Lofty
Release Date:  May 6, 2014
Publisher:  Gallery Books
Source:  Publisher
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For fans of Jamie McGuire and S.C. Stephens, a sizzling new adult novel featuring the tumultuous relationship between a young piano prodigy and a reluctant billionaire playboy—set against the vibrant backdrop of a New Orleans college campus. After being bounced from foster family to foster family, Keeley, a talented pianist, is ready to start over as a junior at Tulane. But when she plays a small concert that attracts the attention of Jude, a brooding playboy and heir to an enormous fortune in the wake of his parents’ tragic death, suddenly Keeley’s life is thrown off balance once again. Jude is the first person to confront her about the pain behind her music, and she struggles with whether or not to let him into her life, or to keep protecting herself from the hurt that relationships have caused her in the past. But Keeley’s about to learn that the melancholy young billionaire who appears to have everything he wants can open her eyes to exactly what she needs…

My Thoughts:

Blue Notes, by Carrie Lofty, was an interesting story.  The very beginning of the story was amazing and completely caught my attention.  It was about Keely's dark, and horrific past with her real parents.  I could feel the insecurity and terror of poor little Keeley, and everything that she was put through by her drug addicted, abusive, con artist parents.  Keely ends up witnessing a horrific act of violence that forever changes her life.  She is taken to live permanently with two very sweet and nurturing foster parents, Clair and John.  They eventually adopt her, help her through her nightmares, and give her the stability that every child craves.  Keely becomes a piano prodigy, and when she leaves for Tulane, her junior year, her life takes a drastic change.

Keely ends up meeting Jude, an arrogant, wealthy, and sarcastic playboy.  These two bicker and banter from the start, but there is an underlying vibe of sexual tension between them.  Keely is fascinated and attracted to Jude, but he drives her crazy.  Eventually, Jude offers Keely a proposition; and she wholeheartedly accepts.  He will seduce her and take her virginity, but will romance her, and make it worth her while. Keely ends up meeting a fellow freshman piano prodigy that she is suppose to mentor, Adelaide, and discovers that she is Jude's younger sister.  Adelaide is great when it comes to grand performances on the piano, but needs work on her technique.  Whereas, Keely is highly skilled, but has serious performance anxiety.  These two decide to hep each other, and become quick and close friends.  Meanwhile, Keely develops a strong friendship with her dorm roommate, Janissa.  I loved Janissa.  She was such a great friend, and quickly became one of my favorite characters in the story.  Meanwhile, there is a dark and sinister guy names Brandon who is in charge of security at the dorm.  He keeps asking Keely out, and things turn uncomfortable when Keely turns him down, and calls him out on two-timing a friend of hers.  Keely becomes upset when she starts to have feelings for Jude, and thinks she is nothing more to him than a lay.  Things begin to get more complicated, and as Keely and Jude start to fall in love, she worries about him finding out about her past.  

I have mixed feelings about this story.  On the one hand, it started off great and completely captured my attention, but in the middle it slowed down a lot and dragged.  There was a little too much description, and I needed a bit more action.  Then three quarters of the way in, things really started to pick up again.  At first, I couldn't see the appeal in Jude.  He came off as cocky, way too arrogant, and wasn't use to hearing the word, "no."  I couldn't see the attraction, or appeal of his character.  I had trouble feeling the connection between him and Keely.  Then, as the relationship developed more, I started liking Jude.  As I got to know him more, I realized he had a huge heart, and loved his sister dearly.  He had a hard life, and the way he aced was a facade, because he had trouble showing himself to people.  I started to feel the connection between these two, and it was off the charts!

I loved the secondary characters as well.  My favorites were Adelaide, and Janissa.  They both had very distinct personalities, and fascinated me.  I would like to know more about them, and could see them getting their own stories.  There was always an element of suspense and danger in the plot that kept me turning the pages.  Brandon was a scary character, and I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Also, Keeley's biological father held a grudge against her, and he was a scary man.  I kept waiting to see if anything would happen with him.

My Rating:

I

I give Blue Notes, by Carrie Lofty, 3.5 Dark, Suspenseful and Steamy Stars!  My favorite parts of the story were the very beginning, the relationship and sensuality that developed between Keely and Jude, the friendships, and the lurking sense of danger!

About Carrie Lofty:

Two time RITA-nominated and multiple RT Reviewers' Choice-winning author Carrie Lofty has over twenty books to her name--or four names, to be precise. Her paranormal (as Lindsey Piper ) and historical romances from Pocket have been described as "nuanced and superbly realized" (The Chicago Tribune) and "sexy, brutal and somehow innocent" (All About Romance). Now Carrie is celebrating her first New Adult romance, Blue Notes , featuring a shy piano prodigy and a New Orleans playboy shouldering his family’s crumbling empire. In college, Carrie lured an unsuspecting Englishman to the Midwest, where she's kept him a happy ex-pat. With two pre-teen daughters, she's a movie buff, a former bellydancer, and in desperate need of a maid service.

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