Playing the Maestro (Maestro Series #1)
by Aubrie Dionne
Contemporary Romance
Categories: Musical
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Heat Level: Sweet
Length: 190 pages
Buy Links
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Playing-the-Maestro-ebook/dp/B00BEJ0VH8/
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/playing-the-maestro-aubrie-dionne/1114502925
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iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/playing-the-maestro/id603611717
Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Playing-the-Maestro/book-bWrhPKl0IkCD7pusZiXiXA/page1.html
Giveaway Info:
Prize is a Vera Bradley-Style Bag (picture attached). Due to nature
of prize, contest is open to US residents only. Ends Apr 15. Must be 18
years of age or older to enter.
http://www.cblspromotions.com/2013/04/blogbarrage-playing-maestro-maestro.html
Blurb
Melody Mires has sworn off dating musicians, but when the sexy
European conductor Wolf Braun takes over her struggling symphony, her
hesitation almost flies out the window with the notes of her flute—until he
opens his mouth. Wolf is arrogant, haughty, and seems to have a personal
vendetta against Melody. Oh, and he’s her boss. If she wants to keep her job as
principal flutist, she’ll have to impress Wolf while simultaneously keeping her
undeniable attraction to herself.
Wolf came to America to get as far away from his past as possible, and
to recover some of the swagger he had as one of the world’s best maestros. He
never imagined being forced to reassess the entire orchestra’s talent—and
potentially fire anyone who doesn’t make his cut. Dating the attractive flutist
is out of the question, but as their feelings reach a fever pitch, can they
risk both their careers for a chance at love?
Excerpt
Melody Mires plopped into the principal flutist’s seat in
Easthampton’s illustrious Civic Symphony and buried her head in her hands. “I’m
never dating another self-centered, arrogant, egotistical musician again.”
“Bad date, huh?” Carly ran her cleaning cloth through her oboe as her
reeds soaked in a tiny shot glass on her music stand. Violins screeched around
them while a French horn blatted arpeggios. It wasn’t exactly the best
environment for discussing Melody’s dating habits.
“Let’s just say two hours of listening to a guy talk about his
Stradivarius is less than enticing.”
Carly stuck her reed in her oboe and blew a tentative note. Ever since
the board of directors had turned off the AC to save money, she’d pulled her
pin-straight blond hair in a tight bun and wore shorts and sandals to
rehearsal. “Which one is he, Mel?”
Melody considered letting the conversation drop. What did it matter?
Every one of the musicians she’d dated was the same as her: burned out from
practicing to beat the chair ahead of him, teaching five million lessons a day
to make ends meet, scrambling for gigs two hours away on the weekends, so
involved in a dying art form that he didn’t even know the Bruins were an ice
hockey team.
What she needed was a nonmusician, a gorgeous firefighter or a
clean-cut Gillette commercial model in a business suit. Yes, a lawyer who
worked to defend the innocent would be nice, or a veterinarian for homeless and
sick animals—someone who didn’t think the world revolved around him. But she
didn’t travel in those social circles. She was stuck in the stuffy bubble of
the classical music community.
“So you gonna tell me, or do I have to guess?” Carly set her oboe
across her lap and shuffled through her sheet music.
Melody leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Blake Templeton.”
Carly gave her a shocked look. “Not Blake?”
“Yup.” She assembled her flute to try and look like she was warming
up, thinking about the disastrous date with the orchestra’s personnel manager.
“Good thing it didn’t work out, or everyone would think I was dating him just
so he’d tenure my position.”
“I’m surprised he’d ask you out, what with his sister and all…”
Melody rolled her eyes. “Why would a flute prodigy from Julliard want
this little Civic Symphony seat anyway? Seems to me a girl who played the
Mozart G Major concerto in front of the New York Phil at age seven could get a
seat in any orchestra. Age seven. When I was seven, the only thing I was
playing was pretend flute on my toothbrush.”
Carly shrugged as if she’d told her this flute whiz could tie her own
shoes. “You’re better than you think. You could give Blake’s sister a run for
her money any day.”
“Thanks, hon.” Melody twirled her dark curls behind her head and stuck
a pencil in to hold the knot. “Like I said. I swear never…”
The orchestra quieted around them. A man with dark chestnut hair
flowing in waves around his broad shoulders took the conductor’s podium and
tapped his baton on the music stand. Blue eyes that reminded Melody of the
Atlantic Ocean on a sunny day surveyed the orchestra. He pursed curvy lips
framed by a strong-ridged jaw and gorgeously high cheekbones and gestured to
Carly to give the tuning pitch.
Melody was glad the woodwinds sat in the back so he wouldn’t hear her
audible gasp. “Who the hell is that?” She thought she knew everything happening
with the orchestra.
Carly nodded to him and switched on her tuner, clipping a small mic to
the bell of her oboe. She spoke out of the corner of her mouth. “They just
introduced him on the website this morning. Their latest surprise: Wolfgang
Braun, the guest conductor from Berlin.”
Melody stared in disbelief, thinking Chris Helmsworth’s Thor must have
had a better-looking, long-lost cousin in Germany. Since when did conductors
lift weights? She’d never have to force herself to look up for cues again.
Review
“Dionne’s passion for music resonates through this lovely story.
Brava.”–Nikki Logan, author of How to Get Over Your Ex
About the Author
Aubrie grew up watching the original Star Wars movies over and over
until she could recite and reenact every single scene in her backyard. She also
loved The Goonies, Star Trek the Next Generation–favorite character was Data
by far–and Indiana Jones. But, her all time favorite movie was The Last
Unicorn. She still wonders why the unicorn decided to change back to a unicorn
in the end.
Aubrie wrote in her junior high yearbook that she wanted to be “a
concert flutist” when she grew up. She majored in flute performance at the
University of New Hampshire on a full scholarship, then secured two teaching
jobs at a University and a local community music school. While playing in
orchestras and teaching, stories popped into her head, and she used them to
make the music come alive for her flute students. Her students said they were
so good, she had to write them down! Maybe they were right, who knows? Two
careers seems to keep her busy. For now.
She is represented by Dawn Dowdle and writes
sweet and adventurous fantasy, science fiction, and contemporary romance.
Connect with Aubrie Dionne
Website: http://www.authoraubrie.net
Blog: http://authoraubrie.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authoraubrie
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