🎹🎼🎶 "The Piano Teacher" (The Ladies of Roderick Glen #1) (2021) 🎶🎼🎹 - Book Review
MY REVIEW
Publisher: Kristie Self (January 19, 2021)
Language: English
ISBN-13: 979-8481942841
⬅️ Click Photo for Purchase Information
“She longs to escape a dreadful secret from her past, but can she ever run far enough to truly forget?
Melody Creston is left penniless following the death of her father. Desperate to escape the threat of an unwanted and dangerous marriage, she flees to the small village of Roderick Glen in the English countryside to begin life anew as a pianoforte teacher. She is hired to teach the daughter of the Earl of Rockingham and soon falls in love with the quaint village and its quirky residents. Despite her newfound freedom, she is haunted by the secrets of her past, as well as the constant fear that she will be discovered and forced to return to London.
Lord Henry Roderick is the younger son of the Earl of Rockingham and has no desire to obey his father’s wishes and help his brother attend to their family’s estate, Cheswick Park. Carefree and fun-loving, his reputation as a scoundrel often hides the true nature of his heart. Upon meeting Melody, he is instantly captivated by the beautiful piano teacher, and is determined to do whatever it takes to win her heart and become the man she needs.
Melody is intrigued by Henry and encourages him to follow his own path as he searches for his purpose in life. Shy and reserved, she is reluctant to admit her feelings for him, but as they grow closer, he begins to break through the barriers of fear and mistrust that surround her heart. As their love deepens, she becomes increasingly afraid of what will happen when he learns the truth of her turbulent past. Can love forgive a secret hidden in the shadows when it is exposed to the light of day?”
Thank you in advance to the author, Kristie Self, for providing a complimentary review copy. A positive review was not required and all words are my own.
Historical fiction is a genre that I didn’t read until about 2019. And, while I enjoy it, it is one in which I am very picky with. The story has to grab me, and I have to find some way of being engaged with it. I have to have a vested interest in the characters as well.
The cover of this book, despite being designed by a small independent designer, is STUNNING. Really stunning! Bespoke Book Covers did a fantastic job with this. As many readers (and reviewers) know – there is nothing wrong with “indy” books or covers as a whole. There are some pretty good indy books out there. But, there are some books and covers that definitely scream they could use more attention and perhaps guidance. There are some that are so bad that they look more like a child’s attempt at design and/or writing. Sadly it is the bad ones that get far more attention than the good ones.
The cover of this book alone grabbed my attention, and it fits with the genre. Lately a LOT of historical fiction books have the “lady from behind in a long dress” theme. This arrived the same day as A Dance in Donegal (Jennifer Deibel, Revell) and Shadows of the Windy City (Jocelyn Green, Bethany House). All three have similar covers, and similar color schemes. So it definitely fit with those books and the genre.
Anyway ...
When I agreed to review this book, I honestly didn’t know how long of a book it was! While listed at 470 pages, the story itself is 458 pages. So, it is a rather lengthy novel.
In addition to length, there are MULTIPLE characters, and quite a few points of view (POVs). I counted at least 19 different POVs (even if minor characters have limited appearances). In addition to Melody; there was the entire Roderick family (Lord, Lady, Fanny, Henry, George, Victoria); support characters (Fiona, Marigold, Hadley, CeCe, Travis, Fenwick, Barney, Janie, David, Hadley, Travis, Merry).
Thankfully the story was told in third person so the reader doesn’t have to sift through and see who is doing the narrating. Chapters routinely have about four (4) to five (5) different POVs. Though towards the end, there are really only 10 different POVs told, and chapters are reduced to about 2-4. So, it can be a challenge to keep up with all the characters. Some readers might be overwhelmed by it. That was about the only issue I had with it – there were SO many people to try to track.
The first book of the series, The Piano Teacher’s main protagonist is Melody Carson, a woman left penniless when her father dies. She’s offered marriage by his solicitor (attorney) and due to a frightening incident with him when she was younger; she refuses and runs away because she fears him. [Trigger warning – there is a mention of potential sexual assault which occurs prior to the beginning of the book].
This takes her to Roderick Glen where, due to her musical prowess with the piano (pianoforte is mostly used in this book), she is given the task of tutoring young Lady Victoria, the youngest child of Lord and Lady Rockingham.
Prior to her arrival there is a lot of gossip about her. Marigold simply tells everyone to let her be and make her welcome.
Melody is overwhelmed when she arrives, but grateful for the chance to start over and support herself. What others don’t know is that her mother was a Lady and her father a Baron. And, no one finds out either.
Back in London, Fenwick Peele discovers her disappearance and is livid. Right off there is no secret he is the villain of this story.
Immediately Melody and Victoria connect.
After an argument with his father, it is here that Lord Henry meets Melody and it is clear to the reader his is smitten with her.
He isn’t the only Rockingham sibling that is taken with one of the “staff” – his older brother George is smitten with his sister’s governess – Fiona.
Henry, due to his failure to adhere to his father’s wishes, is banished. He decides to get a job as a commoner would.
This sort of puts him and Melody on the same ground … somewhat.
The story has multiple story arcs going on:
** David Randall trying to subtlety romance Melody, who has feelings for Henry
** Henry smitten with Melody
** George smitten with Fiona
** Victoria having issues with the brother of one of her friends; and it is clear they have quite the past in that she has always hated him
** Peele trying to find Melody for nefarious reasons
** Henry wanting to investigate Peele
And, a few more …
Melody doesn’t want Henry to investigate Peele, but he still does. Fanny wants to “show off” Melody’s talent in of all places – London!
A talk with Maria confirms what Henry thought – Peele is NOT an honorable man. And, it is after a conversation with Fiona that Melody learns she cannot hide.
It isn’t until the last quarter (¼) of the book that the story picks up with not only the romance, but suspense as well. And, the last 50 pages are very exciting. The author does a great job in keeping the story interesting.
This book is a pretty solid debut. The short chapters help with moving the story along and it doesn’t stagnant for any length of time. From the reviews of Jane Austen and some BBC show snippets, Self’s descriptive and authentic writing has a similar feel to those books and shows.
One quote, on page 165, Melody is telling Marigold that “beauty isn’t always a blessing. Sometimes it’s a curse”. This was a theme, as well as character “catch-phrase” that was explored in season three (3) [2005] of a popular drama about plastic surgeons that ran from 2003-2010.
I really enjoyed this novel and didn’t want to stop reading it for any length of time. Though at the size, it can be a bit to handle so breaks are a necessity. I would suggest reducing the amount of POVs and also a character list either in the beginning or end of the book to keep track of everyone.
With all the characters, it is hard to list everyone; but I truly enjoyed Henry and Melody’s individual character development. Henry went from being an aristocrat to working as an aid to a solicitor and an investigator. He also developed into less of a party boy to a reliable man. Melody went from wondering how she was going to provide for herself to becoming a well known piano teacher and musician. Her confidence grew as a result. I also loved seeing the development with Henry’s father as well. There were some characters that didn’t develop that much.
The Piano Teacher is a clean read – no foul language or sex scenes. Though for the times, there might be “inappropriate” conduct. Church services and some references to God are mentioned, but they are not central to the theme of the story or the plot.
This book sets up for the next story – according to the author it will be titled The Dressmaker. I do look forward to that story and to see what awaits in this series.
Those who enjoy historical fiction and historical romance will probably enjoy this book.
RATING:
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kristie Self combines her love of history and romance to write faith-filled love stories with memorable characters and intriguing plots. A banker by day, she spends most of her nights and weekends focused on writing. She enjoys traveling, watching movies, and curling up with a good book. An avid lover of music, she plays several instruments and teaches piano. She is a graduate of Howard Payne University and lives in Lott, Texas with her cat, Arlo.
You can follow her on the following social media accounts:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Author-Kristie-Self-104312101557463/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristieself_author/
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