The Shy Bride

The Shy Bride
by Lucy Monroe
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
I'm not usually a Harlequin Presents fan, but this one was free and it involved a pianist so I had to get it. Pianist novels are often on my auto-buy just because some people are able to draw the music and the emotions that go into it so well. This book didn't end up with too much musicality, but it was a nice book.

Cassandra is a pianist who refuses to perform because of all her social anxiety issues. She's real and hurting, but doesn't actually want to be someone different – she just wants to be able to be normal. Everyone in the past that has tried to help her with her issues always did it for the benefit of getting her to perform again. She doesn't actually want that life anymore, so she never truly thinks about changing. She's stuck in a rut, but she's very comfortable with who she is.

Enter Neo. Because it's a Harlequin Presents, he's obviously a billionaire tycoon. Money coming out of his ears, used to getting whatever he wants, overworks himself and doesn't believe he has the capacity to love. But somehow he comes to care about Cassandra. He's wonderstruck that they have become friends. This new idea of having a friend is awesome for him, but in his billionaire tycoon ways, he's going to make sure she gets everything he thinks she needs.

He tries to take control of everything. Luckily, he's actually a nice guy. I don't think I ever got the impression that he acted like a jerk to Cassandra. And even better, she doesn't let him push her around. She allows him to push her out of her rut, but she never gives up her freedom or her independent thoughts and opinions. These two worked well together and they had a good give and take relationship throughout the book.

There's the good friend that pushes Neo to accept what he's already known, but besides him, there's really no one in the story besides Cassandra and Neo. They were a complete pair though and I didn't feel like I missed out not having additional characters. There was a lot of passion and emotion in this book. Not quite on the level of screaming at each other, but you could tell they both felt very deeply and it was nice to see their romance blossom.

If I'm in the mood for a romance novel surrounded by music, this one won't be my first choice. But if I'm looking for a good Harlequin Presents, this one will be one of my first choices for a re-read.