The Love Song of Sawyer Bell

Tour Dates, Book 1

By: Avon Gale

Narrated by: Ariela Crow, Lauren Sweet

Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

This audiobook has been previously published under the same title.

Don’t miss this heartwarming and funny reunion romance from Avon Gale.

Indie rocker Victoria “Vix” Vincent knows a good thing when she hears it. The moment Sawyer Bell picks up her fiddle, magic happens. Beautiful and wildly talented, Sawyer is the perfect match for Vix’s band - and just maybe, for Vix. The dynamic in any group is a delicate thing, but with Sawyer and Vix thrown together on tour, it’s not long before the line between bandmates and lovers gets a bit blurry.

The indie rock life is not what Sawyer ever saw for herself. She worked hard to get where she is - in her second year of Julliard, with a bright future in classical music. But instead of spending her summer working and rehearsing, she’s on tour with her secret high school crush. And even though it was only supposed to be temporary, Sawyer feels like she’s finally found a place she belongs.

This summer with Vix has been like a dream. But every tour must come to an end, and when Julliard comes calling, Sawyer will need to make a choice: continue on the path she’s chosen or take a leap of faith and follow her heart.

One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

©2019 Avon Gale (P)2019 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited

A Wonderful Romance and a Great Story

As a longtime fan of Avon Gale, I’m glad I gave her female/female romance, The Love Song of Sawyer Bell a try. No surprise here, my faith in Ms. Gale’s skills as an author is well deserved. This novel is filled with strong, interesting characters, clever and witty banter, and a story which held my attention throughout. A combo of sweet and sexy romance and incredibly fun band scenes, I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Taking a break from the demands of Julliard, violinist Sawyer Bell answers a call to audition for an indie alt-rock band. The bandmates can’t believe their luck, not only is Sawyer’s fiddle playing amazing, she’s also a great fit for their band. Added bonus? This is Sawyer’s dream come true: performing with her high-school crush, Victoria “Vix” Vincent.

It doesn’t take long for the attraction to spark between Vix and Sawyer. What starts as purely physical soon becomes a promising friendship, and finally grows into a deep and very compelling connection. I don’t have to tell Avon Gale fans that she writes a scintillating sex scene, and the physical relationship between Sawyer and Vix is scorching. Add in Sawyer’s complete lack of experience, and Vix’s gentle guidance… well, Sawyer’s induction into the world of lesbian sex is spectacular.

A good portion of The Love Song of Sawyer Bell is centered around Vix’s band. The behind the scenes drama is lively, and the settings of the band performing are very entertaining. Anyone who enjoys watching live music, especially fans of alt-indie bands, are going to enjoy this part of the novel.

Avon Gale’s trademark humor and wit come through loud and clear in the interactions between the bandmates. Their squabbles had me laughing, and details of their past history add entertaining insight to the dynamic between the band members.

It was a treat to experience The Love Song of Sawyer Bell as an audiobook. Performed by Ariela Crow and Lauren Sweet, they do a marvelous job of infusing emotion as the characters process everything that happens. I’m glad this one was done with two narrators, as Vix and Sawyer are vibrant ladies, total opposites and I enjoyed how the narrators brought them to life.

As a devout fan of Avon Gale, I hope she plans to revisit this genre soon. Her light and funny romances are just as compelling as her darker stories, and now that I’ve finally given The Love Song of Sawyer Bell a go, I hope I don’t have to wait long for more!

Can't wait to read what happens next!

This was my first F/F title, and I'm hooked. The story really pulled me in and made me feel for and empathize with the characters. Thank you so much, Lauren, for the review code. What a lovely story.

2.75 Stars

I wanted to like this book more than I did. Vix and Sawyer were each interesting individually—the latter more so than the former. I also enjoyed reading about their developing relationship and had fun reading the banter during their sex scenes. But the two miscommunication scenes that lead first to the women not speaking to each other and then to the typical third act break up scene took me out of the story. I also wish that the band members were better fleshed-out.
I did enjoy both narrators though Sawyer’s took a few minutes to grow on me.

Has its moments

The author captures some great moments when describing the exhilarating joy of making music, but falls down when describing sex and love. There's way too much talking during the sex, way too much reference paid to heterosexual sex in the first part of the book, and a number of annoying references to "gender is not binary" and threats to make the love character watch YouTube videos to prove it. Intellectually stimulating, this is not. I rate it so-so.