Book Review: Secrets at the Little Music Shop by Jane Lovering
- Paola Santana
- Apr 12
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 2
How much can you hide? Jemima Hutton is determined to build a successful new life and keep her past a dark secret. Trouble is, her jewellery business looks set to fail. Until the enigmatic Ben Davies offers to stock her handmade belt buckles in his guitar shop and things start looking up, on all fronts.
But Ben has secrets of his own. When Jemima finds out he used to be the front man of a hugely successful Indie rock band - Willow Down - she wants to know more. Why he desert the band on their US tour? Why is he now a semi-recluse?And the curiosity is mutual - which means her own secrets are no longer safe.
BOOK SPECS:
Number of pages: 240
Format: Paperback
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy, New Adult
Tropes: Dark Secret, Sworn Off Relationships, Emotional Scars, Running Away
Original title: Please Don't Stop the Music
SHORT REVIEW:
Secrets at the Little Music Shop was recommended to me by a colleague. The blurb sounded intriguing (nothing like a tormented guy to spark a girl's interest), and it had won 'Romantic Novel of the Year' and 'Best Romantic Comedy Novel' at the Romantic Novelists' Association Awards, so why not?
Well... I read this book in one day. I just couldn't put it down! And after, I kept coming back to it over and over for a period of a few days. The love story definitely struck a chord with me (no pan intended) and engraved itself in my memory. One of my favourites for sure. I have read it twice since then.
HEART RATE:
SMUT SCORE:
FULL REVIEW:
Plot & Characters
I love the plot in this novel. Both the main characters are keeping secrets and you don't really figure out what it is until Lovering wants you to. But once you do, you can see all the little hints and breadcrumbs she dropped throughout the story. There is some really clever foreshadowing going on here.
And yes, there are holes in the plot. The subplot doesn't quite flow as nicely as the main one, even though the characters themselves are well defined. So the resolution for the drama going on in the background is a tad unrealistic.
WARNING: SPOILERS – jump the following paragraph if you don’t want to read them
If I was Saskia, knowing that my husband got some other woman pregnant on a one-nighter rather than a long-term affair, wouldn't make it any easier to swallow. I'm not sure the romance in between Rosie and Jason, Jemima's best friends, is well defined either. You can see there is something going on, but it seems superficial and one-sided rather than of any real meaning. Surely, much less serious than you find out by the end.
SPOILERS FINISHED
Having said all that, you get so caught up in the love story in between the two protagonists that you don't really care that the home straight has a kink on it, or that some explanations are not as good. All you want to know is what will happen to our two love birds.
Characters
I love the characters in this book. Jemima, the main female character, is really witty and even the secondary characters are super entertaining. The whole cast is enticing and easy to relate to.
Romance & Smut Score
Oh yes, there is steamy smut on this one. Not overwritten or over detailed, not acrobatic, but perfect for this novel and with just the right amount of detail.
Writing
Written on first of person from Jemima's point of view, the prose is smooth and engaging. The romance unfolds in such a nice pace, you are literally on your tip toes every time they stand close to each other. Even reading it a second and third time, I still got catch up in the romance.
So definitely one of my favourites, and I think Jane Lovering is an understated romance queen.
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