4.5 Stars A good friend (Yes that's you Erika ☺ ) recommended this one to me as it is one of her all time favourites and I can honestly see why. She warned me that it didn't really have any sex scenes which if I am honest if it had not been recommended by a friend that would have put me off as I do like a bit of steam in the books that I read. Having said that I don't mind occasionally provided the sexual tension is there between the H & h and we are not fobbed off with silly fluffy words. Anyway I started reading this with the thought that I would probably end up lifting my eyebrows and wondering why on earth I was reading it but I continued to trust my friend's judgement and I so glad that I did. There are reviews out there that explain the plot and story line so no need for me to re-hash. I did find the writing a bit dated but then it was originally published in 1985 so I suppose this was to be expected. We did get treated to a good amount of sexual tension as Thorn and Sabina instantly felt the sizzle between them, and there were several scenes with some very heavy petting but there were 2 things that stopped Thorn from actually having sex with her - Firstly Sabina was engaged to his brother and secondly he knew she was a virgin. Of course he didn't know that the engagement was a cover for his brother to actually marry the woman he loves (Sabina's best friend) and I think that if he did know then the fact that she was a virgin would not have stopped him as he desperately wanted her.Up to this point I felt this book was a typical Harlequin, this story had been told many times which didn't make it a great deal different apart from the fact that the writing was excellent and I am sure was outstanding in its day. It was that well written that we did feel that we knew those characters. We knew that Sabina was a really likeable, sincere and kind person and we loved her personality and spirit. We also knew that although the Thorn was a bit of a brute (Notice my use of a very 70's/80's word - nowadays he would be called a Pig LOL), he was also quite a tortured soul in that he had never really been loved for himself and that women/people were only ever attracted to him for his money and therefore had no real friends. The only person he loved was his brother and he was determined to protect him from Sabina as she was obviously a gold-digger and he would do whatever was necessary!Throughout the story we learnt that the Sabina had had a hard and horrible life but we were never told the details, and although we knew that the Thorn would try and use this against her to try and break up the engagement, it was still an extremely moving scene. I actually had tears in my eyes and had a sniffle or two even though I knew it would somehow turn around and they would get their HEA.Yes, I did find it outdated but I did think that the writing was excellent and I probably would have given it a ranking of between 3.5 to 4 stars but those last few chapters were so moving and so well written and full of angst which I love, I couldn't help myself and upgraded that rating to 4.5 stars. Over the years it has been re-issued several times and feel that it is a shame that it wasn't bought a bit more up-to-date. By this I mean words & settings and definitly not having the H smoking or lighting up a cigarette in every single scene, not necessarily to add sex scenes as I felt they were not really needed and there was loads of sexual tension. If it had been then I honestly think that I would have automatically given it an outright 5 stars which is something I very rarely do for a Harlequin!
"Listen to me, you half-baked adventuress," he said suddenly. "I'm not having my brother taken over by a wild-eyed rock singer with eyes for his bankbook!" Moving toward her, he reached into his vest pocket, caught her roughly by the arm, and stuffed a piece of paper into the valley between her high breasts. "You take that and get the hell out of my brother's sight. I make a bad enemy. Remember it!"He escorted her to the door and shoved her out of his office. "I'll make your apologies to my mother," he added sarcastically. The door slammed shut behind her.I just can't get enough of this book. After The Music is the most frequently re-read novel I have so far.Meet the heroine, Sabina Cane. She's an amazing young woman who has no family left, a survivor from a horrible past. Despite what she had been through, she's a brave, kind, and loving person. She's also a woman with a huge fighting spirit and she works hard for living. With her beautiful voice, she's trying to reach success as a rock singer. She loves to help her friends. So when her bestfriend Albert Thorndon, needs something to divert his older brother's attention, Sabina agrees to play a charade. Her past taught her one thing, a rich bastard man is the kind of man she would never, ever get involved with. A man like Thorn.Hamilton Regan Thorndon III is a man with deadly combinations. Wealthy, powerful, and strikingly attractive. He's also a survivor from a bitter past. He has become a cold-blooded tycoon and a heartless lover. The only person he loves is his younger brother. Thorn would do anything to protect the only family that still matters to him. His past taught him one thing, never, ever trust a woman. Especially gold digger kind of woman like the rock singer Al introduced to Thorn as his girlfriend. But Thorn won't let them go any further. He would seduce her to become his. Otherwise, he would destroy her. And then the game started. Readers will be emotionally involved by the strong characters. Thorn was devilish but Sabina knew how to push him off limits. Sabina was fearless but Thorn knew her weakness. They argued until emotions exploded, they shared kisses and fell deep into temptations, they touched and passions burned. They tried really hard to ignore their feelings and it hurted them. Lots of romance books with the same theme, but this one IMHO was one of the very best. It was captivating. Diana Palmer surprised me because although there were so many sexual contacts between Thorn and Sabina, they have never gone too far. Some readers wouldn't like this book because of it, but some would still love it. The plot twist made me gasped in surprise. After the Music brought me joy, laughters and tears. I loved this book so much. A fascinating read and one of my all time favorites. "What do you want from me, Sabina?" he whispered back."Memories," she managed to get out.His eyes opened, dark and very soft. He reached down and picked her up in his arms, holding her while he searched her hungry eyes. "Memories," he said gently, in a tone he'd never used with her before. "Yes, I can give you those. In another time, another place-I could have given you a child as well."
What do You think about After The Music (1998)?
“It is a risk to love.What if it doesn't work out?Ah, but what if it does.”― Peter McWilliamsSome of us are afraid to love, afraid to get hurt and we clam up and shut ourselves inside a hollow shelf , refusing anyone to come near us, denying love. But love is a gamble and if you don't take the risk you might miss out on the most awesome feeling in the world. Sabine and Thorn were two such people hiding behind their masks, refusing to let anyone near them. Some may feel that Thorn, the hero was cruel and abusive. I believe it was a sham. His rough demeanor hid a lonely, vulnerable man who was afraid to love and be loved. I am glad Sabine saw right through him and was not afraid to love him and take a risk. This was such a wonderful book and it has reinstated my belief in love, true love. There was nothing extraordinary about the storyline. But it was so well written and tugged at my heart strings and made me shed some tears. I am definitely going to re read this again sometime when I to reinstate my belief in love. One of my favorites.
—Onu
I have this categorized under romance (I think)......This was my very first DP novel. For being a romance addict, that's quite a statement. I have always avoided this author because she has a reputation of writing singularly ruthless, "bad ass", abusive heroes. Though, I love a "bad boy" hero, I stop at abusive. There is nothing sexy or loving about abuse, no matter how you sugar coat it. So I picked this one up, with great hesitation and trepidation.Surprisingly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. (poor DP, you have such a bad rap) Typical to the genre, the hero had his share of asshat, dysfunctional moments, but he also had a lot of depth that is atypical of these heroes. Also, the heroine could "dish" it right back which made for some fun moments. The author did a great job of writing an intelligent man who had more between the "ears" than his "legs". (Always a good trait to have in a hero). This one just happened to be a little wounded because Mama never stayed too long between the same bedsheets, and his fiancé dumped his sorry ass for Daddy whose pocketbook was larger than his. Consequently, hero ran around with a chip on his shoulder larger than the state of Texas, but who could blame him? All in all, this worked for me on the romance front. Especially the long "grovel" at the end. I thought it was absolutely appropriate and commensurate to the crime committed. However, I ended up rating this only 3 stars because the passion between the two just felt "forced". I thought the author went out of her way to push the envelope and write some "naughty" sex scenes, which ended up feeling tasteless rather than passionate. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a prude, BUT there was just some special chemistry missing between these two that left me cold.
—Leona
Rock star Sabina Cane had a crappy childhood. She doesn't want anyone knowing about her business or trying to socialize with her. She doesn't want to repeat the same mistakes her mother made in her past. She doesn't want marriage or love or commitment. I admired her inner strength and her struggle to remain positive and find the light despite her broken heart.Thorn is also haunted by his past. He does his best to push people away from getting to know him. He wasn't expecting his brother's fiance, the feisty Sabina, to make him feel all the things he refused to feel. He tries to seduce her and ends up hurting and publicly humiliating her in the worst way possible. He really had to grovel to get her to accept his heartfelt apology. Super romantic, emotional read! Diana Palmer is simply the best!
—Jenny
