Warrender #6 ( )

One of my favorites of the Warrender series. Gail Rostall desperately wants a role in the new Marcus Bannister opera, and she's getting secret coaching from Quentin Bannister, the composer's father. But she realizes that she's not the best choice for the part.

SPOILER

She engineers a rift with Marcus, which is personally and professionally painful but the right thing to do, and takes herself out of the running. But it's a romance, so we get our HEA. Great characterizations, as well as insights into both the light entertainment (musical revue) and opera worlds. ( )

Mary Burchell's sixth Warrender novel: Realizing she is not the best candidate to sing the lead in composer Marc Bannister's opera, Gail grasps at the chance to take a job singing in Germany which Oscar Warrender offers her. But it also takes her away from Marc. As all of Ida Cook's ("Mary Burchell's") operatic novels, the details of training and performance ring true, making this a fun read for anyone who is a musician or knows one. The details are authentic for a simple reason: the author was not only a life-long opera fan, but also a personal friend of most of the great opera performers of the 20th century. ( )