Billie's Pink Reviews! :): Blog Tour + Giveaway : In Harmony by Helena Newbury

Welcome to my stop for Helena Newbury's newest book , "In harmony" hosted by Ms. Shane of Itching for books http://www.itchingforbooks.com/ . This was my second time joining her tours and I am always delighted to be reviewing such wonderful books! And "In harmony" is definitely a wonderful book! Today , I am doing my review, favorite quote and playlist.

Here's an info about the book: ( Don't forget to add this book on your TBR list and enter the giveaway found at the end of my review! )

Release date: September 21st 2013

Publisher: Foster & Black New Adult

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Everyone expects her to succeed….

Karen plays the cello like an angel, and it’s the only thing that makes her truly feel alive. But her father’s dream—for her to join a prestigious orchestra—leaves no time in her life for anything but music…not even love. Trapped on her path, she doesn’t know how to rebel.

Everyone expects him to fail….

Connor plays rock guitar like the devil himself, and his ability has got him all the way from a dead-end life in Belfast to a scholarship at Fenbrook Academy. But beneath his arrogance and charm, he doesn’t believe he has what it takes. He’s spent his time in New York drinking and partying, and the only future he sees is a return to Ireland as soon as he flunks out.

But what no one expects….

When Karen’s duet partner is injured, the bad boy guitarist and the shy, sheltered cellist are forced to team up. Neither likes the idea, but what begins as anger and distrust slowly spirals into love…and lust. If they can face up to their feelings, they might just have a chance together. If Connor will allow Karen to stop his fall, maybe he can show her a life she never thought possible....

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Helena Newbury is a New Adult Romance author with a love of bakingly hot summer days, strawberry gelato, good coffee and interesting people. Unlike the characters in her books, Helena cannot dance, act or play anything (though she is substantially more flexible since she started writing Dance For Me and tried doing dancer’s stretches, so she's hoping that something will rub off on her from each book).

Helena writes in a very noisy, very busy coffee shop which means she sometimes end up mainlining caffeine to keep her seat. You’ll know when this happens because she’ll still be on Twitter that night at 4am.

She loves meeting and talking with other authors, traveling to new places and discovering new books. You can find her on:

www.helenanewbury.com | @HelenaAuthor | facebook.com/HelenaNewburyAuthor

Here's my Review:

This was my first time to read a Helena Newbury book, and what can I say? It was really good! The written words took me inside Fenbrook Academy and met the super shy ( and I say, painfully shy) Karen Montfort. When I say painfully shy , it means dreading to talk in public ever! Yes! Even in front of her colleagues?! I felt Karen. Imagine, having the right answers inside her head but can't spill it out? So, she keeps it to herself. The result? She can't pass presentations ..but she needs to graduate, her dad ( a famous pianist! ) expects it from her. You can sense the pressure there? Yes! A heavy one! Her only hope is to impress the judges during her recital at the end of the semester! So, failing was never an option!

Karen spent most of her college years (and time) in her so-called comfort zone... her beloved Cello ( and more Cello practices!) and a limited circle of very pretty friends, Jasmine, Clarissa and Natasha . While her girlfriends are blabbing about their sexually charged relationships...our Karen here , invents a story of her non-existent boy toy. Or was it her battery operated buddy ( Dildo?!) to warm up her nights?! *shocker!*

Playing / practicing her Cello and going after her dream of New York Philharmonic... was her life? Or was it her father's dream?

“The decision was this: I was going to play with the New York Philharmonic.

That’s a cute dream and a nice ambition when your father’s a normal guy. When he’s a concert pianist with a string of bestselling albums, things are different.”

Everything is going well.. Until her Duet partner, Dan was mugged one night and as a result his hand got injured! Ohhhhhh no000.... Noooo... No..no.....How could this thing happen???? Karen felt that it's the end of the world! She desperately needed a partner!! It was a take it or leave it. She has no choice. And arrogant, sexy guitarist Connor was the last person she had in mind!

“I looked up into his face. Blue-gray eyes, like a lazy summer’s day that’s darkening into a storm. Hair cut short and messy, glossy black against his pale skin. And the lips—those soft, full lips that had been the downfall of so many Fenbrook girls in downtown rock clubs or at drug-fueled parties. Even now, they were twisting into a smirk.

Connor Locke.”

“For Connor, Fenbrook was one big party.

For me, it felt like life and death.”

Shy Cello meets obnoxiously loud electric Guitar. Connor was more than trouble she can handle and if she is smart, avoid at all cost! How can these two opposites work together? Will they blend or will they clash? My interest was instantly piqued.

As these unlikely duo was thrown together by music, slowly they begun to discover something about themselves.,. and with each other...and how to deal with the growing attraction?

This book was written on Karen's POV. I can say, that this girl has a lot in her mind...mostly insecurities and fear that she may be wrong. So , instead of giving the right advice for her friends, she decides just to listen , and say "everything's gonna be fine" when clearly it not. It must feel like ..Arrrrgh! to be in Karen's shoes. Yes, I can feel that discomfort. Spending time with Connor ( on their practices ) has been....uhm, another discomfort? Connor's nearness ( even the mere brush of his fingers?! ) has stirred her "senses"... and darkest fantasies?! UH-oh. Clearly this shy girl is lusting after Mr.Trouble?!

I love their beautiful moments together. I can't even describe how I felt about it. It was swoony in a ticklish way?! Was that even possible? Yes. Because I felt it. And I think Karen felt it too!

One of my fave scenes was when they were both accidentally locked up in a dark storage room. Imagine, the panic Karen felt?! From the dark? Probably. But to be alone ..with Connor? Eeeep! Freaking out! Should she spill out what she truly felt? It's dark ..and they are alone, sounds perfect moment huh? I was actually holding my breath and silently screaming, " This got to be it! Please , dear Lord , this should be it! " Go, Kiss her, Connor!( Yes, I even prayed! haha. ) Well, what happen next... has something to do with a jumping spider and Karen was found in her bra and closer to Connor when her friend Jasmine came into the rescue! But NOTHING happened between them?! Good heavens! It was funny , awkward! I was giggling!

I was waiting and waiting for their moment to happen.. and again, holding my breath! When will these two realize that they are just perfect for each other? ...And then when it finally happened, it was the sweetest surprise ! Those three little words were finally blurted out in the most unexpected moment... Right after a fist fight?! Really, Connor?! Yeah. Really. I loved it!

I love the way Ms Newbury wrote it using music itself. Melody, rythym are written into words! Even the love scenes ( errrr..the sex!) were hotly well-described ! It was slow at first..then started to build up till both of them reach.... the ....tah-da! ( Timid Cello and wild ,loud guitar combined!) ...final cresendo! It was mind blowing! *fanning myself furiously!* Uh-oh...wait! Am I still describing their bedroom scene or their final recital?!

Shy Karen was surprised how Connor's touch changed her, once uptight ...now she begun to loosen up. It even showed when she played her Cello... Free flowing...and something sensual and surprisingly sexy.

Same thing with Connor, Karen change him into something better. When he thinks he'll fail, Karen was there to say he can do it. She believed in him. He will not fail. And together they overcome what seems to be impossible.

I loved the ending. It was the grandest performance ever! The way it was described and written was so good , like I was actually there watching and hearing them perform. Their story was weaved into music ...with all the emotion and passion they shared. It was all there! It was beautiful. I was there ,with the crowd...applauding and giving them standing ovation.

“Connor broke off with a flourish and slapped the guitar’s wood, and I filled with a flurry of notes. Seconds later, he did it again, faster and more violent than before, and I filled again, the bow an extension of me. He did it one final time, a hard slap that reverberated around the hall, and I gave it everything I had, coaxing notes from the cello faster than I could think about them, operating on instinct alone. Connor came back in for the final bar, cello and guitar winding around each other like lovers, hard and soft embracing, and we were done.”

If you want to see and feel how Karen's Cello and Connor's guitar made me feel giddy , swoon and made my heart swell a little bit more? Go grab this book and find out yourself.

( check out the buy links below!)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FAUSSC2/?tag=helenanewbury-20

http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00FAUSSC2/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00FAUSSC2/?tag=helenanewbury-21

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/?ean=2940148587477

http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=1230000185312

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-inharmonynewadultromance-1300442-149.html

My playlist:

"You give me something" by James Morrison http://youtu.be/UZp6dhheriM