Playing the Maestro
(Maestro Series #1)
by Aubrie
Dionne
Contemporary
Romance
Categories:
Musical
Publisher:
Entangled Publishing
Heat Level:
Sweet
Length:
190 pages
Blurb
Melody
Mires has sworn off dating musicians, but when the sexy European
conductor Wolf Braun takes over her struggling symphony, her
hesitation almost flies out the window with the notes of her
flute—until he opens his mouth. Wolf is arrogant, haughty, and
seems to have a personal vendetta against Melody. Oh, and he’s her
boss. If she wants to keep her job as principal flutist, she’ll
have to impress Wolf while simultaneously keeping her undeniable
attraction to herself.
Wolf
came to America to get as far away from his past as possible, and to
recover some of the swagger he had as one of the world’s best
maestros. He never imagined being forced to reassess the entire
orchestra’s talent—and potentially fire anyone who doesn’t make
his cut. Dating the attractive flutist is out of the question, but as
their feelings reach a fever pitch, can they risk both their careers
for a chance at love?
Excerpt
Melody
Mires plopped into the principal flutist’s seat in Easthampton’s
illustrious Civic Symphony and buried her head in her hands. “I’m
never dating another self-centered, arrogant, egotistical musician
again.”
“Bad
date, huh?” Carly ran her cleaning cloth through her oboe as her
reeds soaked in a tiny shot glass on her music stand. Violins
screeched around them while a French horn blatted arpeggios. It
wasn’t exactly the best environment for discussing Melody’s
dating habits.
“Let’s
just say two hours of listening to a guy talk about his Stradivarius
is less than enticing.”
Carly
stuck her reed in her oboe and blew a tentative note. Ever since the
board of directors had turned off the AC to save money, she’d
pulled her pin-straight blond hair in a tight bun and wore shorts and
sandals to rehearsal. “Which one is he, Mel?”
Melody
considered letting the conversation drop. What did it matter? Every
one of the musicians she’d dated was the same as her: burned out
from practicing to beat the chair ahead of him, teaching five million
lessons a day to make ends meet, scrambling for gigs two hours away
on the weekends, so involved in a dying art form that he didn’t
even know the Bruins were an ice hockey team.
What
she needed was a nonmusician, a gorgeous firefighter or a clean-cut
Gillette commercial model in a business suit. Yes, a lawyer who
worked to defend the innocent would be nice, or a veterinarian for
homeless and sick animals—someone who didn’t think the world
revolved around him. But she didn’t travel in those social circles.
She was stuck in the stuffy bubble of the classical music community.
“So
you gonna tell me, or do I have to guess?” Carly set her oboe
across her lap and shuffled through her sheet music.
Melody
leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Blake Templeton.”
Carly
gave her a shocked look. “Not Blake?”
“Yup.”
She assembled her flute to try and look like she was warming up,
thinking about the disastrous date with the orchestra’s personnel
manager. “Good thing it didn’t work out, or everyone would think
I was dating him just so he’d tenure my position.”
“I’m
surprised he’d ask you out, what with his sister and all…”
Melody
rolled her eyes. “Why would a flute prodigy from Julliard want this
little Civic Symphony seat anyway? Seems to me a girl who played the
Mozart G Major concerto in front of the New York Phil at age seven
could get a seat in any orchestra. Age seven. When I was seven, the
only thing I was playing was pretend flute on my toothbrush.”
Carly
shrugged as if she’d told her this flute whiz could tie her own
shoes. “You’re better than you think. You could give Blake’s
sister a run for her money any day.”
“Thanks,
hon.” Melody twirled her dark curls behind her head and stuck a
pencil in to hold the knot. “Like I said. I swear never…”
The
orchestra quieted around them. A man with dark chestnut hair flowing
in waves around his broad shoulders took the conductor’s podium and
tapped his baton on the music stand. Blue eyes that reminded Melody
of the Atlantic Ocean on a sunny day surveyed the orchestra. He
pursed curvy lips framed by a strong-ridged jaw and gorgeously high
cheekbones and gestured to Carly to give the tuning pitch.
Melody
was glad the woodwinds sat in the back so he wouldn’t hear her
audible gasp. “Who the hell is that?” She thought she knew
everything happening with the orchestra.
Carly
nodded to him and switched on her tuner, clipping a small mic to the
bell of her oboe. She spoke out of the corner of her mouth. “They
just introduced him on the website this morning. Their latest
surprise: Wolfgang Braun, the guest conductor from Berlin.”
Melody
stared in disbelief, thinking Chris Helmsworth’s Thor must have had
a better-looking, long-lost cousin in Germany. Since when did
conductors lift weights? She’d never have to force herself to look
up for cues again.
Review
“Dionne’s
passion for music resonates through this lovely story. Brava.”--Nikki
Logan, author of How to Get Over Your
Ex
About
the Author
Aubrie
grew up watching the original Star
Wars movies
over and over until she could recite and reenact every single scene
in her backyard. She also loved The
Goonies, Star Trek the Next Generation--favorite
character was Data by far--and Indiana
Jones. But, her all time favorite
movie was The
Last Unicorn. She still wonders why
the unicorn decided to change back to a unicorn in the end.
Aubrie
wrote in her junior high yearbook that she wanted to be "a
concert flutist" when she grew up. She majored in flute
performance at the University of New Hampshire on a full scholarship,
then secured two teaching jobs at a University and a local community
music school. While playing in orchestras and teaching, stories
popped into her head, and she used them to make the music come alive
for her flute students. Her students said they were so good, she had
to write them down! Maybe they were right, who knows? Two careers
seems to keep her busy. For now.
She
is represented by Dawn
Dowdle and
writes sweet and adventurous fantasy, science fiction, and
contemporary romance.
Connect with
Aubrie Dionne
Website: http://www.authoraubrie.net
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Thanks for the excerpt! I look forward to reading this book
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