Book Review: Melody’s Key by Dallas Coryell

“His eyes settled on her…piercing green embers of flame that revealed the ferocity of his pain and passion, yet still shrouded him under veils of ever deepening mystery that made every ounce of her ache to unravel him.”

Tegan Lockwood’s dreams were dead, sacrificed on the noble altar of duty before they ever had a chance to live. Her entire existence was disappearing into the abyss of apathy as she labored her days away keeping her family’s struggling business alive. There would be no emotion, no color, no beauty in her life. That is, until a mysterious visitor begins to draw her out of the darkness of her past towards something that will challenge the boundaries of her world, and unlock the most deeply held secrets of her heart.

Ah, the romance. *Sigh*. I have a lot of love for this book, despite some minor flaws it was a well thought out story with some great characters.

Music is good for the soul. I love that Tegan is a songwriter/singer that only writes for herself. The songs included in the book are poetic and I could actually hear the rhythm as I read them. She is a smart character with a lot of sass and a self-sacrificing devotion to her family. I adore that she wasn’t blind to her family’s struggles and the witty sarcasm about their various tenants throughout the summer kept the mood light and funny.

Mostly, I enjoyed that there was no insta-love between Tegan and her rockstar. They start off on very rocky footing and bumble around each other for a bit before realizing their attraction. Their snarky comments and embarrassing moments had me laughing throughout the book.

It is always hard for me to get into the endless-cash-flow type stories because sometimes it feels like such an easy fix to life’s problems. This particular story I didn’t mind it as much, which says a lot about the writing. It didn’t feel like a “throw money at the problem” situation, but a genuine interest in the issue and solving it permanently. Having contacts and money certainly helps, but I can’t fault our hero for taking an interest in the problem.

Final thoughts: If you’re a fan of soulful connections and heartfelt families, you should definitely pick this up!

Dallas Coryell is a musician and author residing deep in the untamed wilds of Michigan, USA, where he desperately attempts to assign meaning to his world through bouts of maniacal creative catharsis and pitifully doomed hopeless romantic fantasies. All of the songs written by the characters in this novel are real and can be viewed on the author’s fledgling YouTube channel. Selfies and other assorted randomness can be found on the author’s Instagram

FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.