SOLO by Kevin W Symmons

Title: Solo

Author: Kevin V. Symmons

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction

Format: Paperback/Kindle

Jessica Long has the voice of an angel. But Jesse's cold beauty masks a brutal

past filled with privation and cruelty. As the talented soprano approaches her 

final year at New England Conservatory, she is faced with a choice: stay with 

her striking young lover or accept the offer of a successful Broadway producer.

She chooses the latter only to discover that fame can exact a cruel price. After 

years of yearning, the lovers meet again - at Jesse's ragged homestead on the 

Maine Coast. 

Matt will reveal the benefactor who's followed and protected Jesse as the 

lovers face a confrontation with the jealous pursuer who's tried to destroy 

her. One final choice awaits that may cost Jesse both Matt and her life. The 

Broadway impresario, a mysterious crime lord, and Matt's stunning literary 

agent head a cast of absorbing secondary characters. Filled with unexpected 

plot twists, Solo is a classic, leading the reader over a bittersweet tapestry 

spanning fifteen years.

• Solo is available at Amazon.

• Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.

• Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Book Excerpt:

It was sweltering. Sunday afternoon. But Sundays had no special meaning 

for Jesse. Just another crowded space on her calendar. Moving deliberately 

through the moist air that hovered over Boylston Street, the heat rising from 

the sidewalk penetrated the worn souls of her loafers. Perspiration grew thick 

on her skin, darkening her thin cotton blouse. 

A massive steel skeleton stood nearby. Having grown to a height of thirty 

stories, it guarded Copley Square’s busy expanse. Half-way up the I-beams that 

comprised its brick-red frame an electronic sign flashed ‘93 degrees.’ 

Many residents hid, sheltered inside, letting their fans or air conditioners battle 

the early heat-wave while they lolled away this June afternoon watching the 

Red Sox or movie reruns. The more adventurous, young or athletic populated 

the banks of the Charles River or sought the cool breezes of South Boston’s 

Carson Beach. 

Jesse found the summer heat in Boston unwelcome and unexpected. She could 

never remember any semblance of a spring, just a cool damp season that one 

day surrendered as the unrelenting damp heat emerged like a chrysalis. Thanks 

to the onshore breeze from Casco Bay, it was never this hot in Portland. But 

Portland held more demons than she could exorcise in one lifetime. Jesse was 

glad to be rid of it. 

She swallowed deeply, clenching her fists. This job could mean the difference 

between continuing her career or returning to the bleak life she’d left in 

Maine. Now that her mother and daughter Alexis had appeared, she had to find 

more work to support them while she finished her training at the Conservatory. 

She studied the brightly decorated windows of the cafes and boutiques, 

ignoring the glances of the men she passed. Young couples, stylishly dressed 

in their lightweight summer clothes moved aside as she moved on her mission 

toward the address on the slip of paper Mario had given her. 

Arriving at her destination, Jesse peered through the murky glass. She 

scanned the adjacent shops, hesitating. Whatever it was, Martel’s Coffee 

Shop and Bakery played counterpoint to Boylston Street’s more fashionable 

establishments. 

Her dim reflection showed a tall, slender young woman who favored her father. 

Or so they’d told her. She’d worn her best cotton slacks and a dark blouse. 

Jeans or shorts would send the wrong message, and Jesse couldn’t afford a bad 

first impression. Her thick black hair hung loose, framing her face. She took a 

deep breath to help her relax. Checking her image in the dirty glass, she wiped 

the perspiration from her forehead and neck, drying her palms on her pants. 

Taking another deep breath, she opened the door. Prayer was not on Jesse’s 

agenda, but it crossed her mind. She knew the city was flooded with pretty co-

eds and single mothers willing to work for almost nothing. Mario’s influence 

might be worth something, but she was taking no chances. She wasn’t given 

to fits of superstition, but she closed her eyes tightly and crossed her fingers. 

Anything that might give her an edge was worth a try.

“Please, Mr. Martel,” she whispered, looking around self-consciously. “I need 

this job.”

The door’s glass was so grimy she couldn’t see inside. Could Mario have been 

wrong? Was this place really open for business? 

Inside the air was cooler, but not much. If Martel’s was air conditioned, 

someone should apply for a refund. The inside was dark—too dark. She froze as 

she searched the shadows, trying to understand why anyone would use such a 

gloomy color. Her throat tightened. She squeezed the doorknob as she thought 

about leaving. A few fluorescents lit the front, but the rear was hidden in 

shadow.

“It was my mother,” said a man’s voice from the shadows. Despite the quiet, 

almost soothing quality of the voice, Jesse jumped.

Do you believe in destiny or fate? What about soulmates or love at first sight?
No matter what you believe, you will find the main characters in this novel struggling to keep their dreams intact.
As difficult as it may be to imagine living either of their lives, the writing makes both points of view
believeable and realistic.

With two such strong characters, you know the relationship can not run smoothly.
Each continues to follow a dream, finding a great degree of success, just not together.
Yet neither can totally let go of the other. You have to read this book to find out how often their paths cross and whether for good or ill.

The secondary characters are wonderful and well written. They add so much to the story. 
You'll end up caring for them in their own rights.

Read my Full Interview on Goodreads or Amazon

Kevin Symmons has a BS and an MBA. He has attended the prestigious New

England Conservatory of Music and studied in France. After a successful career 

in business management and consulting, he returned to his first love: writing. 

His first novel, a spell-binding paranormal romance titled "Rite of Passage" 

is set in the chaotic period after World War II. It's received dozens of great 

reviews and was a RomCon Reader's Crown Finalist for 2013. His second effort 

is a contemporary romantic thriller set near his Cape Cod home, titled "Out of 

the Storm." Like his first novel, it is an Amazon Best-Seller and received many 

5-star reviews. "Solo", an intense and ambitious women's fiction work, has been 

released from The Wild Rose Press, his award-winning publisher. It explores 

the devastating effects of privation and domestic violence on the beautiful and 

extraordinarily talented young heroine. 

For More Information

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• More books by Kevin Symmons.

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