About
Ariel’s Song:
Colin Hoskins, famous classical violinist, is
tainted by his past. Angry at life, unable to move beyond the betrayal of his
dead fiancé, he’s sworn off performing or falling in love ever again. All Colin
wants is to be left alone, except no one listens. Especially the pretty little
assistant he can’t fire and his body burns to claim.
Stranded in a foreign country, bankrupted heiress
Ariel Parks needs a job to fund her way home. Assistant of sorts to the
musician she’s fantasized about for years sounds like a dream job. She never
imagined the gorgeous genius would be a reclusive beast. But the real problem
is the way every nerve in her body tingles at the mention of his name.
Sneak
Preview:
The long narrow hallway looked as lush as
everything else in his house. Ariel looked at the spotless dark wood floors
lined by warm sand colored walls accentuated with expensive paintings. She bet
all were originals.
“Well, off you go.” The plump housekeeper
motioned to the hallway. “He’s in his music studio.”
Ariel bit the inside of her cheek, doubting
her decision. Maybe it’d be best to ask the older woman to show her in. She
turned to ask, finding the woman no longer stood next to her. Ariel looked
around hoping to find her, realizing she stood in the middle of the room alone.
She took a deep breath, glancing up at the vast arched ceiling, feeling it
swallow her whole.
All right, here goes nothing. Ariel
adjusted the tote on her shoulder and walked down the hall, following the
origin of the music, slowing down as she approached a half closed door from
where the melody came. The notes to a Nirvana song filled her ears. She closed
her eyes, allowing his music to hypnotize her how it always did. God. She loved
his music.
Some people frowned upon classical crossovers
like Colin. Ariel bet he didn’t give a shit what anyone thought of his musical
arrangements. He was an artist playing for the love of music and nothing else.
He’d probably continue to mix classical with Pop, Rock, and Metallica for as
long as he lived.
She drummed her foot on the floor, her insides
squealing. Her favorite musician played on the other side of the door. She bid
her time, enjoying the music. As tempted as Ariel was to let him know she’d
arrived for her first day of work, she didn’t want to interrupt.
When Colin finished playing the Nirvana song,
Ariel took a step forward ready to announce her presence. Then, the strings
with the first notes to a gypsy song halted her mid-step. Ariel leaned on the
wall, closing her eyes once more to hear him play. She resisted the impulse to
remove her shoes and dance to the gypsy melody in his hall. Damn, he could
play.
“Are you going to come in or stand there all
day?” he asked from inside the room.
His voice startled her. Shit. She opened her
eyes. How did he know she’d been there all along? Ariel cleared her throat and
walked in. “Hi. I-I was waiting…” She motioned to his instrument. A palpable
tension filled the air the moment her gaze met his, drawing her to him. His
black T-shirt and jeans gave him a dark angel aura.
He wore his hair down without a ponytail.
Colin stood next to his music stand. His stubble denser, framing his face,
giving his piercing eyes a darker caramel shade. Ariel cast her gaze to the
large skull ring on his left pinky finger. The man was a hot rocker playing
Mozart.
“Let me make something clear to you.” He raked
a hand through his hair, securing a strand behind his ear. “No one walks
through that door when I’m in here practicing. Any questions?” Colin placed the
bow on the stand and set his violin in its case.
Ariel regained her composure. “No questions.
However, I think we need to set some ground rules.” She crossed the room to the
bay window opposite from him. “If I’m going to be your assistant, there are
some things we can’t do.” She ran her index finger along the edge of the window
then placed her tote on the side table next to it. “For starters—” She turned
and bumped into his strong chest.
“Enlighten me,” Colin said.
Her heart skipped a beat as she lifted her
gaze to him, lingering on his mouth before she met his eyes. Ariel fought the
need to kiss him again. How would she ever pull this off when he looked at her
with those eyes? Colin trapped her between the bay window and him. He hadn’t
touched her yet, but the heat radiating from him being so close ensnared her
all the same. Ariel shifted on her feet, trying to set an inch or two of
distance between them.
“For starters what, Ariel?” Colin placed a
hand on either side of her, making it harder for her to escape. At her silence,
he asked, “Are you going to answer me?”
“This.” Ariel rested a hand on his chest, to
push him away, his warmth burning her palm. “If we’re going to work together,
there won’t be any touching.” Her fingertips tingled at the thrum of his
heartbeat. Colin glanced at her hand on his chest. Shit. She curled her fingers
into a fist. What was she doing feeling his hard muscles?
“You mean you don’t want me to touch you like this?”
He gripped her waist, and she jerked at the unexpected contact.
The heat of his grasp on her waist seeped
through the thin layer of her clothes, stirring her insides. “Yes.” She shook
her head. “No.”
Colin
angled his head, closing the distance. “What else?” he asked, his lips a breath
away from hers.
She closed her eyes. “There can’t be any more
kiss—”
He closed his mouth on hers, not demanding,
just giving. Colin drew her in, teasing until she asked for more. Ariel didn’t
have the willpower to resist him, not when he kissed her like this. Not when
she’d fantasized about being in his arms for ages. Damned temptation. Nothing
went as planned. She ran her hands up his arms, yearning to touch his hair,
allowing herself the small pleasure. Ariel tangled her fingers in his hair,
pressing her breasts against his chest.
Colin groaned, opening his mouth wider,
drawing her tongue in. He lifted her on top of the bay window seat, letting the
décor pillows drop at his feet. He spread her legs apart until he stood between
them.
He broke the kiss. “You should’ve never come
today if you didn’t want me to kiss you again. I warned you yesterday.” He
locked gazes with her. “If you don’t want me to touch you or kiss you, say it
like you mean it. Don’t say it looking at me with sex hungry eyes.” He breathed
in. “Ariel, I don’t just want to kiss you. I want to fuck you. Here and now. So
tell me. Do you want me to stop?”
No. Yes. No. Her chest tightened, heat rose from her feet
up her body, her insides stirred. She couldn’t say it like she meant it because
she didn’t, or not look at him without being entranced by the lust in his eyes.
No. The answer was no and exactly what she’d feared. Not being able to walk
away from the man she’d dreamt about for years. My fantasy come true.
“Ariel?”
An inexplicable force drew her to this strange
music genius, her Aerosmith turned Mozart as she’d called him many times before
in her dreams, and fighting it was off the list. “Kiss me.”
Colin seized her mouth in another scorching
kiss, his hands stroking her legs, bunching up her skirt at her waist.
My Review:
Ariel’s Song by Evie Knight
Published: October 29, 2013, Evernight Publishing
Series: In Bed With the Enemy #1
Colin Hoskins is a famous violinist who plays everything
from Mozart to Metallica. He’s brilliant and world-renowned until a tragedy
forces him out of the spotlight. He wants to be left alone, vowing never to
perform or fall in love again.
Ariel Parks needs a job, so she answers an ad to become
Colin’s assistant. Stranded in Great Britain, she can’t find two farthings to
rub together. Her brother—and her inheritance—have gone AWOL. If Colin doesn’t
hire her, she’ll end up not only stranded but homeless. Colin Hoskins has been
her ultimate fantasy for years, so she considers landing a job with him quite a
coup. She never expected the brilliant musician to be such a difficult recluse.
I really liked Ariel’s Song. Strong writing and a great
premise moved the story along at a nice pace and kept me engaged. One
particular plot point involving Ariel and Colin grated. It led to an avoidable
misunderstanding had the scene played out a little differently. Ms. Knight wrote
some very hot, thoroughly enjoyable, love scenes. Colin is a hero with trust
issues due to a traumatic past involving his dead fiancé. No matter how he
tries he can’t resist Ariel nor can Ariel resist him. However, the sex is what
had me really liking Ariel’s Song
instead of loving it. I felt a
disconnect to Colin and Ariel until late in the book. I would’ve loved to have
seen more banter between the two because, again, Ms. Knight has a knack for
witty banter. All in all, this was a really good read and I’m keeping my
fingers crossed that #2 in the In Bed With the Enemy Series will be about
Julienne and Gerard.
4 Fleur-de-lis
Heat level: Steamy
Where
you can buy it
About Evie:
Evie Knight writes wickedly
sexy contemporary romances with irresistible bad boys, sassy heroines, a
bit of conflict, humor and a dash of spice. When she’s not hard at work
writing, she spends her time blogging, reading, listening to music, or looking
for a muse.
She lives in sunny Southern California.
Misdeeds is the follow up to Misunderstood. Misunderstood is the beginning of Johnnie and Kendall's rocky road to their HEA. Misdeeds continues their rocky road to the HEA they deserve. You can read Misunderstood as a stand alone then Misdeeds, but you don't want to miss out on the rest of this great series. If you haven't tried the Death Dwellers MC series, please check it out book 1 is Misled.
