Samantha Hoffman

Meg Scott is a best selling author who uses a pen name to maintain her anonymity while living in seclusion in Martha's Vineyard with her best friend and constant companion, Bob, her Irish Setter. Her quiet private life comes to a frightening halt when an obsessed fan finds out her true identity and breaks into her house and assaults her. Feeling no longer safe in her home; unable to eat, sleep, think or work on her latest novel, Meg escapes Martha's Vineyard with Bob for a new seaside home in the Southern California town of Mandalay Bay. Hoping to start a new chapter in her life, Meg seeks to regain her writer's creative fire that has been blocked since the incident in Massachusetts. She takes to her balcony and plays hauntingly beautiful music from her violin, a prized possession that has special meaning, as it was given to her by her parents on their last Christmas together when she was ten years old. The violin holds a special meaning for her, after her parents death, she used the violin to help help heal her soul.

Jadon Hastings is a drummer in the world renowned rock band Equinox. Like Meg, he too enjoys living a private life, but when he hears a hauntingly beautiful violin playing next door, he has to know who is playing the music. He catches a glimpse of Meg while crouching in the bushes and is taken with her beauty, but he mistakenly believes her to be married to a guy named Bob. Even still, he can't help but accompany the violinist on his piano, which unwittingly draws them together in a passionate nightly ritual.

Meg's publisher, Devon, hoping to get her out of her funk, sets up an audition for Meg to play with Equinox on an acoustical tour. Needless to say, Jadon is shocked when he finds out that his neighbor is the violinist. Their mutual attraction is palpable, but he gives off mixed signals that creates a love-hate relationship. And so begins the emotional odyssey of Meg and Jadon's love story.

A Contented Mind is a hauntingly beautiful novel that runs the gamut of emotions and will leave the reader wanting more. The storyline is well written and has so much palpable emotional intensity that it leaps off the pages. The story is narrated in alternating point of views by Meg, Jadon, Devon and Chick. I felt that the alternating narration flowed smoothly from one chapter to another, it made the story that much more engaging and interesting. There are a lot of characters in the story, they were all realistic and fun to get to know. I was intrigued by the complexity of Meg and Jadon's characters. I found it fascinating to see how their interactions with each other intertwined to form a powerful and compelling story. I couldn't help but be drawn into their lives, as both struggled with their own inner demons while also trying to deal with their mutual attraction for each other.

A Contented Mind is a powerfully emotional and realistic love story that deals with issues found in life: confronting inner demons, friendship, passion, love and betrayal. This is a story that will keep you engaged and guessing how it will end. I recommend this novel to anyone who is interested in reading a realistic romance story that will stay with you long after the last page is read.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event.

Virtual Book Tour Event: On Wednesday, May 30, 2012, in association with Chick Lit Plus, author Samantha Hoffman participated in a virtual book tour event with an Author Guest Post on Jersey Girl Book Reviews.
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/05/author-guest-post-samantha-hof...

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