While the premise of this one was decent, there were some serious faults. I did not like the interest they both had in each other while she was still in a relationship. While nothing much happened between them, it’s a big no-no in my world. I don’t like the situations she was in and the way she openly did things her fiancé didn’t want her to do. Sure, he didn’t seem super great either but she was happy with him at one point. It’s hard to imagine she wouldn’t have stayed with him in a different situation. For me, that piece made me not like this book enough to not recommend it.

Unfortunately this one wasn't a favorite for me. The writing was choppy and the narration just made it worse.

What an audiobook!! I really enjoyed listening to it! The narrators done such a fantastic job. I felt like I was part of the book, and actually living it.

Such an amazing and beautiful story! Some topics were a bit touchy and difficult but it was such an amazing book overall and I would highly recommend it.

I don’t believe it needs a sequel at all, but if there was one I would jump on it!

ALC REVIEW
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RIFTS & REFRAINS by TIYE

SERIES: Standalone

FORMAT: Audiobook (Dual narration)
Benjamin Charles
iiKane

STAR RATING: 4.5/5 ⭐️

SPICE RATING: 2/5 🔥

NARRATION RATING: 5/5 🎙️

GENRE: Contemporary Romance

TROPES: Workplace Romance, Country Music Exec MMC, Rising Star FMC, Family Secrets/Betrayal, Self Discovery, Slow Burn

I really love when I take a chance on new-to-me author and narrators and all three are total slays! First of all, I love the title of this audiobook and really enjoyed the concept and plot of the story! TIYE wove together lots of different threads of the overall story that worked organically and never felt forced or out of place.

Local music teacher, Amara, unknowingly meets a music industry talent acquisition exec, Jake, during a family event. After hearing her sing, Jake encourages Amara to take a chance on a country music career. Their chemistry is tangible immediately. On this new journey of self-discovery, Amara is also searching for information on her estranged grandfather and unearths more than she bargains for.

Both Benjamin Charles and iiKane are new-to-me narrators and I’m already a fan! Both did a wonderful job differentiating between characters, and expressing the emotions of the characters. I’ll be looking for more titles from them both!

You’ll love this if you love
• Music Industry settings
• Country music, but make it Beyoncé
• Side characters that give a Dolly Parton/Miley Cyrus relationship vibe
• A slow burn with all the tension you want

Rifts & Refrains, produced by Dreamscape Media, is available on July 16 exclusively in audio format only wherever audiobooks are sold. For a complete backlist available from TIYE, visit tiyelovebooks.com.

I enjoyed this so much! I have listened to it twice! Each time it gave me all the feels, emotions, drama, and love. I also learned so much about country music! Jake is definitely bae all day. The narrators did their thing with this amazing book!

DNF @ 7%

I realize 7% is incredibly early to DNF a book, HOWEVER, I was contemplating DNFing within the first few minutes of this audiobook which is incredibly disappointing, because I was VERY excited about the premise of this book.

That said, this review is not on the book itself because I did not listen far enough to do so, this review is strictly on the narration.

Within minutes (probably seconds) I knew there was a chance I wouldn't be finishing this audio and that is because of the jarring, staccato cadence of the female narrator specifically.

I have listened to A LOT of audiobooks over the years and as a result I can tolerate a lot more narration quirks or pet peeves than many other people can.

But this was painful.

The sentences are delivered in an incredibly choppy way. It sounds like the narrator is reading lines in front of them rather than telling a story. I understand that they ARE in fact reading lines in front of them, but there does need to be a level of acting and performance in the delivery and that just didn't happen here.

It very quickly became clear to me that I would not be enjoying this listen as I found the narration style to completely distract me from the actual story and couldn't tell you a single detail about the book in the first 7%.

This book was a little too long and a little repetitive
A story of love. A story of family, A story of secrets. A story of music
This love story set in backdrop of the Nashville music scene . This is a story of a woman finding her voice. In every area of life. I recommend this store of you love music and a love at first sight story. I listened to this ARC. The narrators Benjamin Charles and iiKane did a good job.

Rifts and Refrains weaves a compelling story of talent, legacy, and love, set against the vibrant backdrop of the music industry. Amara Johnson, , is a music teacher with an undeniable gift for guitar and poetry. The story kicks off with the passing of her estranged grandfather, a renowned blues musician, leading Amara to uncover a trove of personal artifacts that hint at a deeper family history.Jake is captivated by Amara’s voice during a performance at her grandfather's funeral. This meeting sets the stage for a mutually beneficial pact: Jake promises to help Amara unravel her family's mysteries if she agrees to pursue her musical career in Nashville under his guidance.

As Amara delves into her family's enigmatic past, her relationship with Jake blossoms.

Overall, this book is a heartfelt and engaging read, perfect for those who enjoy stories about family secrets, personal growth, and the transformative power of love and music. The characters are well-drawn and relatable, making their journeys all the more compelling.

Thank you very much NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for access to this audiobook. As promised, my honest review is below.

This book has an original story to tell, but I found it very hard to connect with the main character. I didn’t feel a pull towards her and while I didn’t want her to fail, I also didn’t care if she succeeded. My opinion towards her was that I didn’t connect with her to care about her struggles, journey, or outcome. I think the story fell flat. The relationship between her and her manager and the relationship between her and her fiancée were too predictable for this story line.

I was curious about this book. I loved that we were getting a country singer person of color and it made me really excited about this one. I was also looking forward to the audiobook because dreamscape media was releasing it before the physical print.

If you're going to release the audiobook early, make sure it's an incredible production. Both narrators really struggled here. The reading was incredibly stiff and almost robotic. There was a lack of emotion. Also, the male narrator did awful with women voices, sometimes dropping their voices lower than the men's!

Trying to separate the narration for the story, I found the storyline to plod along at times, without giving much in the middle. The romance goes from nothing to them talking about love in a chapter. And I thought there would be more about the FMC's singing and music and career when that was really the backend of the story most of the time.

I think it could be stronger than it is, but I still enjoyed it well enough.

This story was absolutely charming. Sometimes when novels get set in Nashville, especially centering around the country music scene, the stereotypes tend to take center stage. Instead, this story honored Nashville - the true Nashville - emphasizing the author’s care for detail. The references and locations were spot on in my 30-year Middle Tennessean opinion. I loved the focus wasn’t on the romance between the two leads but more about them finding themselves and mending old family wounds while supporting each other. The characters were strong, especially Amara. I loved her. Recommend!!!

I loved the narrator's voice. I found myself drawn in and able to feel the characters' depth of emotion. The core of this book is love and family. Music and romance make a wonderful combo. I thoroughly enjoyed it all! It was extremely good and unexpected how the past met the future, along with all of the family drama in between! I loved it and hope to read more from the author because I'm a huge fan of country music and it was fantastic to learn more about diverse ethnicities in the genre!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had the perfect mix of romance, spice, and a wholesome story. It was a bit predictable at points, but it was still enjoyable to watch it all play out.

This was such a beautiful love story. I want to thank Netgalley for the gifted copy.

I will add my review later but the book gets a 5/5

Being a country girl at heart, I couldn’t wait to hear this book by Tiye. This is a book about love and legacy. The strength of a woman when those around her acknowledge her worth.

Amara Johnson has lost her grandfather, Marcus “Stoney” Jackson. The loss is crucial because of the rift between her father and grandfather. It prevented her from getting to know the man that Jake Barnes, an agent and producer from Nashville, can’t seem to stop raving about. A viral video of Amara and Jake performing at the Peabody Hotel will change the lives of the Johnson’s and Barnes’ families.

I loved the voices of the narrators. They drew me in and allowed me to experience the depth of the feelings from the characters. Love and family are the heart of this novel. Family secrets threaten to destroy the love and careers of their descendants. This is a refreshing novel from an author who dared to write about the misogyny and racism that plague country music.

Co-workers, friends to lovers, a bit of forbidden romance, instant attraction, family trauma, and drama meets Nashville Country Music scene I loved it all! It was very good and unexpected how the past met the future and all the family drama in between! It was great to see more about different races in the country world as a huge country fan I adored it and hope to read more from the author!

I enjoyed this story. I've never read anything by this author before. I'll try more of her work.

The story captured my attention from the beginning. I found myself reacting to situations like they were real. Had to remind myself this was a book and not real life.

I'm not a fan of the narration. The narrators were too mechanical in their delivery for me. The conversations and intimate scenes didn't have the easy/natural flow that I hope for.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

ARC review.
Rifts and Refrains
This is my honest to goodness review on this book, despite being an ARC reviewer. 🩵
I adored this book. I loved Amara.
This take on forbidden romance was different than usual and I loved it.
I didn't want to stop listening!
I love me a good romance, but the romance in this book seemed more like a micro trope. 😂
A side thought.
And honestly, I loved that! I loved following Amara through the summer. I throughly enjoyed this book, and I definitely recommend it! I can't get over how much I loved it!

3.5 stars!

I enjoyed the premise alot of an aspiring singer and navigating the music industry. I loved Amara’s personality and she showed a lot of strength during her time in Nashville. It felt like there was too many side characters and got confusing over time. There is one trope in here I don’t love reading but still and overall nice romance!

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc :)

Thank you for the ALC to this audio book from NetGalley!!

I enjoyed the book and thought it was well written. I especially enjoyed the narration of the male character voiced by Benjamin Charles. What a lovely voice and performance. iiKane voiced the FMC's voice and did a great job, though the cadence of the delivery was somewhat jarring to me.

This book is about a black woman with an incredible voice being discovered and whisked away to Nashville to follow her dream. There she finds mysteries about her estranged grandfather who has passed away, falls in love while engaged (there is some mild cheating in this book) and most importantly she finds her voice, and her passion for music and performing. I liked that the book didn't shy away from issues of race, especially as it pertains to country music.

Though I think some people are going to absolutely love this book, my biggest issue was with the pacing. A couple of times I considered DNFing because it was just too long and not enough happening.

Also I just don't ever think there is a good reason to describe the v@gina as a "honey pot".