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A deep dark, suspenseful romance. Such an intense read, I could not put this down. It is all here, drama, treachery, steam and romance. A definite addition to your TBR list.
A deep dark, suspenseful romance. Such an intense read, I could not put this down. It is all here, drama, treachery, steam and romance. A definite addition to your TBR list.
FREE E-BOOK. MAY 27 & 28, 2021
The Rocker and the Bird Girl.
Book 1 in The Mattie Saunders Series
Download your free copy now at
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU
Meet Mattie Saunders…
Quick-tempered, intolerant, and defensive, Mattie Saunders loves birds, but not so much people. A childhood spent in one foster home after another has made her wary of commitment as evidenced by an absence of close friends and difficulty with intimate relationships. Instead, she's filled her life rescuing and rehabilitating exotic birds people buy as pets and then abandoned.
Experience Mattie's heartaches and happy times as well as personal and professional triumphs and tragedies as she grows from a young adult with a passion for birds to a controversial expert in the field of ornithology.
The Mattie Saunders Series: Romance and action combine with provocative themes for an exciting and entertaining exploration of contemporary culture and issues.
The Rocker and the Bird Girl – Book 1
The Saunders Exotic Bird Sanctuary, a not-for-profit rescue, rehabilitation and re-homing establishment for exotic birds people buy as pets and then abandon, is out of money. In an effort to raise some so her birds won't be homeless yet again, owner Mattie Saunders reaches out to Bodine, the lead guitarist of the bad-boy rock band Seditious. She's learned he has a macaw as a pet and since it's obvious he's wealthy she hopes he'll be sympathetic and use some of the money he now spends on his hedonistic lifestyle to help these precious, beautiful creatures. They're hardly birds of a feather, but Mattie's not about to kill the goose if it promises a golden egg.
Sex, drugs and rock 'n roll have taken their toll on Bodine, lead guitarist and songwriter for Seditious, the chart-topping, outrageous rock band. He's just playing the part until something better comes along. The problem is what's better than being a rich and famous rock idol? Certainly not helping some overzealous young woman save exotic birds, even if his best friend is a Blue and Gold Macaw.
★★★★ "... a seriously non-traditional love story"
The Rocker and the Bird Girl … a seriously non-traditional love story. Written by an environmentalist, the novel not only paints a sweet picture of hearts in tune, but offers respect for the breathtaking gift of the colorful birds of the rainforest. Raglin's words caution the reader to study the serious consequences of pet adoption, while creating a heart-warming novella that contains just the right amount of romance.
- Reviewed by Lisa McCombs for Readers' Favorite
Download your free copy now at
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU
Haylee and Mac both have had tragic pasts. This book covered so much- there was death of a child and parents, teenage pregnancy, adoption, the adoptive parents are horrible trope, animals are healing. There was so much going on. There were so many characters too. I had a hard time connecting with both leads. I probably would have given this a 3*, but then something happened that I really didn't like.
sex with no mention of condom use. And yes, Haylee got pregnant! I thought this was a bit of a 180 for her character. She and Mac didn't discuss having kids, so yeah. (At least I don't remember a conversation)
I read this for Romance-opoly Emergency Services Sun track square
In no particular order, books (of all genres, except for artist biographies)* that I love where music plays an important role:
Mann's gut-punch take on Faustian bargains; in this instance, by a composer who pays the price of syphilis-induced madness for a few years of success -- and whose deal with the devil simultaneously symbolizes that of the German people with Adolf Hitler.
Peter Shaffer: Amadeus
The play that reached an even wider audience when adapted for the screen by Miloš Forman: all about the punk rock genius of classical music and his rival, the "patron saint of mediocrity", Antonio Salieri.
Martin Goldsmith: The Inextinguishable Symphony
Goldsmith's biography of his musician parents (and their families), who met in Nazi Germany and, after much hardship, eventually managed to emigrate to the U.S. and establish a new life for themselves and their children there.
Colum McCann: Dancer
McCann's novelized biography of Rudolf Nureyev -- from the time before McCann moved to the U.S. and went all politically correct. Lyrical, muscular and visually powerful prose to match the art of its protagonist.
The story of a musically gifted orphan who is taken to Europe from the streets of Bombay and has to find out who she is (Indian, European or ...?) and what exactly music means to her life.
Ellis Peters: The Sanctuary Sparrow
A young musician takes sanctuary in the abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul after having falsely been accused of murder, and it is up to Brother Cadfael to find out what really happened.
Peter Grainger: An Accidental Death
Music may not exactly be central to the mystery, but blues music is definitely key to the protagonist's (D.C. Smith's) personality.
Anne Rice: Cry to Heaven and Violin
Cry to Heaven, a novel set in the world of the baroque castrati, just might be the best thing Rice ever wrote (when she was still listening to her editors). Violin was the last book of hers that I liked; it occasionally borders on the melodramatic, but the translation of the (autobiographically-based) mental anguish of losing a loved one into music is by and large very well done.
... and Ngaio Marsh's mysteries set either in the world of opera or otherwise involving (performances set to) music:
* Death and the Dancing Footman
* Off With His Head (aka Death of a Fool)
* Photo Finish
Honorary mention to two movies (and screenplays) focusing on music:
* Jane Campion: Piano
* Andrée Corbiau: Farinelli
... and to the movies which I discovered and / or love twice as much solely because Mark Knopfler (fomerly of Dire Straits) wrote the score:
* Local Hero
* The Princess Bride
* Cal
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* If I'd include artist and composer biographies, this list would be endless.
(Task: Music is an important part of a Kwanzaa celebration. Which is / are your favorite book(s) where music plays an important role in the plot?)
