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Perfect Harmony #3
All Note Long
Giving true love a spin . . .
Michelin Moses is a country music star on the rise. With a hit single under his Texas-sized belt buckle and a sold-out concert tour underway, his childhood dreams of making it big are finally coming true. But there’s one thing missing—a promise to his dying mother that he’d find it—him—when the time was right. With a little luck, he won’t have to wait too long . . .
Lucky Ramirez is a hunky boy toy who dances at The Broom Closet, one of West Hollywood’s hottest gay bars. He loves what he does, and he’s good at it—almost as good as he is at playing dumb when he spots Michelin Moses at the bar. What happens next is off the charts—and keeps Michelin coming back for more. He’s just not sure it’s the right move for his career. But if Lucky gets his way, Michelin will get Lucky—and no matter how the media spins it, neither of them will be faking it . . .
Michelin Moses is a country music star on the rise. With a hit single under his Texas-sized belt buckle and a sold-out concert tour underway, his childhood dreams of making it big are finally coming true. But there’s one thing missing—a promise to his dying mother that he’d find it—him—when the time was right. With a little luck, he won’t have to wait too long . . .
Lucky Ramirez is a hunky boy toy who dances at The Broom Closet, one of West Hollywood’s hottest gay bars. He loves what he does, and he’s good at it—almost as good as he is at playing dumb when he spots Michelin Moses at the bar. What happens next is off the charts—and keeps Michelin coming back for more. He’s just not sure it’s the right move for his career. But if Lucky gets his way, Michelin will get Lucky—and no matter how the media spins it, neither of them will be faking it . . .
234 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 2, 2016
67 people are currently reading
745 people want to read
About the author
Annabeth Albert
105 books3,722 followersFrequent tweeter, professional grammar nerd, and obsessive reader, Annabeth Albert is also a Pacific Northwest romance writer in a variety of subgenres.
Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two toddlers.
Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two toddlers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 reviews
June 19, 2016
~4.5~
I've been looking forward to Michelin's story for ages, but the Michelin I met in the previous books, the Michelin everyone sees, is an act, a mask he wears.
The real Michelin is lost and insecure. He's so deep in the closet, he needs a map to find his way out. He lets his label and publicist make all his decisions, and his only true friend is his stylist.
When Michelin is outed, he goes into full-on ostrich mode. His publicist decides the best way to handle the situation is to have Michelin pretend that he's dating Lucky, the go-go dancer he was caught kissing on camera.
Lucky is delicious and ten years Michelin's junior. Lucky loves to dance and goes after what he wants. He's proud of his body and not shy about showing it off. He's also fiercely independent, to a fault I would argue, and bristles when Michelin offers to pay him for pretending to be his boyfriend.
I love the fake boyfriend trope. It almost always leads to a long slow burn, and UST is my favorite! It's hot IRL, and it's HOTTER in fiction when two sexy men are involved.
These men have incredible chemistry. Michelin is not exactly experienced. He's demi-sexual, so he needs to be emotionally connected to someone to get turned on, and Lucky turns him on like no one else. Lucky figures out that Michelin needs honesty and praise to get off. Lucky loves giving orders, and Michelin loves take-charge Lucky.
Other reviewers have mentioned Michelin's doormat behavior, and they're not wrong. Even after he's outed, Michelin doesn't stand up for himself. He just wants to sing country, not be the face of a cause. And I understood that to some degree.
Michelin tries really hard to please Lucky, but Lucky is all brash and loud and stubborn about accepting help; he takes offense every time Michelin even mentions money.
While book 2 remains my favorite, I enjoyed Michelin and Lucky's story, which can be read as a standalone (the MCs from the first two books are mentioned but not present on page).
Annabeth Albert seamlessly includes Tweets at the beginning of each chapter to move the plot forward like she did in the other books, and those are really fun to read.
This story is romantic and sweet at its core. The sexy times are tender but sizzling too. Oh, and there's a dog named Lady and Lucky's boisterous Argentinian family and Michelin finally standing up for himself.
The last chapter is a perfect ending to this story of a country boy and a Latino firecracker who fall in love despite the odds stacked against them.
I've been looking forward to Michelin's story for ages, but the Michelin I met in the previous books, the Michelin everyone sees, is an act, a mask he wears.
The real Michelin is lost and insecure. He's so deep in the closet, he needs a map to find his way out. He lets his label and publicist make all his decisions, and his only true friend is his stylist.
When Michelin is outed, he goes into full-on ostrich mode. His publicist decides the best way to handle the situation is to have Michelin pretend that he's dating Lucky, the go-go dancer he was caught kissing on camera.
Lucky is delicious and ten years Michelin's junior. Lucky loves to dance and goes after what he wants. He's proud of his body and not shy about showing it off. He's also fiercely independent, to a fault I would argue, and bristles when Michelin offers to pay him for pretending to be his boyfriend.
I love the fake boyfriend trope. It almost always leads to a long slow burn, and UST is my favorite! It's hot IRL, and it's HOTTER in fiction when two sexy men are involved.
These men have incredible chemistry. Michelin is not exactly experienced. He's demi-sexual, so he needs to be emotionally connected to someone to get turned on, and Lucky turns him on like no one else. Lucky figures out that Michelin needs honesty and praise to get off. Lucky loves giving orders, and Michelin loves take-charge Lucky.
Other reviewers have mentioned Michelin's doormat behavior, and they're not wrong. Even after he's outed, Michelin doesn't stand up for himself. He just wants to sing country, not be the face of a cause. And I understood that to some degree.
Michelin tries really hard to please Lucky, but Lucky is all brash and loud and stubborn about accepting help; he takes offense every time Michelin even mentions money.
While book 2 remains my favorite, I enjoyed Michelin and Lucky's story, which can be read as a standalone (the MCs from the first two books are mentioned but not present on page).
Annabeth Albert seamlessly includes Tweets at the beginning of each chapter to move the plot forward like she did in the other books, and those are really fun to read.
This story is romantic and sweet at its core. The sexy times are tender but sizzling too. Oh, and there's a dog named Lady and Lucky's boisterous Argentinian family and Michelin finally standing up for himself.
The last chapter is a perfect ending to this story of a country boy and a Latino firecracker who fall in love despite the odds stacked against them.
"You wrote a song? Another one for me?"
"Haven't you figured it out yet? They're all for you."
August 18, 2016
Annabeth Albert, giiiirl, even without the note at the end of the story, I just KNEW who your inspiration for Lucky was!
He's my inspiration too and I've been inspired, ahem, by him MANY times.
I'd been looking forward to this book for a long time, and I was pleased, overall, by this story.
Michelin (gah, that name killed me... hated it) is a character that I've been itching to read about since the beginning of this series. I'd been curious about this enigmatic, closeted character, and we certainly learn a lot about him in this story. I liked that Annabeth Albert made him demisexual (visibility shout out!) and how she made him a country star who is reluctantly shoved into the spotlight. I also really dug the idea of his pairing with a twerking go-go boy, because, you know, opposites attract and all that.
I had a little trouble with Michelin and Lucky as a couple, though. The chemistry just never fully materialized for me, and I struggled with their bickering and differing styles. Neither of them seemed willing to compromise much, and I had trouble picturing them lasting long-term. Sure, it all wrapped up neatly in the end, but I found that all to be a little too convenient.
Lots of readers didn't enjoy Michelin, but I think Lucky annoyed me more. I understood Michelin and his reluctance to be the poster-boy for "gay country," and I thought that Lucky pushed him too hard, too fast. I also thought that Lucky was too prideful. Look, I get not wanting to be a kept boy, but when I started dating my husband he was an older guy with a great job and I was a broke college student. I didn't think it made me beholden to him when he paid for little things, and I think Lucky's insistence on no help and his indignant responses when offered help were over-the-top. Michelin was a little wishy-washy and closed off for my tastes, but I think that Lucky needed to step back a bit and examine himself as well.
I like pretend boyfriends tropes and I really enjoyed the epilogue, but I couldn't help but feel a bit underwhelmed by the chemistry. Still, this story was very solid and it was another good edition to a great series.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
He's my inspiration too and I've been inspired, ahem, by him MANY times.
I'd been looking forward to this book for a long time, and I was pleased, overall, by this story.
Michelin (gah, that name killed me... hated it) is a character that I've been itching to read about since the beginning of this series. I'd been curious about this enigmatic, closeted character, and we certainly learn a lot about him in this story. I liked that Annabeth Albert made him demisexual (visibility shout out!) and how she made him a country star who is reluctantly shoved into the spotlight. I also really dug the idea of his pairing with a twerking go-go boy, because, you know, opposites attract and all that.
I had a little trouble with Michelin and Lucky as a couple, though. The chemistry just never fully materialized for me, and I struggled with their bickering and differing styles. Neither of them seemed willing to compromise much, and I had trouble picturing them lasting long-term. Sure, it all wrapped up neatly in the end, but I found that all to be a little too convenient.
Lots of readers didn't enjoy Michelin, but I think Lucky annoyed me more. I understood Michelin and his reluctance to be the poster-boy for "gay country," and I thought that Lucky pushed him too hard, too fast. I also thought that Lucky was too prideful. Look, I get not wanting to be a kept boy, but when I started dating my husband he was an older guy with a great job and I was a broke college student. I didn't think it made me beholden to him when he paid for little things, and I think Lucky's insistence on no help and his indignant responses when offered help were over-the-top. Michelin was a little wishy-washy and closed off for my tastes, but I think that Lucky needed to step back a bit and examine himself as well.
I like pretend boyfriends tropes and I really enjoyed the epilogue, but I couldn't help but feel a bit underwhelmed by the chemistry. Still, this story was very solid and it was another good edition to a great series.
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*
June 9, 2016
Sigh. I don't know. I just got so fed up with Michelin. I couldn't stop picturing tires, first of all. That name...
Michelin was such a likable guy in the last book. I couldn't wait for his story. And then his story came. Be careful what you wish for.
I love this author. I love her writing style. So it wasn't that. It was all Michelin. He was so needy and fickle. It annoyed the ever-lovin crap out of me.
He meets Lucky at a club where his friends from Book 2 are celebrating. Lucky is a professional dancer. To supplement his income when he can't find the type of dancing jobs he loves, he go-go dances at this club. Michelin is so deep in the closet (country singer) that he can't see the crack of light at the bottom of the door. He is outed in a really spectacular fashion while at said club with Lucky. So he and Lucky are thrown in the shitstorm together.
Apparently Michelin's "love language" is praise. Ok.....I can appreciate that. To an extent. But this was so far beyond tickling my gag reflex, GR friends. I just wanted to continually vomit after a while. Michelin lost his balls somewhere along the way here. Just no.
And he was outed, did I mention that earlier? I think I did. Yep. Sure did. But he still doesn't know what he wants. Maybe he can really "be" out. Maybe he can't. He doesn't fucking know. I was just done with him.
Despite the great writing, I just couldn't grow to like it. Lucky saved the day. I loved him. But Michelin, the tire man? Glad to see the back of him.
2.75 stars
Michelin was such a likable guy in the last book. I couldn't wait for his story. And then his story came. Be careful what you wish for.
I love this author. I love her writing style. So it wasn't that. It was all Michelin. He was so needy and fickle. It annoyed the ever-lovin crap out of me.
He meets Lucky at a club where his friends from Book 2 are celebrating. Lucky is a professional dancer. To supplement his income when he can't find the type of dancing jobs he loves, he go-go dances at this club. Michelin is so deep in the closet (country singer) that he can't see the crack of light at the bottom of the door. He is outed in a really spectacular fashion while at said club with Lucky. So he and Lucky are thrown in the shitstorm together.
Apparently Michelin's "love language" is praise. Ok.....I can appreciate that. To an extent. But this was so far beyond tickling my gag reflex, GR friends. I just wanted to continually vomit after a while. Michelin lost his balls somewhere along the way here. Just no.
And he was outed, did I mention that earlier? I think I did. Yep. Sure did. But he still doesn't know what he wants. Maybe he can really "be" out. Maybe he can't. He doesn't fucking know. I was just done with him.
Despite the great writing, I just couldn't grow to like it. Lucky saved the day. I loved him. But Michelin, the tire man? Glad to see the back of him.
2.75 stars
August 12, 2016
I haven't read much by Annabeth Albert, but I have certainly enjoyed what I have read. This series has been on my radar for ages, now, but haven't found the time to start it (need more reading hours in my day!). I decided to request All Note Long even though I haven't read the previous two books (yet!) because other reviews indicated that this one could most definitely be read stand alone, and happily, the others were right! I didn't feel lost at all. And, I am happy to say that I enjoyed All Note Long enough that I am really looking forward to going back and reading the first two books.
Michelin Moses (I'm sorry, I've got to say that name is ridiculous...unless your parents saddle you with a moniker like that, why the heck would you choose it? Why?) is a country star that is so closeted he can't imagine ever being able to come out. It doesn't help that he's pretty shy and introverted - unless he is holding his guitar. But he's let other people call those shots for so long, he doesn't know how to break free. He wants to be out and he wants to find love, but his label has him convinced that his career would be over. And, he doesn't really like rocking the boat too much. He just wants to be who he is and play his music.
Lucky Ramirez, aka Lucky Rain, is a go-go dancer who has the talent, the attitude and the skills to make it big, if he can manage to save enough money to be able to enter the big time game. He loves to dance. Be it go-go, revue, or just letting loose, he is never more at home than when he is dancing. Lucky is a proud man, though, and insists on doing it on his own. I loved his integrity, his stubbornness and his tell-it-like-it-is-ness. But where Michelin was so afraid to rock the boat, Lucky is too proud to accept help.
Both characters felt real to me and I liked them both a lot. Both of them have been burned before and it's made them cautious. And while a misunderstanding led to the unfortunate circumstances that threw them both together, they had real chemistry. Lucky was exactly what Michelin needed. And vice versa. Michelin needed someone he could talk to. Someone who could bring him out of his shell. And Lucky needed someone who was steadfast and who loved him for all he is. They fit.
Their separation in the story was pretty predictable, though. I saw it coming a mile away. But they both needed a bit of distance to get some perspective. Image is what you make it and so is life.
A couple of my friends liked Michelin in the previous books, but didn't much like him in this one, so maybe I made the right choice in reading this one first. I guess we'll never know.
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Review copy of All Note Long was generously provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Michelin Moses (I'm sorry, I've got to say that name is ridiculous...unless your parents saddle you with a moniker like that, why the heck would you choose it? Why?) is a country star that is so closeted he can't imagine ever being able to come out. It doesn't help that he's pretty shy and introverted - unless he is holding his guitar. But he's let other people call those shots for so long, he doesn't know how to break free. He wants to be out and he wants to find love, but his label has him convinced that his career would be over. And, he doesn't really like rocking the boat too much. He just wants to be who he is and play his music.
Lucky Ramirez, aka Lucky Rain, is a go-go dancer who has the talent, the attitude and the skills to make it big, if he can manage to save enough money to be able to enter the big time game. He loves to dance. Be it go-go, revue, or just letting loose, he is never more at home than when he is dancing. Lucky is a proud man, though, and insists on doing it on his own. I loved his integrity, his stubbornness and his tell-it-like-it-is-ness. But where Michelin was so afraid to rock the boat, Lucky is too proud to accept help.
Both characters felt real to me and I liked them both a lot. Both of them have been burned before and it's made them cautious. And while a misunderstanding led to the unfortunate circumstances that threw them both together, they had real chemistry. Lucky was exactly what Michelin needed. And vice versa. Michelin needed someone he could talk to. Someone who could bring him out of his shell. And Lucky needed someone who was steadfast and who loved him for all he is. They fit.
Their separation in the story was pretty predictable, though. I saw it coming a mile away. But they both needed a bit of distance to get some perspective. Image is what you make it and so is life.
A couple of my friends liked Michelin in the previous books, but didn't much like him in this one, so maybe I made the right choice in reading this one first. I guess we'll never know.
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Review copy of All Note Long was generously provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
August 15, 2021
Throughout the Perfect Harmony series, Michelin Moses had been in the background as a judge, benefactor, supporter, and in All Note Long he finally gets his story told. And oh what a sweet, steamy, sexy, tender, embracing story it is.
It was surprisingly easy to suspend disbelief as Michelin meets go-go dancer Lucky, gets outed and gains a fake boyfriend in what seems like a few hours because of the dynamic of their relationship. On stage, Michelin is a consummate superstar with a once-in-a-generation voice. Off-stage Michelin lives his life in small rooms - partitioning off his career into a manageable box and stilling the want within himself by whiskey (until AA). Lucky awakens something long dormant inside Michelin and it is a beautiful thing:
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
It was surprisingly easy to suspend disbelief as Michelin meets go-go dancer Lucky, gets outed and gains a fake boyfriend in what seems like a few hours because of the dynamic of their relationship. On stage, Michelin is a consummate superstar with a once-in-a-generation voice. Off-stage Michelin lives his life in small rooms - partitioning off his career into a manageable box and stilling the want within himself by whiskey (until AA). Lucky awakens something long dormant inside Michelin and it is a beautiful thing:
"He wasn't giving; Lucky wasn't taking. It wasn't like that at all - this wasn't a gift to be offered and bartered and appreciated. Instead, this was a song, a balanced duet to be precise, each of them singing lead and taking harmony in turn, each offering something essential to the arrangement.There were only a few things that irked me - Finally, I needed some backstory in order to remember the various guys from Stand Up and Embellish (it's been a while since I read the other books).
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Visit my blog, Sinfully Good Gay Book Reviews
August 12, 2016
I was nervous about this one because my friends' reviews are so mixed. I needn't have worried.
People seem to hate or love Michelin. I absolutely loved him , and I think Albert did a fantastic job with his character. And cudos for the amazing portrayal of a demisexual man.
I understand that his behaviour might piss people off, but it felt so real to me. If anything, Lucky irritated the bejesus out of me, because he rode in on his high horse, and was on Michelin's case since. Give the man a break!!! He's a public persona, and just came out unwillingly!
But I loved how considerate Lucky was of Michelin's emotional needs, in and out of bed.
I really loved the epilogue. It made me all warm and fuzzy.
Overall, I think it was a great addition, and my second favorite in the series after the first book.
September 11, 2016
Estoy entre las dos y las tres estrellas, se lleva dos porque hay faltas de ortografía en español, varios acentos, mayúsculas y signos de puntuación. Hay otras cosas bien escritas y utilizadas, probablemente algún hispano lo revisó (y eso es genial, pero es algo que debería ser así, no algo que agradecer) pero quien lo haya hecho debe repasar su ortografía (dejando a un lado debate "cojer", Miki :)).
En cuanto al libro en sí..., pues entre dos y tres. Una estrella del Country y un bailarín que trabaja como go-go que viven una historia de amor que en ningún momento me ha parecido sorprendente, típico gesto hollywodiense, típico chico hispano con una gran familia que presenta a la abuela (aunque justo es decir que al menos es alguien de clase media y no el manido pobre niño hispano), presión de los medios, canciones dedicadas, etc... No es que esté mal ir a lugares ya antes visitados en otros libros, pero si eso no va acompañado con algo que haga el libro especial al final resulta aburrido. Y eso me ha pasado a mi, sensación de historia que ya ha sido contada y sin una conexión con los personajes que haya hecho que me emocionara, no me han disgustado, para nada, pero no han conseguido que mi corazón latiera un poco más rápido al leerlos.
Quería señalar que uno de los protagonistas es demisexual, fue una de las razones por las que me animé a leer el libro y me ha resultado muy interesante. Cierto es que a veces me ha dado la sensación de que la autora me estaba enseñando, pero quizás necesitaba la lección.
Creo que el libro es correcto, no sé si la autora es para mi, pero volveré a intentar un libro suyo. Es solo que parece que el libro no era para mi.
Y otra vez, por favor, las faltas de ortografía... Es un libro publicado, lo menos que se puede exigir es la corrección ortográfica, yo puedo cometer faltas aquí, pero no puede ser así en un libro escrito y publicado por profesionales, la mayoría de nosotros aprendemos cómo escribir, leyendo.
En cuanto al libro en sí..., pues entre dos y tres. Una estrella del Country y un bailarín que trabaja como go-go que viven una historia de amor que en ningún momento me ha parecido sorprendente, típico gesto hollywodiense, típico chico hispano con una gran familia que presenta a la abuela (aunque justo es decir que al menos es alguien de clase media y no el manido pobre niño hispano), presión de los medios, canciones dedicadas, etc... No es que esté mal ir a lugares ya antes visitados en otros libros, pero si eso no va acompañado con algo que haga el libro especial al final resulta aburrido. Y eso me ha pasado a mi, sensación de historia que ya ha sido contada y sin una conexión con los personajes que haya hecho que me emocionara, no me han disgustado, para nada, pero no han conseguido que mi corazón latiera un poco más rápido al leerlos.
Quería señalar que uno de los protagonistas es demisexual, fue una de las razones por las que me animé a leer el libro y me ha resultado muy interesante. Cierto es que a veces me ha dado la sensación de que la autora me estaba enseñando, pero quizás necesitaba la lección.
Creo que el libro es correcto, no sé si la autora es para mi, pero volveré a intentar un libro suyo. Es solo que parece que el libro no era para mi.
Y otra vez, por favor, las faltas de ortografía... Es un libro publicado, lo menos que se puede exigir es la corrección ortográfica, yo puedo cometer faltas aquí, pero no puede ser así en un libro escrito y publicado por profesionales, la mayoría de nosotros aprendemos cómo escribir, leyendo.
January 12, 2021
2 stars
I have very mixed feelings about this series. Book one didn’t work for me, but I loved book 2 so I was very hopeful that I would enjoy this one too, but sadly, it also didn’t work for me.
Quick summary: Michelin is closeted country star and Lucky is a go go dancer trying to make it into the dancing world and Michelin goes to the club where Lucky dances and Michelin ends up being outed. Michelin and Lucky start to fake date because the label think it might help Michelin’s career.
Let me just start by saying that I don’t really enjoy angst, I like when my books are happy and I don’t have a high tolerance for angst, which really didn’t help me here because this entire book is very sad and angsty, so thats the first thing that didn’t work for me. I really appreciated Michelin’s character but he had a lot of internalized homophobia and it got way too heavy for me after a while. It was really well done though, just not for me.
Honestly, there are a couple of things that really bothered me with this book but the biggest one is Lucky. I just didn’t like him, at all. He wasn’t very nice to Michelin most of the time and it really bothered me, I just thought he could have done much better.
I really want to talk about one thing though. So the big conflict of the book was because Michelin didn’t want to be an out and proud country singer, he just wanted to stay in his corner and sign his music and Lucky wanted him to be proud of them or he couldn’t be with him. So they break up at 75% because of that. But Lucky also betrays Michelin in the worst way, which I thought was way worst than what Michelin did. Yet Michelin was the only one to apologize and do a public gesture where he signs a song he wrote for Lucky, but Lucky barely apologized for betraying him and I thought it wasn’t fair at all. Like sure Michelin had some issues and maybe wasn’t the most proud, but he wasn’t the one the worst one in the situation to me. To explain it, Michelin told Lucky that was in love with a guy before and that he broke his heart and then Lucky accepts to dance in that guy’s music video (that is only doing it to hurt Michelin) because it will help his career and he never cares about hurting Michelin’s feelings. And then Lucky backs out of it BUT he says it’s because it would make him look bad and all and not because of Michelin. To me he should have said no because it would hurt his man and he knew it. I really really hated that. It was a massive betrayal to me and I didn’t like how it was shown like it wasn’t a big thing, it was really important to me. And I don’t see how they can have a strong relationship after that.
I just want to mention one thing that I really liked and that was the fact that Michelin is demisexual. It was really nicely done and I loved how he discovered his sexuality and how he burned for Lucky, that was really nice.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange of my honest opinion
I have very mixed feelings about this series. Book one didn’t work for me, but I loved book 2 so I was very hopeful that I would enjoy this one too, but sadly, it also didn’t work for me.
Quick summary: Michelin is closeted country star and Lucky is a go go dancer trying to make it into the dancing world and Michelin goes to the club where Lucky dances and Michelin ends up being outed. Michelin and Lucky start to fake date because the label think it might help Michelin’s career.
Let me just start by saying that I don’t really enjoy angst, I like when my books are happy and I don’t have a high tolerance for angst, which really didn’t help me here because this entire book is very sad and angsty, so thats the first thing that didn’t work for me. I really appreciated Michelin’s character but he had a lot of internalized homophobia and it got way too heavy for me after a while. It was really well done though, just not for me.
Honestly, there are a couple of things that really bothered me with this book but the biggest one is Lucky. I just didn’t like him, at all. He wasn’t very nice to Michelin most of the time and it really bothered me, I just thought he could have done much better.
I really want to talk about one thing though. So the big conflict of the book was because Michelin didn’t want to be an out and proud country singer, he just wanted to stay in his corner and sign his music and Lucky wanted him to be proud of them or he couldn’t be with him. So they break up at 75% because of that. But Lucky also betrays Michelin in the worst way, which I thought was way worst than what Michelin did. Yet Michelin was the only one to apologize and do a public gesture where he signs a song he wrote for Lucky, but Lucky barely apologized for betraying him and I thought it wasn’t fair at all. Like sure Michelin had some issues and maybe wasn’t the most proud, but he wasn’t the one the worst one in the situation to me. To explain it, Michelin told Lucky that was in love with a guy before and that he broke his heart and then Lucky accepts to dance in that guy’s music video (that is only doing it to hurt Michelin) because it will help his career and he never cares about hurting Michelin’s feelings. And then Lucky backs out of it BUT he says it’s because it would make him look bad and all and not because of Michelin. To me he should have said no because it would hurt his man and he knew it. I really really hated that. It was a massive betrayal to me and I didn’t like how it was shown like it wasn’t a big thing, it was really important to me. And I don’t see how they can have a strong relationship after that.
I just want to mention one thing that I really liked and that was the fact that Michelin is demisexual. It was really nicely done and I loved how he discovered his sexuality and how he burned for Lucky, that was really nice.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange of my honest opinion
August 1, 2016
All Note Long by Annabeth Albert is the third book of the Perfect Harmony Series. In this installment, we finally get to read Michelin's story! Michelin wasn't quite what I expected, but he grew on me. His love interest, Lucky, on the other hand, was perfection. The story was a little up and down for me but overall I enjoyed it.
I'll start off with the negatives first...
-Fake boyfriend trope. I don't like it. I don't why, but I don't. As soon as I realized, that's where it was going it put a damper on the story. I know it's hinted in the blurb, but it still took me by surprise. This negative point is all about personal preference.
-Michelin. He frustrated me and gave me high blood pressure. He was such a doormat. I could understand to some extent him not standing up for himself but after a while, it grew tiresome. In my opinion, it took him too long to grow a pair.
Now for the positives...
-Lucky. He's brave, sweet, and loyal. I adored his character and for me, he was the highlight of the book.
-Michelin. Although he frustrated me, there was still much to be liked about him. The way he treated Lucky brought on some serious feels.
-Opposites attract trope. Annabeth Albert did a great job making believe that two such different personalities could fit together so perfectly.
-Chemistry. It was palpable. These two were smoking hot.
-The tweets at the beginning of each chapter. The social media junkie in me loves when emails, text messages, status updates, or tweets are included in stories.
-The end. I thought it was lovely, and their HEA felt solid.
As far as this being book 3 of the series- can it be read alone? Absolutely. You're not going to feel lost nor will it spoil anything about the previous books should you chose to go back and read them.
All in all, I believe this was a great addition to the Perfect Harmony Series. If you're in the mood for a loving, steamy romance, then give this one a go! And check out Annabeth Albert's backlist while you're at it! She's got great books. She's an auto-buy author of mine. 4 Musical Notes ♪♬♫♩
*ARC kindly provided by Lyrical Shine via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.
*This review is cross-posted at Gay Book Reviews.
August 1, 2016
Apparently LIFO was my accounting method of choice this time...
If you know anything about accounting than you'll understand the LIFO reference if you not you'll just think I'm a little cray, cray. Seriously it's the acronym for an accounting term and stands for Last-In, First-Out because this is book #3 and it's ended up being my first read for this series.
I was a little pressed for time and there was a deadline on this one for me so I took a page from my friend Dani's review because she said it could be read as a stand alone and I trust Dani so that's what I did and no surprise here she was right. I had no problem following this story and while I definitely intend to go back and read the first 2 books in the series I read this one without feeling lost or like something was missing.
Lucky and Michelin for me were an interesting pairing. There were so many differences between these two that more than once I found myself thinking 'yep, opposites attract'. At the same time there were some fundamental similarities that really sold me on them as a couple. The fact that music plays a very important role in both their lives, for Michelin as a C&W performing artist and for Lucky as a dancer. Neither of these men were interested in hook ups but for different reasons they weren't really looking for ongoing relationships either. For Lucky it was largely because he was very career focused and for Michelin it was due to being demisexual and a C&W performer. Family was also very important to both of them.
Lucky and Michelin meet at The Broom Closet the gay club where Lucky works as a dancer and Michelin has gone to celebrate a friends birthday. There's a definite attraction between them and some seriously bad communication so what was almost their first date quickly turns into a parting of the ways until Michelin is outed courtesy of Lucky's greedy co-workers and social media. As a result Lucky gets pulled into a PR plan to save Michelin's career and act as his pretend boyfriend.
In spite of all the disasters and potential disasters both Lucky and Michelin find themselves drawn to each other and increasingly reluctant to deny the attraction that is forming between the two of them. I honestly haven't read a lot of books using the 'pretend boyfriend' trope mostly because in general it doesn't appeal to me. But as with most things if it's done well I can make an exception and for me this was done well.
Initially Michelin was a bit frustrating with his ostrich syndrome behavior which in a way I understood and maybe it did take him longer than it should have to get his head out of the sand but like it or not he had a lot to lose. His career was not a small deal and he'd worked hard to become the success that he was and he basically grew up in a fairly homophobic industry. C & W is not known for it's gay friendly attitude so his fears were not unfounded and yet at the same time he showed moments of incredible sweetness towards Lucky and it was in those moments that Lucky saw the man behind the iconic and charismatic performer and that was the man who won Lucky's heart. The man who was nervous and insecure and who just wanted to be known for his music and not become the face of a cause. It's not until Michelin sees that it's his cause too and one worth fighting for, if he wants a chance with Lucky, that he becomes the person he needs to be and stands up for himself; making Lucky realize that letting the person you love give you the help you need doesn't always have to cost you your pride and that was the compromise that Lucky needed to make so that he could have the man he'd fallen in love with.
One of the best parts of this story for me was that both of these men had amazing mothers. Sue me, I'm a mom I like stories with awesome moms in them. Sadly Michelin's mom passed away when he was younger but it didn't change the fact that she was a good and loving mother and that's a memory worth hanging on to for any child no matter how old they are but Lucky's mom was still around and she was equally as awesome. Dispensing her mom wisdom when needed...words to love by...
I'm definitely looking forward to going back and reading the first two books in this series and hopefully I'll get to do that before there's a fourth book...which, I'm hoping there is. Who it might be about I neither know nor care. What I do know is that I love the stories this author tells and I plan on enjoying every one that I can.
************************
A copy of 'All Note Long' was graciously provided by the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
If you know anything about accounting than you'll understand the LIFO reference if you not you'll just think I'm a little cray, cray. Seriously it's the acronym for an accounting term and stands for Last-In, First-Out because this is book #3 and it's ended up being my first read for this series.
I was a little pressed for time and there was a deadline on this one for me so I took a page from my friend Dani's review because she said it could be read as a stand alone and I trust Dani so that's what I did and no surprise here she was right. I had no problem following this story and while I definitely intend to go back and read the first 2 books in the series I read this one without feeling lost or like something was missing.
Lucky and Michelin for me were an interesting pairing. There were so many differences between these two that more than once I found myself thinking 'yep, opposites attract'. At the same time there were some fundamental similarities that really sold me on them as a couple. The fact that music plays a very important role in both their lives, for Michelin as a C&W performing artist and for Lucky as a dancer. Neither of these men were interested in hook ups but for different reasons they weren't really looking for ongoing relationships either. For Lucky it was largely because he was very career focused and for Michelin it was due to being demisexual and a C&W performer. Family was also very important to both of them.
Lucky and Michelin meet at The Broom Closet the gay club where Lucky works as a dancer and Michelin has gone to celebrate a friends birthday. There's a definite attraction between them and some seriously bad communication so what was almost their first date quickly turns into a parting of the ways until Michelin is outed courtesy of Lucky's greedy co-workers and social media. As a result Lucky gets pulled into a PR plan to save Michelin's career and act as his pretend boyfriend.
In spite of all the disasters and potential disasters both Lucky and Michelin find themselves drawn to each other and increasingly reluctant to deny the attraction that is forming between the two of them. I honestly haven't read a lot of books using the 'pretend boyfriend' trope mostly because in general it doesn't appeal to me. But as with most things if it's done well I can make an exception and for me this was done well.
Initially Michelin was a bit frustrating with his ostrich syndrome behavior which in a way I understood and maybe it did take him longer than it should have to get his head out of the sand but like it or not he had a lot to lose. His career was not a small deal and he'd worked hard to become the success that he was and he basically grew up in a fairly homophobic industry. C & W is not known for it's gay friendly attitude so his fears were not unfounded and yet at the same time he showed moments of incredible sweetness towards Lucky and it was in those moments that Lucky saw the man behind the iconic and charismatic performer and that was the man who won Lucky's heart. The man who was nervous and insecure and who just wanted to be known for his music and not become the face of a cause. It's not until Michelin sees that it's his cause too and one worth fighting for, if he wants a chance with Lucky, that he becomes the person he needs to be and stands up for himself; making Lucky realize that letting the person you love give you the help you need doesn't always have to cost you your pride and that was the compromise that Lucky needed to make so that he could have the man he'd fallen in love with.
One of the best parts of this story for me was that both of these men had amazing mothers. Sue me, I'm a mom I like stories with awesome moms in them. Sadly Michelin's mom passed away when he was younger but it didn't change the fact that she was a good and loving mother and that's a memory worth hanging on to for any child no matter how old they are but Lucky's mom was still around and she was equally as awesome. Dispensing her mom wisdom when needed...words to love by...
"Estupido. It's not about how many words come out of your mouth. It's about what comes from your heart and what actions you back it up with."One last quick note the other things I really liked about this story were the tweets that started out each chapter, I Ioved that they gave a glimpse of the larger picture that both influenced and was influenced by the actions of Michelin and Lucky, Dogs...that's right there were dogs how can you not like that? Lucky and Michelin together loving on each other. It was sweet and tender and hot and sexy and anything that good couldn't possibly be wrong. Last of all the ending the happiness that Lucky and Michelin ultimately found was not easily gained making the ending all the sweeter.
I'm definitely looking forward to going back and reading the first two books in this series and hopefully I'll get to do that before there's a fourth book...which, I'm hoping there is. Who it might be about I neither know nor care. What I do know is that I love the stories this author tells and I plan on enjoying every one that I can.
************************
A copy of 'All Note Long' was graciously provided by the publisher through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
August 7, 2016
*** 4.5 Stars ***
If Annabeth Albert wrote 100 books in this series, I’d happily read them all. This was another winner for me.
If Annabeth Albert wrote 100 books in this series, I’d happily read them all. This was another winner for me.
January 12, 2024
I've given this a B+ for narration and a B+ for content at AudioGala
Another deep dive into my Audible library to find titles I own but haven’t yet listened to turned up All Note Long, the third and final book in Annabeth Albert’s Perfect Harmony series, which is centred around characters involved with a TV singing/talent show. I reviewed book one, Treble Maker, when it came out in audio a couple of years back; I enjoyed it and picked up the other two books in the series, but unlike those – which feature characters who were contestants on the show – All Note Long focuses on country music star Michelin Moses, who was one of the judges and mentors.
Michelin (and right from that start, I had trouble with the name – I kept thinking of tyres!) was a pop star before he changed tack and moved into country music. Being gay in the country scene is a no-no, and he’s deeply in the closet, convinced coming out will mean the end of his career. When the story begins, he’s at a birthday celebration for one of his mentees, even though he knows his publicist and label would have kittens if they knew he’d met up with them at a gay bar. It’s a new experience for him, and he finds himself completely fascinated by one of the go-go dancers, a beautiful young Latinx guy who goes by Lucky. Michelin can’t help looking – even though he knows he shouldn’t – and decides to leave quietly soon afterwards, but he mistakes the way to the exit and ends up wandering the corridors backstage, where he bumps into Lucky, who notices he’s rather flustered and offers to get him some water.
There’s a definite and almost palpable frisson of attraction between the two men, and a conversation leads to a passionate kiss; but just after Lucky has agreed to meet Michelin later for something to eat, his alarm goes off, reminding him he should be back on stage. As he expresses his annoyance at letting himself get so distracted and bemoans his loss of earnings, Michelin clumsily offers him a couple of hundred bucks to make up the loss – an offer Lucky, understandably, takes completely the wrong way. Blowing up at Michelin and pointing out he’s not a whore, Lucky points the way to the exit and leaves Michelin to make his own way out.
He’s still fuming later when the club closes, but he soon discovers there’s a far bigger disaster on the horizon when one of his co-workers reveals that he witnessed – and recorded – what happened between Lucky and Michelin. Lucky is horrified at the thought of forcibly outing anyone – even if the guy had been a dick – and makes a deal that he thinks will keep the other dancer from going to the press. But alas. The guy takes the video to the media anyway.
The media frenzy over the outing of a major country music star is intense. Michelin had wanted to find a way to come out, but this certainly wasn’t it; now it’s a case of limiting the damage, and his publicist decides that the way to do that is to present Michelin and Lucky as a committed couple. Lucky is wary and initially reluctant to be involved with any such scheme, but when he can’t even get close to his apartment for the swarms of paparazzi surrounding it, he doesn’t have any other options. He agrees to be Michelin’s fake boyfriend for a few months – and makes it clear that there will be no repeats of the kissing, and no taking things any further while he’s effectively Michelin’s employee.
I enjoyed the story and the characters, who are fully-rounded with flaws and complexities that make them feel real – even if they’re sometimes frustrating! Michelin is quiet and introverted unless he’s holding his guitar, and he doesn’t want to be a trailblazer for a cause; he just wants to write and sing his music, and with the country music scene being so notoriously conservative, he doesn’t think he can be himself and have a career. Unlike Michelin, Lucky is out, proud and vivacious. He’s got the attitude, the skill and the talent to make it in the profession, but he’s still looking for his lucky (!) break; right now he’s working to earn enough money to make a professional video showcasing his talent in order to win a part in a Vegas show. Both men have been burned by past relationships and are understandably wary of risking their hearts again, but despite that and despite their differences in personality and outlook, their attraction to one another is impossible to ignore, and as they get to know each other, they begin to realise that they are exactly what the other needs. Michelin is lonely and longs for companionship; he needs someone to talk to and to bring him out of his shell, while Lucky needs someone to believe in him and to love him for everything that he is.
I liked the dynamic of their relationship for the most part, although they’re both overly stubborn in different ways and compromise doesn’t come easy to either of them. Lucky is talented and motivated, but he absolutely refuses to accept any help from Michelin when it comes to his career, or even to let him pay for dinner when they go out to eat. I could understand Lucky’s determination to succeed on his own merit and appreciated his integrity, but sometimes he comes dangerously close to cutting off his nose to spite his face. And then there’s Michelin’s decision to go along with what his record label wants and ride out the storm without making waves. Having initially backed his publicist’s idea to push the idea of Michelin and Lucky as a couple, Michelin is then told he can be gay provided he doesn’t do anything to bring people’s attention to it. To start with, he’s ready to go along with it, so be prepared to get angry, alongside Lucky, at the bigotry exhibited towards Michelin by promoters and radio stations and media who had previously been only too pleased to talk to him and play his music, and the stores who had been only too happy to make money by selling his music. This book was written in 2016, so not that long ago, and it makes my blood boil that there are places in the world where this kind of bigotry is not only tolerated but encouraged. /rant.
Michelin and Lucky have terrific chemistry, their romance is sweet and sexy, and their HEA is well-deserved and emotionally satisfying. Michelin’s demi-sexuality is sympathetically portrayed, and the journeys undertaken by both men – Michelin’s towards self-acceptance and comfort in his own skin, Lucky’s in learning how to balance his determination to live life on his own terms with allowing himself to be vulnerable – are compelling and very well done.
Brad King has narrated all three books in this series, and he delivers another enjoyable and expressive performance here. His gravelly baritone is a perfect fit for Michelin, who is generally softly spoken and a bit shy (the way he gets tongue-tied around Lucky to start with is so cute!), and the slight accent he adopts for Lucky (although I confess I can’t remember if it’s indicated in the text) is consistently maintained. The same is true of the accents adopted for a number of the secondary characters – DJs and people involved in the country music scene – and the female characters are portrayed appropriately by means of small changes in pitch and timbre. The narration is well-paced, clearly differentiated and strongly characterised throughout, and Mr. King really brings out the emotional connection between the two leads.
I enjoyed both story and narration All Note Long and am happy to recommend it. It’s the final book in the Perfect Harmony series, but it works perfectly well as a standalone – although the other two books are well worth listening to as well.
This review originally appeared at AudioGals
Another deep dive into my Audible library to find titles I own but haven’t yet listened to turned up All Note Long, the third and final book in Annabeth Albert’s Perfect Harmony series, which is centred around characters involved with a TV singing/talent show. I reviewed book one, Treble Maker, when it came out in audio a couple of years back; I enjoyed it and picked up the other two books in the series, but unlike those – which feature characters who were contestants on the show – All Note Long focuses on country music star Michelin Moses, who was one of the judges and mentors.
Michelin (and right from that start, I had trouble with the name – I kept thinking of tyres!) was a pop star before he changed tack and moved into country music. Being gay in the country scene is a no-no, and he’s deeply in the closet, convinced coming out will mean the end of his career. When the story begins, he’s at a birthday celebration for one of his mentees, even though he knows his publicist and label would have kittens if they knew he’d met up with them at a gay bar. It’s a new experience for him, and he finds himself completely fascinated by one of the go-go dancers, a beautiful young Latinx guy who goes by Lucky. Michelin can’t help looking – even though he knows he shouldn’t – and decides to leave quietly soon afterwards, but he mistakes the way to the exit and ends up wandering the corridors backstage, where he bumps into Lucky, who notices he’s rather flustered and offers to get him some water.
There’s a definite and almost palpable frisson of attraction between the two men, and a conversation leads to a passionate kiss; but just after Lucky has agreed to meet Michelin later for something to eat, his alarm goes off, reminding him he should be back on stage. As he expresses his annoyance at letting himself get so distracted and bemoans his loss of earnings, Michelin clumsily offers him a couple of hundred bucks to make up the loss – an offer Lucky, understandably, takes completely the wrong way. Blowing up at Michelin and pointing out he’s not a whore, Lucky points the way to the exit and leaves Michelin to make his own way out.
He’s still fuming later when the club closes, but he soon discovers there’s a far bigger disaster on the horizon when one of his co-workers reveals that he witnessed – and recorded – what happened between Lucky and Michelin. Lucky is horrified at the thought of forcibly outing anyone – even if the guy had been a dick – and makes a deal that he thinks will keep the other dancer from going to the press. But alas. The guy takes the video to the media anyway.
The media frenzy over the outing of a major country music star is intense. Michelin had wanted to find a way to come out, but this certainly wasn’t it; now it’s a case of limiting the damage, and his publicist decides that the way to do that is to present Michelin and Lucky as a committed couple. Lucky is wary and initially reluctant to be involved with any such scheme, but when he can’t even get close to his apartment for the swarms of paparazzi surrounding it, he doesn’t have any other options. He agrees to be Michelin’s fake boyfriend for a few months – and makes it clear that there will be no repeats of the kissing, and no taking things any further while he’s effectively Michelin’s employee.
I enjoyed the story and the characters, who are fully-rounded with flaws and complexities that make them feel real – even if they’re sometimes frustrating! Michelin is quiet and introverted unless he’s holding his guitar, and he doesn’t want to be a trailblazer for a cause; he just wants to write and sing his music, and with the country music scene being so notoriously conservative, he doesn’t think he can be himself and have a career. Unlike Michelin, Lucky is out, proud and vivacious. He’s got the attitude, the skill and the talent to make it in the profession, but he’s still looking for his lucky (!) break; right now he’s working to earn enough money to make a professional video showcasing his talent in order to win a part in a Vegas show. Both men have been burned by past relationships and are understandably wary of risking their hearts again, but despite that and despite their differences in personality and outlook, their attraction to one another is impossible to ignore, and as they get to know each other, they begin to realise that they are exactly what the other needs. Michelin is lonely and longs for companionship; he needs someone to talk to and to bring him out of his shell, while Lucky needs someone to believe in him and to love him for everything that he is.
I liked the dynamic of their relationship for the most part, although they’re both overly stubborn in different ways and compromise doesn’t come easy to either of them. Lucky is talented and motivated, but he absolutely refuses to accept any help from Michelin when it comes to his career, or even to let him pay for dinner when they go out to eat. I could understand Lucky’s determination to succeed on his own merit and appreciated his integrity, but sometimes he comes dangerously close to cutting off his nose to spite his face. And then there’s Michelin’s decision to go along with what his record label wants and ride out the storm without making waves. Having initially backed his publicist’s idea to push the idea of Michelin and Lucky as a couple, Michelin is then told he can be gay provided he doesn’t do anything to bring people’s attention to it. To start with, he’s ready to go along with it, so be prepared to get angry, alongside Lucky, at the bigotry exhibited towards Michelin by promoters and radio stations and media who had previously been only too pleased to talk to him and play his music, and the stores who had been only too happy to make money by selling his music. This book was written in 2016, so not that long ago, and it makes my blood boil that there are places in the world where this kind of bigotry is not only tolerated but encouraged. /rant.
Michelin and Lucky have terrific chemistry, their romance is sweet and sexy, and their HEA is well-deserved and emotionally satisfying. Michelin’s demi-sexuality is sympathetically portrayed, and the journeys undertaken by both men – Michelin’s towards self-acceptance and comfort in his own skin, Lucky’s in learning how to balance his determination to live life on his own terms with allowing himself to be vulnerable – are compelling and very well done.
Brad King has narrated all three books in this series, and he delivers another enjoyable and expressive performance here. His gravelly baritone is a perfect fit for Michelin, who is generally softly spoken and a bit shy (the way he gets tongue-tied around Lucky to start with is so cute!), and the slight accent he adopts for Lucky (although I confess I can’t remember if it’s indicated in the text) is consistently maintained. The same is true of the accents adopted for a number of the secondary characters – DJs and people involved in the country music scene – and the female characters are portrayed appropriately by means of small changes in pitch and timbre. The narration is well-paced, clearly differentiated and strongly characterised throughout, and Mr. King really brings out the emotional connection between the two leads.
I enjoyed both story and narration All Note Long and am happy to recommend it. It’s the final book in the Perfect Harmony series, but it works perfectly well as a standalone – although the other two books are well worth listening to as well.
This review originally appeared at AudioGals
January 5, 2021
An in the closet up and coming country star, Michelin Moses, is forced out of the closet when pictures of him and a go-go dancer, Lucky, are sold to a gossip tabloid. This forces his team to take action and the best his publicist and record company can come up with is having said go-go dancer play the part of boyfriend. All Michelin Moses has to do is convince Lucky to play the part.
Lucky is a go-go dancer at a hot gay club in LA. He works there to earn money to pay for his dreams of becoming a Vegas revue dancer. Most people have a preconceived ideas of what type of people these dancers are and Lucky likes to prove them wrong. One such person is Country star Michelin Moses who he meets by chance. However, their first meeting doesn't end so well. So when Mr. Country Star comes asking for a favor Lucky lays down the rules of how their "relationship" is going to work but it seems rules are meant to be broken.
Overall, a solid read. I really liked the dynamic of the relationship but I do wish they would compromise more on their differences. Lucky's too proud for help stance was a bit annoying as was Michelin's not wanting to be so out of the closet stance. I also liked how the author didn't try to sugarcoat the outcome of Michelin's career. Being an openly gay man in Country music is not an easy task to take on. I do wish there could have been some big ol' screw you to the scene but we didn't get that. It seemed more or less Michelin was on the outs by the end but I find that outcome more realistic. I am just glad that, in the end, he had Lucky and was able to continue to make music on his own terms.
Lucky is a go-go dancer at a hot gay club in LA. He works there to earn money to pay for his dreams of becoming a Vegas revue dancer. Most people have a preconceived ideas of what type of people these dancers are and Lucky likes to prove them wrong. One such person is Country star Michelin Moses who he meets by chance. However, their first meeting doesn't end so well. So when Mr. Country Star comes asking for a favor Lucky lays down the rules of how their "relationship" is going to work but it seems rules are meant to be broken.
Overall, a solid read. I really liked the dynamic of the relationship but I do wish they would compromise more on their differences. Lucky's too proud for help stance was a bit annoying as was Michelin's not wanting to be so out of the closet stance. I also liked how the author didn't try to sugarcoat the outcome of Michelin's career. Being an openly gay man in Country music is not an easy task to take on. I do wish there could have been some big ol' screw you to the scene but we didn't get that. It seemed more or less Michelin was on the outs by the end but I find that outcome more realistic. I am just glad that, in the end, he had Lucky and was able to continue to make music on his own terms.
March 3, 2017
I totally loved this. I do have a soft spot for musician and artists, so this series has always been close to my heart.
All Note Long is the story of Michelin Moses, the mentor of all the guys we met in book 1 and 2. Both times he came across as an imposing, charismatic man and as someone in charge. And he is, as long as he wears the mask of his public persona - the country music superstar.
But privately Michelin is lost and very, very alone. He lives in a closet as deep and dark as Loch Ness (and that one is VERY deep and VERY dark) and has no intentions of pushing the door to it open even in the slightest. As he sees it he will never be able to be openly gay, because his predominantly conservative fan base will never accept him. And after being badly burnt by the only man he's ever been with, he has not sought out any other contact to men since.
Until he meets Lucky. Lucky who awakens something in him he had forgotten existed. Things like want, lust, desire ... and the realization that he is slowly dying inside. Being gay and acknowledging it is almost painful to Michelin, because he's put his head into the sand like an ostrich for years, ignoring who he is. Michelin's anguish was virtually tangible throughout the book.
Yes, he is undecided how to act around Lucky, he is infuriatingly passive when it comes to defend his stance, he is easily steamrollered by his label (for most of the book), but I do get him andI did feel for him all the way. He is simply scared shitless to lose everything he has worked for so hard, and now that he's finally reaping the success of all that, he could lose it all with the snip of a finger. After all, this is all he has, or so he thinks.
Michelin's development from that scared-as-f*** guy to someone who finds himself and stands as openly gay on a stage to sing, is brilliant to watch. Excellent character development imo. And I really loved that we are with him every step of the way.
Lucky is about ten years younger than Michelin (an age gape that I particularly like), but in many ways he is so much wiser, but all above he understands Michelin, feels what he needs when he gets stuck, helps him out when there is a panic situation and calms him when Michelin is overwhelmed by the chaos that follows when he's 'outed'. But Lucky has got some baggage himself, some issues he finds hard to come to terms with, one of which is trusting another, older guy, after being used in a similar relationship before. I loved his compassion and pride, his professional ambition and dedication. And he's as cute as hell.
I have always enjoyed the 'fake boyfriend' trope and Annabeth Albert makes really the most of it here. All the toeing and froing with 'is this real/ is it just show', 'does he really want me or is he faking' etc. and all the pining and UST that come with it are just delicious. I loved the slow burn of their relationship and the fact that it is Michelin who is the sexually less experienced. And that he is demi-sexual which was a very interesting twist.
Throw in a cute dog and some heat and sizzle, and you've got a 5 star book!
Highly recommended.
All Note Long is the story of Michelin Moses, the mentor of all the guys we met in book 1 and 2. Both times he came across as an imposing, charismatic man and as someone in charge. And he is, as long as he wears the mask of his public persona - the country music superstar.
But privately Michelin is lost and very, very alone. He lives in a closet as deep and dark as Loch Ness (and that one is VERY deep and VERY dark) and has no intentions of pushing the door to it open even in the slightest. As he sees it he will never be able to be openly gay, because his predominantly conservative fan base will never accept him. And after being badly burnt by the only man he's ever been with, he has not sought out any other contact to men since.
Until he meets Lucky. Lucky who awakens something in him he had forgotten existed. Things like want, lust, desire ... and the realization that he is slowly dying inside. Being gay and acknowledging it is almost painful to Michelin, because he's put his head into the sand like an ostrich for years, ignoring who he is. Michelin's anguish was virtually tangible throughout the book.
Yes, he is undecided how to act around Lucky, he is infuriatingly passive when it comes to defend his stance, he is easily steamrollered by his label (for most of the book), but I do get him andI did feel for him all the way. He is simply scared shitless to lose everything he has worked for so hard, and now that he's finally reaping the success of all that, he could lose it all with the snip of a finger. After all, this is all he has, or so he thinks.
Michelin's development from that scared-as-f*** guy to someone who finds himself and stands as openly gay on a stage to sing, is brilliant to watch. Excellent character development imo. And I really loved that we are with him every step of the way.
Lucky is about ten years younger than Michelin (an age gape that I particularly like), but in many ways he is so much wiser, but all above he understands Michelin, feels what he needs when he gets stuck, helps him out when there is a panic situation and calms him when Michelin is overwhelmed by the chaos that follows when he's 'outed'. But Lucky has got some baggage himself, some issues he finds hard to come to terms with, one of which is trusting another, older guy, after being used in a similar relationship before. I loved his compassion and pride, his professional ambition and dedication. And he's as cute as hell.
I have always enjoyed the 'fake boyfriend' trope and Annabeth Albert makes really the most of it here. All the toeing and froing with 'is this real/ is it just show', 'does he really want me or is he faking' etc. and all the pining and UST that come with it are just delicious. I loved the slow burn of their relationship and the fact that it is Michelin who is the sexually less experienced. And that he is demi-sexual which was a very interesting twist.
Throw in a cute dog and some heat and sizzle, and you've got a 5 star book!
Highly recommended.
September 14, 2022
Annabeth Albert created an interesting story of what happens when a country singer comes out. Country music is generally promoted more in the south where the acceptance of a gay country singer might/could meet a bit more resistance. I felt Albert did a great job showing the acceptance and rejection that Michelin goes through from various sources. And I also liked that even in the end, there were those who couldn't accept it because that, people, is the real world we live in. Everything. no matter how much we may want it, we know that everything doesn't always have a happy ending. Michelin takes a lot of grief from his record label, and that was tough to see him caving to their wishes all the time, but when it really counted, he pushed back. I absolutely loved Lucky. He was a fantastic character. He was so dedicated to his dancing and that no matter what anyone, including his family, thought about what he did, he wasn't going to let it rule his decisions. There was so much pride...actually sometimes too much, but mostly he was just really passionate about what he loved and wanted things to work out and that included his life with Michelin. He was a great match for the country singer. Lucky had no problem telling Michelin what he thought, and he was also more fun and spontaneous which helped push Michelin out of his quiet shell. Overall, it was a really good read...but I would expect nothing less from Annabeth Albert.
August 1, 2016
Well damn. This is the first book by Annabeth Albert that I actually disliked. I had so much hope for Michelin and after reading the first chapter of his book at the end of Book 2 of the series, I was really stoked. Alas, it didn’t live up to my expectations.
I thought Michelin was much older when I first “met” him in the other books of the series. He came off as super confident, in-the-know, and completely on top of his game and his stardom. The Michelin I got to know in this book was a completely different character –very withdrawn, almost isolated, battling anxiety that causes him to stutter, and severely insecure. Oh, and in the closet.
Lucky is the complete opposite. He is a go-go dancer at this swanky club but the boy has brains, talent, and a life goal. Circumstances and pure greediness on Lucky’s colleagues’ part lead to Lucky agreeing to become Michelin’s pretend boyfriend after Michelin is outed.
The pretend boyfriend trope itself did not bother me. The way it was executed did.
I could not feel the passion or the chemistry between Michelin and Lucky. Michelin was really putting his foot in it all the freaking time, offending Lucky without meaning to and giving way too much leeway to his management team to call the shots. Lucky was really decent about it all, I think, and besides drawing the lines he would not cross in order to preserve his self-respect, he was actually quite easy-going about everything.
They did not give off sparks as a couple and I kept thinking that Lucky deserves better and Michelin should just man up and deal with the situation. If Michelin had not been outed, I would have been more sympathetic towards him. But the cat’s outta the bag, and you’re still pussy-footing around everyone? I get that it was still difficult to accept the new status quo and handle the fallout with the fans, etc, but I was frustrated with him for the majority of the book for not being this big persona that he was presented as in previous books.
That all being said, I think this really is a matter of preference. Annabeth Albert is a skilled writer. The writing is good. The characters emote. They reach their HEA and it’s good. But I did not like where the plot was going and I think I had something different in my head about how the story would develop.
So yeah. It might be a matter of me not you here.
Most of my friends on GR really liked this one so I won’t discourage anyone from reading. It just did not work for me.
ARC provided by the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. See this review on Gay Book Reviews.
I thought Michelin was much older when I first “met” him in the other books of the series. He came off as super confident, in-the-know, and completely on top of his game and his stardom. The Michelin I got to know in this book was a completely different character –very withdrawn, almost isolated, battling anxiety that causes him to stutter, and severely insecure. Oh, and in the closet.
Lucky is the complete opposite. He is a go-go dancer at this swanky club but the boy has brains, talent, and a life goal. Circumstances and pure greediness on Lucky’s colleagues’ part lead to Lucky agreeing to become Michelin’s pretend boyfriend after Michelin is outed.
The pretend boyfriend trope itself did not bother me. The way it was executed did.
I could not feel the passion or the chemistry between Michelin and Lucky. Michelin was really putting his foot in it all the freaking time, offending Lucky without meaning to and giving way too much leeway to his management team to call the shots. Lucky was really decent about it all, I think, and besides drawing the lines he would not cross in order to preserve his self-respect, he was actually quite easy-going about everything.
They did not give off sparks as a couple and I kept thinking that Lucky deserves better and Michelin should just man up and deal with the situation. If Michelin had not been outed, I would have been more sympathetic towards him. But the cat’s outta the bag, and you’re still pussy-footing around everyone? I get that it was still difficult to accept the new status quo and handle the fallout with the fans, etc, but I was frustrated with him for the majority of the book for not being this big persona that he was presented as in previous books.
That all being said, I think this really is a matter of preference. Annabeth Albert is a skilled writer. The writing is good. The characters emote. They reach their HEA and it’s good. But I did not like where the plot was going and I think I had something different in my head about how the story would develop.
So yeah. It might be a matter of me not you here.
Most of my friends on GR really liked this one so I won’t discourage anyone from reading. It just did not work for me.
ARC provided by the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. See this review on Gay Book Reviews.
August 4, 2016
I loved this. We finally get Michelin's book, and he is not all that he appears in the previous books. He is deeply closeted, private, and extremely shy and awkward in certain social situations. He is also a demisexual who has only had one previous lover. He ends up finding the perfect man in Lucky, a go-go dancer with aspirations of going professional.
They meet at the club Lucky works at, and have an instant attraction. Due to M's shyness, they start off with a misunderstanding, but Lucky ends up helping him out of a tight spot, by posing as his boyfriend, and real feelings and a relationship develop.
Though he's younger, I love how protective Lucky is of M while he's navigating life as a newly out man who does not want the spotlight. I enjoyed watching their relationship develop from a business transaction to a real friendship to lovers.
They meet at the club Lucky works at, and have an instant attraction. Due to M's shyness, they start off with a misunderstanding, but Lucky ends up helping him out of a tight spot, by posing as his boyfriend, and real feelings and a relationship develop.
Though he's younger, I love how protective Lucky is of M while he's navigating life as a newly out man who does not want the spotlight. I enjoyed watching their relationship develop from a business transaction to a real friendship to lovers.
August 4, 2016
Something about Michelin didn't quite sit right with me. Maybe because he was a star and had been for years, but he seemed so damn selfish and even when he evolved, it was mostly Lucky changing or modifying his style for him. So much attention was paid to Michelin's needs (his need for praise, etc) that the balance was off. From his unwillingness to stick his neck out for Lucky or the dog, to his refusal to help Ruby, to his decision not to deal with his label directly... He just wasn't a super sympathetic character to me (although he was so sweet with the stuttering. I could forgive a lot because of that stutter). He seemed different than in the previous books.
Lucky was a great character - he was tough, fair and true to himself. I loved how he refused to be ashamed or be bullied regarding his career. He was so sweet with Michelin, learning his tells, stepping in when he was overwhelmed and making him feel comfortable. From the beginning Lucky was like this, even when Michelin was offensive and autocratic (for which he didn't apologize?). And Lucky with his animal rescuing... <3
The demisexual element was ... interesting. In some ways, it felt like it was tossed in there to be PC. I'm not suggesting that this isn't a valid orientation or that it should be erased or that people don't feel this way. I'm only saying that, for me, it read like a check the box element rather than something organic in the story.
Mixed bag for me. Not my favorite in the series.
Lucky was a great character - he was tough, fair and true to himself. I loved how he refused to be ashamed or be bullied regarding his career. He was so sweet with Michelin, learning his tells, stepping in when he was overwhelmed and making him feel comfortable. From the beginning Lucky was like this, even when Michelin was offensive and autocratic (for which he didn't apologize?). And Lucky with his animal rescuing... <3
The demisexual element was ... interesting. In some ways, it felt like it was tossed in there to be PC. I'm not suggesting that this isn't a valid orientation or that it should be erased or that people don't feel this way. I'm only saying that, for me, it read like a check the box element rather than something organic in the story.
Mixed bag for me. Not my favorite in the series.
May 31, 2017
Probably my favourite of the series. This felt like the Albert I've come to know from her later works. Swoony, sweet, sexy, a little angsty, with lots of representation, diversity and, bonus, a fake boyfriend trope. ALL NOTE LONG wasn't without it's little frustrations, with stubborn, prideful and avoidance-prone characters, but it still managed to hit all the right notes (hah) for me.
3.75 stars
3.75 stars
July 24, 2016
4.5 stars – All Note Long is the third novel in the Perfect Harmony series, but it is the first I have read—reading it as a standalone worked just fine. It is also the third novel I’ve read by Annabeth Albert. As much as I liked
Status Update
and Beta Test, this one is certainly my favorite of the three I’ve read by her.
Lucky Ramirez is a go-go dancer at one of West Hollywood’s hottest clubs. He’s not a sex worker; he dances because he loves doing it and is working toward the big break he needs to launch his dance career to bigger and better things. While dancing for a birthday party at the club one night, he can’t help but be attracted to the hot, shy, and socially awkward stud the whole group has been daring into stuffing tips down his shorts all night. Michelin Moses left the popular band he started with some friends as a teenager and is now one of the hottest country stars in the country, about to release his second album in the genre. Being gay is something he works to keep from becoming public knowledge because he fears it would alienate his conservative fan base and jeopardize his career doing the one thing he truly loves. But while incognito at the birthday party of one of the young musicians he mentored on a reality TV show, he’s fixated on the sexy dancer and his moves. Unfortunately, someone recognizes him, and before he knows it, his secret is all over the gossip pages of the internet. His publicist is all about damage control, not just to protect him but the record label as well, and her suggestion is to convince Lucky to pretend to be Michelin’s boyfriend long enough for the worst to blow over. As much as Michelin wants it to be real, he can’t risk destroying his career. But for a man who sings about feelings every day, nothing can ever be that simple.
While I found both Lucky and Michelin to be great characters, there is a lot about Michelin in particular that I can relate to, perhaps because I’m also a middle-aged gay man who grew up in a relatively conservative small town. As the story progresses, we learn many of the events of Michelin’s past that have formed who he is now. For the most part, it boils down to things that have fostered insecurity about many things, particularly relationships. In spite of being adored in the public eye, he leads a lonely life and believes that he cannot be good enough for someone else. His career, then, is all he has. And because he’s part of the undeniably homophobic country music industry, he’s essentially at the mercy of his record label. But even more than that, he’s worried about his fans thinking his music is part of some agenda. In spite of his past, though, he is a selfless man with a big heart.
Lucky, on the other hand, has been out of the closet since early high school, so he doesn’t care what people think about his being gay. But being the baby of his family has caused him to take pride in being self-sufficient as an adult. He refuses to take help from anyone—he doesn’t even allow people to buy meals for him. This leads to a good deal of tension as far as the fake relationship is concerned. Combine that with the fact that he is adamant about not being for sale, he refuses to act on his growing feelings for Michelin as long as he’s being paid for the role of fake boyfriend. Yep, good sexual tension builds up because of this, because neither he nor Michelin can deny the attraction that was apparent from the very start. Regardless of the terms of their arrangement, both want more. Eventually they get there, and once they do, it’s not only hot but quickly becomes full of all sorts of the best kind of feels.
The setting of the story clearly lends itself to dealing with some social issues. Without giving out spoilers, I will say that the events that take place once Michelin is outed, both those of the public and of his publicist and record label, felt very realistic. In fact, they sounded vaguely familiar to the real-life situation around certain bands’ public disapproval of the Iraq War several years back, so for someone like me who knows essentially nothing about the politics within the music industry, I was convinced.
Romances involving music are often among my favorites, and I can say All Note Long is no exception. There’s just something about the power of music to express feelings that might not be so easy to express in just words that appeals to me. And I love being able to feel the music in a novel, so when an author does grand romantic gestures through music, it almost always works for me. And in this case, does it ever. Brava, Ms. Albert. Brava.
The author generously provided me a complimentary copy of ALL NOTE LONG in exchange for this fair and honest review.
Follow Me: Reviews by Tammy & Kim | Facebook | Twitter
Lucky Ramirez is a go-go dancer at one of West Hollywood’s hottest clubs. He’s not a sex worker; he dances because he loves doing it and is working toward the big break he needs to launch his dance career to bigger and better things. While dancing for a birthday party at the club one night, he can’t help but be attracted to the hot, shy, and socially awkward stud the whole group has been daring into stuffing tips down his shorts all night. Michelin Moses left the popular band he started with some friends as a teenager and is now one of the hottest country stars in the country, about to release his second album in the genre. Being gay is something he works to keep from becoming public knowledge because he fears it would alienate his conservative fan base and jeopardize his career doing the one thing he truly loves. But while incognito at the birthday party of one of the young musicians he mentored on a reality TV show, he’s fixated on the sexy dancer and his moves. Unfortunately, someone recognizes him, and before he knows it, his secret is all over the gossip pages of the internet. His publicist is all about damage control, not just to protect him but the record label as well, and her suggestion is to convince Lucky to pretend to be Michelin’s boyfriend long enough for the worst to blow over. As much as Michelin wants it to be real, he can’t risk destroying his career. But for a man who sings about feelings every day, nothing can ever be that simple.
While I found both Lucky and Michelin to be great characters, there is a lot about Michelin in particular that I can relate to, perhaps because I’m also a middle-aged gay man who grew up in a relatively conservative small town. As the story progresses, we learn many of the events of Michelin’s past that have formed who he is now. For the most part, it boils down to things that have fostered insecurity about many things, particularly relationships. In spite of being adored in the public eye, he leads a lonely life and believes that he cannot be good enough for someone else. His career, then, is all he has. And because he’s part of the undeniably homophobic country music industry, he’s essentially at the mercy of his record label. But even more than that, he’s worried about his fans thinking his music is part of some agenda. In spite of his past, though, he is a selfless man with a big heart.
Lucky, on the other hand, has been out of the closet since early high school, so he doesn’t care what people think about his being gay. But being the baby of his family has caused him to take pride in being self-sufficient as an adult. He refuses to take help from anyone—he doesn’t even allow people to buy meals for him. This leads to a good deal of tension as far as the fake relationship is concerned. Combine that with the fact that he is adamant about not being for sale, he refuses to act on his growing feelings for Michelin as long as he’s being paid for the role of fake boyfriend. Yep, good sexual tension builds up because of this, because neither he nor Michelin can deny the attraction that was apparent from the very start. Regardless of the terms of their arrangement, both want more. Eventually they get there, and once they do, it’s not only hot but quickly becomes full of all sorts of the best kind of feels.
The setting of the story clearly lends itself to dealing with some social issues. Without giving out spoilers, I will say that the events that take place once Michelin is outed, both those of the public and of his publicist and record label, felt very realistic. In fact, they sounded vaguely familiar to the real-life situation around certain bands’ public disapproval of the Iraq War several years back, so for someone like me who knows essentially nothing about the politics within the music industry, I was convinced.
Romances involving music are often among my favorites, and I can say All Note Long is no exception. There’s just something about the power of music to express feelings that might not be so easy to express in just words that appeals to me. And I love being able to feel the music in a novel, so when an author does grand romantic gestures through music, it almost always works for me. And in this case, does it ever. Brava, Ms. Albert. Brava.
The author generously provided me a complimentary copy of ALL NOTE LONG in exchange for this fair and honest review.
Follow Me: Reviews by Tammy & Kim | Facebook | Twitter
September 14, 2022
Sometimes it is not clear if the narrator makes a story boring. In this case, I think they worsened each other. At 50% I still have no clear view of the two characters. They are interchangeable and often I did not know who's POV I was following. Enough happens that should keep me interested but I don't care because of the distance I feel toward the characters.
February 8, 2017
The previous book in this series, Love Me Tenor (Perfect Harmony, #2), was a five star read for me. The end of that book had a wonderful hook into this one. I couldn't wait to see what Michelin and the dancer got up to.
*start of head banging mode*
I know better than to set my expectations high for an upcoming release. I'm not sure why, but I often feel a little disappointed when the book goes in a different direction than what I expected.
I wanted to love this book. As I was reading, I kept trying to force the love. After I finished, I realized, sadly, it didn't happen.
I understand and applaud the message the author is sending with this story. Maybe two messages really. One, she introduces the demisexual type or category (not sure what you'd call it). It was a new label for me to learn. But I didn't like the choice of character it was applied to. The second message is the (slowly) evolving country music / Nashville acceptance of non-heterosexuality. I love the page time devoted to this issue. But I somehow didn't get the strong feels that it should have promoted. Perhaps because the MC didn't seem as emotionally involved? Maybe it was because we didn't get enough of a look into his thoughts and feelings on the issue.
As you can see, I'm spending time analysing the messages in the book. The truth is that the romance simply didn't work for me. The two characters were exceptionally different and not in the "opposites attract" way. I kept wondering how they found anything in common to even talk about. It was also a bit of insta-love. That really didn't help when I was already finding the characters too disparate to relate to each other. I can honestly say I expected something different from Michelin and was disappointed in what was revealed instead. I didn't end up liking either character. Lucky was annoying in his independence. I didn't find a lot intriguing about him.
The book needs an additional copy edit pass. Hopefully that will happen before release day. I also had a few personal taste issues which shouldn't affect anyone but me. But it did impact my feelings for the story.
-I didn't care for the MC names, Michelin and Lucky (or even Clive and Luciano).
-The "spanish" in the book was horrendous. If you're going to use a foreign language in your dialogue, you should find a native speaker to translate for you.
-Argentinian's were not portrayed correctly, either in appearance or in character. A little more research here would help tons.
-The secondary characters were flat. They felt more like pawns or placeholders than anything real.
-The resolution didn't feel like a resolution so much as a "giving up".
It's not that I didn't like the book at all. I still think this series is wonderful. It's just that this particular story didn't sit well with me. While reading I kept trying to love it. When I finished, I realized I hadn't succeeded.
2.5 stars as part of an amazing series in the musician trope
*start of head banging mode*
I know better than to set my expectations high for an upcoming release. I'm not sure why, but I often feel a little disappointed when the book goes in a different direction than what I expected.
I wanted to love this book. As I was reading, I kept trying to force the love. After I finished, I realized, sadly, it didn't happen.
I understand and applaud the message the author is sending with this story. Maybe two messages really. One, she introduces the demisexual type or category (not sure what you'd call it). It was a new label for me to learn. But I didn't like the choice of character it was applied to. The second message is the (slowly) evolving country music / Nashville acceptance of non-heterosexuality. I love the page time devoted to this issue. But I somehow didn't get the strong feels that it should have promoted. Perhaps because the MC didn't seem as emotionally involved? Maybe it was because we didn't get enough of a look into his thoughts and feelings on the issue.
As you can see, I'm spending time analysing the messages in the book. The truth is that the romance simply didn't work for me. The two characters were exceptionally different and not in the "opposites attract" way. I kept wondering how they found anything in common to even talk about. It was also a bit of insta-love. That really didn't help when I was already finding the characters too disparate to relate to each other. I can honestly say I expected something different from Michelin and was disappointed in what was revealed instead. I didn't end up liking either character. Lucky was annoying in his independence. I didn't find a lot intriguing about him.
The book needs an additional copy edit pass. Hopefully that will happen before release day. I also had a few personal taste issues which shouldn't affect anyone but me. But it did impact my feelings for the story.
-I didn't care for the MC names, Michelin and Lucky (or even Clive and Luciano).
-The "spanish" in the book was horrendous. If you're going to use a foreign language in your dialogue, you should find a native speaker to translate for you.
-Argentinian's were not portrayed correctly, either in appearance or in character. A little more research here would help tons.
-The secondary characters were flat. They felt more like pawns or placeholders than anything real.
-The resolution didn't feel like a resolution so much as a "giving up".
It's not that I didn't like the book at all. I still think this series is wonderful. It's just that this particular story didn't sit well with me. While reading I kept trying to love it. When I finished, I realized I hadn't succeeded.
2.5 stars as part of an amazing series in the musician trope
August 2, 2016
Slick's review posted at Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
I don't even know where to start with this review, but I will say I FREAKIN' LOVED this book. I've enjoyed this series, but this book had ups and downs and even some sideways and it made me feel so many things. What I do find amusing is the Northwest native author (you know home to grunge rock) is a big country music fan and this Texas gal native is so not, BUT I loved that she wrote about a popular country star getting pushed out of the closet and what ensued afterwards. This book, this couple take a really good look at being true to yourself, having the self respect to and guts to be yourself no matter the consequences and understanding that despite your years you are never too old to learn new things. All Note Long will have you laughing, crying, singing, and simply feeling good and most of all it will make you see that change can be a very, very good thing.
Country star Michelin Moses has been living a pretty solitary life and it's worked okay for him. He loves the mentoring he's been doing with up and coming vocal groups and with his next album getting ready to drop; he's already getting good buzz about the early release singles. When he attends a birthday party for one of the guys he's mentoring at a very gay bar in Hollywood, his life is changed forever when he meets Lucky Rain, a go-go dancer at the club.
Lucky would love to be man at the adorkable man that stood stunned in front of his stage and blocked the tippers, but there's something about him that makes Lucky feel good. When he winds up in a private party room with him things heat up a bit, but then life gets way out of hand when co-workers film them together.
I loved Michelin so much and despite everything he had to loose, I felt like he was pretty easy going about the whole situation. While frustrated that his sexual orientation was made public and became the subject of social media and other news sources when he wanted people to focus on his music he seemed to not let the whole out of control craziness get to him. There were times he made some crucial mistakes with Lucky, but part of that was on Lucky for being so prideful and stubborn. These were two very different men, from two very different walks of life yet they both seemed to appreciate their differences, bring out the best in each other and understand above all how important their profession was to them.
This was a very busy book with a lot happening from the start, but the romance and relationship between Lucky and Michelin was never lost. Through adversity, through their ups and downs they both grew, learned, and most of all realized that together they had hearth and home.
If you are looking for a feel good, emotional, sexy gay romance then look no further than Annabeth Albert's All Note Long; it is all of that and a whole lot more!
Review copy provided for an honest review.
I don't even know where to start with this review, but I will say I FREAKIN' LOVED this book. I've enjoyed this series, but this book had ups and downs and even some sideways and it made me feel so many things. What I do find amusing is the Northwest native author (you know home to grunge rock) is a big country music fan and this Texas gal native is so not, BUT I loved that she wrote about a popular country star getting pushed out of the closet and what ensued afterwards. This book, this couple take a really good look at being true to yourself, having the self respect to and guts to be yourself no matter the consequences and understanding that despite your years you are never too old to learn new things. All Note Long will have you laughing, crying, singing, and simply feeling good and most of all it will make you see that change can be a very, very good thing.
Country star Michelin Moses has been living a pretty solitary life and it's worked okay for him. He loves the mentoring he's been doing with up and coming vocal groups and with his next album getting ready to drop; he's already getting good buzz about the early release singles. When he attends a birthday party for one of the guys he's mentoring at a very gay bar in Hollywood, his life is changed forever when he meets Lucky Rain, a go-go dancer at the club.
Lucky would love to be man at the adorkable man that stood stunned in front of his stage and blocked the tippers, but there's something about him that makes Lucky feel good. When he winds up in a private party room with him things heat up a bit, but then life gets way out of hand when co-workers film them together.
I loved Michelin so much and despite everything he had to loose, I felt like he was pretty easy going about the whole situation. While frustrated that his sexual orientation was made public and became the subject of social media and other news sources when he wanted people to focus on his music he seemed to not let the whole out of control craziness get to him. There were times he made some crucial mistakes with Lucky, but part of that was on Lucky for being so prideful and stubborn. These were two very different men, from two very different walks of life yet they both seemed to appreciate their differences, bring out the best in each other and understand above all how important their profession was to them.
This was a very busy book with a lot happening from the start, but the romance and relationship between Lucky and Michelin was never lost. Through adversity, through their ups and downs they both grew, learned, and most of all realized that together they had hearth and home.
If you are looking for a feel good, emotional, sexy gay romance then look no further than Annabeth Albert's All Note Long; it is all of that and a whole lot more!
Review copy provided for an honest review.
July 10, 2016
Perfect Harmony, Book 3
Michelin was a large part of the first 2 books in this series, he was responsible for both previous couples getting their big break and has worked hard to give them a strong start in a fickle industry. It's obvious he's a good man and it's equally obvious there is something going on with him so I was looking forward to finding out what was going on.
Michelin is at a birthday party in a gay bar when he almost literally runs into Lucky, a go go dancer at the bar. He's intrigued but a series of misunderstandings leads to disaster and Michelin being outed very publicly and very much against his, and his record labels wishes.
Michelin is so deep in the closet, it's almost suffocating when you're in his head space. He is very much under the thumb of his record label and his publicist and pretty much just does whatever they tell him. Lucky is dragged along for the ride and, for me, Lucky saved this book from being utterly depressing.
It's only when he almost loses Lucky for good that Michelin finally gets a backbone and starts to take control of his own life. He stops being a doormat for the record label, accepts that he has a lot of support and admitting he's gay is not the end of the world or his career. He finally admits his feelings for Lucky, to Lucky and the rest of the world.
Overall, I enjoyed it but it was a bumpy ride.
*Received from NetGalley on exchange for an honest review
Michelin was a large part of the first 2 books in this series, he was responsible for both previous couples getting their big break and has worked hard to give them a strong start in a fickle industry. It's obvious he's a good man and it's equally obvious there is something going on with him so I was looking forward to finding out what was going on.
Michelin is at a birthday party in a gay bar when he almost literally runs into Lucky, a go go dancer at the bar. He's intrigued but a series of misunderstandings leads to disaster and Michelin being outed very publicly and very much against his, and his record labels wishes.
Michelin is so deep in the closet, it's almost suffocating when you're in his head space. He is very much under the thumb of his record label and his publicist and pretty much just does whatever they tell him. Lucky is dragged along for the ride and, for me, Lucky saved this book from being utterly depressing.
It's only when he almost loses Lucky for good that Michelin finally gets a backbone and starts to take control of his own life. He stops being a doormat for the record label, accepts that he has a lot of support and admitting he's gay is not the end of the world or his career. He finally admits his feelings for Lucky, to Lucky and the rest of the world.
Overall, I enjoyed it but it was a bumpy ride.
*Received from NetGalley on exchange for an honest review
June 9, 2016
I enjoyed this and I liked both Michelin and Lucky.
Michelin's social awkwardness was adorable, if slightly unbelievable for a singing sensation who used to be in a rock band...
I got frustrated with his doormat behaviour, he was content letting other people make all the decisions in his life for too long. However, when he finally stood up for himself I cheered along with everyone else!
The sex was seriously hot! Scorchio!!
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Michelin's social awkwardness was adorable, if slightly unbelievable for a singing sensation who used to be in a rock band...
I got frustrated with his doormat behaviour, he was content letting other people make all the decisions in his life for too long. However, when he finally stood up for himself I cheered along with everyone else!
The sex was seriously hot! Scorchio!!
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
July 2, 2017
M and Lucky. What is not to like?
They are both wonderful, talented, kind, loyal, sexy as hell heroes.
The work toward equity in this relationship is a joy to see as is M coming to terms with balancing his personality and being out as a famous person.
I love how Lucky recognizes M's needs and attends to them and how M comes to be a wonderful partner.
Albert writes this romance layer by lovely layer. We get every sexy, sweet, real and hopeful thing fro this love story.
They are both wonderful, talented, kind, loyal, sexy as hell heroes.
The work toward equity in this relationship is a joy to see as is M coming to terms with balancing his personality and being out as a famous person.
I love how Lucky recognizes M's needs and attends to them and how M comes to be a wonderful partner.
Albert writes this romance layer by lovely layer. We get every sexy, sweet, real and hopeful thing fro this love story.
June 7, 2016
3.5 stars
I'm still confused as to what black hole I fell through and what universe I ended up in, because this version of Michelin is as alien as a... well ALIEN. Just who is this version of Michelin and what has been done to him? It's possible that I formed the wrong impression about him based on the previous books, or maybe I had different expectations; one thing I didn't see coming is this scared, spineless, door-matt Michelin who allows others to control every single aspect of his private life.
Michelin Moses has left his rock-band past to follow his true calling: a career in country music. County music is his life, his one true passion; his stardom is still on the rise and he's not at the top of the charts yet, but his music tells a story and there's nothing people love more. Michelin is also closeted, miserable, and afraid to do anything that might reveal his sexuality and ruin his career. I understand that country music fans come mostly from the southern states where homophobia reigns, and I can definitely accept the need to keep private life private and away from public scrutiny. But to NEVER explore your sexuality with other men (one time as a teenager when rubbing off is as far as you made it doesn't exactly count) and become a 35(?) year-old man who's a virgin is.... unfathomable.
Lucky Ramirez is a hispanic hunk of sexy, a dancer whose career aspiration is to become a dancer in a Vegas show. Meanwhile Lucky is a go-go dancer who can twerk better than most women; one look at Lucky's sexy body and mesmerizing booty shaking and Michelin is a goner. Backstabbing co-workers and bad timing put Lucky and Michelin in the public eye and Michelin has no choice but to come out of the closet. Playing the happy couple isn't hard and it starts feeling more real as the days go by. Both Lucky and Michelin develop feelings for each other, but backlash from retailers and some conservative fans puts an end to their very public relationship. Lucky goes from being the very public fake boyfriend to the hidden/secretive real boyfriend and he knows he deserves better than that.
I struggled to connect with Michelin, I didn't understand his fear to stand up for himself (especially once he was out of the closet), and it seemed to me like he was slightly homophobic himself. Most of the COUNTRY was fighting for his rights and the discrimination against him, while he was content to let the few bigoted conservatives dictate his life. Nuh-uh! Grow a set of balls, dude! On the other hand, I loved Lucky; I loved his personality and his determination to not settle for being kept a secret. And I adored that he refused to change his career choice or his job just because it was an embarrassment to Michelin; Lucky was proud of himself and his hard work!
The only thing that made up for this boring and frustrating Michelin are the hot sex scenes. Michelin might be a virgin, but he's also discovering he's a very enthusiastic bottom and Lucky loves nothing more than to show him just how good sex can be when feelings are involved.
The last 15% of the book was pretty sweet and that was more like the Michelin I was expecting to see all along, but it came too late. We did get to see a little more of Trevor and Jalen, which I appreciate since they're my favorite couple, and the rest of the secondary characters are pretty diverse and fabulous, but there's something that didn't let this book shine. All Note Long is missing its spark.
I'm still confused as to what black hole I fell through and what universe I ended up in, because this version of Michelin is as alien as a... well ALIEN. Just who is this version of Michelin and what has been done to him? It's possible that I formed the wrong impression about him based on the previous books, or maybe I had different expectations; one thing I didn't see coming is this scared, spineless, door-matt Michelin who allows others to control every single aspect of his private life.
Michelin Moses has left his rock-band past to follow his true calling: a career in country music. County music is his life, his one true passion; his stardom is still on the rise and he's not at the top of the charts yet, but his music tells a story and there's nothing people love more. Michelin is also closeted, miserable, and afraid to do anything that might reveal his sexuality and ruin his career. I understand that country music fans come mostly from the southern states where homophobia reigns, and I can definitely accept the need to keep private life private and away from public scrutiny. But to NEVER explore your sexuality with other men (one time as a teenager when rubbing off is as far as you made it doesn't exactly count) and become a 35(?) year-old man who's a virgin is.... unfathomable.
Lucky Ramirez is a hispanic hunk of sexy, a dancer whose career aspiration is to become a dancer in a Vegas show. Meanwhile Lucky is a go-go dancer who can twerk better than most women; one look at Lucky's sexy body and mesmerizing booty shaking and Michelin is a goner. Backstabbing co-workers and bad timing put Lucky and Michelin in the public eye and Michelin has no choice but to come out of the closet. Playing the happy couple isn't hard and it starts feeling more real as the days go by. Both Lucky and Michelin develop feelings for each other, but backlash from retailers and some conservative fans puts an end to their very public relationship. Lucky goes from being the very public fake boyfriend to the hidden/secretive real boyfriend and he knows he deserves better than that.
I struggled to connect with Michelin, I didn't understand his fear to stand up for himself (especially once he was out of the closet), and it seemed to me like he was slightly homophobic himself. Most of the COUNTRY was fighting for his rights and the discrimination against him, while he was content to let the few bigoted conservatives dictate his life. Nuh-uh! Grow a set of balls, dude! On the other hand, I loved Lucky; I loved his personality and his determination to not settle for being kept a secret. And I adored that he refused to change his career choice or his job just because it was an embarrassment to Michelin; Lucky was proud of himself and his hard work!
The only thing that made up for this boring and frustrating Michelin are the hot sex scenes. Michelin might be a virgin, but he's also discovering he's a very enthusiastic bottom and Lucky loves nothing more than to show him just how good sex can be when feelings are involved.
The last 15% of the book was pretty sweet and that was more like the Michelin I was expecting to see all along, but it came too late. We did get to see a little more of Trevor and Jalen, which I appreciate since they're my favorite couple, and the rest of the secondary characters are pretty diverse and fabulous, but there's something that didn't let this book shine. All Note Long is missing its spark.
September 17, 2016
I have been a fan of Annabeth Albert's for a while now, she has a way of making her characters relatable and down to earth, and that is what I loved about Michelin. Michelin is a country music star but he keeps himself so grounded that you would never believe he is as big of a name as he is, and just to prove that point, when Michelin meets Lucky for the first time Lucky has no idea who he is. I enjoyed the shyness and a bit of insecurity that Michelin had when he was interacting with Lucky at the club where he works as a go-go dancer. The chemistry was great between the two and the fact that they were so different from the other made them work great together because they balanced one another out.
This is the third book in the Perfect Harmony Series but it can definitely be read as a standalone, which is what I did. I will go back and read the first to books when time permits, that being said I do not feel that I was lost at any part of the book, the only benefit that reading Treble Maker and Love Me Tenor prior to this one would be that you have some background on a few of the other characters in the story, but it does not take anything away for the story as a whole.
Spotify Playlist
***I have received this book from Annabeth Albert/Kensington Books through netgalley in exchange for my honest review*** https://www.netgalley.com/
This is the third book in the Perfect Harmony Series but it can definitely be read as a standalone, which is what I did. I will go back and read the first to books when time permits, that being said I do not feel that I was lost at any part of the book, the only benefit that reading Treble Maker and Love Me Tenor prior to this one would be that you have some background on a few of the other characters in the story, but it does not take anything away for the story as a whole.
Spotify Playlist
***I have received this book from Annabeth Albert/Kensington Books through netgalley in exchange for my honest review*** https://www.netgalley.com/
nope
June 13, 2021apparently Michelin is supposed to be demi, but this book fucks that up in the GD first scene. not normally experiencing attraction, but then feeling attraction at first sight to one special person, is not what being demi is!!
July 23, 2016
4.5 stars
Michelin Moses is a popular crossover country music star. He is quiet, reserved, and tries to keep a clean homegrown image. He is also known for being a judge, mentor, and support for new talent on reality shows and has made friends with some of the gay contestants. But he is generally lonely and does not have many attachments.
Lucky Rain is a vibrant outspoken, sexy, quick-witted, hispanic Go Go Dancer. He's out, proud, and does what he has to do to work towards his goals. He has a large, close family and big group of friends.
They meet in a gay club at a party for one of Michelin's proteges. After some completely awkward flirting and ogling of the private dancer, sparks fly. But one interaction and misunderstanding has huge consequences for both of them.
Michelin finds himself getting more attention that could impact his public image. He is at the mercy of the label's publicists and before they know it, Michelin and Lucky are thrown into an unexpected situation that is manufactured for publicity. Eventually their closeness and sexual tension become harder to deny. But is it all for show or is there a chance at it becoming more real?
Michelin and Lucky have many outside obstacles--public scrutiny and social media, homophobia in the country music industry, demands of the record label, and career differences. Personally, they also have fears, insecurities, are stubborn, and have a hard time being vulnerable. Michelin needs to protect his image and new record, but not every one is supportive of a gay singing cowboy. He just wants to sing and not be a pioneer for a cause. But in refusing to stand up and fight will he lose his chance at happiness?
I liked the differences in their personalities with Michelin being more reserved and Lucky more outgoing. They managed to balance and complement each other. They traded control at times. Michelin needed words, praise, and emotions. While Lucky craved touches and actions. Michelin could close himself off and adapt an easy-going and charming facade as a diversion, but his emotions and fears ran deep and kept him from grasping at what he really wanted. He was giving and sweet, and wanted to be loved, but was so scared of not being worthy and being labeled. Lucky was proud, stubborn, independent, and was determined not to be a kept man. But Lucky really just wanted Michelin to fight and claim him as his own. But everything about them was a risk and could have consequences.
This is really about Michelin's journey towards finding himself, being vulnerable, trusting, and being comfortable in his own skin. He never wanted to do anything but be a singer, but he found out he could both inspire people or anger them. He could be a bit frustrating at times because he took a passive approach in order to not make more waves in the industry and let others make decisions for him. But that was one of the major conflicts so I had to remember to just be patient and that some situations take more time to navigate. But all along I kept waiting for him to find his way and make his own stand.
It is also Lucky's story about living on his own terms, following his dreams, but letting go of pride in order to truly trust someone. He was bold and ready to take on the world, but had so much pride and would not beg for what he needed. I think the author did a good job developing the characters and their issues. Their chemistry was intense and their connection was easy to see even if they had a hard time admitting it. There was quite a bit of confusion and push-and-pull.
I did not read the first two books in this series, but I was easily able to read it as a stand-alone. But the couples from the first two books do make appearances. I enjoyed the dichotomy of the country music and dance club scenes. It was funny, sweet, passionate, and emotional. I liked the tweets in the beginning of each chapter highlighting negative and positive posts in social media surrounding this couple, as well as getting both of their points of view.
I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Michelin Moses is a popular crossover country music star. He is quiet, reserved, and tries to keep a clean homegrown image. He is also known for being a judge, mentor, and support for new talent on reality shows and has made friends with some of the gay contestants. But he is generally lonely and does not have many attachments.
Lucky Rain is a vibrant outspoken, sexy, quick-witted, hispanic Go Go Dancer. He's out, proud, and does what he has to do to work towards his goals. He has a large, close family and big group of friends.
They meet in a gay club at a party for one of Michelin's proteges. After some completely awkward flirting and ogling of the private dancer, sparks fly. But one interaction and misunderstanding has huge consequences for both of them.
Michelin finds himself getting more attention that could impact his public image. He is at the mercy of the label's publicists and before they know it, Michelin and Lucky are thrown into an unexpected situation that is manufactured for publicity. Eventually their closeness and sexual tension become harder to deny. But is it all for show or is there a chance at it becoming more real?
Michelin and Lucky have many outside obstacles--public scrutiny and social media, homophobia in the country music industry, demands of the record label, and career differences. Personally, they also have fears, insecurities, are stubborn, and have a hard time being vulnerable. Michelin needs to protect his image and new record, but not every one is supportive of a gay singing cowboy. He just wants to sing and not be a pioneer for a cause. But in refusing to stand up and fight will he lose his chance at happiness?
I liked the differences in their personalities with Michelin being more reserved and Lucky more outgoing. They managed to balance and complement each other. They traded control at times. Michelin needed words, praise, and emotions. While Lucky craved touches and actions. Michelin could close himself off and adapt an easy-going and charming facade as a diversion, but his emotions and fears ran deep and kept him from grasping at what he really wanted. He was giving and sweet, and wanted to be loved, but was so scared of not being worthy and being labeled. Lucky was proud, stubborn, independent, and was determined not to be a kept man. But Lucky really just wanted Michelin to fight and claim him as his own. But everything about them was a risk and could have consequences.
This is really about Michelin's journey towards finding himself, being vulnerable, trusting, and being comfortable in his own skin. He never wanted to do anything but be a singer, but he found out he could both inspire people or anger them. He could be a bit frustrating at times because he took a passive approach in order to not make more waves in the industry and let others make decisions for him. But that was one of the major conflicts so I had to remember to just be patient and that some situations take more time to navigate. But all along I kept waiting for him to find his way and make his own stand.
It is also Lucky's story about living on his own terms, following his dreams, but letting go of pride in order to truly trust someone. He was bold and ready to take on the world, but had so much pride and would not beg for what he needed. I think the author did a good job developing the characters and their issues. Their chemistry was intense and their connection was easy to see even if they had a hard time admitting it. There was quite a bit of confusion and push-and-pull.
I did not read the first two books in this series, but I was easily able to read it as a stand-alone. But the couples from the first two books do make appearances. I enjoyed the dichotomy of the country music and dance club scenes. It was funny, sweet, passionate, and emotional. I liked the tweets in the beginning of each chapter highlighting negative and positive posts in social media surrounding this couple, as well as getting both of their points of view.
I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.
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