ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a highlight for me, so far the books I’ve read in 2019 have been average at best, so I was happy to hit on such a sweet romance. Bryant is a favourite of mine, and luckily this did not disappoint. Here, we have MCs Lily, who is an actuary who suffers from anxiety, and Hope, who runs a music program for children. Lily’s anxiety stems from being a music prodigy when she was young, and through listening to Hope play and becoming involved in Hope’s world, finds her way back to music again.

I loved that Bryant didn’t shy away from how Lily’s anxiety affected her everyday interactions (and even whether she could interact or the ways that she did). I suffer from anxiety too, though to a different extent to Lily and found the way this was handled in the book very realistic. Hope was also a wonderful character, and very understanding (which was made more feasible by the type of work she did).

The interactions between the two are very sweet, I adored all of their dates and how their romance unfolded. When the requisite breakup eventuates, it actually felt authentic rather than contrived (and surprised me because I’d anticipated it perhaps happening the opposite way).

The only flaws were the use of first person, which works better here than it normally would because it’s kind of necessary to spend so much time in Lilly’s head, but I still felt like I would have liked to read a more fleshed out version of Hope. I really wish authors who want to write in first person would use both POVs. The other flaw was that the root of Lily’s anxiety and relationship with her family isn’t really explored, we’re given the basic info, but the two leads never discuss it and I’d have preferred a bit more background on what happened, especially with Lily’s family, since the event/anxiety is almost the third character in the book.

All in all though, this was a lovely romance and is probably my second favourite Bryant book after [book:Jolt|20702686]. 4.25 stars.

5 stars. I really enjoyed this one. This was about Lily Croft aka Jillian Crest, a child piano prodigy who had a breakdown and quit piano and became an actuary. She is doing a consulting job and walks past a music school where she hears music. She learns that the music school next door is called Leading Note Music Center, helping children who would not be able to be exposed to music otherwise. It is run by Hope D’Marco, a woman Lily can’t help but be drawn to. She and Hope start to become friends and eventually mode as they spend more time together. Lilly can’t stay away and starts to get more involved with each other, although Lilly is afraid of revealing she is Jillian Cross.

I enjoyed this novel more than I thought. I enjoyed the dynamic between Lilly and Hope. It was a good read to see how their relationship evolved. There is not much negative I would say about this book. Even the drama wasn’t drawn out and made sense for the book. I would definitely recommend this book, and I will probably re read it at some point,

This has to be the sweetest romance book I have ever read. The two characters Lily and Hope just made the book for me. The chemistry between the two had me completely pulled into the story where it was very hard to put down. I loved that even though Lily felt vulnerable she showed so much strength to stay in the relationship with Hope which displayed the strength of the feelings and chemistry between the two. Hope was so perfect and patient throughout the relationship which made it hard not to fall in love with her!

I am not big on re-reads but can say I will be reading this book again very soon as I miss Lily and Hope's story already.

I was absolutely captivated by this book from start to finish. The two leads were adorable and I really connected with them and rooted for them. Lily's social anxiety had been depicted very well. I don't normally enjoy the first person narrative but here it felt right as most of the storyline centred around Lily's inner struggles. Even though the story was told from Lily's point of view Hope's thoughts and feelings still came across and I was able to understand her as a character. This is one of the best books I've read recently - I cannot praise it enough!

This is a strong and compelling book that is very well written. The character development was excellent as sufficient deformation was provided to get to know the characters, all of whom were very likable.. Lily is a woman working as an actuary at home because she's very shy and anxious. In her younger years she was a music prodigy and had a highly successful career as a child until she had a breakdown at which point she changed her name and never did anything connected to Music. By chance one day she meets a woman named Hope who is a music teacher and ran a unique music company for young children giving them a love and appreciation for playing music. Lily would love to have somewhat of a relationship with Hope but her anxiety prevented her from doing so. Hope would like to get to know Lily but again it is the anxiety that Lily has that presents with many challenges.
Will Hope be successful in allowing Lily to develop trust in her and can Lily ever be less anxious?

This powerful book is a wonderful read and i that every person living with anxiety meets a Hope somewhere in their life.

Wow. What a well written book that explores the subject of anxiety and mental health in a compassionate and honest way. It was so easy to connect with Lily, whose point of view it was written from. It’s written in a way that you experience the anxiety with her, which is no easy task. As someone who hasn’t experienced anxiety, I felt the book helped me to understand it, especially the coping mechanisms people use to deal with it.

The chemistry between the main characters was palpable and they were both likeable, because of, not despite their flaws. It’s the first of the author’s books I’ve read and I’ll definitely be reading more.

Kris Bryant writes so beautiful about music, it makes me want to listen to a piano concert every day. Lily Croft a child prodigy never experienced childhood which leads to her breakdown that makes her leave her career. She becomes an accountant and recluse working from home. Until a new assignment forces her to work an office. During lunchtime, she hears Hope DiMarco play the piano and it slowly awakens her love for music again.

Lily struggles with her secret past, and with overcoming her fears with the help of Hope. It's a beautiful story and heartbreaking one at the same time. Hope is someone many people would wish to have as a partner.

'Listen' is part of the 'Senses' series by this author along with 'Taste' and 'Touch'. It's the story of Lily Croft, a former Classical music's child prodigy who quit music altogether unable to handle the pressure of her career. She now suffers from anxiety and works as an actuary trying to keep to herself. One day she hears beautiful piano music coming from The Leading Note, a music education charity. Slowly she gets drawn to the place and its founder, Hope D'Marco, who is a very talented musician. Will Lilly bring her walls down to accept Hope into her world or will her anxiety prove to be too much?

This novel is written in first person, as it is usual for Ms. Bryant, from the point of view of Lilly. In my opinion, it is the right choice as the reader spends a lot of time in Lilly's headspace and can experience how anxiety affects her. The author, a sufferer of anxiety herself, has poured her heart out in this book. My understanding of this subject has increased exponentially from seeing it as an outsider to an insider perspective. It's curious how Ms. Bryant stresses the role of music in calming her own anxiety and how music is the source of conflict for Lilly.

After a childhood full of pressure to perform as the music prodigy she was, music for Lilly is something to conquer, not a source of pleasure. By contrast, random surrounding noises calm her down. Hope understands this perfectly and prompts her to describe what she can hear in different life situations. That simple mechanism seems to bring about Lilly's musicality without any anxiety. Ms. Bryant describes this soundscape with some exquisite metaphors, it's true what they say that music is everywhere. The whole book is beautifully written and makes the reader's heart to go out with people suffering from anxiety or any sort of mental health issue.

The characters are multilayered and well written in their strengths and weaknesses. Lilly's low self-esteem but, at the same time, her will to go out of her comfort zone, and Hope's insecurities but positive personality, make them so human and loveable. Their chemistry together is incredibly off the charts and their intimate scenes are really well done. The secondary characters, including a very empathic cat, complete the cast perfectly. For me, as a former musician, the music scenes are realistic and bring out its beauty. It's been a pleasure to read.

Overall, an excellent novel about anxiety, music, love and getting out of one's comfort zone. 5 stars.

ARC provided by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

See all my reviews at
www.lezreviewbooks.com

Music and pure love, this book has a combination that really worked for me.

The two protagonists have a personal appeal that has hooked me from the beginning and together they are a beautiful and sweet couple. I think it was because of their candor and generosity, particularly Lily's. She hides a fear caused by her prodigious and precocious talent that conditions all her current life and her decisions. But Hope is able to interest her to the point of trying to overcome those fears even if it is step by step.

I really liked that the point of view of the story was through the frightened and innocent eyes of Lily, which allow us to better understand her actions. I also loved that the author did not introduce many characters or distracting plots, focusing completely on Lily and Hope. I have even liked the way in which she has solved the always feared but apparently necessary part of drama.

I highly recommend reading this book.

I haven’t read a book by Bryant that I haven’t liked but I think, so far, this is my outright favourite. Lily Croft was a musical child prodigy but a meltdown in her early teens from the constant pressure has left her highly anxious and reclusive with nightmares about music. A work assignment forces her out of her home office into a different environment where she has to meet and interact with new people. When music wafts out of an open window on her way home she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the music and the musician, Hope D’Marco.

Told from Lily’s point of view in first person, Lily’s anxiety just drips off each page. She thinks through something, then rethinks it and then questions it. Her tension made me tense but fortunately Hope counteracts so much of it. It’s beautiful to read Lily’s awakening as she overcomes even the smallest obstacles.

There is loads of good dialogue but then I am partial to books where the story is driven by conversation. It’s also surprisingly sexy with Lily and Hope having fantastic chemistry. I figured that Lily being a giant bundle of nerves would make it awkward but even the awkwardness worked. Hope and Lily are two characters who are going to hang around in my head for a while and for me, that’s always a good gauge of my enjoyment of a book. Wonderful read.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

WOW! That's how I feel after reading this story. This author really knows how to describe, anxiety, sadness, warmth, love making...not sex......true love making, and of course happiness and fulfillment. I found the first person format, for most of the story, very interesting. You really understand and feel the emotions of the main character. And then enters the 2nd main character and the story explodes into a wealth of warmth and protection. I loved this story. The pace is natural and very exciting. The characters are rich and very likeable. This is the first book by Kris Bryant that I have read. I am now excited to read her other books.

We meet Lily as a child prodigy, get a brief glimpse of her as a concert pianist but the story really begins years later as we see Lily, the adult, living an almost hermit like existence, trapped by her own anxiety. Then one day while walking outside, she hears someone playing the piano and for the first time in forever, she cares to listen.

Lily was everything, so imperfect, so human and vulnerable that when she found Hope, I felt myself look away internally. I could feel the bigness of her struggle to get outside of herself. So powerful but written in such a humorous way that I was laughing with her instead of feeling sad. Hope, who is endlessly warm and loving, is the right person at the right time for Lily and I held my breath for Lily to make that leap.

Because of some untold secrets,
there’s also an interesting tension in the book that usually belongs in a suspense story but in the end, it worked perfectly to bring all the storylines home. Lastly, Clio is everybody’s ornery cat.

My biggest wish is that Kris Bryant books were longer!! I'm a big fan of this author, and once again she's written a great book with wonderfully complex characters. I liked this one in particular because the character of Lily deals with social anxiety. It's nice when the main characters aren't 100% perfect and you see real struggles that people deal with on an everyday basis. It was also nice to see how Hope dealt with it in such a lovely manner. It made me love both characters, and added a bit of drama that didn't feel contrived.

I wanted a little bit more from Lily and Hope's family circle. I think this is where the length of the story is a real disadvantage. I missed not having Lily deal with meeting Hope's big family. I also wondered what happened to Lily's grandparents. Did they pass away? I may have missed that, but I felt it was weird that no one from her family ever even called her. She has some real issues with her parents, but they are totally out of her life? Seemed a bit weird since they were such a strong presence when she was a kid. People usually don't go from being micromanagers to disappearing completely.

With that one criticism being said, per usual I speed through this book. Kris Bryant is still one of the best authors out there, and this book deserves a read.

4 1/2 stars if I could give it.

A very beautiful love story. Superbly written with a sensitive portrayal of mental health issues as well as hot love scenes. Not an easy combination to pull off, but Ms Bryant manages to convey her characters so convincingly the story just effortlessly flows. I really liked the idea of music also being the sounds we are surrounded by, not just notes produced by instruments. Excellent and a real joy to read.

Wow! That is the word that keeps popping into my head every time I think about how to describe what I feel about Listen by Kris Bryant. This is a contemporary romance that starts out as a slow-burn, but once the two main characters finally connect, it quickly becomes a very steamy novel.

The tale is told in the first person from the point of view of Lily Croft, a former child musical prodigy who now works as an actuary, analyzing data, working with numbers, and trying desperately to forget her former life. That is hard to do once she meets Hope D’Marco, the founder of Leading Note, a foundation that helps bring music to needy children. The attraction is fierce between the two from the moment they finally meet, but music is Hope’s life, and music is something Lily wants nothing to do with…she thinks.
I normally don’t like to read stories in first person. To me, the narrative is normally very limiting, since you can only see the story through the eyes of one character. It takes an accomplished author to be able to tell a story successfully within the limitations of first person POV. Thankfully Ms. Bryant is not only accomplished, but is an exceptional author, and she did an outstanding job of describing this tale. This story had to be told through Lily’s eyes. We had to know her thoughts and feelings. We had to hear what she heard and feel what she felt. The story would not have worked if it had been written any other way. This form was perfect. I am in awe at how well this story is written. I haven’t read a book this well done in quite a while. If I could give this book more than five stars. I would. You must read this book. It has my highest recommendation.
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

Rainbow Reflections:
https://rainbowreflections.home.blog/

I ARC received via NetGalley and in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I really enjoy this romance. Kris Bryant is at her best.

Lily struggles with anxiety stemming from her childhood prodigy days. Then one-day leaving from work she hears someone playing the piano and it doesn't scare her away it makes her remember why she loves music.

Hope runs a musical foundation for young people when she meets Lily at a bar she uncharacteristic blurt out that she mess up a part of song she was playing.

The chemistry between them was great I like how Hope help Lily with her anxiety and never made her feel less. The love scenes were hot. I like that it was told from Lily POV and the author does it just right because sometimes it's better if it from one person pov then two because then it's get confusing if it's not written well.

Wow! This is such an amazing (feel good) book. Kris Bryant is one of my favorite authors and she’s seriously outdone herself with this book. Lily and Hope were written so well and you could feel their connection from the start. Lily struggles with anxiety stemming from her child prodigy days. Kris did a fantastic job of detailing her struggles but in a delicate way. Hope coming into Lily’s life happened at just the right time. I loved this book and highly recommend it!!

4.25 Stars. I really enjoyed this romance. This is actually the best book that I have read in 2019 so far. Bryant always writes well so it’s no big surprise that this book really worked for me. I would easily recommend it to lesfic romance fans.

This book is told in first person. I know not everyone loves first, but this book is the perfect example of first done right. The main character Lily suffers from bad anxiety and because this book is in first you really understand what she is going though. You feel what she’s experiencing and it’s very easy to connect to her as a character which is something I always appreciate it. Not only was Lily a great character but the other main Hope is great too. Even not being in Hope’s POV, you feel like you understand her character too.

The romance in this book really shinned. I thought it went at the perfect pace and I felt chemistry since day one of the mains meeting. The sex scenes weren’t just hot and well written, they were also intimate. It was real honest intimacy that lets you see the characters connecting before your eyes.

It is not all smooth sailing. There is some relationship conflict. Luckily, it didn’t feel forced. It was a believable issue the characters had to overcome. Plus Bryant left them enough time in the book to resolve things so that a potential HEA would actually be believable.

This is an easy book for me to recommend. I have been in a rut of reading some rough books so this was a real pleasure. I hope we don’t have to wait too long for another Bryant book to come out.

I love Kris Bryant’s work, so when I could get an ARC of her latest novel in the sensory series Listen I jumped on it. I’ve read and enjoyed Taste, missed out on Touch (I was too late to get the ARC so I will buy it at some point) but as they are all standalone you can start with any of them.

Loved the characters Lily Croft and Hope D’Marco, loved their slow burn romance, felt every bit of Lily’s crippling anxiety and wanted to elevate Hope to sainthood. What a lovely woman and she’s got curves too. We should all hope for a girlfriend like that!

As we read along we come to know why Lily reacts the way she does to the world around her. And why she is so clueless when interacting with other people. Her anchor is former stray cat, house mate and confidant Clio. What I liked about the plot was that we know there is a big secret hanging between Lily and Hope and when their romance grows and intensifies, so does the feeling of ‘what will happen when Lily confesses her secret to Hope’. When it finally comes to light it is not in the way you had anticipated and I loved that little twist. I thought it was a very creative way to handle the 80% mark angst moment. At least this felt genuine.

The girls take time exploring their intimate relationship (Lily has some hurdles to overcome) and it progressed very natural. When Lily hears the mermaids singing however you can expect some very erotic and well written sexy times on the couch, the bed and even Hope’s office.

f/f explicit

Themes: child prodigy, piano, severe mental breakdown, socially awkward, virgin, recluse, musical therapy, Hope is the complete curvy dream package, Clio the cat deserves mentioning.

5 stars

* A free copy was provided by Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books Inc. for an honest review.

I couldn't wait to read Kris Bryant's latest, "Listen," and when I did, let's just say, she gave me a truly wonderful and amazing journey to experience in her brilliantly written story about Lily and Hope, superbly wrapped in the sensual world of MUSIC, with words that turned into music notes, played throughout the story like a sheet music. The language of music (me favourite kind apart from the language of maths) really shone in this remarkable story from the start. For her to create a character who was not only a music prodigy but also an actuary (simply put, a profession that has everything to do with numbers...maths!), delighted me to no end. To say that I was ecstatic about digging me heels into Lily's journey would be an understatement! And Bryant nailed the bloody thing beyond me expectations! To me, "Listen" is her BEST work yet! It's now one of me favourite lesfic stories and defo will be on me 2019 best list!

I was enamoured of Lily's character from the start. Bryant brilliantly portrayed the psychology of her debilitating anxiety, her fears (rational or otherwise), her incredible self-awareness and initiative in dealing with her issues. I loved how Bryant described Lily's abrasiveness with people, a classic trait for someone with an extreme case of anxiety which could lead to uncomfortable awkwardness in communicating and relating to people. Bryant depicted Lily and everything about her with so much heart, it felt very personal to me. From the multitude of her internal struggles (her love-hate relationship with music, her interactions, or lack thereof, with her ad hoc colleagues, her attempts to ward off her anxiety attacks, and the magnetic pull that Hope had on her entire being), voiced out ever-so articulately through Lily's monologue in her mind (and with her best mate, Clio!) right down to her life-altering, life-changing journey that came full circle when she realised that she could never escape her destiny that breathed life into her before - music.

What Lily was missing in her altered life was that. Music. Hope was her answer. Hope who opened her heart and soul again to the amazing gift she had but tossed out - music. Listening again. Hearing again. Listening and hearing the sounds of everything around her like music to her ears again. Bryant captured that aura in the art of listening and hearing, describing the most minute sounds that normally isn't expressed, much like how a blind person would describe and experience it, you know. Listening. It's a powerful sense that we possess, innit? If we only stop, calm our mind and listen. Truly listen to the sounds, be it heard or felt, around us. That's when true music, with its notes depicting life, flowing in and around us like liquid, vibrating like energy, is captured in our mind's ear. Very much like numbers that turn into patterns that illustrate the formulas and codes of everything around us. You know that scene in "Matrix," where Neo finally woke up, realising that he was The One, all he saw was the entire mathematical system that made up the matrix (the universe, essentially!) visually characterised (so brilliantly!) by the infinite rain of numbers, codes, symbols? That's what Bryant's depiction of Lily's gift of listening to the most minute, quasi-invisible thing, did, described so vividly that I immediately equated me visualisation of Bryant's details to Neo's quantum view of the matrix.

Speaking of Hope, I absolutely adored and loved her character!!! I was immediately intrigued as soon as she graced the page of the book. She struck me as someone mysterious, charming, seductive (exclusively toward Lily...awwww!!), someone who was a thinker, someone who was keenly in touch with her senses, her emotional and spiritual state of mind. I simply loved how Bryant described her and her actions, be it verbal or body language, when it came to her interaction with Lily. On the surface, Lily and Hope couldn't be more different but very quickly I realised that they were more or less cut from the same cloth, so to speak! From the angle of music, art, their sensitivity toward sounds, the sense of worth in life and social contributions. Whereas I could detect Hope's utter passion in life and doing what she loved, Lily's passion, however, because of her anxiety disorder, was muted. It was definitely simmering beneath, though. That was where Hope came in. She had this innate ability to draw out Lily's hidden passion, desires, and overall senses.

Me favourite moment was when Hope, seemingly out of the blue, uttered the 8 words that would become a "metronome" to Lily's inner pulse in listening to the rhythm, the sounds, reverberating around her, reactivating her mind's ear that allowed her to openly exercise her gift of listening:

"Close your eyes. Tell me what you hear."

This phrase was repeated by Hope throughout Lily's journey, as I said, like a metronome, internalising a clear sense of timing and tempo like a steady beat as the words soothed and calmed her mind, slowly but surely loosening the knots that her anxiety had created in her inner psyche in her entire life. I could literally hear the regular tick of the metronome, as Lily described the sounds in her mind's ear, hearing its needle swinging back and forth like a pendulum clock, pulsating with a harmonic tempo that was utterly hypnotising. Needless to say, I was mesmerised. It truly calmed me mind, opened me senses, as I went through the journey with Lily through Bryant's spellbinding words.

Let's talk about the romance between Hope and Lily. First off, I absolutely adored how they met! The fact that when Lily first met Hope, it wasn't actually the conventional "meet," per se, which made it all the more alluring and fresh! Yup, it was to do with music. But I won't elaborate here because you have to read how Lily's curiosity got the better of her which led to that moment and her monologue reaction to it. I chuckled a little when I read what she thought because...Christ! I do it, too! I won't bore you with the details. Let's just say, I so related to her at that moment! When Lily finally laid eyes on Hope, the instant spark in her heart ignited as she felt the flutter, much to her surprise. That entire scene was described so realistically well because it was a very public scene and that moment when Lily noticed Hope was like a stolen moment in time.  It was precious. I was wondering if that "stolen moment" that Lily felt was one-sided because Hope's POV was not included at that point. Thankfully, though, Bryant flipped that scene to Hope's POV later on in the story. To me, describing the same scene but with a different perspective levelled their "connection" footing, so to speak, making the scene even more affecting and resonating as I replayed that scene in me mind and inserted Hope's POV into it. Infinitely more enriching! So, thank you, Ms. Bryant!

When Hope and Lily "officially" met for the first time, it was so adorable and amusing! Lily's unfortunate blurt to Hope was hilarious because it was so uncharacteristic of her! And Hope's reaction was simply adorable! That entire scene right there was priceless! What a way to introduce these two souls, eh? And their chemistry? Off the charts! And it only got more sizzling as the build-up of their relationship went deeper at every stage of their development when we saw Lily slowly opening up, becoming less fearful and stepped into situations that would usually make her run for the hills out of sheer anxiety! How Hope interacted with Lily and vice versa was absolutely captivating. She was like Lily's muse! Her innate ability to know just what to say or do to make Lily feel safe, cared about, worthy like they were both meant to be for each other. The art of hearing. As I mentioned earlier, Hope managed to reawaken Lily's gift of hearing by constantly asking Lily to listen with her mind's ear like she knew it would ground Lily especially during times of anxiety. It eventually became their own private language. I applaud Bryant's exceptional skills in turning the art of hearing into words that invoked a deep sense of sensuality and emotional reverberation between Lily and Hope as their intimacy strengthened and intensified in their relationship. It was intoxicating to read their slow-burning journey to love.

Another favourite moment of mine was how Lily finally faced her biggest fear. It's amazing how an unexpected adversity especially when it comes to matters of the heart can really shock you into throwing caution to the wind and facing it head-on, that particular thing that's been your aversion for so long, innit? Hope. Oh, Hope! Her helplessness and sense of urgency played out with such fervour, thanks to Bryant's insightful depiction of Hope's state of mind. The deep connection that Lily had with Hope was seared onto her inner psyche, so acutely palpable was its effect on her, it was heart-wrenching. The entire sequence of events was grounded with such emotional resonance it was utterly memorable for me. Bryant truly understood her characters' mental and emotional states of mind as she manoeuvred both Lily and Hope's behavioural approaches so skilfully that the outcome was profoundly cathartic for me, as a reader, following their amazingly romantic journey of self-discovery, reconciliation and celebration in the music of the soul that was called love. What a beautiful ending to a melodiously sensual love story between two deeply intertwined souls destined to be together, depicted with so much passion and emotional essence described in the art of hearing through feel, touch, taste, sense....
Listen.
And you will hear the essence of love.

This book is an ENTHUSIASTIC MUST-READ! Bryant's writing really shone in this story. I felt every word, every expression, every nuance that Bryant described with absolute conviction and dedication, making the story evermore real and utterly captivating. I, for one, will be revisiting Lily and Hope often, which is why "Listen" is now officially me favourite Bryant book! Yet!

Well done, Ms. Bryant, and thank you for pouring your heart into this superbly written and devotedly told love story depicted by the art of listening to the sounds and music of life, the heart and the soul.

I was given an ARC by BSB via NetGalley in return for an honest review.