This is a sweet love story. Though it has it's share of angst, the characters are endearing. And you root for them. Set in a music talent show, it gives for an interesting background to set the stage for this HFN story. I now kinda want to know how their career went and if she ever did go back to scoring movies!

Elisabeth Briggs, making my heart happy, one delicious contemporary love story at a time.

This book caught my attention because it was about music, and reality shows and it had a geeky girl as a main character, which is like ticking all kinds of major boxes for me, and I did enjoy it, but I sort of found the whole thing a bit of a cliché, from the reality show, to the 'playboy thing', to both of the main characters' insecurities... it just kind of started to annoy me at some point. I managed to remain engaged, on some level, of course, and there were times when I was dying to find out how a certain scene would turn out, but I really did feel like the plot wasn't very original.
I did really like the twist at the end though, which made the whole thing more realistic and interesting. And I really do want to read some of the other books, because those are set in other worlds that interest me, and alos to see if they're perhaps a bit more original.

For more reviews like this, see my blog: Musings of Madjy

My impression immediately upon staying up all night to finish this: There are no words. That rocked!!

So, needless to say, I absolutely loved this book! Maddie was relatable and not overly insecure, as is so often the case with heroines, and someone you feel like you could be friends with. Jared is driven and sexy, with a reputation that might give you pause, but you just know that he is a total sweetheart. The chemistry between these two was smokin' and the sweetness was apparent from the time they met.

This is about a reality TV show along the lines of "The Voice" and thus you would expect a lot of music involved. "More Than Music" doesn't disappoint on that count! There are popular music references enough to set up a great playlist, but not so much that it grates on you or takes away from the love story. The competition adds a fun layer to it.

My favorite supporting characters were the other bandmates and I'm excited to read Hector's story next! The guys are all as wonderful to get to know as Maddie and Jared are.

The descriptions of the performances, etc. were awesome. I could FEEL and SEE the audience and the music as I read. This whole book just jumped out of the pages for me.

I picked this up after searching for more "Nerd Romance" books, and this book had a good amount of nerdiness to be satisfying! (Eventually, expect a blog post with a list! Also feel free to comment with any suggestions you have!).

I started this book with the intention of giving it 5 stars. I was so sure I was going to love it. And I did. Before the romance happened.

You could say this book had an insta-love, but I was willing to let it slide because Jared was a "rock star." It was almost easy to understand why she was so infatuated with him, even if I didn't find him to be impressive.

Then, little things started happening that annoyed me and caused me to lower my rating. Angel is overdramatic in a way that feels unrealistic? I can still give it four stars.

Spoiler

Maddie thinks it's hot that she and Jared could be discovered making out in public? That's fine, there's no need to lower the rating for that. Maddie has the same thought a hundred more times? And then gets upset when it actually happens? Eh...

The only reason I didn't give this book one star was because of the music aspect. Elizabeth Briggs clearly knows a lot about music, and she executes that aspect very well in the book. If the plot had focused more on music and less on the romance that I didn't care about, I may have enjoyed it a lot more.

P.S. I'm always going to be sad because I won't get to hear the music that Villain Complex played on The Sound.

Rounding up a bit for a story that sucked me in. A nice quick read.

http://tuneintobooks.blogspot.com/2014/06/elizabeth-briggs-more-than-music.html
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for review.

I've been following Elizabeth on Twitter for awhile, and when I heard that she had an NA book out, I wanted to read it. Her musical taste is pretty close to my own, and for some reason I really love when authors have similar tastes to my own - it makes me trust them, somehow.

I really enjoyed this book - the only thing better than a cute guy is a cute guy who can sing. But the best part of this book is Maddie - she starts off shy, keeping her talents to herself, but she finally decides to go after what it is she wants, to embrace her true talents. You have to love when a character faces up to their wants and goes after them.

I recommend giving this book a try. It's a nice, easy read and I tore through it.

Anyone that knows me knows that I love rock star romances. So when I found myself with no ARCs to read and some unexpected free reading time, I couldn't resist the draw of this.

Maddie was my type of girl. She was shy and loved music. And she was so real. She wasn't a complete klutz (which is often popular) and she wasn't model perfection personified either. She was real. She was awkward with Jared (who was beyond hot) and a good friend and yes, a little klutzy at times (we all are) but there was no tripping over perfectly flat surfaces. Her first performances had me cracking up. Mostly because I could totally picture myself in those situations and the events happening to me.

I thought Jared was beyond dreamy. First of all, he's a hot musician. Second, he's got tattoos. Third, he's also a geek that liked comic books and Comic Con. And he wanted Maddie. Because the book was only Maddie's POV, you only got hints that Jared was interested in her. But those hints were oh so good. And I loved the connection and friendship that Maddie and Fared built before they became a couple.

I was both intrigued and unsure about the reality show competition that the story took place within. But I actually really enjoyed it. It was a great reason for Maddie and Jared to spend every day together. Plus it provided a little intrigue. My only complaint regarding this part of the book was the eventual culprit of the suspicious activity that was going on. I thought the resolution was a little too easy. I thought it was someone specifically and while I was wrong, I wasn't satisfied with the real culprit either. But honestly, it's not a huge issue and it didn't take away from the story.

I can't wait to see the books for the other guys of the group. And I'm hoping that Maddie's friends will get books too. I'm not ready to say goodbye to these characters yet.

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

More Than Music follows the story of Maddie. She has her whole life all figured out. She’s just finished her junior year of college, has a summer internship lined up, and wants to go to grad school to write movie scores. Until one fateful party. The next day, she finds herself agreeing to play guitar in a band. She's kept her guitar playing a secret and is afraid, because after all, geeky girls like her don't get to be rock stars.

Jared Cross is the lead singer of Villian Complex. He is a total player. But then one night, during a party, he catches Maddie playing one of his songs and attracts his attention in an unexpected way. After their guitarist sudden departure from the band, he is desperate for Maddie to help them out. And as luck would have it, Maddie agrees to help him out.

Maddie soon discovers that there's more to Jared than what she thinks. And soon their attraction becomes to hard to ignore. Can they deal with the pressures of keeping up their image and what it will mean if they attempt a relationship?????

Overall, I found More Than Music to be very entertaining. The idea behind the story was pretty similar to the show, The Voice. I enjoyed the musical aspects to the story and the drama that is to be expected on a reality tv show.

I really liked Villian Complex. I loved watching them all interact together. I enjoyed the romance between Jared and Maddie. I thought they had some great chemistry.

My only complaint is that I wish there had been a more angst and drama. After all, not only is the story based around a reality show, but also a band. It also would have been nice to see Jared grovel more at the end. I felt as though Maddie forgave him too soon.

That being said, I still enjoyed this book. It was a quick read for me. And I definitely wouldn't mind if Kyle or Hector got their own book or if we got a novella showing us what happened with Maddie and Jared after the show. I think that More Than Music is a good debut novel and look forward to reading more from this author in the future!



******I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review*******

*1.5

1 is too harsh since i don't really consider it a terribly written book so i'm giving it an extra .5 for being, at the very least, competently written. but it's just. so. cliched. and i don't usually mind cliche but at least, idk, be fun and cliche! this wasn't even all that fun. also, so many pop culture references. too many. and it never really felt all that natural or organic.

Find this review and more at kimberlyfaye reads.

Once upon a time, I was a complete reality show junkie. You name it, I watched it. The competition shows were always my favorite though. Those days are long past now and the only shows I watch now are So You Think You Can Dance and Big Brother, but I still have a soft spot for reality shows, even if I don't watch them anymore. When I read the blurb for More Than Music and realized the centerpiece of the story was a music competition reality show (a la The Voice), I knew I had to read it.

More Than Music was a quick, sweet and sexy read. If I gave half stars, it'd be a solid 3.5. I liked the characters and the way the competition show figured into the story. The behind the scenes glimpse at the way the show and its producers manipulated the characters for their own personal gain was pretty much how I'd always imagine those shows would be in real life. The story flowed well and it was angst-free. The characters had good chemistry and their relationship was believable. I wanted Maggie and Jared to get together in the end, but I didn't ever feel completely emotionally invested in their story. It was a very good debut novel and I'm looking forward to continuing with this series.

I received a copy of this book from the author, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Review of the series as a whole, through book 4