Scan barcode
A review by eemms
Reverb by Anna Zabo
4.0
Maybe more of a 3, but I'm rounding up for how queer it is.
Once I got over thinking about this as a romance novel, I enjoyed reading about this queer found family famous rock band. As a romance novel (especially a bodyguard trope!) the pacing is unexpected? bad? The main couple pair up pretty quickly, and there's a big angst thing toward the end, but the actual progression/tension/plot of the novel is all carried along by a completely external issue. It's not what I want from bodyguard tropes (I want SO MUCH PINING because you ~aren't supposed to be together~) but for what it was, it was enjoyable!
I liked that it was sort of aspirationally easy to be queer in this world. The band is visibly super queer and still bonkers famous. The bodyguard MC in this book is a trans man, and while there's some passing mentions that he had some hard times (DADT during his army days, e.g.), it's not dwelt on and this is about the farthest thing from misery porn you can get. None of the conflict in the book comes from being queer; everyone is pretty comfortable with themselves and enjoying each other.
I haven't read books 1 & 2 (yet) but this worked fine as a stand alone (I'm excited to read book 1 though - allosexual aro in a long term monogamous marriage! never thought I'd see that in a romance novel and I need it).
Once I got over thinking about this as a romance novel, I enjoyed reading about this queer found family famous rock band. As a romance novel (especially a bodyguard trope!) the pacing is unexpected? bad? The main couple pair up pretty quickly, and there's a big angst thing toward the end, but the actual progression/tension/plot of the novel is all carried along by a completely external issue. It's not what I want from bodyguard tropes (I want SO MUCH PINING because you ~aren't supposed to be together~) but for what it was, it was enjoyable!
I liked that it was sort of aspirationally easy to be queer in this world. The band is visibly super queer and still bonkers famous. The bodyguard MC in this book is a trans man, and while there's some passing mentions that he had some hard times (DADT during his army days, e.g.), it's not dwelt on and this is about the farthest thing from misery porn you can get. None of the conflict in the book comes from being queer; everyone is pretty comfortable with themselves and enjoying each other.
I haven't read books 1 & 2 (yet) but this worked fine as a stand alone (I'm excited to read book 1 though - allosexual aro in a long term monogamous marriage! never thought I'd see that in a romance novel and I need it).