More Than Music

Chasing the Dream, Book 1

By: Elizabeth Briggs

Narrated by: Emma Lysy

Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

One forbidden kiss changes everything...but our secret romance might tear our band apart.

Everyone knows geeky girls like me don't get to be rock stars. But when tattooed singer Jared Cross invites me to join his band on a reality TV show competition, how can I refuse?

There's just one rule: Don't sleep with anyone in the band.

Not a problem. Really.

Until I discover there’s more to Jared than his flirty smile, sinful voice, and bad boy reputation. Until one forbidden kiss changes everything.

I thought I could resist him. I was wrong. Now, our secret romance might tear our band apart and cost us the win.

Is following my dream worth losing my heart?

©2014 Elizabeth Briggs (P)2018 Elizabeth Briggs

Young Adult Romance

In many places the writing felt rushed. It had a very young adult feel as the book failed to develop the characters in a meaningful way. It was not hard to follow the storyline, but felt more like a fan fiction than a stand alone book.

Maddie and Jared

I so enjoyed listening to Maddie and Jared's story, I read the book four years ago and thought it was one of the best rock star genre stories I had read, listening to it only made me love it more. I loved how Maddie and Jared's relationship grew, how they just got each other and how despite all the odds against them they went for their dream.

Maddie is a classical music major who is about to do a stint with a classical orchestra when she attends a party thrown by her friend Kyle who is part of a rock band along with his brother Jared. During the party, she finds herself in their studio and picks up the guitar belonging to Jared and promptly starts belting out one of his songs. She never expected that Jared Cross, lead singer of the band Villain Complex, would hear her performance. The following day Jared, her secret crush, asks her to attend an audition as the fourth member of their band so they can compete in a reality television show,

Both of them have issues to overcome especially when they discover that the odds are stacked unfairly against them, I loved the dynamics of the group and enjoyed going along on their journey to try and achieve their dream.

The narration by Emma Lysy is excellent, her inflexions and performance greatly enhanced my enjoyment of this wonderfully well-written and sometimes emotional story.

My review is written voluntarily and contains only my personal opinion.

Fun book

Fun story with a heroine who is determined to stay away from love and what happens when that becomes impossible. You really get to see character growth through the story and the plot is just fun.

Good Story

This is the first book in the Chasing the Dream Series. This was a good listen, with great characters and interesting storyline. Emma Lysy did a good job with the narration. I was given a free review copy of the audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Very Enjoyable

This was a good listen. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters, and the writing was good.

As far as narration goes, it was also good. I dont remember how old the characters are supposed to be, but the narrators voice kept making me think they were like 17-18 so that was a bit jarring on the sexy bits sometimes for some reason, but I did enjoy her voice and nothing made me want to stop listening.

I recieved this audiobook for free in exchange for my honest review.

Jared and Maddie

This one was a great tribute if you are a fan of shows like American Idol. It has the nerdy girl infatuated with the hot guy. I loved the flow and progress of their relationship. It has a mix of angst and steam. This book makes you want to listen to each character's story. Emma Lysy did a great job!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
AudiobookObsession
AudiobooksUnleashed

But not too much more

If you love rock band romances, More Than Music will probably make you happy. It's written well, and there's a nice balance between conflict and reaching the happily-ever-after. Maddie struggles to decide if she dares leave the career path she's chosen for herself to pursue the thrill of life on the road with a rock band, and Jared has to get over the scars earlier commitments have left him with. The two make beautiful music together with instruments and in the dark, but can they risk diving off the cliff and committing to each other on a long-term basis? I requested and received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from the author in exchange for an honest review. It's not my normal go-to genre, but I was able to appreciate the story arc and its sweet resolution. The story of the other band members continues in subsequent titles.

Loved it!

Okay, I chose this book because of the music theme. I was not expecting to love it as much as I did, though! Although a bit predictable, it’s very entertaining and I could not stop listening. There were several times, mainly embarrassing moments for the MC, that had me cringing with embarrassment, too, because I was so into the book and connected to the characters. Anyway, if it’s not obvious, I thoroughly enjoyed this story! In fact, I finished it in one sitting. I didn’t realize this was a series but I’m so glad it is! I can’t wait to spend more time with these characters.

The narration was pretty good. I didn’t like it at first, however, within 15-20 minutes I had forgotten I didn’t like it. I don’t know if it got better, grew on me, or I was just so involved in the story that I didn’t get hung up on the narration....maybe a bit of all 3. Either way, by the end I decided I liked the narration....with the exception of the voice of Kyle...and that’s just preference. All in all, great story, well told! I absolutely recommend!

I received a review copy at my request and voluntarily reviewed.

Fabulous Story & Listen🎧 Captivating & Heartfelt!

This is a great book and I enjoyed it immensely, it is well written with interesting storylines that are captivating from start to end. This is my first book written by Elizabeth Briggs and it will not be my last. I enjoyed her writing style, she created stories and characters that are realistic and easy to relate to. I adored Maddie Taylor and how she grew as a person as the story evolved. I also loved her bond and friendship with Kyle, she crushed on his brother Jared but since she never saw him she kept it to herself. Maddie has her future planned and it did not include playing guitar or a hot rocker. She is more of a classical music, piano and violinist type of a girl. But when Kyle’s band gets a chance to be in a TV reality show “The Sound” and they are in need of a bass player Kyle’s brother Jared asks her to fill in. He had heard her playing one of their bands songs on his guitar and asked her to be in the band, he would switch to play bass to replace Becca who had dramatically exited the band. Maddie agrees to do it for their audition for the show but when they sign the contract the same members who audition must appear for the contest. Kyle knowing his brother and his player ways told him Maddie was off limits. Maddie fangirled a bit over Jared but once the music played and they got into the groove all went well. I loved how everything plays out in this book, the music competition, the behind the scenes politics and antics, as well as the undeniable chemistry between Jared and Maddie. There is never a dull moment, everything is plotted out nicely and there is plenty of drama, angst, twists and turns, some heartfelt moments and hot romance. Elizabeth Briggs, thank you for this wonderful story and emotional rollercoaster ride. I am looking forward to checking out more of your work.

Emma Lysy is a terrific narrator and voice artist. She did a great job portraying the characters, bringing them to life, giving each their own voice and personality. You could hear how much heart she put in her work as she captures and projects the characters emotions into her performance. She is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for this great listen🎧

Wonderfully engaging

This love story is very sweet. I had to take a couple breaks because of the building drama. After a few minutes I was able to jump back in. I felt that the characters were endearing and relatable. I found myself rooting for them. I liked the theme of the book. The music show reminded me of one of my favorite TV shows. Only I wish there was an epilogue or even hope that there could be a follow up book to hear what happens to these well written characters. Or even what happened at comic con.

I will definitely listen again. I will also continue to listen to Elisabeth Briggs books.