I was so excited when Salvo revealed there were two more books in this series. What I didn’t realize is that it wasn’t a series, it was a trilogy and that it was the continuation of Jason and Tae Hyun’s story rather than a traditional MM Romance series with new protagonists.
Now don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against a trilogy, but when you’re mentally prepared for a more traditional series and that’s not what you get, it knocks the wind out of your sails—as can be seen by my 20 day read time. This book would probably have taken me 2-3 days at most if it weren’t a continuation of the story.
Idol Moves is the continuation of Jason and Tae Hyun as they’re relationship grows after the events of Idol Minds. This novel is less romance and more action packed thriller. Sure there are moments of squeal-inducing adorableness, but the bulk of the novel seems more about who is trying to keep Tae Hyun from becoming the successful independent solo artist he knows he can be.
The most powerful scenes in the novel were after Jason and Tae Hyun had fought (more often about something stupid) and were learning to navigate being together in a conservative society and as public figures. They just felt the most delicate and consequential. The biggest was after the climax of the novel when they found each other again. Salvo’s writing was so raw that it felt like spying on them reading those passages.
Honestly, the book I want from Salvo is Naomi’s. She’s a badass and I just want to know her whole story 😀 That being said there were moments of levity and humor I really appreciated:
Raven laughed as she tried grabbing one of Jason’s biceps. ‘You could do a lot worse than with this bomb-ass beefcake at your back, baby.’
Tae Hyun grinned as he recalled how Jason had literally been at his back several times recently. ‘Actually, we take turns being in the back.’
Raven’s well-shaped brows briefly shot up before she barked out a laugh so loud she almost choked.
‘Oh shit,’ she called out, playfully smacking Tae Hyun’s arm.
‘You’re all right, Tae Hyun.’ Then she wrapped her free arm around his shoulder and pulled him close.
‘I see J finally met his match.’ (66)
Recommendation: Overall, the book was fine. It wasn’t what I was expecting so it took me a lot longer to read than it probably would have if I knew what it was going into this one. Salvo did a great job with the main storyline, which was more thriller than romance, and they definitely beefed up the minor characters giving more depth and variety to the novel. I wasn’t happy with the cliffhanger, but since I figured the third book would be part of the trilogy, it wasn’t totally unexpected.
Opening Line: “Once more from the top!”
Closing Line: “You’re father never changed his will. He left you everything.” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)
Additional Quotes from Idol Moves
“Naomi remained silent for long enough that Jason thought the call had dropped. ‘Jason.’ Her ability to pack an entire scolding’s worth of impact into a single word was always impressive, even if it never worked.” (47)
And I’m done with the series—or at least done with what I’m planning to read.
Yes—I accidentally read these out of order. I didn’t realize Winging It was the first in the series and only figured it out 1/3 of the way through Scoring Position so of course I immediately had to download the first and start it right after.
In general, Annabeth Albert can do nothing wrong. She’s explored some kinks that weren’t exactly for me, and she’s written a few books that were meh overall, but every one of them contains well written character written romances and this one was no different. Winning Bracket was a bit of your standard nerd/jock trope added in with a bit of friendly competition and long suppressed feelings for each other.
I have had this book on my radar for as long as I can remember. Definitely long before the 2017 adaptation (which I still need to watch), but I’m not sure when or how I heard of it. I’m sure it was back in the early 2010s not long after it was originally written, and I was desperate to find LGBT love stories. What a world we’re in now where there’s a plethora of all genres and all tastes!