Avalon Books, 2007. ISBN 978-0-8034-9862-4. Reviewed by Sharon Blumberg Posted on 06/27/2008 Fiction: Romance

A young, attractive woman who is tired of juggling two jobs to make ends meets, Melody Sinclair teaches a preschool class and is an aspiring recording artist. Her preschool children love her, and her recording agent, Travis, strives tirelessly to help Melody find success despite her initial resistance.

When Melody meets Dale Austin, a famous country singer and a prospective singing partner, there is a hint of predictabiltiy regarding their future together. The reader cannot help but wonder if the tension between them is a result of their physical attraction to one another. As the plot unfolds, this story makes leaps and bounds with twists and turns. It blossoms into a page-turner. Just when the reader believes Melody and Dale may have a future together, Dale's business assistant Delia enters the scene. A force for Melody to reckon with, Delia stops at nothing to drive a wedge between Dale and Melody.

The excitement begins when Dale asks Melody to partner with him on his upcoming album. From this arrangement springs other promising opportunities for Melody. Can their relationship handle it all? I could not read fast enough to find out!

Alayne Adams portrays realistic scenes of young love developing between two people in the spotlight. While reading about their physical encounters, I could feel once again that butterfly feeling in the pit of my stomach... "She couldn't help but smile. Last night had not been a figment of her imagination. The warm yet tender touch of his lips? Real. The spicy scent of his cologne? Real."

The author includes characters who support Melody and her career, including her parents, her brother who is marrying her best friend, and her talking bird. Adams depicts nicely that loyal family members are not a dying breed.

Alayne Adams grew up in Tennessee's dairy country, telling stories to a variety of farm animals and pets. After pursuing a BA at the University of Tennessee and an MA at Seton Hill University, she now writes full time and gives presentations to other writers. She also cares for a much smaller menagerie with three sassy parrots and a sweet schipperke. He lives to go on long walks during which he helps her plot her stories. Visit her website.

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