Dal Segno

By: Jax Meyer

Narrated by: Stephanie Murphy

Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

On the verge of turning 40, former Marine Cameron "Cam" Warren didn’t expect to be walking onto a community college campus to spend a year playing music. Instead of enjoying her career, Cam is still mourning the tragic death of her partner and fellow Marine Sharon. Five years have now passed but she is no further forward in dealing with her grief. Cam knows she needs to change so she can heal. Will taking a sabbatical to play the drums allow her to live fully again, connecting her to emotions in ways her autism has always prevented?

Jazz pianist and teacher Laura Clark has had enough of city life on the east coast and yearns for the quiet beauty of Colorado. When a faculty position opens at a small community college in Ft. Collins, she jumps at the chance to start a new life. However, what she couldn’t predict was that one of her star students was about to walk back into her life, 20 years later. 

When Cam is introduced to the new jazz ensemble director she is shocked to see her high school music teacher, a thousand miles away from the small town where Ms. Clark first introduced her to jazz. But Cam is no longer a kid, and as their chemistry grows stronger, Cam has to choose which path her life will take - will she choose love or will she choose fear? 

Dal Segno is a lesbian romance that shows the power of revisiting the past to create a completely different result. Everything changes the second time around....                      

©2018 Jax Meyer (P)2019 Jax Meyer

Dal Segno

I had high hopes for Dal Segno going in based on other reviews. Maybe I need to listen to it again because I didn't have the same reaction that most have had with this. I found the beginning to be very good as the characters were developed and Cam (student) and Laura (teacher) were reunited after Cam's marine days. I enjoyed them getting to know each other again in an adult role instead of a high school student/teacher role. But once the two were together, that is where I began losing interest.

There wasn't much additional "meat" to the story after that for me. Apart from Cam having to deal with losing her partner earlier and having to move on to love again, there just didn't seem to be a lot of plot movement. The last couple of hours drug for me. Typically I don't like romances that are so angst-driven that they bring the plot down. This story could have used a little more angst to drive things forward.

The narration was ok, but there were times where it would have helped for the narration tone and pace to change with where things were in the story. I couldn't tell much difference between the characters in a bar to them being in bed. It all sounded the same.

I received a copy of this audiobook from Audiobooks Unleashed in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Excellent Audio!

I loved Dal Segno. The audio is as good, if not better, than the book. I like the idea that Cam is taking a breath in her adult life. Taking time to check in with herself and making sure of her direction and purpose. Stephanie Murphy does an excellent job with the narration.

Unfortunate

I had high hopes for this book but it's just boring. I found my self browsing social media while half listening. I enjoy this narrator's work but this book almost came across as juvenile, like the Young Adult genre instead of the middle aged characters that were written about. I definitely think that has more to do with the writing itself, but the narrator's earnestness contributes to that feel. I enjoy regular romances without murder or crime, so it's not a trope or genre issue. This book just didn't hold my interest. In fact, I didn't finish it.

Refreshingly mature story

What an incredibly sensitive, compassionate, and deeply moving story. I'm 100% certain that I'll be listening again with a notebook and pen in hand, capturing the various methods Cam uses to work through her thoughts and feelings. I can so use some of her methods in my own life. I love how both of the main characters were so open and willing to honestly communicate with each other, and to respond without judgement. A refreshingly mature way to lay the groundwork for a beautiful long term relationship.

There is room for both.

Somebody told me Jax Meyer is articulate and now I have to agree. It took me a while to get used to the writing style because it is so contemplative but once I got the hang of it, damn.

This is one of the most well-written books that moved me to tears. What sets this book apart from others is how much Cam was willing to face her own issues head-on in her own way in order to move forward. Cam is fasinating to get to know. She's ex-Marine, autistic and had been coping with the sudden loss of her long-term partner. Cam frequently dreams of Sharon and rationalises her feelings a lot in her head and what goes on inside is often far deeper than what she actually verbalises because communication isn't her strongest point.

Cam and Sharon's life as Marines dictated by DADT is distinctively different from Cam's life with Laura which is surrounded by music. Laura is the high school music teacher whom Cam reunites with at the community college she attends. Their relationship is gentle and companionate and this feels right because of their age (Cam is 40, Laura is 52) and what Cam has been through. I love how understanding and patient Laura is and how Cam in return, lets her in and shares her past with her.

It makes a difference knowing there's a prequel with Sharon in it because it becomes even more beautiful when Cam finally realises that she doesn't need to forget Sharon and there can be room in her heart for both.

I'm glad I listened to the audiobook. I got used to Stephanie Murphy and I like listening to her.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

Such a wonderful mix!

Age gap, second love, slow burn, jazz. In addition to all those fun twists this was just a super sweet love story. My first experience with Jax Meyer’s work and very much looking forward to more. Stephanie Murphy did a great job of capturing the feelings and emotions with her narration.

All-around great read

As an autistic person, I thought the author did a great job portraying Cam. She wasn't a savant, just a regular person who happened to be autistic. I also appreciated that Laura was bisexual, as that part of the LGBT spectrum seems to be overlooked in lesfic. The story was great, and I'm looking forward to checking out more from Jax Meyer. Also, the narrator was wonderful.

Dal Segno

I believe this was Jax debute novel. The story I found very heart warming but I battled with the narration. Something just did not sit right with this narration. I have always enjoyed audio books as much as reading however I was left wishing I had just read this one. I have read other later stories by Jax and really enjoyed them and would definitely recommend her work.

A great story....

Jax Meyer did an incredible job of creating a story of love, respect, fear, adventure and growth between two women. I was attracted to the age gap between the characters and how it was dealt with here.. I also appreciate the teacher pupil aspect of the story. I don't want to say much as this is truly worth the listen. The narration that Stephanie Murphy provided was exceptional and spot on.

Enjoyable Read

Great debut novel. A very emotional story with charming, believable characters. It flows well with so many emotions, the ghostly visits during Cams dreams were a nice addition to the story. I enjoyed that the characters were older and that the romance took time to build. The telling of what Cam had to go through because of her autism in dealing in social settings was a great addition to the story. Great building of the characters and story line. Was well worth listening to.

A lovely story

A few months before her 40th birthday, Cam is ready for the next part of her life. She takes a sabbatical to take music classes at the local college. One of her teachers happens to be her former high school teacher, Laura.

Two things make this slow burn romance different from most I’ve read so far. One is not so rare: Cam is a widow, still mourning the death of the woman who shared most of her adult life with her. The other difference is Cam’s autism. Sometimes in romances, I feel like shaking the MCs so they will see what’s happening, or communicate better etc. In this novel (Jax Meyer’s debut), it all makes sense.

While it’s definitely a romance, the main interest of the book resides in that it’s told from Cam’s POV, with all the ways her POV differs from most people’s. Jax Meyer did a great job on that. The narration was really good too, despite some of the silences being a tad too long for my taste. But I completely forgot about them after a while and simply enjoyed the story. My only complaint is that I wish I could have heard the music…

really enyoable story

student and teacher story and filled with loss sorrow and finding love again.narration was wonderful too :)

Enjoyable

I enjoyed this book as it wasn’t rushed in telling the story; it was very well written and narrated. Would listen to more of Jax Meyer books and would highly recommend.