Review: The Piano Teacher by Kristie Self

About The Book:

She longs to escape a dreadful secret from her past, but can she ever run far enough to truly forget?

Melody Creston is left penniless following the death of her father. Desperate to escape the threat of an unwanted and dangerous marriage, she flees to the small village of Roderick Glen in the English countryside to begin life anew as a pianoforte teacher. She is hired to teach the daughter of the Earl of Rockingham and soon falls in love with the quaint village and its quirky residents. Despite her newfound freedom, she is haunted by the secrets of her past, as well as the constant fear that she will be discovered and forced to return to London.

Lord Henry Roderick is the younger son of the Earl of Rockingham and has no desire to obey his father’s wishes and help his brother attend to their family’s estate, Cheswick Park. Carefree and fun-loving, his reputation as a scoundrel often hides the true nature of his heart. Upon meeting Melody, he is instantly captivated by the beautiful piano teacher, and is determined to do whatever it takes to win her heart and become the man she needs.

Melody is intrigued by Henry and encourages him to follow his own path as he searches for his purpose in life. Shy and reserved, she is reluctant to admit her feelings for him, but as they grow closer, he begins to break through the barriers of fear and mistrust that surround her heart. As their love deepens, she becomes increasingly afraid of what will happen when he learns the truth of her turbulent past. Can love forgive a secret hidden in the shadows when it is exposed to the light of day?

Brimming with laughter, love, emotion, and heart, this first book in The Ladies of Roderick Glen series introduces us to the citizens of Roderick Glen as they follow their dreams and discover that one’s heart is always happiest near the friendly faces of home.

My Thoughts:

This is a lovely debut novel! I found this to be a very sweet story. There was a bit of suspense which kept the story moving. It being the first in the series there were a lot of characters for us to meet and get to know. The only issue is you not only met them, you read their POV. I found myself getting lost quite a bit, trying to keep everything separate and remember who was who and what they each had going on.

Seeing the character growth in Henry was great, I just wish we could have seen more of him, and really got to know him. With all the different characters I never really felt like I connected with any of them.

Melody was sweet and seeing her grow confidence in herself and figure out who she was, was wonderful! Enjoyed following her along in her story and seeing the changes in her life.

All in all it was a good story, I'm looking forward to see where this author goes next!