Review: Dark Notes by Pam Godwin

They call me a slut. Maybe I am.
Sometimes I do things I despise.
Sometimes men take without asking.

But I have a musical gift, only a year left of high school, and a plan.
With one obstacle.

Emeric Marceaux doesn’t just take.
He seizes my will power and bangs it like a dark note.
When he commands me to play, I want to give him everything.
I kneel for his punishments, tremble for his touch, and risk it all for our stolen moments.

He’s my obsession, my master, my music.
And my teacher.

Wow! I read this book like I drink water, slow and deliberate with the intent of quenching my ravaging thirst for a HEA. I love forbidden teacher-student romances, Dark Notes takes the genre a step further into the darker underlying theme of overcoming adversity and finding salvation in a private world of dark notes and dreams. 

Emeric Marceaux started his new teaching job at an elite, and expensive performing arts high school but it comes with a stipulation. He accepts the position because no one else is willing to hire him. Emeric has no financial need to work, he chooses to work to feed his ego.

"This isn't a job. It's a creditable use of my need to influence and dominate, a place where I can discipline weaknesses, mold trustful minds, and inspire students with my passion for music."

Emeric finds himself pushing one student in more ways than one.

Ivory Westbook is an underprivileged student who attends Le Moyne because of her Father. Her Father is now deceased and she fights daily to keep her family a float so she can continue her pursuit in attending a prestigious music college. Emeric holds the key to her entrance and maybe also her heart.


Dark Notes is an intense story following the relationship between teacher-student, dominate-submissive and lovers in the end. There's a dark cloud over their relationship with the fear of being caught. They both carry secrets with them that could end their relationship when confronted. The story deals with heavy subjects, be advised. Dark Notes is well written, it's rattled me and comforted me at the same time. 5 Stars!