Megan’s Musings – Across the Music by Heather Sosbee with $40 Giveaway

Across the Music by Heather Sosbee

Book Two in the Across the Ocean Series. Interconnected Stand alone.

Guest review by Megan

Across the Music by Heather Sosbee is second book in the Across the Ocean series. I loved book 1 (Across the Ocean – My review) and I was very excited to read the next book. I had the pleasure of being a member of the team of beta readers for Across the Music, and I am honored I was able to be a part of that…watching this beautiful tale come to life, piece by piece.

Across the Music is the story of Sophie and Gunnar…and Loki. In this book, we don’t get just one Icelandic hottie to swoon over, but TWO! It was almost too much hot for one book! (Haha, yeah right 🙂 )

We are introduced to Sophie and Gunnar in Across the Ocean where we learn that Sophie is from New Zealand visiting Iceland for an indefinite amount of time. We also learn in book 1 that Gunnar is Ari’s best friend, and an all-around good guy. Sophie and Gunnar actually meet in the first book, but their introduction is brief, drunken, and a bit embarrassing. AtM picks up a wee bit after AtO leaves off.

Sophie is hilarious. She is not a high maintenance girl at all, and really tends to fit in as just one of the guys. She comes off as aloof and carefree, but we soon learn there is more going on with her than meets the eye. Sophie came to Iceland to escape something terrible back home. As her story is revealed, my heart hurts so much for her. I want to reach into my kindle and hug her tight. She comes from tragedy…and she is carrying an immense amount of guilt on her shoulders. She has one thing that breathes life into her…music. I absolutely adore the music component of this story. As someone who appreciates how much music enhances everyday life, it made the story that much more passionate for me. But aside from her music, Sophie is alone. And her heart wishes for more. She sees the beauty of love around her, and craves to know what it is like.

“I’m not too shy to admit that I would love to have someone, anybody to love me even a fraction of that much. I don’t know what it feels like, and I crave it with everything inside of me.”

Gunnar, on the other hand, has been cruising through life on a high note. He grew up with loving parents, great friends, and has experienced very little loss or heartbreak. He’s had several girlfriends but has yet to find “the one”. While out to dinner one night with an ex, he is shocked silent by the beauty of his waitress. It’s a moment where time stands still and he has a niggling feeling that he knows her from somewhere. She seemed to have recognized him too. There is something about her that draws him to her…like an unexplainable force. Later that evening, as if a miracle has come true…this beautiful waitress shows up at his house for a party he is having that evening. (That tricky little Brooke and her matchmaking skills!)

“We stand staring at each other, my eyes eagerly and happily taking in that her hair is down now, flowing in shiny waves over her shoulder and down her back, just like I imagined earlier this evening. My fingers twitch in response. I love long hair. I love her hair. I want to run my fingers through it.”

Since she arrived a bit early, Gunnar leaves her alone to finish preparations for the party. Enter Loki…the dark and mysterious wild card. Tattooed and pierced badassery at its finest. One look at him and Sophie is intrigued…and in need of a spare pair of panties.

“I think I’ve possibly died and gone to heaven, when all is said and done. Am I even alive anymore? I’m in a room with one of the best looking men I’ve ever seen in my life…. My pulse starts to hammer wildly within me. I have to take a deep breath to calm myself as my blood begins to pump through my veins with an extra kick of fire.”

Loki and Gunnar are roommates. They have shared many things together, including women. Growing up in their small town doesn’t always afford an abundance of dating choices, so it is not so uncommon to have mutual partners. From this point forward, it is a bit of a competition between Gunnar and Loki to see who can catch Sophie’s eye…and possibly her heart.

Sophie is torn between Gunnar and Loki, two very different men. Both strive to give her all that she needs. Together…and separately. At first this feels a little weird for me. The average love story has one heroine and one hero. You don’t have to choose a team. If there is a secondary player, they are usually written to seem less favorable than the other. With Gunnar and Loki, it isn’t so much a question of who is the better man but more, who is the best man FOR SOPHIE. And honestly, I can see why she struggled!

“While Gunnar is pure and sweet, Loki gives me the impression of his namesake; the God of Mischief….Loki fills me with so many sensual urges and wants. He makes me want to do wanton things, become hedonistic in my sexual desires….Gunnar enters my thoughts, my heart softens. All the hard edges in me become curves; happiness bubbles within me with crisp pops as they burst delicately yet with abundance inside my soul.”

Things between them heat up….and when I say heat up, I mean MOLTEN HOT. Sweet mother of all that is holy…Heather knows how to write smokin’ hot scenes. Gunnar and Sophie share intimate moments together. Every interaction with them exudes beauty, soft and gentle. Gunnar made me swoon!! Always asking permission to kiss her…my heart soared.

So beautiful, so sweet! Then you add Loki to the mix and BOOM! Fireworks. Da-yum. Get a fan, ladies.

“Steadying my breathing, I focus on feeling her reaction to see how close she is to coming. Her hand on Loki’s cock is moving at the same pace I’ve set between us, and her body is drawing tighter and tighter like a bow….Grabbing one of her legs, I move it to my other shoulder, allowing myself to look down between us and see my cock pumping in and out of her. A tattooed hand interferes with the view and Loki’s fingertips delve in-between the lips of her pussy to rub her clit in quick, circular motions.”

The remainder of the story focuses on how and if they can make things work. Sophie enjoys both of them, but she does not want to come between Loki and Gunnar’s friendship and their ability to make amazing music together. They all try to stay apart, but it doesn’t work…the pull is too strong. One of the things I liked was how real Gunnar’s feelings were. He wanted Sophie to be his, and his alone, but he knew it wasn’t his place yet to demand this of her. After all, they were not in a relationship. You could feel his love for her from very early on. And when he finally stakes his claim and voices his intentions to have her for himself…GAH! Swoon!

“’May I kiss you? Just once?’ I nod weakly, my body zinging with sudden anticipation and surprise. He leans down even further; enough for his lips to be mere inches from mine. ‘I wish you were mine,’ he says softly to me before his lips settle petal soft on top of mine in a sweet moment that takes my breath away.”

Likes:

• Gunnar’s sweetness and swoonworthiness
• Loki’s badassery and swoonworthiness
• The musical aspect woven into the storyline
• More of Iceland (I REALLY want to visit this magical land!)
• Sophie’s lack of being high maintenance…I felt I could relate to her
• The sex scenes are off the charts HOT!!

Dislikes:

• The placement of the tattoo parlor scene, I wish it would have happened earlier…but it does add the gut clench.
• Felt like it wrapped up a little bit quicker than I would have liked…wanted more on Loki (but we will get that in his story!)

Rating: 4.75 stars for storyline  5 flames for heat 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There were all kinds of feels throughout the story…hurt and sadness for Sophie’s past, angst as we watch the relationship unfold, steaming intimacy, a bit of heartbreak, and the sweetness of the love that is found. There was one part in the book that I wish would have happened in a different sequence (my own personal preference), but it definitely added to the stomach dropping angst. Heather brings us a modern day fairytale of finding love in a far away land…it really is beautiful. I am anxiously awaiting the next in the series, Across the Ink.

Purchase Across the Music by Heather Sosbee

Amazon | BN.com

Heather will be coming to America to sign at Wicked Book Weekend Ft. Lauderdale Beach, February 6-8, 2015!

Across the Ocean is on sale for 99¢ See Megan’s review.Brooke’s Photo Journal is a visual companion to Across the Ocean. 

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