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May 28, 2011

Dee rated it:

Following Dylan's story is a journey that will require patience at first, but as Dylan grows and finds love you begin to connect to him more intimately. You will follow him through failure, loss and grief, certain that your heart will break while sobbing and blinking the tears from your eyes so you can keep reading.

You will also cheer for Dylan as he begins to let himself live again and finds love once more when he least expects it. But love is never easy, and there are outside force More...

0 comments like (8 people liked it)

Jun 07, 2011

Kernos rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

3 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 19, 2011

Lil' Grogan rated it:

A deceptively unassuming touch that brought passion and vulnerability alive on page. I'm not sure why I've avoided this for so long, if I had known the time frame (starting in 1888) and that Paris would be involved! The music student in me squeed at the mere mention of Fauré and Berlioz. I enjoyed the descriptions of music, and remembered fondly the fervency and arrogance of belief in oneself, as well as the potentially crippling side of that passion.

Following Dylan from 18 as he a More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 06, 2010

Kassa rated it:

Ruth Sims is a great author. I can say that unequivocally and as a huge fan. When I read The Phoenix, I was blown away by the beauty and sensuality of that book. Sims does it again with another stunning story that rides a wave of emotion from tears, laughter, beauty, frustration, and obsession. At one point I threw my ereader (gently onto the couch) in frustration then hurried to pick it up and continue reading. Although a wonderfully written historical, the themes and emotion transcend the time More...

3 comments like (7 people liked it)

Oct 07, 2011

Jenre rated it:

As many of you know I'm a fan of m/m historical romance so this book by Ruth Sims was very appealing. It's not your typical romance, although it contains two romantic story lines, because it breaks some romantic conventions - something I think some readers may not like. Instead it's a Victorian set drama about the creative life and frustrations of Dylan.

We first meet Dylan as a pupil at St Bede's where his inattentiveness in lessons and his compulsion to do nothing but compose music More...

6 comments like (6 people liked it)

Sep 29, 2010

Jeff rated it:

Dylan Rutledge is a headstrong teenager in an all-boys English boarding school. He is driven by a desire to compose music, and this passion is so powerful that it leads him to take bold risks. He steals the cathedral key from the headmaster’s office for a single opportunity to play the church organ. He simply must hear his music played as he intended it to sound when he wrote it. Dylan is obstinate and daring, and he cannot help but challenge the conservative establishment. Sadly, this sort of b More...

3 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 10, 2011

Lea rated it:

I wish I could rate this book higher than five stars. This is a very beautiful and heartbreaking love story that I won't soon forget. One of the best books that I have ever read.

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Feb 09, 2012

GymGuy aka D Brian rated it:

I happen to be a classically trained musician. Actually a church organist--though part time at the moment. So I was rather interested in seeing how the whole subject of music and composition were treated. Needless to say, I was unimpressed. This book might be fine for high schoolers or readers in their teens, but it is far too simplistic and sophomoric for anyone else. I just thought it was rather stupid.

Dylan is supposed to be this great composer-in-the-rough who through his st More...

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May 17, 2011

Miz rated it:

I live and breathe violin music. To me, to hear Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Winter II Largo conjures a world so beautiful I can hardly contain myself, stirs something in me that I can’t even write, can’t articulate. So, when I saw the cover of Ruth Sim’s Counterpoint: Dylan’s Story, I had to read it. It had a violin on the cover, as well as two beautiful men. All the elements in this reader’s mind for a delicious story—gorgeous men and music.

But that Ruth Sims. Damn her. She threw More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Feb 07, 2011

Elisa added it

Counterpoint is at the same time a detailed, and wonderfully described, historical fiction and a love story; actually it is two love stories in one life, Dylan’s life, and as a perfect Salomon’s decision, Ruth Sims devoted the exact number of page to one love, Laurence, 160 pages, and another 160 pages to the second one, Geoffrey. And like in a perfect consecutio temporis, when the story starts Laurence is an adult who falls in love for a boy, Dylan, and when Laurence’s story is almost to the en More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 16, 2011

Cris rated it:

Oh, wow. I've just finished this and my mind is swirling with it. I'm afraid my review will be a bit nonsensical, but I'm going to try.

This is... quite simply, beautifully written. The characters are wonderful and so is the language, especially the musical descriptions. While there are point of view changes that aren't warned about beforehand (which I've complained bitterly about before), for some reason it's not jarring here like I usually find it. Unfortunately, I can't even begin More...

1 comment like

Nov 27, 2010

Gerry rated it:

In March of this year I had the pleasure of reviewing The Phoenix by Ruth Sims, and described it as, “A masterful piece of writing, credible and enjoyable from start to finish.” At that time I thought that I had exhausted all the superlatives possible on a novel, but with Counterpoint: Dylan’s Story [Dream Spinner Press, July 2010] she had surpassed even these. Indeed, Counterpoint has been described as “A symphony of words.”

It begins with a tasteful cover design by Alex Beecroft tha More...

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Oct 12, 2010

Ebook Addict Reviews added it

As I finished Counterpoint: Dylan’s Story, there were tears in my eyes. Not tears of sorrow, but tears due to the indescribable beauty that is Ruth Sims’ Counterpoint: Dylan’s Story. This is a powerful and, to my mind, epic story; it sweeps through history and the lives of two men, men whose love of music is incomparable. It is complex but has a sublime beauty that is almost overwhelming. There were times in the book that I was completely overcome; the emotions that this most talented new-to-me More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 11, 2010

Alan rated it:

Near the end of the nineteenth century, Dylan Rutledge has two obsessions: composing music and Laurence Northcliff, his history master at the Bede School for Young Gentlemen. When all others turn against Dylan for the wild and unorthodox music he composes, Northcliff is the only one who encourages his dream. The two fall deeply in love, but it is a forbidden love in England, punishable by long prison terms at hard labor.

But Dylan’s passion will not be put down. He alienates himsel More...

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Nov 21, 2011

Kinga rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Aug 08, 2011

Jaime rated it:

I had the honor of being a beta reader for this novel, and ever since then I have been eagerly anticipating its publication so I could read it again. Though I truly enjoyed Sims' previous novel, "The Phoenix," I have to say that Counterpoint is even better. This is brilliant historical fiction with two love stories at the heart of it.

Dylan Rutledge has a gift for music, and nothing but disdain for traditional schooling that keeps him from it. At the Bede School, only Master L More...

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Sep 19, 2010

~ames~ rated it:

This is the first novel by Ruth Sims that I’ve read and I know it won’t be the last. She has crafted a very touching story that made had me so invested in the characters that I cried. I love books that make me cry, that reach me that much.

Counterpoint is a novel about Dylan Rutledge, a young man who wishes to compose music. His tale begins with his final year at the Veneral Bede School for Young Gentlemen. He has been expelled for stealing a Master’s key and using it to get into the More...

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Sep 29, 2011

Lynette rated it:

I finished COUNTERPOINT: DYLAN'S STORY over a week ago and I've been having a hard time writing a review for it. All I can think to say is OMG I loved COUNTERPOINT: DYLAN'S STORY, it was totally not what I expected, it was sooo much better than that. I wish that I could end my review there, but I think you'd be disappointed, so if the rest of this review is crazy for coco puff, don't blame me. You've been warned.

COUNTERPOINT: DYLAN'S STORY is more than the typical m/m romance. It's not More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 02, 2010

Erastes rated it:

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2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jun 09, 2011

Erik rated it:

I absolutely loved this book! The storyline is intense, heartwarming, tender and yet painful in places, as we follow the life of Dylan Rutledge, a talented young musician who is an incorrigible rebel in almost every aspect of his life. This wonderful historical romance takes place in the 1800's in England, not long after the Oscar Wilde trials and we follow the loves, challenges, personal tragedies and heartbreaks of Dylan in a time where homosexual love must be hidden and kept quiet -- althou More...

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Jan 11, 2012

Booked rated it:

Written by BlackTulip for Booked Up

This story was such a roller coaster ride of emotions, that I don't know where to begin. I was literally engulfed by the book and I had some difficulty trying to emerged from it. As incredible as it sounds it left me nervously exhausted. Unlike other books that very swiftly fade away, this one continues to haunt me...

The thing that characterizes this novel is that it takes place over a long period of time thereby allowing the writer to More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 04, 2011

Lee rated it:

Excellent Book!

Excellent

Lovely story, lovely characters, beautiful writing; what more can I say. I loved Counterpoint: Dylan's Story. I happily give its justly deserved 5 stars.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 21, 2010

Mickie rated it:

I have been a fan of Ms. Sims since I read The Phoenix several years ago. I can't say enough about this new book. Counterpoint: Dylan's Story is a beautiful love story from start to finish. There's nothing I would improve and her characters will linger in my head for days. I inhaled this first read, tearing throught it like glutton. I plan to read it again, but this time, savoring every passage. Her mastery of time and location, her word choices, the attention to detail, and the fierce lov More...

3 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 11, 2011

ManOhMan rated it:

Reviewed by Markie:
Discovering a new author is always a great thing. I was fortunate enough to be able to review this m/m romance by Ruth Sims, romance being the key word and the heart of this story.

Stories of young love have always intrigued me. Place this with wonderful writing and a great storyline, and it just works.

Ruth Sims also mixes in a good dose of angst, and for a brief moment you wonder if everything will turn out well in the end. Never one to spoil a st More...

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Aug 17, 2010

Kate rated it:

I'd file this one under "appreciated but didn't really like". It's well written, the story is interesting, the character development is superb, the historical details are flawless. Its only small weakness is that the plot is too predictable in the second half. Read Kassa's great review. Seriously. There is no point in my trying to duplicate her efforts.

Dylan is a poster child for the struggling artist. His struggles for acceptance and recognition, his passion for musi More...

4 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 25, 2011

Molly rated it:

This book was beautiful and addictive, and lurked in my thoughts the whole time I was reading it--which turned out to be less than a week, since I kept coming back to it to read more at every opportunity. Though it's highly romantic, it doesn't follow the usual romance formulas. It's more like a historical novel that happens to involve a couple of love affairs. That the characters in those love affairs are gay men adds a good deal to the tension and drama, since (in England, at least) that kind More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 12, 2010

Julie rated it:

Counterpoint: In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent.*

Dylan Rutledge is a wild colt - brash, bold, and unbroken to bit and bridle. But he's also very talented. His trouble is making others see that. He is his own worst enemy because of his refusal to conform or to follow the rules at the Bede School for Young Gentlemen. But he knows what he wants - to be the best compos More...

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Jun 26, 2011

Esmara rated it:

Un petit peu long à démarrer, j'ai du m'accrocher pour vraiment me mettre dedans, mais une fois que l'histoire commence, c'est un des plus beau e-book que j'ai lu jusqu'à présent. L'histoire a des passages tristes à vous faire pleurer mais la fin reste un happy end (un peu doux-amer quand même). Les trois personnages sont très bien développé, surtout Dylan qu'on voit murir au cour du livre, même si ma préférence va au gypsy.

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Jan 12, 2011

Edina rated it:

Now I understand that the two men on the picture are:
- Laurence (left), very handsome, noble and distinguished, exactly as I pictured him. You want to fall in love with him and you know you'll be safe, with a good man
- and Geoffrey (right), dark, passionate, rebel, very gorgeous. You know if you loose your heart to him, you'll never have a peaceful moment.

This book is full of love of musics, love of arts. I loved it.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 13, 2011

Leslie rated it:

This book was a rare DNF for more. I got about 30% in and was bored to tears. I set it aside to read something else, then something else, then...just the other day I realized it was at the bottom of the list for books on my Kindle. I had no interest in going back and trying to pick it up again. I know I am in the minority on this one, judging from the other reviews, but for me, this book was a big snore.

2 comments like