Imperfect Harmony by Jay Northcote Review Tour ~ #bookreview #excerpt #MMromance

Title: Imperfect Harmony

Author: Jay Northcote

Genre: Contemporary Gay Romance Standalone

Published: April 15, 2016 Cover Artist: Garrett Leigh

Imperfect harmony can still be beautiful…

John Fletcher, a former musician, is stuck in limbo after losing his long-term partner two years ago. He’s shut himself off from everything that reminds him of what he’s lost. When his neighbour persuades him to join the local community choir, John rediscovers his love of music and finds a reason to start living again.

Rhys Callington, the talented and charismatic choir leader, captures John’s attention from the first moment they meet. He appears to be the polar opposite of John: young, vibrant, and full of life. But Rhys has darkness in his own past that is holding him back from following his dreams.

Despite the nineteen-year age gap, the two men grow close and a fragile relationship blossoms. Ghosts of the past and insecurities about the future threaten their newfound happiness. If they’re going to harmonise in life and love as they do in their music, they’ll need to start following the same score.

 

 

"Imperfect Harmony is a delightful story about grieving, healing, and second chances. HIGHLY RECOMMEND." -Gay Book Reviews 

"I loved Imperfect Harmony, from the first page, to the ever so sweet last page of the epilogue. I believe in second chances." -My Fiction Nook

"A touching tale about second chances and being brave enough to embrace them. And through it all flows a love of music and songs so vivid it made my heart sing." -The Way She Reads

Luckily there were still some parking spaces outside the church hall where Maggie’s choir met. John made sure they arrived a little early so Maggie wouldn’t have to walk too far. She was managing well on one crutch, but she still tired easily. After he parked, he got out and hurried around to help her out of the passenger door.

“Thanks, love,” she said, patting him on the arm. “I can manage now.”

A vicious gust of wind whipped a strand of hair into her face. It was dark, still sleeting, and probably slippery underfoot. There was no way John was going to leave until she was safely indoors. “I’ll just see you inside. Let me take your bag.”

Maggie let him have it without argument, and he popped it over his arm. He hovered close to Maggie as she made her way slowly to the double doors. He held one open for her and was hit by a blast of warm air. Then he accompanied her inside as she crutched along the corridor towards an open door. Yellow light flooded out, and the sound of a tenor voice singing “I Can See Clearly Now” raised the hairs on the back of John’s neck with its pure, clear beauty.

“I thought you said the emphasis was on fun rather than perfection?” he said quietly. “He’s got quite a voice.”

“That’ll be Rhys, our choir leader,” Maggie said with a smile. “Come and meet him, even if you’re not staying.”

Maggie paused when she reached the doorway and put a finger to her lips. They listened and waited for Rhys to finish singing. John peered over Maggie’s shoulder, hoping for a glimpse of the man the voice belonged to. Rhys, John presumed, was alone in the room. With his back to the door, he stood at a table pushed to the edge of the room, shuffling through some papers as he sang. All John could see of him was that he was small and slight, and quite young, based on the cut of his clothes. A hood covered his hair.

When he finished, Maggie started clapping.

Rhys wheeled around. “Oh my God! You made me jump.” He pushed his hood down and his face lit up as he beamed. “Maggie. How are you?”

John’s eyes widened as he took in Rhys’s front view as he approached Maggie and gave her a careful hug. His hair, which was shaved at the back and sides, was long on top and dyed peacock blue. His eyebrow was pierced, his arms were covered with tattoos, and the front of his T-shirt was emblazoned with a glittery equals sign in rainbow colours. All in all, he was at least twenty years younger than John had expected and completely unlike how John would have imagined a choir leader to look. In this dingy church hall in their small market town, Rhys looked like a bird of paradise that had accidentally ended up in a cage full of sparrows.

Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England, with her husband, two children, and two cats. 

She comes from a family of writers, but she always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed her by. She spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content. One day, she decided to try and write a short story–just to see if she could–and found it rather addictive. She hasn’t stopped writing since.

 

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Source: eARC for Honest Review Courtesy of Author and Enticing Journey Book Promotions
Genre: MM Adult Contemporary Romance
Standalone

My Imperfect Harmony Review . . .

This is my second Jay Northcote book and I may be a bit smitten with her and her books.   Imperfect Harmony first has a great cover to pull you in then it ends up being a sweet book about second chances to complete the whole package.   

John Fletcher is heart broken after the tragic loss of his partner, whom he was with for 22 years.  He's now just plotting through life but not experiencing it.   He's given up his passion for music and is now just existing.   Rhys Callington, is a young man who is also heart broken after the loss of his partner but thankfully he still has music to keep him going but not thriving. 

There were enough parallels with his own experience.

John's neighbor needs his help getting around after her hip replacement.  One of the errands is taking her go to choir.  At first he's resistant to coming to participate but once his heart starts to beat a little faster after seeing the choir director, a young handsome spunky man, he takes a chance and joins in.

As soon as John started to sing again he knew what he's been missing and now has a new want in life where a hole now exists.   At first these two start just as friends, especially with a large age gap between the two but the more they get to know each the more they wanted from each other. 

Since, both of their experiences mirror each other, their union is a very cathartic journey for each of them by finally moving forward together after their losses.

~You have to go on without me. ~

Even though they have many similarities with their stories and their passion for music, but they also had many differences especially with where they are both at in life.  For Rhys, the age difference means nothing to John.  But for John he has a few fears and issues causing him to not be as open to all possibilities as Rhys is.

" . . . You only get to live it once, and only you can decide what's right,  But if you want my advice, it's this: say yes.  Say yes to the chance of love and happiness.  Don't let it slip away from you. . . . "

With everything on the line for a chance of happiness there's a lot to lose if they both can't get on the same page.  

"Chin up, love.  Now come on.  Let's get singing.  You're always telling us how therapeutic it is. None of your troubles will seem so bad after a good sing."

I absolutely adored Rhys and John together.  I'm smitten with this story.  I appreciated so much that it wasn't filled with tons of angst.  Instead it was a heartfelt story where you got to feel both of their pains but also got to experience their raw healing while they blended their harmonies together.  The story felt real yet charming and the little nuances that John and Rhys had just made them more loveable.    If you are a fan of Cardeno C. then Jay Northcote is another great MM author to turn to for sweet loving heartfelt stories.

4 Harmonizing Thumbs up!

Lauren