“So many people really wanted us to succeed. They wanted us to be heard. Against all the odds.”
WOW! Amy Harmon has created an unforgettably moving and meaningful masterpiece! I was magically thrust into the swinging sixties, feeling the vibes of the Motown music scene and the toughness of the mafia world, as I had a front row seat to history being made. Harmon deftly balances the suspense and the love story in The Song Book of Benny Lament.
Written with sensitivity and soul, and woven in history, this life-changing love story touched my heart. After just a few pages, I knew that this love story was special, one of cultural and historical evolution and inspiration, one that would change me. Change me … it did.
The Song Book of Benny Lament is a stunning tale of interracial and indestructible love, of sacrifice and faith, and of a musician and his singing muse who together move mountains while making music. Woodstock. Motown. Kennedy. The Cold War. The Civil Rights Act. I felt immediately transported to an era before my time with pages seeping in stirring suspense, soul-searing music, cultural richness and historical change. Harmon not only pulled at my emotions, but educated and enriched me through this life-altering romance.
“I dreamed about you before you ever came along.”
The characters are well-developed and have a depth that makes the reader fully invested in their actions and relationships. Through Harmon’s writing, I got a feel for Benny and Esther and everything they went through in this era. It was easy to forge a strong connection with this hero and heroine who are smart, beautiful, and brave beyond their time. Just magical together.
Imbued with vivid, nostalgic, well-researched 1960s history and rich culture while written with enormous sensitivity and heart, this romance transformed me. These characters and this story make a difference while this heartfelt, revolutionary romance embodies the passion, power, and perseverance that changes the world. I felt the emotionally-intense and impact-wielding words through tears etched in my eyes, treasuring every page.
“If you want people to change, you have to show them what it looks like.”
I wholeheartedly loved The Song Book of Benny Lament, one of the best books I’ve ever read, a moving masterpiece that transcends time. I don’t know if any review I write will do Benny and Esthers’ journey justice. All I know is that days later, I still feel this romance and all the emotions it elicited. The Song Book of Benny Lament is still inside me, a love story I’ll treasure and feel forever.
A top 2021 and forever romance worth all the stars!!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ soul singing stars
Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3878614512
From the bestselling author of What the Wind Knows and From Sand and Ash comes a powerful love story about a musical duo who put everything on the line to be together.
New York, 1960: For Benny Lament, music is his entire life. With his father’s deep ties to the mob, the Bronx piano man has learned that love and family can get you in trouble. So he keeps to himself, writing songs for other musicians, avoiding the spotlight…until the night his father brings him to see Esther Mine sing.
Esther is a petite powerhouse with a gorgeous voice. And when Benny writes a hit song and performs it with her, their collaboration thrusts the duo onto the national stage…and stirs up old issues and new scrutiny that the mob—and Benny—would rather avoid.
It would be easier to walk away. But the music and the woman are too hard for the piano man to resist. Benny’s songs and Esther’s vocals are an explosive combination, a sound that fans can’t get enough of. But though America might love the music they make together, some people aren’t ready for Benny Lament and Esther Mine on—or off—the stage.
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