From
the bestselling author of What the
Wind Knows and From Sand
and Ash comes a powerful love story about a musical duo who put
everything on the line to be together.
New York, 1960: For Benny Lament, music is his entire life. With his father’s
deep ties to the mob, the Bronx piano man has learned that love and family can
get you in trouble. So he keeps to himself, writing songs for other musicians,
avoiding the spotlight…until the night his father brings him to see Esther Mine
sing.
Esther is a petite powerhouse with a gorgeous voice. And when Benny writes a
hit song and performs it with her, their collaboration thrusts the duo onto the
national stage…and stirs up old issues and new scrutiny that the mob—and
Benny—would rather avoid.
It would be easier to walk away. But the music and the woman are too hard for
the piano man to resist. Benny’s songs and Esther’s vocals are an explosive
combination, a sound that fans can’t get enough of. But though America might
love the music they make together, some people aren’t ready for Benny Lament
and Esther Mine on—or off—the stage.
**ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review**
I am not going to lie, this book is very intricate and difficult for me to review. It has many layers that added together make a beautiful and raw (love) story. My expectations for Amy's books are high, she sets the bar very high with each amazing book she writes. She is very versatile and isn't afraid to write about difficult subject and social issues. She handles every (sub)genre/subject with grace and utmost care. You can feel that she spent hours and hours making sure to represent all the different characters with respect. Her passion just flows through the words and pages of her book. The Songbook of Benny Lament isn't an easy book to write, so I thank the author for giving us this beautiful and emotional story.
I very rarely read books told completely from a male POV, but I think it was the right thing to do and it worked perfectly for this book. Benny is a very complicated character and I fell slowly in love with him. Esther is amazing and I was just in awe of her. The author created such phenomenal and real characters and I really did my best to read as slowly as possible, because I didn't want the story to end. The pace and flow of the story was great, and I could really feel each character grow throughout the book. The suspense, romance, humor, and heartbreak were perfectly balanced and it resulted in this beautiful and thought provoking love story.
About the author:
Amy Harmon is
a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and New York Times Bestselling author. Amy knew at an early age
that writing was something she wanted to do, and she divided her time between
writing songs and stories as she grew. Having grown up in the middle of wheat
fields without a television, with only her books and her siblings to entertain
her, she developed a strong sense of what made a good story. Her books are now
being published in seventeen different languages, truly a dream come true for a
little country girl from Levan, Utah.
Amy Harmon has written sixteen novels -
the Washington Post bestseller
What the Wind Knows, the USA Today bestsellers
The Bird and The Sword, The Smallest Part, Making Faces and Running Barefoot,
as well as the #1 Amazon bestselling historical From Sand and Ash, Where the
Lost Wander, The First Girl Child, The Queen and The Cure, The Law of Moses,
The Song of David, Infinity + One, Slow Dance in Purgatory, Prom Night in
Purgatory, and the New York Times bestseller,
A Different Blue. Her latest novel, The Songbook of Benny Lament, a historical
romance, is now available.
Find Amy online:
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