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Overture
For ebook purchase links, go to zaidewilliams.com/overture
Meet Elma--classical pianist, resident of the Safe Side of the Street, and practitioner of a dependably dull existence. Her love life is meh, her piano is her home, and her best friend is her vicarious source of fun. Everything is in harmony until blade-like fangs dig into her flesh to obliterate everything she ever knew to be true. Now she is a supernatural powerhouse. Now she is a force of nature. Now she is a target.
Overture, the first book in a four-part series of the same name, introduces readers to a heroine who will find that she is leagues stronger than she ever thought she could be, more passionate than she dared to believe, and critical in ways she could never have fathomed. In a symphony of vampires, evil, magic, and timeless love, Elma sings a pivotal song. Watch as she learns the tune.
Meet Elma--classical pianist, resident of the Safe Side of the Street, and practitioner of a dependably dull existence. Her love life is meh, her piano is her home, and her best friend is her vicarious source of fun. Everything is in harmony until blade-like fangs dig into her flesh to obliterate everything she ever knew to be true. Now she is a supernatural powerhouse. Now she is a force of nature. Now she is a target.
Overture, the first book in a four-part series of the same name, introduces readers to a heroine who will find that she is leagues stronger than she ever thought she could be, more passionate than she dared to believe, and critical in ways she could never have fathomed. In a symphony of vampires, evil, magic, and timeless love, Elma sings a pivotal song. Watch as she learns the tune.
235 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2014
1085 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 23, 2014
I am extremely excited about winning this book through Goodreads Firstreads. Can't wait to receive it in the mail!
Updated December 23, 2014
Procured via: Goodreads
Book Title and Author: “Overture” by Issa Puppi
RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2014
RATING: 3.5 Worth requesting at library, downloading for free, or buying in paperback
GENRE: Fantasy/Romance/Paranormal
AUDIENCE: Fans of Stephanie Meyer, Charlaine Harris, and Anne Rice will truly enjoy this book.
SERIES: Overture Series Book #1
SUMMARY: Blurb from Goodreads:
“Who are you?
Elma is a classical pianist who wants nothing more than to lose herself in her music, a peaceful existence and a good relationship. But she is unaware that half of herself and her universe still remain to be explored. This is a realm of vampires, sorcerers, ancient evil and overwhelming romance, and, unknown to her, she has a central place in that realm.
Overture is the first book in a series that takes readers through Elma's journey into the world from which she comes, a path of discovery, danger, and magic, all folded together into an eternal love song played to the beat of her own heart.”
REVIEW: *Tremendous thanks to Goodreads and author Issa Puppi for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
A book has to be very well written for me to enjoy a paranormal jaunt into the world of fantasy. Puppi captured my attention within the first couple pages and I devoured this story! I tend to be a bit of a prude when reading romance, but the erotica in this novel was tastefully written and added to my interest in Elma.
Some points in the book seemed to be a bit “thrown in”, or added in at odd-ish times, (will not provide examples as I don’t want to spoil the book’s story) but all in all it moved right along. The ending was extremely satisfactory and anything left possibly hanging was clearly being used as an intro into a second book. Character development was pretty good, and readers will be able to clearly see how all of the characters mesh together.
FYI: For fans of this book, seek out more Issa Puppi at her wonderful blog, The TorridForties at http://torridforties.com/
Updated December 23, 2014
Procured via: Goodreads
Book Title and Author: “Overture” by Issa Puppi
RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2014
RATING: 3.5 Worth requesting at library, downloading for free, or buying in paperback
GENRE: Fantasy/Romance/Paranormal
AUDIENCE: Fans of Stephanie Meyer, Charlaine Harris, and Anne Rice will truly enjoy this book.
SERIES: Overture Series Book #1
SUMMARY: Blurb from Goodreads:
“Who are you?
Elma is a classical pianist who wants nothing more than to lose herself in her music, a peaceful existence and a good relationship. But she is unaware that half of herself and her universe still remain to be explored. This is a realm of vampires, sorcerers, ancient evil and overwhelming romance, and, unknown to her, she has a central place in that realm.
Overture is the first book in a series that takes readers through Elma's journey into the world from which she comes, a path of discovery, danger, and magic, all folded together into an eternal love song played to the beat of her own heart.”
REVIEW: *Tremendous thanks to Goodreads and author Issa Puppi for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
A book has to be very well written for me to enjoy a paranormal jaunt into the world of fantasy. Puppi captured my attention within the first couple pages and I devoured this story! I tend to be a bit of a prude when reading romance, but the erotica in this novel was tastefully written and added to my interest in Elma.
Some points in the book seemed to be a bit “thrown in”, or added in at odd-ish times, (will not provide examples as I don’t want to spoil the book’s story) but all in all it moved right along. The ending was extremely satisfactory and anything left possibly hanging was clearly being used as an intro into a second book. Character development was pretty good, and readers will be able to clearly see how all of the characters mesh together.
FYI: For fans of this book, seek out more Issa Puppi at her wonderful blog, The TorridForties at http://torridforties.com/
April 17, 2015
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Issa Puppi via Goodreads group Lovers of Paranormal.
I Loved this book.
Elma is a talented pianist, passionate at what she does. She is in a relationship with Esteban who is now living in Asia. The long distance thing really isnt working out for either of them.
Elma’s best friend Mill’s is very outgoing and encourages Elma to enjoy life more and insists she needs to get laid.
Mill's gives Elma a puppy which is where our sexy vet Mike comes in. Early on Mike kind of gave me that weirdo feeling.
There was no instant romance, but we did have kidnapping, Vampires, sexy males oh my!
Took a while for the story to get going for me and the constant two and fro between Elma Mike and Mills then to Roan and Upping in some therapy session it seemed. That got a little confusing and I was drifting slightly. (But everything fell into place later in the book.)
I was just about getting to the point that this story was not for me then the unnatural storm hit, that was my turning point and before I knew it I’d finished. I am looking forward to reading the second book.
I Loved this book.
Elma is a talented pianist, passionate at what she does. She is in a relationship with Esteban who is now living in Asia. The long distance thing really isnt working out for either of them.
Elma’s best friend Mill’s is very outgoing and encourages Elma to enjoy life more and insists she needs to get laid.
Mill's gives Elma a puppy which is where our sexy vet Mike comes in. Early on Mike kind of gave me that weirdo feeling.
There was no instant romance, but we did have kidnapping, Vampires, sexy males oh my!
Took a while for the story to get going for me and the constant two and fro between Elma Mike and Mills then to Roan and Upping in some therapy session it seemed. That got a little confusing and I was drifting slightly. (But everything fell into place later in the book.)
I was just about getting to the point that this story was not for me then the unnatural storm hit, that was my turning point and before I knew it I’d finished. I am looking forward to reading the second book.
April 15, 2015
***I received this book in exchange for an honest review from the goodreads group LOP, or Lovers of Paranormal.***
I thought this was a great story, and I loved all of the characters. Elma is talented and passionate about what she does, but she tends to play it safe. Mills is outgoing and fun and is constantly encouraging Elma to experience more in life. I thought the pacing of the story was perfect. There's no instalove and Elma isn't just going to believe in vampires and things that go bump in the night just because some potentially crazy kidnapper guy tells her they exist. The ending threw me for a loop, and I can't wait to read the next book and see Elma's reaction to all that was revealed.
I thought this was a great story, and I loved all of the characters. Elma is talented and passionate about what she does, but she tends to play it safe. Mills is outgoing and fun and is constantly encouraging Elma to experience more in life. I thought the pacing of the story was perfect. There's no instalove and Elma isn't just going to believe in vampires and things that go bump in the night just because some potentially crazy kidnapper guy tells her they exist. The ending threw me for a loop, and I can't wait to read the next book and see Elma's reaction to all that was revealed.
November 25, 2014
This was an amazing book. It was well written in my opinion. When I found out I was getting this book I was over the moon with joy. I absolute fell in love with this book during the first chapter and now I can't wait to get the second book. :)
March 24, 2014
Time for Book Two!
September 11, 2016
>Book Review – Overture –
>This is the first book in a series and ends in a cliffhanger. Elma and Mills are 2 young professionals who are friends and roommates. Boyfriend issues cause a new realm to exist for Elma. She is unsure who to trust and what is the truth. The author tends to trick the reader by staying vague on who is who. For example, a therapist and a vampire are speaking throughout the story, but their true identities aren’t revealed until nearer the end of the book.
>The whole reason behind the curse wasn’t very clear to me. The search for the wizard takes Elma and her friends to very different locals, but the reasoning also wasn’t very clear. Why were they relatively safe in Alaska? The vampire just states that they are, not really the reasoning why. Different creatures treat Elma differently. There needs to be a fuller explanation as to the reasons behind their actions. Why did the bear not attack Elma? Why did the werewolves bow to her in wolf form? What powers does a siren have?
>While the story was entertaining and quite funny at times, there were too many situations that needed more clarity. I felt the arrangement of the book in a concerto format was very clever, especially considering Elma is a concert pianist. The lack of a clear male love interest was distressing. The author would present one character, Everest, and then forsake him and present Mike as the love interest for Elma. By the end of the story, the love interest is still not etched in stone, leaving a story with a cliffhanger ending and a hole in the actual plot.
>I am a reviewer for Romance Author’s that Rock. This book is appropriate for an adult audience. I am giving the story 4 stars.
>This is the first book in a series and ends in a cliffhanger. Elma and Mills are 2 young professionals who are friends and roommates. Boyfriend issues cause a new realm to exist for Elma. She is unsure who to trust and what is the truth. The author tends to trick the reader by staying vague on who is who. For example, a therapist and a vampire are speaking throughout the story, but their true identities aren’t revealed until nearer the end of the book.
>The whole reason behind the curse wasn’t very clear to me. The search for the wizard takes Elma and her friends to very different locals, but the reasoning also wasn’t very clear. Why were they relatively safe in Alaska? The vampire just states that they are, not really the reasoning why. Different creatures treat Elma differently. There needs to be a fuller explanation as to the reasons behind their actions. Why did the bear not attack Elma? Why did the werewolves bow to her in wolf form? What powers does a siren have?
>While the story was entertaining and quite funny at times, there were too many situations that needed more clarity. I felt the arrangement of the book in a concerto format was very clever, especially considering Elma is a concert pianist. The lack of a clear male love interest was distressing. The author would present one character, Everest, and then forsake him and present Mike as the love interest for Elma. By the end of the story, the love interest is still not etched in stone, leaving a story with a cliffhanger ending and a hole in the actual plot.
>I am a reviewer for Romance Author’s that Rock. This book is appropriate for an adult audience. I am giving the story 4 stars.
April 20, 2015
Issa has a very nice reading style, that reads with ease. This book is quite different from any book I have read. It covers the preternatural in a new way, which I always enjoy. Overall it has a very good flow to the story, not rushed nor dragged out. There were however a couple of times when I was confused about changes in the plot and location.
The main characters are a nice mix. Elma does need a little help. As a heroine she confused me a little. In this story I definitely preferred Everest who is a great male lead. The villain didn't really get a lot of time in this book, but I don't think it was necessary.
There were also a couple of nice twists in this book that I didn't anticipate. Overall a fun read but I think I could use a little bit more elaboration at times and I wouldn't mind another book to follow up this story.
I have received this book from the author for an honest review. (LoP, lovers of paranormal)
The main characters are a nice mix. Elma does need a little help. As a heroine she confused me a little. In this story I definitely preferred Everest who is a great male lead. The villain didn't really get a lot of time in this book, but I don't think it was necessary.
There were also a couple of nice twists in this book that I didn't anticipate. Overall a fun read but I think I could use a little bit more elaboration at times and I wouldn't mind another book to follow up this story.
I have received this book from the author for an honest review. (LoP, lovers of paranormal)
April 22, 2015
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review via Lovers of Paranormal.
This was a really interesting book. It covered many aspects from music, via Elma's piano skills, animals via Mike the vet and vampire counselling. All blended in well and had enough background and description to really add something deeper to the story.
There was even a couple of twists thrown in. I only got one of them right which was a pleasant surprise too :-)
The most important and enjoyable part for me was that it was so well written and 'easy' to read - no re-reading parts to make sure I understood what was actually meant, as so often happens. When I read the author bio at the end I wasn't at all surprised that she has a background in literature.
I'd love to follow this story further so hope there is a sequel.
This was a really interesting book. It covered many aspects from music, via Elma's piano skills, animals via Mike the vet and vampire counselling. All blended in well and had enough background and description to really add something deeper to the story.
There was even a couple of twists thrown in. I only got one of them right which was a pleasant surprise too :-)
The most important and enjoyable part for me was that it was so well written and 'easy' to read - no re-reading parts to make sure I understood what was actually meant, as so often happens. When I read the author bio at the end I wasn't at all surprised that she has a background in literature.
I'd love to follow this story further so hope there is a sequel.
November 26, 2014
I was surprised! I really enjoyed this book! I can't wait for the next one. It was full of humor, action. adventure,and romance. I loved the character development,and I didn't want to put the book down, so I didn't. I may have found a new favorite author.
Elma is funny. She has an equally funny roommate named Mills. She has some boyfriend issues that get crazy as you read into the book. She meets Mike, her dog's vet, and things heat up, but appearances aren't always what they seem. Finally, Hendry, who seems to be a real weirdo at first is a big part of the story. In the end everyone is not who they seem to be and there is still more to Elma's life that must be discovered. Can't wait for the next book!!!
Elma is funny. She has an equally funny roommate named Mills. She has some boyfriend issues that get crazy as you read into the book. She meets Mike, her dog's vet, and things heat up, but appearances aren't always what they seem. Finally, Hendry, who seems to be a real weirdo at first is a big part of the story. In the end everyone is not who they seem to be and there is still more to Elma's life that must be discovered. Can't wait for the next book!!!
August 3, 2016
What a pleasant surprise this was! Erotic romance isn't usually my thing and I tend to have low expectations in this genre. But the outstanding quality of the writing makes this a winner. Issa Puppi is witty, funny, imaginative and her sex scenes and imaginings are erotic without being pornographic. At times she seems to be a bit spare with words, as if she's in a hurry to get to the next part of the story, but this just moves the book along fast. I don't give five stars unless I think it's a book I will read and reread but make no mistake, I thoroughly enjoyed this romantic fantasy romp! And I'll definitely be getting hold of part 2.
April 14, 2015
A good introduction book
I received this as a book to review. I really enjoyed this book. The writing was smooth, fun and believable. Elma is a cute character and she has a fun side about that I enjoy and the decisions she makes are pretty believable as well. The connection between her and Roan is building but it is definitely not a quick rush romance. It got slow around the middle but picked back up for a good conclusion to a first in a series. We are left wanting more because we have just been told everything is not as it seems. I am now anticipating the next.
I received this as a book to review. I really enjoyed this book. The writing was smooth, fun and believable. Elma is a cute character and she has a fun side about that I enjoy and the decisions she makes are pretty believable as well. The connection between her and Roan is building but it is definitely not a quick rush romance. It got slow around the middle but picked back up for a good conclusion to a first in a series. We are left wanting more because we have just been told everything is not as it seems. I am now anticipating the next.
April 23, 2015
I was taken for an incredible journey with Issa Poppi's very witty and knowledgeable writing. I find her to write similar to Laura K. Hamilton in her early Anita Blake series. I laughed out loud, felt concern for the characters, felt aroused with the hotness of sex and desire that the characters partook in. I simply love Issa's Writing style and I'm holding my breath waiting for the next book . Thank you for giving me a chance to read this book.
January 24, 2015
This was a exciting book. At first the words would throw me off. So I would re-read it and I couldn't stop. I can't wait till book 2. Thanks Issa Puppi for the book.
December 19, 2014
Kidnapping, murder, and mayhem, oh my! Loved this paranormal romance and can't wait for book two!
December 1, 2014
I like to read. My personal favorites are Clive Barker, JRR Tolkien, Frank Herbert, and George R.R. Martin (not necessarily in that order). Consequently, I not only cut across the major Fantasy Genres, I am specifically a huge fan of world building. However, at the same time I do love a good pulp read, especially in the ‘Horror’ genre. I’m a big fan of Zombie novels, such as Dead City or Plague of the Dead, but I also quite enjoyed Lovecraft. In addition, I have worked my way through Anne Rice, and have started the first Sookie Stackhouse novel – especially, since I loved True Blood *sigh.* Therefore, it is most likely for these reasons that I received a copy of Overture by Issa Puppi via Goodreads’ First Reads in return for an honest review.
When I applied to receive a copy of Overture I knew that it was in the quasi-romance vain of pulp vampire novels. Of course vampire novels generally have some element of romance in them, and they can range from the Anne Rice style to (my everlasting regret) Twilight Series: serious drama with a romantic flare to sappy trash that no self-respecting person ought to read. So, it was with a mild dread that I began Overture, especially after having looked over the cover and read the back. Luckily, the romance is not overbearing, if, for a time it seems to dominate the plot.
*SPOILERS*
Overture begins with a vampire being interviewed by a psychologist in the 1800’s, chapters of which pop up randomly throughout the book, and only vaguely have anything to do with the story. Rather, the novel follows the story of Elma, a pianist who seems to be having some love issues. Her ‘boyfriend’ is in a band touring Asia, and she and he seem to be drifting into the typical death of relationship brought on due to long distance (this is not to characterize all LDR’s this way because I’ve known people to make it work, but they were far more mature than most people who do this). In addition, Elma, who seems to pride herself on not being subject to her libido, even though she focuses on it all the time, has a best friend, Mills, who is pushing her to go out and meet someone new. So, Mills buys her a puppy and off Elma goes to the vet where she meets Mike the Vet who instantly asks her out. It is also here where the book seems to go down the wrong path.
Overture is written as a first person narrative from Elma’s point of view, most of the time. In addition, due to Elma’s situation we find her making decisions that don’t seem to make any sense, or perhaps are supposed to be because of the super/preternatural nature of the story. Yet, it doesn’t quite come off that way, rather it comes off, for the most part, as if Elma and others are doing things randomly – I’m at the vet who’s super-hot, and his like first thing to do is ask me out, I agree and am totally into him, we have an amazing date and I want him, but suddenly decide to put a halt to what’s happening because I might be in this relationship with a guy who I’ve already decided is probably not interested due to his touring in Asia (maybe this is how women do think, but it comes off very strange the way it is written). Plus, things happen which imply that the vampire is already in her life even though she isn’t aware of it, but they don’t seem to have a bearing on the plot. On top of which is the occasional very random change of writing style thrown into the story to no apparent effect or reason.
Consequently, when the plot suddenly shifts gear and takes us from the rather mundane, albeit strange, relationship/romance of Elma’s life into the kidnap by alleged vampire, but most likely crazy stalker Elma’s reactions are both intelligent and stupid. Again, we can sort of chalk this up to the idea that it’s because of the super/preternatural goings on of the book. Unfortunately, however, these things haven’t been established; and instead of this occurring and gradually, changing Elma’s mind towards belief in the story of the character of Everest. Instead, we are subjected to her arguing amongst herself about how attractive he is and if perhaps he might be telling the truth. Therefore, instead of it feeling as though he is maybe brainwashing her, glamouring her, or just that her mind is trying to cope with the stress, it feels more that she has some serious sexual issues. In addition, when she does finally ‘escape’ him into the clutches of the villain it feels less like she was doing it because it was the intelligent thing to do, but more because she’d just had some lover’s quarrel.
I felt like this book had a lot of potential that was either squandered, or not fully utilized. There aren’t any page numbers, and I felt that this was rather short for a full length novel. Perhaps that is why so many things didn’t feel as though they were fleshed out. Yet, I also feel that more time was spent daydreaming about romantic involvements than actually moving the plot forwards and creating the world in which this takes place. I mean, as far as I could tell, the vampire can walk around in daylight and has no hardcore bloodlust; the raiment isn’t explained at all; and the fact that the main character is a muse doesn’t really mean anything because it is going to be explained more fully in the next book. The story couldn’t make up its mind whether it was a Romantic Vampire Novel, or Vampire Romance and as a result isn’t really either. Sure, it has a steamy sex scene, but in some ways that might have been the highlight of the book; and if that’s what I’m looking for I’d be better off with some early Clive Barker because at least he knows how to move the story along.
When I applied to receive a copy of Overture I knew that it was in the quasi-romance vain of pulp vampire novels. Of course vampire novels generally have some element of romance in them, and they can range from the Anne Rice style to (my everlasting regret) Twilight Series: serious drama with a romantic flare to sappy trash that no self-respecting person ought to read. So, it was with a mild dread that I began Overture, especially after having looked over the cover and read the back. Luckily, the romance is not overbearing, if, for a time it seems to dominate the plot.
*SPOILERS*
Overture begins with a vampire being interviewed by a psychologist in the 1800’s, chapters of which pop up randomly throughout the book, and only vaguely have anything to do with the story. Rather, the novel follows the story of Elma, a pianist who seems to be having some love issues. Her ‘boyfriend’ is in a band touring Asia, and she and he seem to be drifting into the typical death of relationship brought on due to long distance (this is not to characterize all LDR’s this way because I’ve known people to make it work, but they were far more mature than most people who do this). In addition, Elma, who seems to pride herself on not being subject to her libido, even though she focuses on it all the time, has a best friend, Mills, who is pushing her to go out and meet someone new. So, Mills buys her a puppy and off Elma goes to the vet where she meets Mike the Vet who instantly asks her out. It is also here where the book seems to go down the wrong path.
Overture is written as a first person narrative from Elma’s point of view, most of the time. In addition, due to Elma’s situation we find her making decisions that don’t seem to make any sense, or perhaps are supposed to be because of the super/preternatural nature of the story. Yet, it doesn’t quite come off that way, rather it comes off, for the most part, as if Elma and others are doing things randomly – I’m at the vet who’s super-hot, and his like first thing to do is ask me out, I agree and am totally into him, we have an amazing date and I want him, but suddenly decide to put a halt to what’s happening because I might be in this relationship with a guy who I’ve already decided is probably not interested due to his touring in Asia (maybe this is how women do think, but it comes off very strange the way it is written). Plus, things happen which imply that the vampire is already in her life even though she isn’t aware of it, but they don’t seem to have a bearing on the plot. On top of which is the occasional very random change of writing style thrown into the story to no apparent effect or reason.
Consequently, when the plot suddenly shifts gear and takes us from the rather mundane, albeit strange, relationship/romance of Elma’s life into the kidnap by alleged vampire, but most likely crazy stalker Elma’s reactions are both intelligent and stupid. Again, we can sort of chalk this up to the idea that it’s because of the super/preternatural goings on of the book. Unfortunately, however, these things haven’t been established; and instead of this occurring and gradually, changing Elma’s mind towards belief in the story of the character of Everest. Instead, we are subjected to her arguing amongst herself about how attractive he is and if perhaps he might be telling the truth. Therefore, instead of it feeling as though he is maybe brainwashing her, glamouring her, or just that her mind is trying to cope with the stress, it feels more that she has some serious sexual issues. In addition, when she does finally ‘escape’ him into the clutches of the villain it feels less like she was doing it because it was the intelligent thing to do, but more because she’d just had some lover’s quarrel.
I felt like this book had a lot of potential that was either squandered, or not fully utilized. There aren’t any page numbers, and I felt that this was rather short for a full length novel. Perhaps that is why so many things didn’t feel as though they were fleshed out. Yet, I also feel that more time was spent daydreaming about romantic involvements than actually moving the plot forwards and creating the world in which this takes place. I mean, as far as I could tell, the vampire can walk around in daylight and has no hardcore bloodlust; the raiment isn’t explained at all; and the fact that the main character is a muse doesn’t really mean anything because it is going to be explained more fully in the next book. The story couldn’t make up its mind whether it was a Romantic Vampire Novel, or Vampire Romance and as a result isn’t really either. Sure, it has a steamy sex scene, but in some ways that might have been the highlight of the book; and if that’s what I’m looking for I’d be better off with some early Clive Barker because at least he knows how to move the story along.
December 12, 2016
I received this book in a giveaway and I liked the unique cover and the friendship both girls have with on another that's all I liked about it I felt like there wasn't anything unique about the story and had read many others just like it I didn't care for this book.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews