Still Life with Strings by L.H. CoswayMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
2 1/2 - 3 stars
L.H. Cosway is one of my favorite authors. I absolutely love the way she tells a story, and brings to life some of the most unique and endearing characters I've ever encountered. Unfortunately, this book....no matter how much I wanted to like it, just didn't completely work for me.
The book's heroine, Jade is an interesting character. To say she has a lot on her plate, would be putting it mildly. She is raising her younger siblings, working two jobs as both a street performer and as a bartender at a theater that showcases the local symphony. She's also a recovering alcoholic....yes, an alcoholic slinging drinks for a living. That is just one of the aspects to the story that was intriguing but never quite worked for me.
Jade encounters a quiet young man one night as she is performing as a living statue. The two end up having an intense, if highly unusual one-night stand. Or so they think. Turns out, that quiet young man, Shane, is a violinist prodigy and the latest addition to the local symphony.
One of my main problems with the story, was that while there were a few genuinely sweet moments between Jade and Shane, i felt a lack of connection between the characters. There were different aspects to both of them that i found interesting, but when they came together? It just didn't work for me.
There were more than a few cliche' moments
***slight spoilers ahead***
Shane has an 'evil' ex-girlfriend that broke his heart, Jade has sworn off men because she was hurt by an ex in the past and believes if she gets into another relationship she'll fall off the wagon etc... and I didn't fully believe the two separate sides to Shane (one minute almost painfully awkward, and then the next he's Mr Seductive). Plus, for a relatively short book, the story itself moved rather slowly.
It had it's moments, but overall this book fell short of my (admittedly high) expectations.
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