Reviewed by Amber and Donna

 

TITLE: Treble Maker

SERIES: Perfect Harmony #1

AUTHOR: Annabeth Albert

PUBLISHER: Kensington/Lyrical

LENGTH: 285 pages

BLURB:

On Perfect Harmony, the ambitious competitors heat things up on stage and off…

Cody Rivers is determined to be a rock star, but couch-surfing between bar shows gets old fast. Joining an a cappella group for a new singing competition show could be his last chance at real fame—unless the college boy from the heart of the country messes it up for him. Lucas Norwood is everything gothy, glittery Cody is not—conservative, clean-cut, and virginal. But when a twist in the show forces them together, even the sweetest songs get steamy as the attraction between them lights up the stage. Lucas wants to take it slow, but Cody’s singing a different tune—and this time it maybe a love song…

 

DONNA’S REVIEW:

Oh…just excuse me a moment while I finish licking this book cover, then I’ll be more than happy to share my thoughts on the story with you.

Ok, I’m good now. You ready?

Twenty one year old Lucas is your typical Iowa Christian College student choirboy. He has the ties, the sweater vests and the chastity pledge to prove it. The only part of him that doesn’t fit the mold is his sexuality. Surprisingly, his ultra-conservative parents support the fact that he’s gay, yet that support comes with some strict conditions. His father has set him up as a poster boy for how young gay men should behave, and Lucas lives with a relentless pressure to conform.

In the opposite corner we have twenty three year old Cody, a struggling yet talented singer who is willing to do whatever it takes to see his star discovered. According to Lucas, Cody nails the goth twink stereotype and although he projects an “I won’t change for anyone” attitude, here he is singing in an a capella group on the reality TV show, Perfect Harmony. When both young men find themselves singing in the same group, and even sharing the same room, Lucas’s chastity pledge is put to the test and Cody finds himself caring for something other than his music.

For weeks before this book’s release I’d been seeing excited chatter all over Facebook and Goodreads. Everybody seems to be mad about Annabeth Albert, and I can see why. This is a very well written story. But I have to confess that this is the first of her books that I’ve read. Most readers are gagging for this book because they love the author, but I’m here for the a capella.

Unfortunately, I didn’t really get what I wanted. Books based around reality TV shows are precisely my brand of crack. I am a slave to reality television, so when it’s teamed with an m/m romance, it’s like Christmas and my birthday combined. But this story seemed to really skimp on the performances. There was some focus on singing and dancing but I didn’t actually feel the reality TV vibe that some other books written in this theme have successfully conveyed.

However, having said that, I otherwise loved this story. Lucas and Cody are the most amazing couple. In the beginning I would have said that this book was cute, maybe even sweet, as our two MCs very carefully interacted and started to get to know each other. But then BAM! Sex happened. And not actual sex, the guys don’t even touch each other till we’re a good way through the book. But suddenly sexual tension and just plain want, is saturating every page, every encounter and basically every thought that goes through their heads. The story begins to ooze sex and it’s fairly safe to say that the word “cute” was no longer appropriate. Cute becomes kink and sweet becomes sweaty.

The relationship between Lucas and his parents was also fascinating to read. I don’t think that I’ve ever come across another set of parents like them in all of the m/m that I’ve read. Usually it’s either/or, supportive or homophobic, but not this strangely intriguing combination of both. The scene where Lucas finally stands up to his parents is one of my favourites in the story. Scenes that have one MC stand up and declare that they choose the other…that hits my buttons every time.

At the end of the book you can find the first chapter for the second Perfect Harmony story, which features poor little Trevor, a character from Treble Maker who was simply crying out for his own story. Love Me Tenor is due out next year but instead of returning with the same a capella show, we’re treated to a season of Boy Band Breakout. Oh my god, I can’t wait.

But in the meantime, I thoroughly recommend giving this book a read. If like me you have yet to read any story by this author, I suspect it won’t be too long before you have the whole backlist of her books added to your TBR pile.

RATING: 

 

AMBER’S REVIEW:

What’s funny is…I don’t like a capella…like at all. I think I was overcome by my love of this author, the friggin ridiculously amazing cover, and the idea of a new series so I overlooked the whole “a capella” thing. Which is actually a good thing because I really enjoyed this story; quite a bit actually, this author just does it for me. I make no excuses….

I LOVE LOVE LOVE opposites attract relationships. It’s so incredibly appealing to me, probably because stories like that usually involve a fair amount of angst. Since I’m an angst whore, obviously it appeals. And again this story didn’t disappoint. It wasn’t over the top angst but it was enough to hook my interest and keep it throughout the story.

Cody is Goth’d out; his style is more than just flashy. He knows what to accentuate and plays on that quite a bit. He’s out, he’s proud and he makes no apologies. He’s also an amazing singer that hasn’t caught his break yet. Thinking his chances are dwindling he signs on to a new singing reality show that stars a capella groups. He’s out of his comfort zone but he’s not letting that hold him up.

Lucas is Cody’s complete opposite. He’s the bass in his college’s a capella group, he’s a virgin, he believes in abstinence, and he’s religious. He’s also undeniably attracted to Cody and it’s proving almost impossible for him to ignore their attraction.

Even though there was no “sex sex” in this story until well past the halfway mark it’s littered with these passion infused, sexual circumstances that blew my friggin mind. One instance they aren’t even touching each other but HOLY CRAP…I was fanning myself. Cody and Lucas’s chemistry is undeniable and crazy hot. I loved them together.

Probably the most interesting aspect about this book was Lucas, and his relationship with his parents. It was almost like proactive/supportive/homophobia, I have no idea how else to explain it. We support you being gay but we don’t support gay sexual acts outside of the sanctity of marriage. The whole concept blew me away. They were like the most supportive/judgmental parents, the dichotomy was mesmerizing. I kept trying to figure the whole thing out. It’s a completely unique aspect to me I was enthralled in Lucas and his beliefs.

The only negative I found was it did drag at times but I noticed those were the heavy “a capella-y” times. So, I reiterate that is my issue…

Overall, great story! I think most readers would love this but I know those reality show book lovers will be all over it…!

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

Kensington Publishing

Amazon

ARe