I’ve read Robyn Nyx’s work before and loved it, so I was excited to see that she had decided to try her hand at the romance genre. I was not disappointed. ‘Music City Dreamers’ is set in Nashville, the home of Country music. It’s not the most LGBT friendly city by any means and record company executive, Heather King, finds that staying in the closet is the only way to get on in the business. She wants to own a record label and make it open to a more diverse range of singers than any of the current, stuck in the mud, labels do presently. Songwriter Louie Francis is out, proud and no-one could ever mistake this gorgeous butch for being anything but a lesbian. When they meet the attraction is obvious, but how can two so very different women be together?
First of all I love Country music so the whole Nashville scene was a huge plus for me. I enjoyed finding out about the world of record labels, big stars, struggling songwriters and of course the famous Bluebird Cafe. The ambience was perfectly done. The story centres around an intriguing romance but also the struggle LGBT people face in homophobic industries and areas of the country. Ms Nyx managed to get across the tension and fear involved in living in such an environment. The racism in the South was also evident. I appreciated the way the author brought to the foreground the need for diversity and being true to oneself. It takes courage and sometimes people need to take their own time. I really liked the main two characters, Louie and Heather. Louie had been hurt a lot in the past but she had a strength of purpose and integrity that shone through. Heather fought every day to make a success of her career but until Louie came into her life she couldn’t see that she deserved more. There are a few unpleasant characters too and the homophobia and manipulation they brought to the story made it all the more interesting. I loved Louie’s friend, Gabe. They made a great team and I wanted things to work out for him too.
I really enjoyed this story and I am so glad Ms Nyx made this foray into lesbian romance. She has captured the passion and intense emotions of the two women, as well as weaving a fascinating story.
I was given this ARC for review.
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