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araleith's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun book. I liked that the author kept the tension without unnecessary dramatic darkness to the story. I do find myself wanting to listen to some classical violin now...
lisajo85's review against another edition
4.0
I debated between 3 and 4 stars for this one. Mainly because I wasn't completely in love with the hero. Darien was very arrogant and aloof. The book describes him as possessing a single-minded intensity. This is the absolute truth...he is so cold and distant, going through the motions of life, using people around him to obtain or fulfill his desires. He does change, but for me he simply didn't change enough. I liked him...I liked the ending...but I didn't 'love' him.
The reason I finally decided on four stars was because of the writing. I've only read one other book before that captured the importance of the music and how it communicates volumes of meaning between two people. This book reminded me very strongly of that. I could see how other readers have interpreted this as a lack of interaction between the hero and the heroine therefore the romance should suffer because of it. I fortunately think the exact opposite. The music is was brought Darien to Clara...and the music is what brought them together. For someone that felt as strongly about music as Clara and Darien, the music said more than any words ever could. I thought Lawson did a great job conveying those emotions through music. The writing was descriptive enough to pull you in, yet not overwhelmingly so that it dragged the story down.
I also saw there was a second book in this series and was shocked to find out it isn't about Clara's brother. I was really hoping to see his story! I felt horrible for him throughout this book trying to be the protective brother yet conflicted with his actions. Conflicted with the duty between family and truth. Something he felt he had to do but his conscience couldn't let go of how wrong it felt. This book really documents his downward spiral because of the deceit and guilt so I wanted to read about how he turned his life around. I REALLY wanted his story.
Overall though, I enjoyed Sonata for a Scoundrel. The pace and plot of this story was extremely gratifying, leading readers on a simple yet poignant story of romance told through a different medium. It can be a bit dark at times and the hero sometimes seem irredeemable, yet you can still find plenty to love in this romantic tale. Sonata for a Scoundrel is an emotional, seductive journey uniting two lost souls through the power of music.
The reason I finally decided on four stars was because of the writing. I've only read one other book before that captured the importance of the music and how it communicates volumes of meaning between two people. This book reminded me very strongly of that. I could see how other readers have interpreted this as a lack of interaction between the hero and the heroine therefore the romance should suffer because of it. I fortunately think the exact opposite. The music is was brought Darien to Clara...and the music is what brought them together. For someone that felt as strongly about music as Clara and Darien, the music said more than any words ever could. I thought Lawson did a great job conveying those emotions through music. The writing was descriptive enough to pull you in, yet not overwhelmingly so that it dragged the story down.
I also saw there was a second book in this series and was shocked to find out it isn't about Clara's brother. I was really hoping to see his story! I felt horrible for him throughout this book trying to be the protective brother yet conflicted with his actions. Conflicted with the duty between family and truth. Something he felt he had to do but his conscience couldn't let go of how wrong it felt. This book really documents his downward spiral because of the deceit and guilt so I wanted to read about how he turned his life around. I REALLY wanted his story.
Overall though, I enjoyed Sonata for a Scoundrel. The pace and plot of this story was extremely gratifying, leading readers on a simple yet poignant story of romance told through a different medium. It can be a bit dark at times and the hero sometimes seem irredeemable, yet you can still find plenty to love in this romantic tale. Sonata for a Scoundrel is an emotional, seductive journey uniting two lost souls through the power of music.
beapea's review against another edition
4.0
A beautifully written historical romance with the perfect amount of passion and eroticism, both musical and otherwise. I really appreciated the author's attention to historical detail while also not spending an inordinate amount of time describing and explaining everything; in a sense, presuming that the reader has a basic understanding of the societal, demographic and geographic details of the time period. This allows the reader to use their imaginations to fill in the blanks - something authors can sometimes struggle with. It was a very refreshing and lovely read.
perfectphlaws's review against another edition
5.0
A really great read. The relationship between the characters built slowly, the writing was filled with charming references to the music. I really enjoyed how the story was really built around the heroine's compositions. For me it had a great flow. My only critique would be that I wish it had been even longer! I didn't want it to end. I was really hoping for maybe a debacle with the brother or father when he finally proposed, but instead it all went very smoothly. I would have liked to see her work things out with her brother just a bit more too. But all and all it was great.
book_bound's review
4.0
No shame guys, no shame :)
Still cheesy, but surprisingly good despite what I was expecting
Still cheesy, but surprisingly good despite what I was expecting
beckyreadsitall's review
4.0
Oh my gosh, this book was so well written, I stopped a few times to admire the language. The two main characters are musicians and I swear I could ear the music they were playing. Absolutely recommend, and I cannot wait to read more by this author!
readingpenguin's review
3.0
3.5
This historical romance strikes me as a bit anachronistic, but in a fun way. Dare is a violinist but he's treated like a modern rock star, touring Europe to huge crowds of fans. He finds a piece from an obscure composer that he thinks is brilliant, and exactly what he needs to make him even more famous, I guess, and invites him to tour with him. That composer is nominally Nicholas Becker, but unbeknownst to Dare the real composer is Nicholas' sister, Claire. So we are treated to an extended liar-revealed trope as the Becker family convinces Dare to take Claire with him as emotional support for Nicholas. Nicholas actually does seem to struggle with clinical depression (they call it melancholy). I did appreciate that his depression was referred to as an actual illness, although it's a very plot convenient illness.
As mentioned the tone and style of this novel is a lot like a rock star contemporary but with historical drapery, and for the most part that style serves the purpose. It has to be set in a time period when women didnt/couldn't compose--again, plot convenience.
I did really enjoy the connection, physical and musical, at the core of Darius and Claire's relationship. I love seeing music as an emotional thread as well as a plot point, and enjoyed seeking out some violin pieces to pair with my reading.
Overall, I felt like the lies dragged out too long and much of the plot was stretched and forced. The relationship building was very good, but not enough to make up for the thinness of conflict.
This historical romance strikes me as a bit anachronistic, but in a fun way. Dare is a violinist but he's treated like a modern rock star, touring Europe to huge crowds of fans. He finds a piece from an obscure composer that he thinks is brilliant, and exactly what he needs to make him even more famous, I guess, and invites him to tour with him. That composer is nominally Nicholas Becker, but unbeknownst to Dare the real composer is Nicholas' sister, Claire. So we are treated to an extended liar-revealed trope as the Becker family convinces Dare to take Claire with him as emotional support for Nicholas. Nicholas actually does seem to struggle with clinical depression (they call it melancholy). I did appreciate that his depression was referred to as an actual illness, although it's a very plot convenient illness.
As mentioned the tone and style of this novel is a lot like a rock star contemporary but with historical drapery, and for the most part that style serves the purpose. It has to be set in a time period when women didnt/couldn't compose--again, plot convenience.
I did really enjoy the connection, physical and musical, at the core of Darius and Claire's relationship. I love seeing music as an emotional thread as well as a plot point, and enjoyed seeking out some violin pieces to pair with my reading.
Overall, I felt like the lies dragged out too long and much of the plot was stretched and forced. The relationship building was very good, but not enough to make up for the thinness of conflict.