Book 823: All Note Long (Perfect Harmony #3) – Annabeth Albert

What a nice end to this trilogy and you could really tell how much Albert improved as an author just across these three books! I really liked the reality TV/musician angle of the books and am glad I finally read them.

All Note Long takes a character we’re familiar with, Michelin, the producer/mentor of both groups from Treble Maker and Love Me Tenor, and gives him the microphone. But what few people know outside of his immediate friends and staff that need to know is that Michelin is closeted and wants to come out. The story really kicks off when he meets Lucky, a go-go dancer  of Argentine descent at a gay night club and is immediately drawn to him. They kiss, someone films it, and shit hits the fan.

I liked the way Albert approached this and honestly, I assumed Michelin was Black because I kept thinking of Darius Rucker a rock-country cross over singer. The cover art let me know pretty quickly that it wasn’t Darius and I just laughed and moved forward. (Add in what felt like a similar journey The Chicks had to face when everyone started boycotting them and I was here for his country music journey.)

‘The wrong side of four a.m. and I are tight.’ Michelin laughed. Who the fuck lied about being an insomniac? How would that help get in a guy’s pants . . . Oh wait. It had been so many years that Michelin’s game had gray hairs and a cane, and he had a dozen good reasons not to open his mouth, starting with the one labeled “Gloria,” but he still said, ‘You want to get a bite to eat after you get off work? Thought I spied an all-night diner a couple of blocks over.’ (28)

The big trope of the novel was the fake boyfriend, which yes please! There’s actually not too much drama in the novel overall, a couple of forced instances i.e. when the photos drop on the gossip blogs or when Michelin keeps trying to find a way to make Lucky stop dancing by offering him a job. Michelin just doesn’t get that 1) he’s not a stripper; 2) dance is a career for him; and 3) no matter what he says or how he says it Michelin is going to put his foot in it.

I enjoyed the couple of moments we got to revisit with the characters form other books and how they supported Michelin on social media. And in addition, there were so many great additional minor characters it really helped round out the novel.

Recommendation: Although this trilogy isn’t as great as some of her more recent works. You really do get a great idea of the writer Albert has become. There’s humor, slow burning sex scenes, and incredibly well written characters. I’m glad I read them but don’t have a burning desire to revisit them in the future like I do with some of Albert’s other series.

Opening Line: “Michelin Moses had no business at a gay bar, especially not one as notorious as West Hollywood’s The Broom Closet.”

Closing Line: “As it turned out, a scrawny kid named Clyde with nothing more than a guitar and big dreams had gone out and gotten Lucky.” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)