{Blog Tour} Review+Excerpt+Giveaway: More Than Music

Click on banner to follow the tour!

Title: More Than Music (Chasing the Dream #1)

Author: Elizabeth Briggs

Date of Publication: June 17, 2014

Genres: New Adult, Contemporary Romance

Amazon || B&N || iTunes || Kobo

Smashwords || The Book Depository

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Music major Maddie Taylor just finished her junior year of college and has a summer internship lined up with the LA Philharmonic, yet every night she practices guitar and secretly dreams of a louder life. But geeky girls like her don't get to be rock stars. That is, until tattooed singer Jared Cross catches her playing guitar and invites her to join his band on The Sound, a reality TV show competition.

Once on the show, Maddie discovers there’s more to Jared than his flirty smile and bad boy reputation – and that he’s just as big a geek as she is. With each performance their attraction becomes impossible to ignore, but when the show pressures them to stay single they’re forced to keep their relationship secret.

As the competition heats up, Jared will do whatever it takes for his band to win, and Maddie must decide if following her dream is worth losing her heart.

My Thoughts

The story primarily revolves around the life of Villain Complex, the band, in a TV reality show named The Sound. It’s similar to The Voice, except that it’s a band competition, instead of solo or duet.

I love the music references and it was nice to see what happens in a reality show, with all the behind the scenes act. It made me realize that there were some things that could happen in a show. Also, the feeling of adrenaline and living a busy schedule of being a rock band member was totally awesome. Reading this has made me have a taste of what it’s like to be famous in the music industry. But I guess there were also times that I was kind of disappointed because I was expecting a little bit more drama since they were part of a rock band, but reading their story was enjoyable.

I like how Maddie was very relatable because she isn’t the super clumsy type of girl, or the “perfect” model girl. She is just like any normal girl that was provided with a good opportunity to join a rock band. However, I didn’t like how Maddie just immediately decided to join the band. I mean, she had constricting thoughts about it, but I think that it was delved deeper into it. All her life, she was playing classical music, and then she decided to suddenly show everyone she loves the guitar. I didn’t feel any push towards it, so it didn’t feel realistic. Despite this, I like how Maddie got the courage to follow what she really wants. She was brave enough to defy what her parents wanted for her because of what she wants. And she really loves music to the bottom of her heart.

Jared. I just don’t know what to say about him. Knowing how he became like that was heartbreaking, but I’m glad that he found his own reasons to become a better person. It doesn’t necessarily mean that he wasn’t an annoying asshole though. The romance between Jared and Maddie felt too insta-love, though, and I’m not really a big fan of insta-love, but the two of them were cute and has great chemistry.

More Than Music may be a light and easy read, but I love the underlying message of the story about chasing dreams and that love conquers everything. For those who loves a fluffy read and a rock band story, I recommend reading this one!

My Rating

Excerpt

The crowd’s cheering took on more of a screaming sound, and one girl even yelled, “Jared, I love you!” I rolled my eyes. Not that I blamed the girl. With dark hair that always stuck up like he’d just gotten out of bed, a perpetual five o’clock shadow, and blue eyes that could charm any girl into giving him his phone number, Jared was impossible to resist. I wanted to, believe me, but every time he opened his mouth and sang it was all over.

Jared gave the audience a wicked grin while he grabbed his guitar, a black Fender Stratocaster almost identical to my own except for the color. Like Kyle, he had tattoos running up and down his toned arms, and I couldn’t help but wonder if they continued under his shirt.

The entire club buzzed with excitement, every one of us poised on the edge, holding our breaths and waiting for the plunge. In this moment, right before the music started, it felt like anything could happen—and I was ready.

Hector yelled out, “One, two, three, four,” and the band launched into their first song. Jared’s hard guitar riffs filled the small club, matched with the deep pulse of the bass, the fierce beat of the drums, and the eerie moan from Kyle’s keyboard. The music ripped through me, touching the wild, dark part of my soul I kept locked away. My fingers itched to form the chords myself and play along, but I kept my hands in fists at my sides. Instead I nodded my head to the music, picking out each note Jared played and feeling it in a way only another musician could.

When Jared leaned into the mic and sang, his smooth voice washed over me like a soft caress. It was like the last, decadent bite of a chocolate-covered strawberry. The smoky burn of whiskey as it slipped down your throat. The final night of passion before your lover left forever. I sang along to the words, feeling each line strike me deep inside. I understood exactly what he was saying, like he’d written every word just for me, like somehow he understood me in a way no one else did. Of course, every other girl in the club probably felt the same way I did. And a few guys, too.

About the Author

Elizabeth Briggs is a Young Adult and New Adult author who lives in Los Angeles with her British husband and a bunch of fluffy white rescue dogs. She's a guitar-playing geek who loves books, rock music, and video games, goes to Comic Con every year, and is still hoping to be a Jedi when she grows up.

Elizabeth currently works with WriteGirl to mentor at-risk or pregnant teen girls in writing, to help them get through high school and into college. She also volunteers with Bichon FurKids to help rescued dogs find a new, loving home. She previously worked as an intern for literary agent Jill Corcoran of Jill Corcoran Literary Agency, an intern for Entangled Publishing, and an editor for Curiosity Quills Press.

Elizabeth is represented by Kate Schafer Testerman of KT Literary and is a member of SCBWI and RWA.