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Choir Hall

TALENT….BEAUTY….DESPAIR!

“Solo” is now available in hardcover and in e book format. Click here to go to Amazon.com.

Summer – 1988. Heads turn as she passes. Jessica Long is a rare beauty with the voice of an angel. But Jesse’s cold confidence is a mask, hiding a brutal past filled with privation and cruelty.

As the talented young soprano approaches her final year at Boston’s New England Conservatory, she is faced with a terrible choice: marry Matt Sullivan, the striking young writer with whom she’s fallen in love or accept the offer of Broadway’s most successful impresario to star in his can’t-miss production. Jesse has worked too hard and the opportunity is too tempting. She chooses the latter. But in leaving all she loves, Jesse discovers that fame and fortune can exact a cruel price.

After long years of yearning and separation, the lovers meet once more where the story began – at Jesse’s ragged homestead on the Maine Coast. Matt will reveal the benefactor who has secretly followed and protected Jesse and the lovers will face a final confrontation with the jealous pursuer who has tried to destroy her. One final choice awaits Jesse – a choice that may cost her both Matt and her life.

The Broadway producer who loves Jesse, a mysterious but powerful crime lord and Matt’s stunning but treacherous literary agent head a cast of vital and absorbing secondary characters. Meticulously researched and filled with unexpected plot twists, Solo is a classic love story, leading the reader across a bittersweet tapestry spanning 15 years.

Meticulously researched and years in the writing, Solo is not only a serious work of fiction, it is a labor of love, an insightful and heart wrenching social commentary. Mr. Symmons uses much of his expertise as a story-teller and an insider’s view of musical theater, publishing, and domestic violence to bring us a story that you’ll remember long after you close the cover!”

Advance reviews and commentary for Solo!

“A riveting saga of one woman’s journey through triumph and adversity. Solo paints an unforgettable portrait of Jesse, a singer whose beauty, talent, and drive propel her toward an uncertain destiny. Part romance, part suspense this engrossing tale will keep its readers guessing.”

Arlene Kay, Best Selling Author

“In my years working at a center serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, it can be frustrating to see these issues sensationalized or misrepresented in the popular media. Symmons did his research. Solo communicates the lifelong effects of such trauma in a very poignant and authentic way.”

Caitlyn Slowe, Violence Intervention and Prevention Person at Health Imperatives

“In Solo, Kevin Symmons captures the essence of a young starlet caught between the purity of her craft and the tumultuous road to success. His understanding of the drive and sacrifice of a performer are spot on and poignantly accurate in the midst of heroine’s quest for love.”

Kirstie Wheeler, Asst. Prof., Berklee College of Music

“Kevin Symmons has penned a thrilling story of romance, jealousy, ambition and betrayal. A gifted soprano, Jessica Long, is torn between ambition and love. She makes a pivotal choice in her search for happiness, which will lead to a violent confrontation with a jealous competitor. The ending will make your hair stand up. Don’t miss this exciting novel.”

Steven Marini, Best-selling author

“Talented and beautiful, Jessica Long has lived a life of disappointment and privation. She has reason to suspect everyone, until she falls desperately in love with Matt Sullivan, a promising young writer. Jessica and Matt find fame through separate roads. Can their intense love survive? Solo takes the reader on a breakneck journey through struggle and hope as they search for what is most important: their love.”

Virginia Young, Best-selling author

Solo reaches new heights of literary excellence. The characters are people who might be met at the local coffee shop, brilliantly vivid and complex. Readers will sing the praises of Solo‘s romantic twists as they root for Jesse and Matt to find peace in each other’s embrace. Kevin Symmons has captured Boston, young love, complex friendships, and the tragic story of domestic violence in this deep unveiling of the lives of two young people looking to achieve their goals while weighing the cost of their successes.

Stephanie Blackman, Adjunct Faculty at Massasoit Community College.

Publisher, Riverhaven Books