Behind the Bars by Brittainy C. Cherry

Behind the Bars by Brittainy C. Cherry
Series: The Music Street Series #1
Published by Indie
on December 07, 2015
Pages: 373
Review Copy Provided By: Author


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When I first met Jasmine Greene, she came in as raindrops.

I was the awkward musician, and she was the high school queen.
The only things we had in common were our music and our loneliness.

Something in her eyes told me her smile wasn’t always the truth.
Something in her voice gave me a hope I always wished to find.
And in a flash, she was gone.

Years later, she was standing in front of me on a street in New Orleans.
She was different, but so was I. Life made us colder. Harder. Isolated.

Caged.

Even though we were different, the broken pieces of me recognized the sadness in her.
Now she was back, and I wouldn’t make the mistake of letting her go again.

When I first met Jasmine Greene, she came in as raindrops.
When we met again, I became her darkest storm.

I was provided a review copy; this did not influence my opinion of the book.

❝You’re the music in a mute world, and my heart beats because you’re here.❞

Phenomenal. Behind the Bars was phenomenal!

I loved this story so much, it hit home on so many levels: Freeing yourself by forgiving others. Having the strength to love others, even those who might appear unlovable. Forgiving yourself enough to accept love. Realizing you are enough, just the way you are, and in doing so, discovering your passion, your fears, and your dreams.

Jasmine was the daughter of a traveling musician and a “momager”. Ray was her cheerleader while her mother was her toughest critic. Her mother insisted Jasmine become the star she was never able to become. Living her dreams through her daughter, she pushed Jasmine to excel. Dance coaches and singing coaches were more important than an education. It wasn’t until she was old enough for high school that her mother agreed to stop homeschooling her and allow her to attend a public school. School became her solace. Until she saw Elliot playing on the street corner.

❝He played as if he were bleeding out into the streets of New Orleans.❞

Elliot was a gentle, old soul. He was patient and kind. Bullied every day for his appearance and speech issues, Elliot kept his head down and prayed to blend in and become invisible. Music was his defense, the saxophone was his weapon. When he played on the street corner, all the worries, struggles, and fears faded away and he became his music.

❝When Elliot had his music, his soul was free. Because of jazz, Elliot was able to breathe.❞

Jasmine and Elliot experienced so much pain in their early years. Together, they worked through the pain and despair and discovered beauty. They found peace regardless of the turmoil.  Music was their passion, their connection, their saving grace.

❝He gave me a smile that felt so huge, so warm, like a home I’d never known existed.❞

Brittainy C. Cherry is a phenomenal story-teller. She delves into the pain and the grit and the dirty, and she explores the lowest of lows and brilliantly rebuilds from the pain and anguish taking the reader to the highest of highs. Every time I read a BC book I know I am in for an experience.

❝His music was beautiful, and kind of painful, too. I hadn’t had a clue that something could be painfully beautiful until that evening.❞

‘Behind The Bars’ is one of my favorites of the year! I cried, I laughed, I swooned. I am overwhelmed by the feelings Cherry pulled from me. This is a second chance romance that I promise you, you don’t want to miss!

❝No woman can only fall in love with the music of jazz. She always quietly yearns for the musician behind the bars.❞

Music is an important part of my life. When I’m having a bad day, it is music that makes me feel better. When I’m celebrating, music is always there, like a friend. It fills me up. So it goes without saying I always have music playing while I read.  ‘Say it First’ by Sam Smith came on while reading “Behind the Bars” and I knew whenever I hear it again, I will always think of this book. The lyrics are perfectly fitting!

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