Book Review: Bespoke by Amanda Dykes

A Secret. A Bicycle. A Promise…

While the elusive Secret Symphony of Giovanni St. John captivated the world’s fascination, it left his daughter closed away in the Silent House – she, the one who holds the fullness of truth about the ninth symphony. Now Aria St. John is determined to not only break free of the loss that has defined her, but to honor her father through one final gift in his last days.

On the tiny Isle of Espoir, only one man can help in her quest: James Shaw, the village blacksmith… and the lost friend of her childhood. Will they be able to overcome the tragedy that separated them before it’s too late?

The little tale that was born in hopes of sending a single real-life bicycle to a missionary in Asia, Bespoke was hidden away in the Espoir Archives after sharing the joy of funding nearly fifteen bicycles.

My rating:

When I first picked up Bespoke, I was a little hesitant to start it. I mean, the cover is gorgeous, but an author I'd never tried before? I was almost scared to see what was inside, haha! Not to mention that I'm not much of a seasonal reader (I only have a handful of Christmas books on my shelf)!

So. Bespoke started out slow and sweet. The prologue thoroughly confused me, but it was written so beautifully—the entire book was, really! And then we get even more confusion in chapter 1. . . in a blacksmith's forge. But to read about James watching Aria exit her father's cab, their brief glance at each other, the hint of tragedy in their past . . . it made me so frustrated not to know what happened, but yet it made me so excited to read the rest of the story.

Have I mentioned how beautiful the prose was? Oh my goodness, y'all. And the plot line? GUYS. MY HEART. It is so, so sweet, but the ending wasn't one big kiss (thank you for that, Ms. Dykes)! I'll try to refrain from mentioning spoilers here, but . . . y'all . . . that ending . . .

Let me back up just a bit and talk about the plot. Aria wants desperately for James to help her with a gift to her father—give him his ninth symphony. (and if you don't read the book, this won't make sense to you.) James, convinced that the aforementioned tragedy was all his fault, wants nothing to do with her for fear of ruining everything once and for all. The secrets and backstories were woven so well into the story, it was like peeling back one layer to find something better and more beautiful underneath.

Y'all, have I mentioned how much I loved the plot?? Gahhh, just . . . just go read it! Executed beautifully, and a book that made me want to go back and reread it immediately after finishing it. I can't recall the last time a book made me want to do that.

As always, check out Faith's blog with the 12DoC posts and GIVEAWAY!

What are you waiting for?? Go read Bespoke right now! (Quick, you can get it free on Amazon!)