Another music-based romance! This one was solid romance with a fascinating lead. Nyah is a double bassist with the philharmonic by day but turns into the Queen DJ by night. Her love interest is Tommy Mills, an agent who has definite ideas about her career. It's a great setup for the forced proximity trope and the romance really pays out its dividends in deferred chemistry, palpable tension and hot scenes between our leads. There's a lot of on-page consent and the intimacy that grows between Nyah and Tommy is believable - I was rooting for them all the way to the end. The pacing was a bit uneven in places but in general, a well-executed romance.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3 Stars / 4 Steam Fans

Once again, we are back in the EDM world that JN Walsh has created. Nyah is a classically trained bass player that has a secret persona as an EDM DJ. Tommy is a well-known music agent that needs an act for a big festival and thinks Queen Roe will be the perfect fit. Nyah and Tommy attend one event on a cruise ship where they embark on friends with benefits journey that turns into something more.

Video review available in Week 35: Aug 29 – Sep 4, 2021, full weekly book reviews available on Steph's Romance Book Talk Patreon.

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I wavered between a 3.5 and a 3 for this. I'll explain why.
As a romance, this works.
There's some contrived drama where the MCs really could have been a little more communicative and honest (and less presumptuous) but I get it, that's where the tension comes from.
The plot is good: I was intrigued by the premise -- it's a fun trope and clearly one that works, I mean Shakespeare made it popular, right?
I bought the story: we've got the musician who plays in a Symphony by day and rocks the underground clubs at night. Even though there's no question where the book is going, Welsh totally made that bit work.
I even looked for some of the tracks she's mentioned to add to my own playlist (sadly, only found one!) and found myself cheering for her (and her friends). Some other reviewers have thought she was spoilt and confused but I actually liked all the people in here: they were believable and worked their parts just right.
The problem I actually had was with the writing: long explications and most of the dialogue just didn't work for me; about a third of the book in, I nearly gave up. There is too much tell, rather than show and the only dialogues that rang true were at the club with Trinket; I am sure Welsh could do better, I was disappointed in this bit. But, clearly this still works for many readers -- who can turn this part off and work with a narrative VO in their heads -- and focus on the love story as well as the how long is Nyah/Queen Roe going to pull off her dual identities and when and how will they finally merge.
Still, there's all kinds of tension, all kinds of relationships that have to be manoeuvred and even saved, plus, of course, love!

Note: There is an explicit sex scene.

That was a good book. I liked te music industry background, both classical and electronic. Nyah was a very interesting character and Queen Roe sounded pretty cool. Tommy was a good love interest too, although I was a bit surprised with him dropping the ball nit just once but twice as a manager/agent. But they made a good pair and and their chemistry was hot. So all in all, an entertaining read.

New to me author JN Welsh wrote an engaging, slow burn romance of self-discovery, real life emotions and connection. The writing, plot and dialogue is on point. Bravo JN for showcasing diverse characters with real issues!! #InHarmony #NetGalley

JN Welch is a new author to me and after reading “In Harmony” it will most definitely not be the last book that I will read by this author.

Nyah Monroe has a dual career and by day she is a classical musician and by night her career takes her into the wonderful world as an underground DJ known as “Queen Roe” and Nyah is good at her DJ job. Things are moving so fast for Nyah that she soon realizes that she is in need of an agent. Tommy “Boombox” Mills who is representing Nyah has his own agenda. Nyah lets him know that she is in charge and she makes her own rules. Tommy knows that once Nyah makes it he knows he will be able to gain entry off of Queen Roe into the Sunburst Festival. Nyah and Tommy are travelling to events and they are getting closer and are falling in love.

I enjoyed reading about Nya “Queen Roe” and Tommy “Boombox” on their journey to romance.

It’s The Music In Me!
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2021

Nyah Monroe Is walking a musical career precipice between her love of classical music and her secret passion for EDM.

Barely recovering from her foray into the EDM shadows cast by her famous father Pete, Nyah slowly grows a following on her own timeline and terms.

When the moving pieces of her dual careers begin to drop, she realizes that there are consequences and in order to minimize them, she’ll have to consider the offer that Agent to the Stars, Tommy Mills made to her.

Tommy’s association with Nyah’s rising star has a chance to gain him entry into the popular Sunburst Festival. Nyah can only play Artistique is she has an agent representing her—quid pro quo. Will Nyah understand that for Tommy it was more than just about the music.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly July New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

3 Stars for this DJ and her agent

Nyah "Queen Roe" leads a double life ... the philharmonic bassist and an underground DJ. But when agent Tommy "Boombox" wants to help her in her DJ career, she's afraid her secret will be unveiled. Tommy can't believe his luck when Queen Roe agrees to be his client. It doesn't take long for them to begin a physical relationship and all he has to do is keep his heart out of it because she has stated their relationship cannot go further.

I thought the storyline was good, but I didn't fall in love with the characters. The DJ lingo ... I didn't know what they were talking about some of time and that had me skimming the pages.

I received an early copy courtesy of Harlequin - Carina Press through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

3.5 stars. By day, Nyah is a classical musician, playing double bass in a prestigious orchestra. But by night, she's Queen Roe, underground EDM DJ with a devoted following. She wants to keep her two worlds (and personas) separate, but agrees to sign with agent Tommy "Boombox" when things start to get more complicated. Both try to keep things professional, but there's an undeniable attraction between them. And when they end up in adjoining staterooms for an EDM cruise, things get more complicated than ever.

Nyah and Tommy are a great pairing. Both have some hangups and hurts from their respective pasts, but they really seem to get each other. There are some extremely steamy scenes, but they can also talk to each other about their lives. I felt like the ending was kind of abrupt (no spoilers, but I still have some questions about the long-term viability of Nyah's dual life). But otherwise an enjoyable story.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely enjoyed reading In Harmony. I read almost every day and i rarely find books filled with so much culture. Representation truly matters and I’m sure any woman of color will feel great reading this book. 5 stars!

Wow! I loved this one - my first by JN Welsh but definitely not the last.

Nyah, aka Queen Roe, can't stand Tommy, aka Boombox, but they need each other professionally. And so they end up working together and eventually, after resistance, falling in love with each other.

The romance was sizzling (I love that the hot scenes had explicit consent from both sides), the storyline and insights into both classical & EDM wonderfully woven into each other, and the settings + side characters well rounded and enticing for more - more live music, more living in the moment, more connection with great friends, more doing what I love.

This is part of a series but can be read as a standalone.