Title: Maybe
by Amber L. Johnson
Date of Publication: February 12th 2015
Genre: Romance | New Adult
Synopsis:
Emily Portman loves her job. A writer for Breakout! Magazine, she shadows and showcases up-and-coming bands. When her next assignment takes her to Austin, Texas, she can’t wait to add the city to her map of places she’s visited. Places she’s left without looking back. Her plan is to keep moving on, and the last thing she needs is a man holding her back. She’s not going down that road again. Tyler Macy is stuck in a rut. Despite his exceptional talent as a musician, he has chosen to take a backseat with his music and let others grab the limelight. Wounded and mistrustful, he doesn’t appreciate his friends’ efforts to bring him back to center stage. Emily comes onto the scene and sees his full potential, but he fights to stay in the shadows, shutting her out before she can add to the scars another woman gave him. For Tyler to find his music again, he needs to accept the help that Emily and their friends offer. When he discovers that his muse lies underneath Emily’s skin, it is still not enough to keep her from walking away. Neither will admit what they really want until it is too late. Emily is once again thrown in Tyler’s path when she is assigned to join them on tour. Despite the pain in his past, Tyler sees that she is worth it, even if she’s stolen both his heart and peace of mind. In order for them to be together, they both must discover whether the music and their passion are enough to overcome the obstacles that separate them. Maybe finding love is worth the risk.
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Review:
No matter how hard you try to distance yourself from someone, if it’s real love, you’ll just end up gravitating towards that person and before you know it, you’re caught up in his universe again. That’s how I felt it was like with Tyler and Emily’s story of acceptance and new beginnings.
“...were letting go in order to come back together in the end.”
Maybe is a story of Emily Portman, a former ballet dancer, who writes blogs about up and coming bands—tailing their gigs, getting to know the members and watching them shot to fame. She’s been all over the country because of the nature of her job but what she didn’t realize is that she’s looking for somewhere, something and someone permanent who wouldn’t let her down like a past lover.
Maybe is also the story of Tyler Macy, and all-around musician, who’s trying to forget his past by hiding behind hulking drums and cymbals and lyrics. He’s been burned before so he doesn’t want to take a chance but his attraction to Emily is as unstoppable as the music he hears when they’re together.
In retrospect, Maybe is not a complex love story and that’s both a good and a bad thing for me. I don’t like stories that are so complicated it makes me want to tear my hair out of my head but I also do not want to read something that has a very flat storyline. Maybe is kind of bordering between the two. I didn’t find any big turning point in the story. Normally, that comes in about 70% into a book but Maybe didn’t have that. I only found a slightly more exciting point in the book when Emily and Tyler’s paths crossed for the second time that set into motion their second chance at being together and that happened before the 50% mark. In spite of that, their story didn’t once become boring. It was able to sustain the plot from the first chapter to the last. Tyler and Emily’s chemistry is palpable. It’s like they were balancing each other instead of outweighing one another and I liked that very much. I was just looking for that build up and the evetual explosion, you know? What’s a book without a little heartstrings-tugging moment?
Like I said earlier, I like a book that features songs and other music stuff within the story. Though there wasn’t much lyrics to dissect in this book, I loved what was included. This is kind of spoiler-ish but Tyler’s band, Growl at the Badger’s album was entitled “Songs In The Key of E” and if you’re perceptive, it’s easy to see the reference to Emily since Tyler’s the one who writes their music. I really, really loved that part.
“I’d steal your kisses in the dark
Hold you close and leave my mark
I’d touch your hair and then your face
You'd be everywhere but you’d leave no trace.”
All things considered, Maybe is a good book if you're looking for a light story with steamy scenes. The angst was kept to a minimum, just enough to make your heart ache a little in sympathy for the characters that deserve a happy ending.
Excerpt
Walking toward him is like trudging through the deepest mud, but I hold my head high, my hands in my pockets and strides long. When I'm less than a foot away, his head turns toward me without lifting his chin, and he looks up from under his brows. The white smoke from his cigarette causes his eyes to nearly close before he pulls it from his lips and exhales upward into the air. I'm struck by how incredibly handsome he is in black wool and new jeans. I want to know if his skin feels hot under his clothes and if his back feels the same when I scratch fingernails across his spine. My fists clench in my coat pockets at the thought. This is going to be so much harder than I'd been prepared for.
3.5/5 STARS
About the Author
A true child of music, Amber's parents surrounded her with the loudest beats they could find, molding her into a girl who found inspiration and meaning in lyrics and chords. Raised on John Hughes movies, Luck Dragons, and pirate ships, she dreamed of love and adventure. When Amber began to create her own world, she envisioned a place where Happy Ever Afters do exist. Since then, she has authored several romance novels, all of which focus on songs and the way they can touch people's lives. Music may not be able to fix a broken heart, but it can provide one hell of a soundtrack for healing. A full-time wife and mother with a full-time job, Amber finds her muse in everyday life and the people who bring her inspiration.
Praise for Maybe
"The characters are fun, likable, and well done. It's such a feel good story with a wonderful romance. Honestly, if you want a good, easy read with a cast of characters that will make you laugh and cry, and a romance that will sweep you off your feet then give this book a read. You won't regret it. "
- Jennifer (Goodreads)
Love,
Thank you so much for being part of my blog tour and for taking the time to read Maybe!
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Amber