SYNOPSIS:
They call me a slut. Maybe I am.
Sometimes I do things I despise.
Sometimes men take without asking.
But I have a musical gift, only a year left of high school, and a plan.
With one obstacle.
Emeric Marceaux doesn’t just take.
He seizes my will power and bangs it like a dark note.
When he commands me to play, I want to give him everything.
I kneel for his punishments, tremble for his touch, and risk it all for our stolen moments.
He’s my obsession, my master, my music.
And my teacher.
*****Dee’s Review*****
***3.5 Ivory Stars*****
(ARC Kindly provided by author, in exchange for an honest review)
I’ve been struggling with my feelings for days about this book. While I’ve always loved Pam Godwin’s pen and creativity this book simply wasn’t for me. If you scroll down and read all the reviews you’ll notice that I’m the only one who wasn’t in love with Dark Notes, which tells you that this might be a case of, it’s not the book, it’s me. So please don’t let my feelings deter you from reading this book or any other novels by Pam Godwin.
Ivory is a seventeen-year-old piano virtuoso. Her father had been a very talented musician who died when Ivory was young, and the only thing he left her was the talent she carries in her DNA and a paid tuition to New Orleans’ most prestigious music academy.
Being in this very important school means Ivory has to attend class with the offspring of the elite members of society. This fact is a real hardship for her coming from a trailer park herself. She can’t afford the uniforms or school supplies and her brother and mother, Ivory’s only relatives, are hooked on drugs and are unable to help. Not that they would if they could because her family hates her and the only thing they have to give her is pain and bitterness.
So, from a young age Ivory has experienced abuse and brutality, and with time she’s had to learn to simply embrace the dark in her life and sometimes even use it to her advantage.
Emeric Marceaux is the new teacher in school. Not only is he a very important pianist, but he has looks and riches to spare. The reasons why he is the replacement for the last teacher seem obscure and when he walks through the halls of the academy, whispers and rumors follow him.
When he sees Ivory for the first time walking into his classroom, Emeric is blown away by her beauty but after learning about her life situation he understands how her beauty is both a blessing and a curse for the young woman.
He wants to be the dark savior that makes her life better, and Ivory wants to taste and experience the intensity in which he does everything. Secrets desires will be the daily bread for these two very complex characters, and together they will learn to play a beautiful and forbidden tune that could ultimately bring them to freedom or to their demise.
Like I said before, I really enjoy the work of this author but in this particular case I just couldn’t get passed the fact that the heroine was seventeen years old, and while her hard life had made her mature quicker than most, I just felt too bad for her and ultimately couldn’t connect with the love story between Emeric and Ivory. It could also be that dark romance is not a genre I should read often, which is why I’ll be taking a break from it.
*****Patty’s Review*****
*****FOUR STARS*****
{ARC Generously Provided by Author}
That’s when I hear it. The tempo of our breaths. The drum of our heartbeats. The crackle in the air. The exquisite cadence pulses through me, awakening sensations I’ve never felt, composing a melody I’ve never heard. Our hypnotic, dark notes. This is so much more than punishment or forbidden pleasure. She could never be a mistake.
This was my first Pam Godwin book and I really loved her writing style and this story. I am not a huge fan of dark reads but I can tolerate them from time to time. While this was a dark read, I have to say that I’ve read stories that were far worse. This was a forbidden love story between a teacher and his beautiful and extremely gifted student. Student/teacher romances are one of my guilty pleasures and the steamier the better!! There was a tremendous amount of schmexy in this story and I am not ashamed to admit that I loved every dirty second of it.
Ivory Westbrook is a seventeen-year-old piano virtuoso, attending a prestigious High School for gifted students. She’s looking to get out of Treme and her horrible family home by getting a scholarship to the Leopold Conservatory of New York. The teacher that was going to write a letter of recommendation for her has been fired and the new teacher is the extremely gorgeous and notorious Emeric Marceaux. Rumors about him being into some kinky BDSM fuckery and his looks make him the living breathing fantasy of quite a few women in town. As soon as Ivory walks into his classroom, Emeric is bewitched. He tries to keep things platonic at first, but it doesn’t take long for him to give in to his desires.
Ivory has been living a nightmare for several years since the death of her father. She gets physically abused on a daily basis by her drug-addicted older brother and his low life best friend sodomizes her every chance he gets. This was hard for me to endure because I really detest rape in stories and it’s not only at home that Ivory is victimized, there are also some disgusting classmates who lust after her and force themselves upon her. I had a hard time with the fact that she was constantly placed in that victim role and I thought it was a bit too much.
What I did love was the intense and smoldering relationship between Emeric and Ivory. The sex was white hot but beyond that, the love that developed between them was what kept me so captivated by this story. I prayed that these two would be able to find their way to an HEA by the end of the story.
I wish I could have rated this a full five stars but I just had a few issues that I couldn’t overlook. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this one and I highly recommend it!
*****Mel’s Review*****
4.5 “Yes, Mr. Marceaux” Stars!
(ARC provided by author)
(BR with Patty)
–It’s universally known that the more forbidden something is, the more desirable it is.
Ivory Westbrook is a 17 yr. old girl who is extremely gifted on the piano. She attends an elite performing arts school called Le Moyne Academy. She lives in a very rough part of New Orleans & has a tragic life full of abuse & neglect. She lives in constant fear & struggles to survive. Her only bright spot is school & making her dreams come true for her future with music. As she begins her senior year, she has a new music instructor named Emeric Marceaux. He doesn’t look like most teachers. He’s young & stunningly handsome. He’s one of the top pianists in New Orleans. As her mentor she wants to please him & they share a great love for playing the piano. It’s their passion. Mr. Marceaux also has a great love for control. He’s an extremely confident & intoxicating man. Ivory feels drawn to him & an excitement when he’s around. Emeric finds Ivory just exquisite & is captivated by her exotic beauty & talent. As her teacher he knows she’s forbidden, but he still desires her & continues his inappropriate obsession until he finally decides to go after what he wants & make her his.
-He seems untouchable.
-Just looking at him feels like I’m inhaling a lungful of fire.
-His touch races a shiver across my skin and electrifies my heart.
-Any love this man offers is more valuable than all the wealth in the world.
-“You make me want things I can’t have.”
-She’s the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.
They take things slow, & as Emeric learns more about Ivory’s past, he wants to protect her & improve her situation. He wants to fight all her battles & slay all her monsters. He has a strong need to provide for her, & suddenly Ivory is living a life she thought would only be a dream. Ivory realizes Emeric isn’t like other men. He’s possessive & intense, but also extremely tender. As Ivory opens her heart to Emeric, he slowly becomes her home. He’s so gentle & careful with her & she revels in his affection. He fills so many voids in her life & she just wants to be close to him.
-This girl…She’s my music, my place in this life, my part in it all.
-Everything about you is priceless and irreplaceable.
-I’m his Ivory, and he’s my darkest note.
-The exquisite cadence pulses through me, awakening sensations I’ve never felt, composing a melody I’ve never heard. Our hypnotic, dark notes.
-In the right hands, the piano can steal the soul. Clearly, his hands are made for the keys, because I don’t just feel the notes inside me. They devour me like a dark, voracious flame.
As their relationship develops, they build an incredible trust. Emeric is blindsided by the depth of his feelings for Ivory. No longer just a forbidden temptation, but an important part of his life, Emeric will do anything to keep Ivory safe & with him. Their are many risks for them being together, but they continue to be essential to one another’s happiness. I really enjoyed this one. It was a hot student/teacher romance. Ivory has her tragic life & then her dominant, passionate, kinky prince charming swoops in & steals her heart & changes her life for the better! Just LOVE Emeric!!! 😀
Wrapped Up In Reading 