Review: Thrilling installment to the Musical Interlude series
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 15, 2014
Why I Picked It UpThe Prelude was one of my favorite reads of 2013 and I adored An Aria in Venice. I wanted to see what becomes of Alek and Erin.PlotThe plot of The Crescendo was much faster-paced than that of The Prelude. This installment to the series had three times more action. In this novel, Alek is dealing with a constant threat against Erin with his father and his old gang lords returning to Milan. This, of course, complicated things in a somewhat violent way. On top of that, Nikolai disappeared to work for a notoriously known bad guy and Erin’s ex-boyfriend, the one that had made her swear off men altogether, has returned. Add all of this up and you have a plot that barely even allows you a chance to breathe.Leading LadyErin was tough in this novel. She had to be. She was basically being preyed upon by someone who has a reputation for being deadly. However, she was also insecure in this novel. It was understandable, the reasons she was, but it was sad to see such a strong character having to go through the doubts that she did. She was supportive of Alek and just wanted him to let her in. She was great in dealing with the things that were thrown her way.Leading MaleWe see more of the gangster Alek in this novel than the last by far. It was actually kind of scary at points to see him revert into the killer that he had used to be. And apparently this wasn’t even as bad because he had Erin to think about. We definitely see more of his past and learn more about the things that he was involved in. Yet he still didn’t open up completely, which I was hoping was going to happen in this novel. Guess I’ll just have to wait for the next book.RomanceThe romance in this novel was on the rocks to say the least. Alek was stressed and hiding things about his past and Erin was trying to figure out all his secrets. It was a fragile relationship for parts of the novel with a few close calls. The differences in their lives were stark in this novel and it affected their relationship. However, at no point did I stop rooting for them because they are perfect together. They just need to come to terms with what was happening and Alek needs to let Erin in.World BuildingAs mentioned, this novel calls more on Alek’s past in the Russian gang and more on his position as son of a mobster than in the previous novel. It was interesting to see some of the holes being filled in regarding his past, no matter how scary it was. We finally start seeing what made Alek and Nikolai the people they were in this series thus far. I really hope to continue to see their past unravel in the upcoming novels.MiscellaneousOne thing that I want to mention is that this novel was impeccably written. KaSonndra Leigh has a knack for flowing diction and prose and this was very evident in this novel. The writing was lyrical and smooth, thus making it extremely easy to read.ConclusionThe Crescendo was a thrilling installment to the Musical Interlude series that kept me gasping for breath. Alek’s past has caught up with him and Erin and I can’t wait for the next novel to see what else happens.