A symphony of passion and desire…Aubrey Irving has music in her heart. Once a violin prodigy at the prestigious Julliard, family issues and money problems forced her to give up her dreams. Now she struggles to make a living as an audio engineer for a hot new video game developer. Then she met Paul…Handsome, gifted, wealthy…At twenty-eight years old, Paul Crane seems to have it all. He’s … seems to have it all. He’s made a fortune as a modern commercial composer. But he longs to show the world that there’s more to his music than trendy, disposable tunes.
An impromptu audition of her music awakens a yearning deep inside their hearts. But just as the sparks begin to fly, they both find themselves pulling away…
Aubrey has a dark and troubled past. Paul has a history of crossing the line with his clients. The last thing either of them wants is another temptation.
Can these two artists unlock their hearts, and compose a symphony of passion? Or will their love song fade out before it even begins…
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What an interesting storyline and set of characters! After a traumatic experience and the loss of her father, Aubrey is attempting to rebuild her life the best way she can by working at a gaming company. Desperate for a permanent job, she pushes herself at work where the men are very prejudice against women – particularly Aubrey. Paul has been used by others the majority of his life, especially women trying to manipulate him to further their careers, and in his next business venture, meets Aubrey and is enthralled with her. While the pair tries to fight the feelings and chemistry they have in order to protect not only each other, but also their work, it ends up being the fight of their lives. I was so intrigued by Aubrey and her background and past experiences, as well as why she has made the decisions in life that she has that brought her to gaming and is such a strong character. In the end though, I felt that the storyline ended pretty abruptly and would’ve loved a little more of their HEA.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
The blurb called to me and the cover is super hot! The passion is clear between Paul and Aubrey is shown thru their music. Paul pushes Aubrey to see that the music is still in despite what happened in the past. Yes life got in the way and shook some things up in Aubrey. Losing her dad rocked her family hard core. She had to change some things in her and made some not so great choices, which gets thrown into her face daily by her awful sister. Aubrey is a sound engineer and is brilliant at what she does. When a promotion presents itself, this is her time to shine. She didn’t expect for an attraction to Paul or with how beautiful of music they make together. She also didn’t expect the company she worked for to treat like crap and disrespect her so much. They were the three musketeers as she called them. Aubrey had to watch herself and make sure she stayed on track to provide for her family. Paul had other things to deal with besides the music. He is a man who falls hard for women and they in turn suckers him into spending a ton of money on them. They only want him for one thing and he’s learning that’s not always a good thing. Aubrey shakes his world up. She doesn’t want him to buy her things or be her savior. She works hard for what she does and wants to make her way. She is strong but takes a lot of beatings. Her and Paul have a connection. He wants her to see that anything is possible and she can get that dream she wanted. I will say I had a hard time getting into this book but I kept reading and I’m glad I did. It was a beautifully written book that brought the love of symphony and the strength of two broken souls together.
This book is a good lesson in self worth and regaining faith and trust. Very well written story that showcases the life of a down on her luck, overlooked heroine and a used and abuse hero.
Paul and Aubrey deserve to see their HEA after all the clawing and fighting it took to get there. The two have a chemistry that flies from the pages and encourages you to root for their success, both personally and professionally.
Good side characters and steaminess. Would definitely recommend to someone who enjoys music and the references made as well as someone looking for something slightly outside the typical realm of romance setups.
I love Unfinished Sympathy! The storyline is something I have not read before. This is Paul Crane and Aubrey Irving’s story!
Aubrey is a concert trained violinist, now working as a audio engineer barely making ends meet and Paul is a musician and composer. Aubrey has a shameful secret as to where she trained and why she isn’t training any longer.
Aubrey and Paul know of one another but haven’t met until he takes on an assignment to work on the soundtrack that Aubrey is working on.
You can imagine that sparks fly between them and their chemistry together is off the charts HOT! They create their own musical passion together!
I loved reading their story and wait until you find out the reason for Aubrey’s secret.
I love reading this authors books and if I could give Unfinished Sympathy more than 5 stars I would!
WOW!!!!! This book kept me on the edge from the very moment I started reading. I absolutely LOVED everything about this book. The characters, the story line, the drama, and not to mention the intense steamy chemistry between Aubrey and Paul.
This book took me on such an emotional roller coaster. My heart broke for how Aubrey was treated, not only at work but by her sister as well. I knew there were secrets she was keeping about her past, but even not knowing what those were I still felt so connected to her emotions and was rooting for her to stand up for herself and demand the respect she deserved.
Paul was also an intense character. He tried to push Aubrey away because of things going on in his life, but the spark he felt when he was near her could not be ignored any longer. The problem is that Aubrey’s job is in jeopardy if anyone finds out about their attraction to each other.
This book is a must read book for sure! From start to finish it keeps you guessing as to how things are going to work out. You will want to one click this one ASAP! By Alisa
I felt completely wrung out but in the best way! Debra @ Janise’s Jivin’ Book Blog
What this book has that is unique is that both lead characters really do have big issues that make a difference in their actually being able to be together.
I loved how they knew they have an attraction and they want to see where it goes but they have to really make sure its worth it. They also have to be able to communicate, which funnily enough is most issue with relationships. Fear of the past and what could be in the future is a huge communication blocker.
I love our supporting characters, well most of them. The others I would love to have knocked down huge pegs of life!
This story will make you smile, laugh, cry and cheer. Amelie S. Duncan has a way with words that you will not regret giving a try!
Amelie S. Duncan, ‘Unfinished Sympathy’, The Absolution Series, book 1.
As a Hidden Gems ARC reader I received a free copy and promised an honest review. Here it is.
Rating: 4 stars (of 5).
In general: a very musical romance.
The main characters are Aubrey Irving and Paul Crane.
Aubrey is raised in a middle class family. She appeared to be a very talented violin player. Her parents went out of their way to stimulate her musical career: Buying a precious violin, allowing a study at a famous conservatory, traveling with her to music competitions and buying her nice dresses for these events. But a few years ago her dad was killed in car accident and that changed Aubrey’s life completely. She had to leave music school, find a job and care financially for her devastated mom and sis.
During her job at an audio/video production company she meets Paul Crane, a famous and very successful sound engineer and especially a passionate piano-player/composer.
The author Amelie Duncan describes how Aubrey and Paul both have this passion for music and are very good when working and playing together. Paul is very wealthy and Aubrey is a very proud, independent woman, so she refuses his help when her financial situation becomes precarious. That causes quarrels, but the music brings them together again and again. The somewhat older and more experienced Paul learns her to fight for herself when her job is in danger and the author gives interesting insight in the music business, commercial mergers and the manipulation of the media.
An exciting book with a fine plot, good dialogues, credible characters (perhaps the bad sister a bit overdone), some hot love scenes and a lot of interesting information about classical music.
R. Huiszoon.