It Had To Be You-Francis Ray

It Had To Be You
Francis Ray
St. Martin’s, Apr 27 2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9780312365073

Music’s number one producer is R.D. (Rolling Deep), who can make anyone with a modicum of alent into a superstar. He believes classical violin virtuoso Laurel Raineau can achieve mega status with her next album if she will heed his advice.

Although her recordings do not sell as well as she would prefer, Laurel rejects Zach’s offers, a first for the egotistical producer as everyone wants R.D. She even refuses to meet with him as she detests his public relations media approach, which means commercialization superseding the music. Deciding to use his real name of Zachary Alright Wilder, he tries a duplicitous ruse to just meet the talent who has rejected him. He arranges to see her under his real name at a resort she is visiting. When they fall in love, Zach knows he owes her the truth, but fears losing Laurel as he will have lost her trust. Still he informs her of his deception and she ends their relationship. Desperate he turns to an orchestra of friends and family to get him an encore performance with Laurel before the curtain comes down on their relationship.

The latest Grayson Friends (see One Night with You and Nobody but You) contemporary romance is an entertaining tale of two people from different musical philosophies making them almost seem like star-crossed lovers. Although the key plot device of concealing who you are has been used before, Francis Ray keeps it fresh by showing how wide and diverse the music world is. The ensemble as always in a Ms. Ray tale is on top of the charts, but the lead duet own the story line as each understands the Lovin’ Spoonful’s mantra “the magic is in the music and the music is in me”, make that us.

Harriet Klausner