Her secret tore them apart.
Will his secret reunite them?
World-renowned cellist Angie Han is desperate to save her
trio's chamber music society. So when she discovers that her ex Joshua Shin is
the anonymous composer setting the classical music world on fire, she asks for
his help. The sexy musician agrees to an uneasy truce to protect his secret
success. But when their passion reignites, Angie's own secrets may be exposed.
Will Joshua ever trust her again? And will what's keeping them apart ever lead
them to happily-ever-after?
A good second chance love story, and opener for the Hana
Trio series. The book opens with an emotional scene where Joshua and Angie see
each other again for the first time in ten years, at a fundraiser for the local
chamber music society. Angie and her sisters are among the performers, and
Joshua is one of the attendees in place of his sick grandfather. Joshua is
swamped by the memories of their college romance where they bonded over their
music and gave in to the attraction that burned between them. He also remembers
her walking away from him, his heartbreak destroying his ability to make music.
When they come face-to-face, Joshua hides his still-simmering attraction to her
behind anger and coldness when Angie asks him if he's happy.
Two months later, Angie receives the devastating news
that the chamber music society may have to close. Their operating funds are
dangerously low due to the pandemic, and their fundraising efforts have not
kept up. After her estranged father refused to donate without Angie giving up
her hard-fought independence, she was at a loss on how to help. Then, while
listening to a piece from an anonymous new composer, Angie heard a musical
phrase she never expected to hear again. I loved her determination to take what
she knew and ask Joshua to compose a piece for the Society season-opening and
ached at his stubborn refusal. But when Joshua's beloved grandfather has a
heart attack, Joshua offers to write the piece in exchange for Angie playing
her cello as music therapy for him.
Spending time together with his grandfather and working
on his composition rekindles the attraction that still burns between them. Neither
can resist the pull and decide that they can satisfy it with a no-strings
affair. Each is determined to keep emotions out of it, but we all know how well
that works. I loved seeing the quiet times they spent together and their
collaborative efforts for his contribution. It didn't take long for Joshua's
anger to fade, though he fought hard against acknowledging the love that had
never gone away. Angie begins to feel the strain of pretending she doesn't want
more than the affair they agreed to.
The emotional intensity ramped up when the secrecy
failed. Joshua and Angie's world began to implode. I hurt for Angie, who faced
the double pain of Joshua rejecting her love and believing her capable of
revealing his secret. The depth of her pain dripped off the pages, and I was
grateful for the closeness she shared with her sisters. I loved their support
as she tried to overcome her heartbreak. I wanted to be mad at Joshua, but he
faced his own Armageddon. Not only had he lost Angie through his stubborn
blindness, but he also ran the risk of losing his promotion to CEO of the
family business. I loved seeing him realize the truth of his feelings for Angie
and her place in his life and how he used that to prepare his fight for his
job. To my delight, he rocked the scene in the boardroom. Even better, I loved
how his focus moved on to finding a way to win Angie back. I wasn't surprised
by his method, but the details showed how well he knew her and how much she
meant to him. The openness and honesty of Joshua's confession to her were
intensely emotional and went a long way toward making up for the hurt he
caused. I loved the ending and hope to see more of them in her sisters' books.
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