Review: Blue Notes

Title: Blue Notes
Author: Shira Anthony
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Publication Date: 30 December 2011
Reviewed Format: ebook
Length: 227 pages

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review: Jason just needs a break from it all after coming home one night to find his fiancée in bed with another man. Paris in winter isn't most people's idea of a break, but there's nowhere else Jason would rather go. Visiting a club one night, he's pleasantly surprised by the modern jazz played there--and the jazz trio's violin player, Jules. A chance meeting becomes a whirlwind romance, until Jason can't imagine leaving Jules behind when he returns to the States. They both have ghosts, though, and their own troubled pasts. Will they be able to move beyond what they were and become all that they can be?

Jason is too good to be true--a gifted lawyer who by his own admission makes more money than he can spend, a talented pianist with perfect pitch, and a faithful friend, brother, and lover. He's open-minded, intelligent, attractive to a fault, dedicated and willing to do anything to help someone he cares for. He does have some demons, but those are such that his daily life can easily go on without their being an issue; it's not until he's met Jules that they start coming out again. His perfection isn't necessarily a detriment, just requiring a bit more suspension of disbelief.

Jules is far more immediately conflicted. He has a family nightmare to deal with, irregular gigs to earn money, and a decided lack of housing options. Despite that, he's charmingly optimistic and grateful for what he does have. He's sweet and supportive when Jason needs him to be, as well. Still shaded a bit unbelievable, but appealing nonetheless.

Jason and Jules are adorable together. Although he'd never been attracted to a man before, Jason is quick to fall in lust with Jules, with love not far behind. The sex is just infrequent and varied enough to stay hot without becoming overwhelming, interesting throughout. They also balance each other well, despite Jason's tendency to take over.

The supporting cast is fun, the high point being Jason's sister, Rosie. I would've liked to have gotten to know Henri and David better, but that would've been a bonus, not a requirement.

The story is mostly told from Jason's point-of-view and moves along well. My main complaint is the occasional third-person omniscient point-of-view; it's not constant, just cropping up here and there, which almost makes it more confusing. The writing is otherwise tight and lovely, though, and makes it easy to be sucked in.

Okay, one other quibble: the quasi-epilogue didn't make much sense to me. Although the ending is apparent much earlier in the story, the logistics of it when it actually happened just weren't there for me. Just a little bit more expansion on it wouldn't have been a bad thing.

Although the head-hopping did throw me periodically, the appealing characters and well-paced plot kept me engaged. I enjoyed my time spent with Jason and Jules, and look forward to revisiting their world.