Title: The Prelude
Author: KaSonndra Leigh
Rating: 3.75/5 Stars
Release date: February 14, 2013
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Tour organized by: AToMR Tours
Buy links Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Book Description: After finishing design school six months ago, Erin Angelo left her tragic past behind in the States and started a new life in Milan, Italy. Burying the grief, silencing her demons, and living a life without any real attachments has worked well for her so far. But when Erin secures her first real job as a budding clothing designer, her controlled world is shaken to its core by the mysteriously sexy director of the local symphony.
Alek Dostov is a man who knows what he wants and how to get it. He’s successful, hot, the son of a millionaire, and women all over the world flock to see one of his performances. For Alek, Erin represents the ultimate challenge: sexy, smart, and unaffected by his charms…or so she thinks. Just like Erin, Alek avoids attachments that leave him emotionally vulnerable. But unlike Erin, his pursuit of all things pleasurable is ruthless.
Knowing how wary they both are concerning any kind of committed relationship, Alek finds a way to pursue Erin, satisfying the intense attraction between them without sacrificing the freedom they both enjoy. Sometimes the deepest passion brings out the darkest emotions. And Erin finds herself completely unprepared for the forbidden world of the young maestro and his truths and even his secrets, as she struggles to deal with her own.
Music, passion, betrayal and forbidden love spun together in one of the most romantic cities in the world.
REVIEW
Prelude by KaShonndra Leigh is a romantic suspense book set in Milan. The story centers on emotionally wounded fashion designer, Erin Angelo, and an enigmatic Russian maestro, Alek Dostov, who is into swinging.
The book opens with a prologue that sets the stage for the reasons Erin, as a teenage girl, swears off love of any kind. Fast forward to the adult Erin in Milan, working in her own fashion house as a designer. Her big break comes in designing costumes for a La Scalia production of Requiem for a Dream. The production is her chance to put her young fashion house in the spotlight. Enter the Russian and his family into Erin’s life. The Russian is Alek Dostov, a child protégé with a very sketchy past. A sketchy past I might say that doesn’t add up to him being a child protégé, as protégés are tutored and molded from a young age and no reference is made to his musical talent during his sketchy past in Russia as a youth.
Erin and Alek have a “will they/won’t they,” tug of attraction that at times made me dizzy. I felt as if I were missing out on elements of their budding relationship (which I shall endeavor to address later). Another aspect in the book that I didn’t see as necessary was Alek being a swinger as it was mentioned, but I still wonder why. Did the author have a desire to jump on the “every sexy guy needs to be kinky” bandwagon? If it was to show how meeting a nice girl changed him, then show me his personality before and after. Don’t announce to the world via his mother that she finds his kinky bedmates for him. Alek’s mother, Katerina, is a vile peace of work. YUCK!
When Alek’s shady past collides with the present, it is a wonder that anyone makes it out of this book alive. There was a myriad of twists and turns in the book that will leave many a reader wanting more books about this couple.
At various times during the reading of Prelude the characters engage in thoughts and/or dialogue that just doesn’t fit the continuity of the book. No these are not glaring “oops,” and maybe someone reading, who wasn’t taking notes, wouldn’t notice, but I did.
“Thousand of miles couldn’t separate you.”
“The Woman I’d kill or die for hurts and she needs me even more than realizes”
“Yesterday, I was about ready to make the decision to Lafayette.”
It is during these conversations that I feel the author may have cut out parts of the book as scenes are missing that would have made these statements fit. Because of this the book had me confused at times as if I missed something. I would greatly like to see some context edits done to this book as the plot was intriguing, but the flow of the story was hurt by the omissions.
As the story concludes, several loose ends are not tied up, which I presume will be answered in the sequel, as the author left plenty of room open for this.
TWO GIVEAWAYS
About the Author
I live in the City of Alchemy and Medicine, North Carolina. I write about people doing fantastical things in magical worlds. Sometimes they fall for each other and make sacrifices for their friends. Oh, and sometimes they love music and nature too. I live with my two sons,a guinea pig, a cat, and two dogs. Now that I have completed my MFA in creative writing, I find that I have a little extra time to play CLUE more often. I live in an L-shaped house dedicated to my grandmother. It has a secret library complete with fairies, venetian plastered walls, and a desk made out of clear blue glass.
Sounds like a good book !! Thanks for the review !
Great review..Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you for sharing the love!!
Thanks for your thoughts on this book!
Great, honest review!!!