This Could Have Been Our Song! A Coulda Woulda Shoulda Ballad

Lucia Mpobo-Riddell works in the music industry as a talented musician, singer, dancer, and songwriter.  A satisfying one-night stand with a man named Marcus has her feeling on top of the world until she discovers he is Marcus Grant, a renowned songwriter, and he has been brought in to collaborate on her most recent project – help she doesn’t need or want.  This is the beginning of a rocky romance between the pair.  Lucia falls head-over-heels for Marcus, but secrets and his reluctance to commit drive them apart.  When another man begins to date Lucia, treating her like a queen, Marcus realizes he wants to fight for her after all, but it may be too late.

This behind-the-scenes glimpse into the music industry is fascinating and full of drama.  A good editor is desperately needed, not only to correct distracting typos, but also to clarify parts of the story where the narrative is confusing and it is not clear what is going on.  Lucia is a likable heroine – she works hard and parties hard.  Marcus is exasperating, especially since he never clearly spells out why he is reluctant to commit to Lucia.  The focus of the tale meanders during the second half, and some re-working to help the reader know where the plot is headed would be good to keep readers interested enough to pick up the next book that continues the story.

Leslie Stokes