Review: Magnetism by Talia Carmichael

Reviewed by Fehu
Magnetism (Something in Common #7) by Talia Carmichael
Dreamspinner Press
Novella
2.5 Pants Off

Blurb:
Taggart Monroe wants to know what makes Rhodes Winslow tick. Rhodes finds the friendly barbs he and Taggart exchange intriguing, fun, and sexy. He wants Taggart and knows Taggart wants him even though he won’t admit it. Taggart studies people the way he studies the details of his cases, so he’s drawn to a man who is an enigma. Getting to know Rhodes is an adventure Taggart can’t resist, just like the magnetism between them.


Review:
So this was Taggart and Rhodes story, personally I didn't remember them, but the plot sounded intriguing, since it promised some variation of enemies to lovers.

Taggart Monroe and Rhodes Winslow both have a military background, are sarcastic and actually pretty boring. I don't know about magnetism, but I didn't feel any good sexual tension between them or chemistry, really. The best part of this story was not the relationship, which progressed very, very quickly, but the mystery. Rhodes is accused of murder and he and Taggart have to prove that his innocence and find the real culprit. Although they live in a small town, there seemed to be a mass of dirty cops there, if one considered previous books as well, at least for such relatively small community.

Boy was I disappointed about the enemies to lovers plot! Taggart and Rhodes do seem to have a bit of an antagonistic relationship and do constantly argue. The banter between them annoyed me most of the time, because they would go on and on about the most mundane things and not in a fun way. Sometimes the story felt disjointed, at one time they are arguing and feel somewhat antagonistic, then out of nowhere they are on a date. I actually went back to see if I missed a chapter, a page or something in the dialog to suggest it! Then there was a time jump of several weeks, which I didn't enjoy, but why go back in time, again, a few weeks after this first big jump in time?

All in all the characters were a bit to flat to really make me enjoy this story. Suddenly they were in love and I was wondering how this happened and why I didn't feel the love. At the end I wanted to say and now once more with feeling. I liked some instalments in this series and if you are a hardcore fan you might like this one more than I did.

2.5 Pants Off

Review: Book #3 Resonate

Review: Book #5 Trouble

Review: Trouble by Talia Carmichael

Reviewed by Hannah
Trouble (Something In Common #5) by Talia Carmichael
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 164pgs
3.5 Pants Off

Blurb:
Alex Hayes doesn’t get involved. He’s been hurt before and has no desire to repeat the experience. Besides, his friends are his family. He doesn’t need anything else. Or so he thinks until he comes face-to-face with Leslie “Maestro” Hannigan… again.

Two years ago, Alex was the one that got away. But now Leslie knows his name and he isn’t going to lose him twice—especially when it’s plain to see that Alex is interested in Leslie too. Alex may think Leslie is trouble… but he’s the very best kind.




Review:
I really enjoyed reading this book and learning about the lives of Alex and Leslie. This is a couple that make you smile as you see their friendship blossom as well as their passions.

However, I will say this book can get a little hard to follow. A lot of names are thrown at you quickly and many characters seem to walk in and out before they become permanent factors, making details hard to keep track of. There is a story in Alex’s past, effecting his present relationship with Leslie, and although it is part of the book to slowly draw this out, it can be confusing trying to pick up on the hints of the deeper details of the characters life.

This book is a sequel, so it may be that I was reading blind, and someone coming into this off of the first book may be able to find a smother read. So with that in mind, this is still a really enjoyable book for a new reader, one not familiar with the characters. The chemistry between Alex and Leslie is clear on the page, and their interactions in the garage as they get to know each other’s personalities is endearing and at times, sexy as hell.

I feel that out of the two, it is Leslie that will keep you reading this book. You learn there is more to him than first described, as his hard, stubborn side, gives way to patience and caring, that although growing frustrated with Alex’s secrets, he always comes from a place of understanding, and just wanting to be there for his lover, allowing the reader to have patience with Alex also.

It is Leslie’s patience and growing feelings for Alex that project onto the reader, to allow you to keep reading this book and enjoying it even through the missing details that you are trying to piece together. You pick up on the sentiment from Leslie, and find empathy for Alex. In portraying the relationship evenly from both sides Carmichael allows you to stay engrossed in this love story, instead of growing annoyed with hitting so many bumps in the road, you are constantly encouraged to understand the motives, and where each character is coming from. The comical interjections from the surrounding characters also infuse this book with enough family tenderness and camaraderie that you can read this book and reach the end easily, instead of struggling through the chapters, as can often happen in a book filled with secrets.

This is an enjoyable read, and I loved the characters of Alex and Leslie, but I would advise that a reader may get more from this book if they are going into it having read the previous book.

3.5 Pants Off

Review: Resonate by Talia Carmichael

Reviewed by Fehu
Resonate (Something In Common #3) by Talia Carmichael
Dreamspinner Press
Novel: 204pgs
3.5 Pants Off

Blurb:
When Gerald Ramirez and retired rock star Bur Jenkins meet, it’s not exactly love at first sight. Actually, Gerald thinks Bur is using their mutual friend, and Bur seems to get a kick out of messing with Gerald.

To be honest, Gerald’s never been attracted to another man. But then Bur admits he’s attracted to Gerald, and now Gerald can’t stop thinking about what the two of them might be like together. After proving to himself he’s not interested in any other men, Gerald comes forward with an admission of his own: he’s interested in Bur, and he wants to give dating a shot.

Bur never dared to hope for this, but the chance to get close to Gerald is too tempting to resist, even though Bur is sure their relationship will crash and burn. After all, they’re completely mismatched….

Review:
Warning: Be prepared for moments of surrealism!  Get over it and just have fun with the characters and the book. This would be a good book to read on a holiday or at a beach.

You know there are books when you give up on realism and just go with the flow, leaving logic behind. This is one of them. Most used sentence to explain complex matters in this book: Gerald thought about it!

There must be something in the water of the town, because everyone seems to be gay and if he wasn’t then with careful consideration one can become gay. Since this was the third book in the series and I read the first a while ago, I was overwhelmed with all the names and relations. Everybody seems related and knows each other somehow.

Gerald is a mysterious man with legendary powers in bed and of thought. I did say to be prepared for a trip down the rabbit hole right. So while I liked Gerald, mostly his sense of humour, thought his determination to get his ex-rock star boyfriend a job was amusing as well.  Mostly I could not take him or the story seriously.

Why? Well the same Gerald, who was straight, never interested in men, turned up gay for a person he at first disliked, the former mentioned rock star. No, that is not the part that was unbelievable, but we are getting close. As an explanation to Bur, for whom he decided to become gay, he told him that he thought about it! Yes, that’s it.

Imagine this sentence used every time, when Gerald told his friends and his mother that he was now with a male and they all went: “Oh well, if you thought about it, then that’s fine!”. After I got over the strangeness, I was just entertained by the story overall.  Realism made some appearances in form of homophobic colleagues; though don’t forget there are many gay people on the force and some are Gerald’s friends, so it wasn’t really an issue for long.

There were some serious issues and nearly conflicts but they were resolved easily. The misunderstandings were amusing and they all lived happily ever after. While there were some holes, like the selective public interest in Wilbur, I ended up liking this story because of the humour and the charming, sometimes silly characters. Then there was this issue with the ex-fiancé and Gerald’s TV - Daisy, but that’s another story…

3.5 Pants Off