OVERTURE - BOOK REVIEW

Title: Overture

Author: Skye Warren

Format: Paperback | E-Book | Audio Book

Pages: 312

Length: 05h37m | Audio Book

Published: 24 January 2019

Publisher: Book Beautiful

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

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There’s something about dark romance that’s equal parts tempting and risky—it’s like reaching for a book-shaped box of chocolates labelled “Warning: Contents May Emotionally Confuse You.” Overture was exactly that kind of book for me. I picked it up out of curiosity, craving something a little different—something that leaned into forbidden tension, high-stakes desire, and emotional slow-burns that could singe the edges of your expectations. And that’s more or less what I got.

This is the first book in Skye Warren’s North Security spin-off, and it follows Samantha Brooks, a 17-year-old musical prodigy who lives under the watchful eye of her guardian, Liam North. She’s brilliant, talented, sheltered—and on the cusp of adulthood. Liam, meanwhile, is brooding, distant, fiercely protective… and clearly fighting feelings he believes he shouldn’t have. You can probably guess where this is going. Yes—it’s taboo. Yes—there are blurred lines. But it’s also very intentionally written to explore that emotional tension rather than rush headlong into it.

What I appreciated about Overture is how much restraint Warren actually shows. For a book that markets itself with forbidden-romance heat, it takes its time. The focus is more on the simmer than the spark, which I didn’t expect but actually admired. Samantha isn’t portrayed as naïve—she’s aware of her world and growing into it. And Liam, for all his internal conflict, doesn’t cross certain boundaries… yet. There’s a delicacy to how their dynamic is handled, which honestly made the story more palatable than it might sound on paper.

That said, the pacing sometimes dragged. There are long stretches where not much happens except for internal monologues and the same push-pull dance between Samantha and Liam. While that tension is the whole point, it did, at times, feel repetitive. I found myself wishing for more plot outside the emotional standoff—a side storyline, a twist, something to give the romance context beyond just proximity and restraint.

Also, the age gap and guardian dynamic will be a deal-breaker for some readers—and understandably so. While the story skirts around legality by keeping the romance technically on pause until Samantha turns 18, it still walks a razor-thin line. So, if you’re someone who needs your romances a little more conventionally comfortable, this might not be the one for you.

But if you’re in the mood for something tense, quiet, and emotionally charged—with a heroine finding her agency and a hero drowning in his own moral compass—Overture offers an intriguing opening act. And yes, it ends on a cliffhanger (of course it does), so if you're diving in, be prepared to follow through with the series.

This wasn’t a five-star knockout, but it had moments that hit just right. Beautiful writing, complex emotional stakes, and a promise that things are only just beginning. So while Overture didn’t completely sweep me away, it did earn a respectable place on my “guilty pleasure with potential” shelf.