Blog Tour Stop : Blue Notes by Carrie Lofty

Summary (from Goodreads)
 
Title : Blue Notes
Author : Carrie Lofty
Publication Date : May 6th 2014
Publisher : Gallery
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

For fans of Jamie McGuire and S.C. Stephens, a sizzling new adult novel featuring the tumultuous relationship between a young piano prodigy and a reluctant billionaire playboy—set against the vibrant backdrop of a New Orleans college campus.

After being bounced from foster family to foster family, Keeley, a talented pianist, is ready to start over as a junior at Tulane. But when she plays a small concert that attracts the attention of Jude, a brooding playboy and heir to an enormous fortune in the wake of his parents’ tragic death, suddenly Keeley’s life is thrown off balance once again.

Jude is the first person to confront her about the pain behind her music, and she struggles with whether or not to let him into her life, or to keep protecting herself from the hurt that relationships have caused her in the past. But Keeley’s about to learn that the melancholy young billionaire who appears to have everything he wants can open her eyes to exactly what she needs...


Hi guys!

Welcome to my tour for the Blue Notes blog tour. For my tour stop, I'll  be sharing with you all my review of the book and an author interview. Be sure to check out some of the other tour stops if you're interested here.

Personal Thoughts

I've wanted to read Blue Notes by Carrie Lofty ever since I found out that music would play a big role in the book. I don't have any musical talent, but I love it when it's featured in books. I wasn't too sure what to expect when I went into the book, but I ended up really enjoying myself because Blue Notes was romantic and filled with sexual tension.

Keeley has been through a lot of obstacles through her young age. She watched her father murder her mother and she's pretty much had a rough life. But she does manage to gather herself, slowly escape from her past and learn to not allow who her parents were to define who she is. I liked Keeley as a main character. Her passion for music was probably my favorite part of her. I loved the scenes when she describes all these intense feelings she experiences when she's playing music. It made me feel like I was there watching her play. I also admired her for her bravery and her smart attitude when it came to learning to let go of the past. Of course, Keeley didn't immediately move on from her past. There were events that prevented her from doing so, but she still stood strong. Jude, her love interest, was a bit of an enigma. We know that he is this uber-rich guy who had to take over his parents' company when they passed away suddenly during a plane crash, but he cloaked himself in this persona that prevented me from getting to know him better. I suppose I wanted his POV to understand where he was coming from better. I did love his little sister who was spunky and who also grew throughout the book with the help of Keeley.

The romance in Blue Notes was ... intense. I don't know exactly how to describe it because it made me feel so uncomfortable watching Keeley and Jude interact, not because they were a weird couple or anything, because their sexual tension was so palpable and just so powerful. I honestly felt like an intruder and a voyeur during their scenes. There's this one scene in the beginning book, especially, after which I had to set the book down for a bit because I was left feeling flustered (and it wasn't even a sex scene). Jude and Keeley were definitely one sexy couple. Moving on, I loved the involvement of Keeley's foster parents in the story. These two people were so sweet and I loved how they were the opposite of what foster parents are normally depicted as in  books. They showered Keeley with so much love and they were always there to support her no matter what her decision was. They were simply the sort of lovely people the world needs more of. This is my first book by Carrie Lofty and I'm excited to read more from her.

Intense, romantic and sexy, Blue Notes by Carrie Lofty will appeal to fans of the New Adult contemporary genre.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 4/5

**Overall Rating : 3.5/5**


Author Interview

Hi Carrie! Welcome to Nick's Book Blog!

Thanks so much for inviting me to stop by!


You've written multiple historical romances and paranormal romances in the past. What
made you want to write a New Adult contemporary novel?

I had a blast in college, even though I didn’t meet a billionaire playboy. Instead I met an
Englishman during my year abroad at the University of East Anglia. Then I dragged him
home and married him! So in the span of four years I went from a freshman with an X­
Men bedspread to a married woman with a double degree in history and English. (An
aside: A great big HA! to all the people who thought my majors meant teaching was my
only career option.) Anyway, the point is that the years between 18­24 are tremendous
with regard to life changes. When given the opportunity, I was stoked to veer my
romances down that road.


Music undoubtedly plays a big role in Blue Notes. What role does music play in your
writing career?

I literally don’t write without music. Ever. I have the awesome noise­canceling
headphones DJs wear in clubs, because I can’t even stand the sound of my keys clicking.
I want to drown in sound so my creative brain can outrun my editing brain.

But aside from the pure mechanics, I sucked the essence out of music. There’s such
vitality. I tried to learn to play the guitar in high school, but now I’m glad I never got very
good. I would hate to know the technicalities of playing the way I know the nuances of
writing. It would take the mystery out of what is, to me, pure inspirational magic.


In your biography on your website, you mentioned how you were obsessed with the
Lincoln assassination and researched it. What brought about that fascination and did you
learn anything intriguing/interesting?

I was ten at the time and remember it as my first history obsession. (My first general
research obsession was about cats. Of course.) Something about the assassination plot,
the eventual hangings, the drama of John Wilkes Booth’s escape, the ordinary quality of
going to a play…but being witness to the president being shot… These were concepts
beyond my ten­year­old perspective, and I wanted to learn larger than (my) life things.
Eventually, all of history became that way for me. What was it like? What would I feel?
Who would I be and how would I react?

Imagination, it is strong with this one…


Another music question! What's on repeat on your music player right now?

Most of the Great Gatsby soundtrack, “What Now” by Rihanna, “Burn” by Ellie Goulding,
“Things We Lost in the Fire” by Bastille, “Lolita” by Lana Del Rey, “Think of You” by MS
MR, “Broken Crown” by Mumford & Sons, “The Wolf” by Phildel, “Counting Starts” by
OneRepublic, and any version of “Say Something.”


Lastly, do you have plans to write more NA novels? Anything you can share with us about
them?

Absolutely! The sequel will feature Keeley’s chemistry major roomie, Janissa, and her
run­in with Cam Downey, Tulane’s top draft pick football star. Tentatively titled SPARKS,
I’m betting there will be some serious tutoring sessions going on…


Thanks so much for taking your time to answer these, Carrie!


Author Biography

Since 2008, RITA-nominated and RT Reviewers’ Choice-winning author Carrie Lofty has over twenty books to her name–or four names, to be precise. Her paranormal (as Lindsey Piper ) and historical romances from Pocket have been described as “nuanced and superbly realized” (The Chicago Tribune) and “sexy, brutal and somehow innocent” (All About Romance). Now Carrie is celebrating her first New Adult romance, Blue Notes , featuring a shy piano prodigy and a New Orleans playboy shouldering his family’s crumbling empire.

With Lorelie Brown, the Katie Porter co-writing team has been honored with a Reviewers’ Choice award for Best Erotic Ebook, and the first m/m nomination for RT‘s Book of the Year. Back-to-back releases of their La Femme Nakita-inspired “Command Force Alpha” series will begin in August from Samhain.

During her junior year abroad, Carrie lured an unsuspecting Englishman to the Midwest, where she’s kept him a happy ex-pat for sixteen years. With two pre-teen daughters and a master’s degree specializing in the Old West, Carrie is a movie buff, a former ballroom and bellydancer, and a woman in desperate need of a maid service.

Author links:
http://www.carrielofty.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1369826.Carrie_Lofty
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarrieLofty
https://twitter.com/carrielofty

Giveaway


a Rafflecopter giveaway


I hope you guys enjoyed the author interview. Let me know in the comments below if this book interests you!

Thank you to Giselle for letting me participate in this book tour!
Be sure to check out the Xpresso Book Tours page.


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