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Notes of Temptation
Together they take the stage. Together they must defend it to the death.
Hollywood Jazz, Book 1
When Carrie Cooper leaves her small gold-mining town to seek her fortune, it’s not until she arrives in L.A. that she learns her college certificate is a fraud. The only work available is in a less-than-respectable speakeasy.
The job comes with the opportunity to take the stage with Oz Dean, the club’s captivating bandleader. But rivals out for her blood along with her place in the spotlight lurk behind the curtain.
Oz Dean has the rare ability to “see” music as brilliant colors, but nothing has ever dazzled him like Carrie’s pure, choirgirl voice. With a mob debt hanging over his head like a guillotine, he organizes a revue that will launch them all to stardom. Unfortunately, his bold move attracts exactly the kind of criminal attention he’d like to avoid.
Mired in Hollywood’s underbelly, caught off-guard by their growing attraction, Carrie and Oz are forced to consider the cost of success. Or their one chance to make beautiful music together could be their last.
Romance with the flare of jazz and a touch of suspense. Wise guys, jealous dames, a wide-eyed ingénue, and fancy moves—and we’re not talking about the dance floor. May require a little morning-after hair of the dog.
Hollywood Jazz, Book 1
When Carrie Cooper leaves her small gold-mining town to seek her fortune, it’s not until she arrives in L.A. that she learns her college certificate is a fraud. The only work available is in a less-than-respectable speakeasy.
The job comes with the opportunity to take the stage with Oz Dean, the club’s captivating bandleader. But rivals out for her blood along with her place in the spotlight lurk behind the curtain.
Oz Dean has the rare ability to “see” music as brilliant colors, but nothing has ever dazzled him like Carrie’s pure, choirgirl voice. With a mob debt hanging over his head like a guillotine, he organizes a revue that will launch them all to stardom. Unfortunately, his bold move attracts exactly the kind of criminal attention he’d like to avoid.
Mired in Hollywood’s underbelly, caught off-guard by their growing attraction, Carrie and Oz are forced to consider the cost of success. Or their one chance to make beautiful music together could be their last.
Romance with the flare of jazz and a touch of suspense. Wise guys, jealous dames, a wide-eyed ingénue, and fancy moves—and we’re not talking about the dance floor. May require a little morning-after hair of the dog.
275 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 16, 2016
19 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 16, 2016
Let me show my colors right away: I am not a fan of virgin characters at all. Usually, the girls are way too naive and it is easily transformed into a moralistic story and leaving little room for characters development. You can imagine my reaction when I realized that the main character is a virgin and that I am reading a new adult book. I was not quite sure what to think about it. That being said, I was in for a great surprise. Those elements are not hurting this story. In fact, I understand why the author chose to go down that road and it would not change a thing.
I really love everything about the 1920’s, it is a time period that I find fascinating. A lot of things were coming to fruition, and to my delight, this story is set in the 1920’s Hollywood (when movies and actors were just starting to emerge). It is also an era when prohibition was full on and to have a drink you needed to be creative (or rich|). Rebecca Hasley managed to bring those 20’s vibes alive and I am very happy about it!! I hopped into a time machine and let the story drove me straight into the 20's!
Carrie is leaving a small Arizona miner village to go to LA. She is dreaming of becoming a secretary. Yes, you read it correctly, a secretary!! She left her mama behind and arrived in LA with very little money and without knowing a single soul. She might be a virgin but she has a strong will and come across as brave and rational. With her small town attitude, she is appreciated by a ton of people. She has that loving energy that is shining through. That’s how she was able to meet a lot of wonderful characters and begin to call LA home.
OZ is quite an interesting character, he may still be young, but he has an old soul. We can see that he had more than his share of hurtful things happening is his life, but he is strong will and love life and has a passion for music. He also has a gift he can see auras attached to sounds. Sometimes, it can be hard to understand certain of his behaviors, but he is still a gentleman. It is toward the end of the book that he is showing the most of his strength and his willingness to go all in. He has that sweetness about him that earn him a soft spot in my heart.
I love the story pace, it is perfect. There is a lot of action, mystery, a touch of spirituality and a musical love that is transcending those pages. It can’t go bad when a story has venues with live musician and singers. Just add to that a little drama and it is a perfect recipe for entertainment. I can’t find a single thing that I would be changing in the story. It was very well done! Some scenes had my imagination running wild like the scene between Minnie and Carrie in the dressing room and the trip to Santa Monica beach. My highlight is the scene of Carrie and OZ visiting a pawn shot together, it was just breathtaking to see Carrie acting this way. The end was well done and even though some questions are still up in the air, it is just enough to have me excited for a second book. I must day that there is very little love scene and nothing steamy at all, I actually don’t mind, but I could have used more passion in it.
Strong characters such as the wonderful free spirited Ruby, Ellison the talented musician, the annoying Minnie, Maeva and Carrie’s mama are making this story even more enjoyable.
I want to read the second book now. Please!!!! No need to say that I recommend it!
I received this book from the JeepDiva for the express purposes of an honest review. The opinions and rating of this review are solely mine and in no way was I compensated.
I really love everything about the 1920’s, it is a time period that I find fascinating. A lot of things were coming to fruition, and to my delight, this story is set in the 1920’s Hollywood (when movies and actors were just starting to emerge). It is also an era when prohibition was full on and to have a drink you needed to be creative (or rich|). Rebecca Hasley managed to bring those 20’s vibes alive and I am very happy about it!! I hopped into a time machine and let the story drove me straight into the 20's!
Carrie is leaving a small Arizona miner village to go to LA. She is dreaming of becoming a secretary. Yes, you read it correctly, a secretary!! She left her mama behind and arrived in LA with very little money and without knowing a single soul. She might be a virgin but she has a strong will and come across as brave and rational. With her small town attitude, she is appreciated by a ton of people. She has that loving energy that is shining through. That’s how she was able to meet a lot of wonderful characters and begin to call LA home.
OZ is quite an interesting character, he may still be young, but he has an old soul. We can see that he had more than his share of hurtful things happening is his life, but he is strong will and love life and has a passion for music. He also has a gift he can see auras attached to sounds. Sometimes, it can be hard to understand certain of his behaviors, but he is still a gentleman. It is toward the end of the book that he is showing the most of his strength and his willingness to go all in. He has that sweetness about him that earn him a soft spot in my heart.
I love the story pace, it is perfect. There is a lot of action, mystery, a touch of spirituality and a musical love that is transcending those pages. It can’t go bad when a story has venues with live musician and singers. Just add to that a little drama and it is a perfect recipe for entertainment. I can’t find a single thing that I would be changing in the story. It was very well done! Some scenes had my imagination running wild like the scene between Minnie and Carrie in the dressing room and the trip to Santa Monica beach. My highlight is the scene of Carrie and OZ visiting a pawn shot together, it was just breathtaking to see Carrie acting this way. The end was well done and even though some questions are still up in the air, it is just enough to have me excited for a second book. I must day that there is very little love scene and nothing steamy at all, I actually don’t mind, but I could have used more passion in it.
Strong characters such as the wonderful free spirited Ruby, Ellison the talented musician, the annoying Minnie, Maeva and Carrie’s mama are making this story even more enjoyable.
I want to read the second book now. Please!!!! No need to say that I recommend it!
I received this book from the JeepDiva for the express purposes of an honest review. The opinions and rating of this review are solely mine and in no way was I compensated.
May 4, 2016
Disclaimer: I am friends with the author. However, I purchased my copy of the book for full price.
Notes of Temptation is a mixed book: part romance, part historical drama, part urban fantasy, and all fun.
Easily the best part of this novel is the level of environmental detail in which Halsey immerses the reader without ever letting it be a distraction. A tremendous amount of research in a variety of settings and topics obviously went into this feat, but the writing is so deft that it enhances the language rather than ever verging toward the dreaded info-dump. Having no familiarity with post-Gold Rush Arizona or early Hollywood, I never felt lost and nothing ever felt contrived.
Though this novel gives off a serious romance vibe, this non-romance reader still enjoyed it immensely. This could have come off as a basic "boy meets girl" story, but I was instead much more wrapped up in the evolution of Carrie Cooper as she makes the leap from small-town girl to a new life in the big city. Her journey is at times heart-breaking and joyous, and I loved coming along for the ride.
It helps that Oz Dean is not the typical romantic hero. He's got his own life and drama, and though he is definitely initially attracted to Carrie, his priority is supporting his musical career. The fact that Carrie might be an asset to that is just the bonus that sparks a deeper relationship. But Oz never uses Carrie, and even makes some sacrifices of his own to help her out.
The sexual elements of this novel are very location and time-period appropriate. I don't think this will disappoint modern romance readers once they get to a certain delightfully steamy piano scene.
Oz's almost-magical ability is just interesting enough to qualify this book as partly urban fantasy but not intrusive enough to have a ton of relevance on the plot, which can be disappointing to the fantasy readers in the house. I almost wish more had been made of this beyond being part of what attracts him to Carrie. However, I appreciated the fact that Carrie does not appear to have any magical ability at all, which is a nice departure from some paranormal romance tropes.
This is one of those books that doesn't necessarily need a sequel, but I enjoyed the characters and setting enough that I would be delighted to read one! Some of the secondary characters were so well-developed that I'd even jump at the chance to read more of their story. Overall, this was a fantastic debut novel, and I'm excited to read more of Halsey's work in the future.
Notes of Temptation is a mixed book: part romance, part historical drama, part urban fantasy, and all fun.
Easily the best part of this novel is the level of environmental detail in which Halsey immerses the reader without ever letting it be a distraction. A tremendous amount of research in a variety of settings and topics obviously went into this feat, but the writing is so deft that it enhances the language rather than ever verging toward the dreaded info-dump. Having no familiarity with post-Gold Rush Arizona or early Hollywood, I never felt lost and nothing ever felt contrived.
Though this novel gives off a serious romance vibe, this non-romance reader still enjoyed it immensely. This could have come off as a basic "boy meets girl" story, but I was instead much more wrapped up in the evolution of Carrie Cooper as she makes the leap from small-town girl to a new life in the big city. Her journey is at times heart-breaking and joyous, and I loved coming along for the ride.
It helps that Oz Dean is not the typical romantic hero. He's got his own life and drama, and though he is definitely initially attracted to Carrie, his priority is supporting his musical career. The fact that Carrie might be an asset to that is just the bonus that sparks a deeper relationship. But Oz never uses Carrie, and even makes some sacrifices of his own to help her out.
The sexual elements of this novel are very location and time-period appropriate. I don't think this will disappoint modern romance readers once they get to a certain delightfully steamy piano scene.
Oz's almost-magical ability is just interesting enough to qualify this book as partly urban fantasy but not intrusive enough to have a ton of relevance on the plot, which can be disappointing to the fantasy readers in the house. I almost wish more had been made of this beyond being part of what attracts him to Carrie. However, I appreciated the fact that Carrie does not appear to have any magical ability at all, which is a nice departure from some paranormal romance tropes.
This is one of those books that doesn't necessarily need a sequel, but I enjoyed the characters and setting enough that I would be delighted to read one! Some of the secondary characters were so well-developed that I'd even jump at the chance to read more of their story. Overall, this was a fantastic debut novel, and I'm excited to read more of Halsey's work in the future.
August 8, 2016
If you like strong characters, romance, and beautiful prose, then this book should be on your tbr shelf. Halesey's prose takes the reader through action scenes which get the heart pounding, but she also slows down to make the reader stop and appreciate her language.
"Draped in florets, they [the women] surpassed the festive theme of their surroundings and compensated for the uniformity of their men, mere accessories to be tugged along like pocketbooks the size and shape of suits." -From chapter 8
This is Halsey's debut and I can't wait for more from this author.
"Draped in florets, they [the women] surpassed the festive theme of their surroundings and compensated for the uniformity of their men, mere accessories to be tugged along like pocketbooks the size and shape of suits." -From chapter 8
This is Halsey's debut and I can't wait for more from this author.
May 19, 2016
A sweeter romance than I usually get from Samhain, but a fun one to read nonetheless. I like old Hollywood stories and this had a touch of gangster jazz to it.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews