Reviewed by Donna

TITLE: Love Me Tenor

SERIES: Perfect Harmony #2

AUTHOR: Annabeth Albert

PUBLISHER: Lyrical Shine

LENGTH: 270 Pages

RELEASE DATE: February 16, 2016

BLURB:

Trevor Daniels is feeling aimless. A recent college grad, he’s not sure what to do with his useless degree, and his family all but abandoned him after he revealed the truth about himself. But a friend’s suggestion that he take his chances on a reality show aimed at finding the next big boy band strikes a chord with him—until the show’s producers convince him to act like he’s in a relationship with a guy who’s not at all his type. It isn’t exactly love at first sight for Jalen Smith either—but lust just might push them in an unexpected direction. If only their secrets weren’t even more twisted than their sheets, threatening to cost them the win—and each other…

REVIEW:

Some things in life are just obvious – there is no such thing as an ugly puppy, comb-overs do not hide a bald head, and this story deserved five stars or hearts or goddamn pineapples – whatever you rate with doesn’t matter as long as you give all of them to this story.

Love Me Tenor is the second book in the Perfect Harmony series. The first story, Treble Maker was based around a singing competition (think Pitch Perfect) and it was there that we met Trevor Daniels, a secondary character who made several appearances of note. It’s obvious at the end of that first book that Trevor has been left feeling a little lost, his previous life no longer quite fitting properly, and I was eagerly awaiting the poor guy getting his own book. This story begins with Trevor getting a call from someone he’d met in the first story, a producer who is inviting him to participate in a reality TV show, the aim of which is to discover the next big Boy Band. Trevor has made some very important changes in his life since the end of Treble Maker, and he’s desperate enough to take the opportunity that is being offered. It’s not necessary that you read the first book in the series before reading this one. In some ways, Trevor is a very different character here, and you’ll get the explanation for his quirks and issues illuminated in this story. But while it’s not necessary, I think reading that first book, and seeing the thoughts and prejudices that Trevor’s friend Lucas is also dealing with, might give you a greater understanding of how deep seated and pivotal religion has been in these characters’ lives.

I absolutely loved the fact that while religious motivated homophobia was something that had to be covered in this story, due to Trevor’s background, it was only briefly the focus of the story. While the author dealt with it quickly and reasonably, there wasn’t anything neat or satisfying about it. It was left as a rather painful mess that was never going to be resolved – so why waste anymore time agonizing over it, right? Right! This plot was about so much more than that, that I was happy to drop the haters on the floor and kick ‘em into the corner to be forgotten about.

What I love most about this author’s writing is the…richness? Depth? I don’t know exactly how to describe it, but it’s like everything that is put down on the page matters. There are no wasted words or wasted scenes. I never feel myself skimming over paragraphs of character descriptions because everything about them, from their physical appearance, to their personalities, to their fears are woven into the story rather than just laid out and presented to us. While the sex scenes are hot (OMG, so freakin’ ridiculously hot!) there is somehow sexual awareness and later on emotion threading its way through every scene. I was kept constantly aware of the connection between Trevor and Jalen, no matter what was actually happening in the scene.

I honestly could write so many more words raving about this book, but I don’t want to ruin it for anyone who might be planning to give it a read. I guess I can’t guarantee that you’ll love it to the extent that I did, but honestly, I can’t see how anyone could not appreciate the talent that this author shows here.

The third book in the series is out later this year, so you should get to reading these books now, so you can dive straight into that one as soon as it hits the retailers.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

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