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Review: Sheet Music by Tibby Armstrong
Music journalist Kyra Martin faces the toughest assignment of her career–to write a cover story about enigmatic heartthrob David Tallis. Deadline looming, Kyra plans to go undercover. When she ends up under the covers with the sexy superstar instead, can both her career and their budding relationship survive?
With a closet full of skeletons to hide, and a paparazzi-fueled divorce behind him, David Tallis despises the press. When Kyra Martin bribes her way into his life, her sexy assets have him composing a duplicitous seduction. Ensnared in a media maelstrom of his own making, can David face the music? Or will he lose Kyra, along with another piece of himself?
- Publisher: Ellora’s Cave (August 4, 2010)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
- Language: English
- ASIN: B0042JTADS
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Ellora’s Cave
- Goodreads
I first discovered Tibby when I read No Apologies (if you haven’t read that one yet, you really should – like, NOW), so when she told me she had another book out, I immediately jumped on the chance to read it. Unfortunately, because I had so much on my plate with school and family, I wasn’t able to pick it up right away. And boy, am I ever kicking myself in the butt for that.
I had some stuff come up that landed me in a spot where all I was able to do was read, so I grabbed for my iPad and pulled up Sheet Music. I was immediately engrossed in David and Kyra’s world. I’m pretty sure I had Tibby gnawing off the ends of her fingers because I tend to live tweet as I read, but I was laughing, screaming, crying, and reaching for my ice water trying to cool off (heh) along with the characters.
The one issue I did have with the book was that it felt like David fell for Kyra a little too quickly – but he didn’t tell her he loved her. I think he was more intrigued by her, and that’s what kept him coming back, despite all the perceived betrayals.
I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned anything about my musical background before either here or on Twitter, but basically everyone on my father’s side of my family is in the music business. And to see David playing music for a living (and Tibby getting so many of the details right – too many authors either glaze over it or write what we think it should be like and pray we don’t notice and nothing irritates me more — THANK YOU TIBBY! I love that you do your research!!) was like coming home for me. I imagined being in the booth with my dad or with my husband (yes, PK is a musician too… guess I couldn’t stay away, lol). Even if I didn’t love David because of everything else (he’s sexy, smooth, caring… once you break past the wall of ice he’s built around his heart), I’d be a puddle at his feet because he’s a sexy-as-sin musician. Groupie? Me? Never. 
I loved the fact that Kyra had a backbone. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s a weak-willed heroine, and she’s not one of them. There were times I wanted to slap them both simply because I wanted them to talk to each other because I wanted them to be together, but it’s because I cared about the characters and I just wanted them to be happy – which is the mark of a great author, IMO.
Another great read by a fantastic author. I’ve had the opportunity to beta read the sequel, Undercover Lover (which was recently released) and stars David’s little sister Jenny and his bodyguard Gunter. Also a must-read. Totally. (UL review is forthcoming)
Saturday Snippet: Sheet Music by Tibby Armstrong
I just finished reading Sheet Music last night (stayed up until well after midnight to do so) and I have to say that I loved this book. So much so, that I had to post some of it for Saturday Snippets. I’m looking forward to the release of Undercover Lover (the sequel to Sheet Music), which tells the story of David’s bodyguard, Gunter.
An Excerpt From: SHEET MUSIC
Copyright © TIBBY ARMSTRONG, 2010
All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.
Chapter One
“Name?”
David Tallis’ velvet-over-steel voice made Kyra’s stomach do a little flip that had nothing to do with nerves. Her reply was throaty, laced with all the pent-up need she’d intended to hide.
“Kyra. With a y.”
She licked her lips and stared as his strong, long-fingered hand made a flourish across the liner notes and flipped the CD case shut. He held it out to her in a graceful motion, rough-cut onyx cufflinks twinkling in the ambient lights.
She flicked a glance at the CD then met his cobalt eyes and promptly forgot she was here for professional research purposes only.
The next words out of her mouth shocked them both.
“Mr. Tallis, I’m Kyra Martin.”
“Bloody hell,” he muttered under his breath, placing his hands, palms down, on the linen-covered table.
She straightened her shoulders and fought not to close her eyes at the blunder she’d kick herself for later. She’d planned to introduce herself tonight when she “accidentally” bumped into him at the bar, not at Danny Owens’ music store opening, but there was no going back now. In for a penny, in for a pound.
“I realize this is unusual, but I was in London and I haven’t been able to get your publicist to show you—”
“Out!”
His voice rang through the upscale store, and out of the corner of her eye she saw the paid event photographer lower his camera rather than taking the perfect paparazzi shot.
Kyra felt all eyes upon her as a hush fell over the gaggle of women who had been let past the ropes for the publicity event. She calculated she had about ten seconds before Tallis’ infamous private goon-squad threw her out the door, but persisted nonetheless. Award-winning music journalism didn’t happen without a little chutzpah, after all.
Leaning forward she played the sex card, letting her cleavage peek above the sweetheart neck of her black cashmere sweater, her pearls swinging forward in a rhythmic arc.
“I’m sure we can find something to talk about that would be mutually agreeable.”
He held up a hand to stay the bodyguard who’d appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and his eyes made a disdainful dip to the offered view.
“I’m sure we could. I doubt you’d be writing about it in Rolling Stone, however. Hustler, perhaps?” His crisp accent made the jibe more pointed than it otherwise would have been.
Kyra smiled slowly. “Touché.”
Opening her purse, she took out a business card and slid it into the breast pocket of his suit jacket. With a breathless “Call me” that would bring most men to their knees, she turned and sashayed past the line of gaping women out into the early summer rain to hail a taxi.
“The Ritz,” she directed as she slid into the gleaming black car.
Stretching catlike, she smiled at her bit of brilliance. It might not have gone off exactly as she had planned, but it was a first step. Yes, there was always a way around a publicist.
As for David Tallis, he might not have given an interview in the better part of a decade, but she refused to be cowed by the likes of him. Rather, he was an irresistible puzzle. A man, who, no matter what strings the press pulled, seemed to have no past before age thirteen. No parents. No history. All they could uncover was a prep school education in a remote area of Scotland, and an improbably quick rise to international music stardom.
Even before he’d begun refusing to talk to the press, they’d all been prepped not to mention his childhood. Anyone who deviated from the script had received the famous Tallis glare and an abrupt end to the interview.
He had another think coming if he thought he could brush her off so easily. She could tolerate living naked on an iceberg—as long as she got her story. And she would get it. She might have blown the advantage of surprise, but she hadn’t failed yet in an assignment. It was something her editors counted on, and something on which she had staked her reputation and built her career thus far.
She would be the go-to name for the music industry glossies by the time she was finished, and no one would stand in her way. Her editor had assured her that if she got this story she could write her own ticket. If she didn’t… Well, failure was something she refused to contemplate.
Leaning her head back against the seat, she rested her eyes as the cabbie made his way to The Ritz where she—and David Tallis—would be spending the next week. Behind her closed lids she remembered his eyes. They had been even more stunning than on the cover of his latest CD. When they shot his picture for the story she’d have the set draped in fabric dyed to match their Mediterranean blue.
She pictured him naked from the waist up, in a casual pose that showed readers the sensual man behind the music. His covers were far too reserved for her taste. He needed more smoke, like his voice. Something that screamed sex.
Feeling a flush spread through her veins, Kyra wondered if the cabbie had turned up the heat. She shifted in her seat and blew out a breath. It was probably jet lag combined with the stress of her opening salvo with David that had affected her. It certainly couldn’t be his famous sex appeal. She was too jaded to be taken in by someone as pampered, pompous and self-interested as a musician—especially one with a pour-down-your-spine accent and hands that looked like they could caress the clothing off her body with one deft flick of his fingers.
Her purse rested between her thighs and she rocked forward to let the leather bite into her, imagining the heel of David Tallis’ palm in its place, picturing sitting on the edge of the autograph table in front of him at the signing. He’d have her thighs splayed wide, her skirt bunched so that her bottom rested against the cool linen.
He’d grind his hand harder into her folds, giving rough little slaps as he found a rhythm that reminded her of one of his Latin-inspired numbers. She’d arch her back and he’d hold her up with his other hand to grip her shoulder.
“Come for me, baby,” he’d growl, and she’d widen her thighs.
Her cell phone rang and her eyes flew open to meet the cabbie’s stare in the rearview mirror. They must have been sitting curbside for a full minute. Had the man been watching her? Did he know what she’d been doing? A twinkle in his brown eyes told her he did.
Music journalist Kyra Martin faces the toughest assignment of her career—to write a cover story about enigmatic heartthrob David Tallis. Deadline looming, Kyra plans to go undercover. When she ends up under the covers with the sexy superstar instead, can both her career and their budding relationship survive?
With a closet full of skeletons to hide, and a paparazzi-fueled divorce behind him, David Tallis despises the press. When Kyra Martin bribes her way into his life, her sexy assets have him composing a duplicitous seduction. Ensnared in a media maelstrom of his own making, can David face the music? Or will he lose Kyra, along with another piece of himself?
- Publisher: Ellora’s Cave (August 4, 2010)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
- Language: English
- ASIN: B0042JTADS
Gimme Gimme (I want I want): Books I’m dying for
I was going through a few emails, then somehow managed to get on some of my favorite author’s websites looking at the books they have coming up (or at their backlists, as the case may be), and I’ve decided that I’m going to be greedy and grab a few books. Why not? I have some money on an Amazon GC. I can splurge a little bit, right? So I’m making a wishlist. A couple of these won’t come out for a while, but I’m putting them on here anyway because I WANT THEM!
Luke Emerson is the last person Sebastian Wakefield expects to see strolling into his tattoo shop. But Luke’s not back after four years to take up where they left off. Not even to apologize for the cheating that broke them up.
Luke wants a custom tattoo, a memorial for someone known only as “A.J.”. Much as Seb would love to tell Luke to take this ink and shove it, he’s a professional. Plus, he’s reluctant to admit, he wouldn’t mind getting his hands on Luke again. Even if it’s just business.
Once Luke’s in the tattoo chair, though, Seb finds himself struggling with all the anger and resentment he thought he’d left behind—and those aren’t the only feelings reignited. Their relationship may have been turbulent, but it was also passionate. Four years clearly hasn’t been long enough for the embers of that fire to go cold.
A few subtle hints from Luke is all it takes to make Seb consider indulging in some of that physical passion. It shouldn’t be that tough to keep his emotions from getting tangled up in sweaty sheets.
After all, it’s not like he’s in love with Luke anymore. Right?
Product Warnings — Contains two exes who shouldn’t want each other like this, steamy ex-sex they shouldn’t be having, and a whole lot of ink.
Release date: May 31, 2011
Hard rock band Schadenfreude is finally on the verge of the success that’s eluded them for the last several years. With Aaron McClure as their new lead singer, nothing’s going to stop them…except maybe a steamy, secret relationship between Aaron and bassist Bastian Koehler. Aaron knows all too well what can happen when band members get involved with each other. After all, his last band was a casualty of his last relationship, and Schadenfreude forbids band members from dating for that very reason. But Bastian is too hot to resist, and besides, it’s just sex, so what’s the harm?
Bastian has just gotten out of a long relationship with his volatile ex-fiancée when Aaron catches his eye. The sexy singer is irresistible, and in spite of the potential for strife within the band if this comes out, Bastian can’t help himself.
Their passion in the bedroom is rivaled only by their ambition as musicians, though, and pretty soon, it’s going to tear them, and Schadenfreude apart, if they can’t get back to playing with the band.
Release date: March 22, 2011
Music journalist Kyra Martin faces the toughest assignment of her career–to write a cover story about enigmatic heartthrob David Tallis. Deadline looming, Kyra plans to go undercover. When she ends up under the covers with the sexy superstar instead, can both her career and their budding relationship survive?
With a closet full of skeletons to hide, and a paparazzi-fueled divorce behind him, David Tallis despises the press. When Kyra Martin bribes her way into his life, her sexy assets have him composing a duplicitous seduction. Ensnared in a media maelstrom of his own making, can David face the music? Or will he lose Kyra, along with another piece of himself?
Release date: August 4, 2010
From money pit to windfall…or is it a pitfall?
After ten years together, Ethan Mallory and Rhett Solomon are calling it quits. They’re more than ready to dump their heavy emotional baggage. The only thing they can’t seem to unload is the house. They’re stuck living as roommates with a hefty mortgage hanging over their heads…at least until they can bring in some extra money to pay it down. Solution: rent out a room.Enter Kieran Frost. Suddenly, the only thing Ethan and Rhett both want more than getting away from each other is getting close to their single, young, hot roommate. Complicating things is the fact that Kieran doesn’t mind the attention from both, and he certainly doesn’t mind sharing.
Their combined chemistry ignites something else that Ethan and Rhett had thought was long dead—the mutual attraction that drew them together in the first place. Except bitter jealousy over Kieran could only push them even farther apart…
Warning: Includes multiple threesomes, angry sex, makeup sex, and a little peeking.
Release date: July 6, 2010
Don’t talk to strangers, young man—especially the dead ones.
It’s the Roaring Twenties. Skirts are short, crime is rampant and booze is in short supply. Prohibition has hit Little Egypt, where newspaperman David Flynn has come to do a follow-up story on the Herren Massacre. The massacre isn’t the only news in town though. Spiritualist medium Julian Devereux claims to speak to the dead—and he charges a pretty penny for it.
Flynn knows a phoney when he sees one, and he’s convinced Devereux is as fake as a cigar store Indian. But the reluctant attraction he feels for the deceptively soft, not-his-type Julian is as real as it gets.
Suddenly Julian begins to have authentic, bloodstained visions of a serial killer, and the cynical Mr. Flynn finds himself willing to defend Julian with not only his life, but his body.
Ever since the death of his shellan, Tohrment has been unrecognizable from the vampire leader he once was. Physically emaciated and heartbroken beyond despair, he has been brought back to the Brotherhood by a self-serving fallen angel. Now, fighting once again with ruthless vengeance, he is unprepared to face a new kind of tragedy.
When Tohr begins to see his beloved in his dreams—trapped in a cold, isolated netherworld far from the peace and tranquility of the Fade—he turns to the angel in hopes of saving the one he has lost. But because Lassiter tells him he must learn to love another to free his former mate, Tohr knows they are all doomed….
Except then a female with a shadowed history begins to get through to him. Against the backdrop of the raging war with the lessers, and with a new clan of vampires vying for the Blind King’s throne, Tohr struggles between the buried past and a very hot, passion-filled future…but can his heart let go and set all of them free?
Release date: March 27, 2012 (I, of course, will be waiting for the audio – you know me)
Note from MK: Like I wasn’t gonna put this one on here? Come on. You know me better than that.
Turned into a vampire against her will, twenty-eight-year-old Merit found her way into the dark circle of Chicago’s vampire underground, where she learned there was more to supernaturals than met the eye—and more supernaturals than the public ever imagined.And not all the secrets she learned were for sharing—among humans or inhumans.Now Merit is on the hunt, charging across the stark American Midwest, tailing a rogue supernatural intent on stealing an ancient artifact that could unleash catastrophic evil on the world. But Merit is also the prey. An enemy of Chicagoland is hunting her, and he’ll stop at nothing to get the book for himself. No mercy allowed. No rules apply. No lives spared. The race is on.Release date: August 7, 2012
What books are you looking forward to?
