REVIEW & EXCERPT: BEHIND THE BARS by Brittainy C. Cherry

Posted December 15, 2017 by MeliMel in Blog Tours, Book Love, Home, Meli Mel Review, Our Reviews, Release Blitz, Special Content & Excerpts / 0 Comments

Behind the Bars, the first beautiful and emotional standalone in the all-new Music Street Series from Brittainy C. Cherry is available NOW!

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, she was the darkest storm.

♥ ♥ ♥ 4.5 STARS ♥ ♥ ♥

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‘I didn’t see him at first- I felt him, felt his music crawl along my skin. The chords and bars of his saxophone sent chills down my spine. It sounded magical, the way the notes danced through the air, so hauntingly beautiful.”

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Jasmine has longed to make her mother proud and most of all love her for as long as she can remember. That isn’t easy when her strict mother pushes her hard to do what she doesn’t want to do in order to reach stardom. She just wants to live a normal life and sing the music she loves. At least she has a supportive musician step-father in Ray, who she sees as her real dad. He is everything her mother isn’t. He raised her by showing her love, music and just wants her to be happy.

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‘It was still there, fully intact: our love song. Our love existed in every second, and every touch we shared.’

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When they settle in New Orleans, Jasmine’s passion for soul and jazz music increases. Especially when she meets a boy named Elliot playing his saxophone on the street. Elliot lives for music and is the only thing besides his family that makes him truly happy. Elliot is lanky, shy and stutters which results in him getting bullied physically and verbally. When Jasmine introduces herself to him and shows interest in being his friend, he can’t believe the prettiest girl in his high school is talking to him. They see the best and the real in one another when they show each other their music. They share a passion and love for it that quickly becomes a love between them both. Unfortunately, Jasmine’s mother doesn’t want anything to distract Jasmine from her career. Jasmine is forced to move away with the promises of one day reuniting with Elliot. Meanwhile, Elliot suffers a tragedy that would later change him.

Years later, Jasmine is now a young woman and is done with breaking her back to win her mother’s affections. She is also done with the career she never wanted. She returns to New Orleans, to her dad Ray, and with the hopes of seeing what became of the boy she fell hard for. Elliot and Jasmine are not the same people they once were. Life has changed them as adults, especially Elliot.

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“You were, are, and will always be my Jazz. You are every beat, every note, every bar. You are the lyrics, the harmony, and the melody…and always will be my favorite song.”

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I really don’t want to spoil any part of this beautiful story. This is one of those emotional, sad, yet hopeful and happy stories that you need to experience for yourself. I loved this book so much! The writing was extraordinary and stunning. I loved these two broken main characters and how well they worked together. It was so great to see them heal each other the stronger their love for each other got. It was so sweet yet painful to read. There isn’t much steam but that was totally okay with me. I absolutely loved the supporting characters that added so much to the story. I highly recommend this book. It was tremendously heartbreaking but also oh, so heartwarming. So, remember to keep a box of tissues handy because you’ll be crying tears of sadness and joy.

By the way, what happened to Todd’s nose?” I asked.

“I broke it,” Elliott said matter-of-factly.

“What? How? Why?”

He shrugged before turning to look out the window. “He called you a bad name.”

“What was it?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Eli,” I started.

He turned my way and locked his hazel eyes with my browns. “Jazz…” He shook his head. “It wasn’t true.”

I swallowed hard, a big part of me certain Todd’s words held some form of truth.

Elliott saw it in me—my fear. He kept shaking his head and whispered, “I don’t feel sorry for you. Sometimes you look at me like you think I feel sorry for you, and I want you to know I don’t. I think you’re perfect the way you are.”

I quietly laughed at him repeating the words I’d told him earlier. A few tears rolled down my cheeks. “I’m a little messed up.”

“I know.” He nodded. “That’s why I like you.”

He went back to staring out the window, and I kept staring at him.

And there it was.

So small, so tiny, so real.

Love.

It wasn’t love, but it was the beginning of it.

I knew I was young, and I knew it was stupid, but in that moment, I began to fall in love with the quiet boy who quietly cared for me. The boy who was scared and still strong. The boy who stood up for me when he was surrounded by reasons not to do such a thing. I hadn’t known much about love. I hadn’t known how it looked, felt, or tasted. I hadn’t known how it moved, how it flowed, but I knew my heart was tight and currently skipping a few beats. I understood the goose bumps covering my arms. I knew this stuttering boy who was sometimes so scared was someone worth loving. He was worth being the first one I gave my heart to.

I knew Elliott Adams was love.

And I was falling into him so fast.

Hi! I’m Brittainy! Join me as we travel through my mind as a Romance Author. This includes such things as my random thoughts, tricks, tips, things I’m learning, things I’m re-learning, things I’m forgetting, and my weird ways of crafting stories.