Charisma Check (Table Topped #2) by Alex Silver

Amazon Link   - Available in KU  

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Gui’s the best friend I ever had. I love him like a brother, too bad I’m falling for his little brother.

Jude is a walking talking temptation, everything I never let myself want. He’s sweet as chocolate, wickedly funny, and he gets me. The sex, well, it’s worth a repeat and that’s something I never do.

When he visited Gui, I thought I could settle for a one night stand, but then Jude moves to my city to work at my studio. Gui gets him to join my gaming group and suddenly he’s all I see. Now Jude’s looking at me with hearts in his eyes and I’m terrified that I’m going to break his heart.

Charisma Check is the second M/M romance in the Table Topped series. It features Jude, a hopeless romantic with diabetes who makes animation and Theo, a commitment-phobic trans man with depression who runs tabletop games for his friends.

CW: for severe depression, gender dysphoria, mention of past suicidality, surgical recovery, injection medications/needles (insulin dependent diabetes)

My Rating - 4.5 Stars!

Charisma Check is the second book in the Table Topped series by Alex Silver. It's easily read as a standalone. I was immediately drawn into this story.

This is a best friend's brother's romance, as Theo is attracted to his best friend's younger brother Jude. 

I appreciate the layers of these characters. Theo's a trans man and I love the way his packer issues and sexual experiences are handled. It's nothing heavy, but well representative of his needs and gender dysphoria. All of this is written in a fabulous manner, with knowledge and care. I appreciate it all.

A large part of their tale is the conflict of Theo's intentions. He's always been one who can't commit, but he finds himself not wanting anyone else either. His backstory is well explored, with his fear and pain well explored. I love it. 

As for Jude, he's a diabetic who issues with his health are well illustrated. I appreciate the way the author not only has the character talk about it, but also shows the steps he needs to take when dealing with his health. It's extremely well written. 

I expected this book to be super short like Roll For Initiative, but this one is much longer, at 178 pages. Thus it's much more detailed and the author has a chance to add a lot of depth to the story, which is great.

As with the first book, there's plenty of gaming conversations, which again bored the hell out of me, but it's easy enough to skim over those parts.

This is a story of two men who fight their feelings along the way. Two men who are terrified of being vulnerable and letting themselves fall in love. Two men who can't stop themselves from opening their hearts and letting the other in. 

In the end, I love Charisma Check. Alex Silver delivers with an emotional and deep read. This tale of two men who have had relationship issues in the past, finding love and strength with one another, is beautiful. 

Roll for Initiative (Table Topped #1) by Alex Silver

Amazon Link   - Available in KU  

Goodreads Link

If I discover one more passive aggressive sticky note detailing all the ways I’ve annoyed Paz today, I’m going to scream.

When Paz moved in, I thought I’d rolled a critical success in the roommate lottery. He’s just my type, into guys, and he works at my favorite cafe making the most heavenly chocolate confections I’ve ever tasted. Then the notes start, criticizing everything I do. Before I know it, he’s making my blood boil, and not in a sexy fun way.

With the holidays coming we’re both dealing with work stress, but at the rate we’re going I might just be the grinch who ruins Christmas by telling him to find another place to live.

Roll for Initiative is the first book in the Table Topped contemporary romance series featuring a group of tabletop RPG players who make video games for a living. M/M romance with a HEA, roommates to lovers, enemies to lovers.

My Rating - 3.5 Stars!

Roll for Initiative is the first book in the Table Topped series by Alex Silver.

Gui and Paz are new roommates who go from enemies to lovers in a short time. Some bickering and passive aggressive notes lead to some hot hate sex. I was totally turned off by this at first, but it's sweet in the end. It's cute how upset their jealousy and misunderstandings had them. And it's fun the way that having sex dropped their walls and had them treating one another with some respect. 

The pace at which they go from enemies to sharing a bed every night it definitely a weird thing, but who really cares I guess.

As for the gamer aspect, that's something that bores the hell out of me. I have no knowledge of gaming, so the details don't interest me. Luckily there isn't much of this, but starting the book with this scene had me not sure if I wanted to keep reading.

The writing is sharp and quick witted. The dialogue is well done and the pace is fast. Basically, it's 79 pages of a cute romance. 

Roll for Initiative is a short, quick roommates romance. There isn't much to this Alex Silver read, but it's good when you're in the mood for sweet and sugary.  

Take A Chance by N. Casey

Amazon Link

Goodreads Link

Blurb

A hot, thrilling night of fun. That's all it was supposed to be.
...Until he becomes my new PA.

Jon:
That was it. One steamy night before he headed home and I went back to my ordinary life. We would never see each other again. That was until I interviewed for a PA position. My dream job at the perfect company. When I left the interview and saw him, I felt my knees give way. Alex Kale, the lover who shared my one climatic night, never to be repeated.
But I needed this job; it was all I’d ever dreamt of. And I could pull it off without being distracted, couldn’t I?

Alex:
I thought I was doing the right thing by giving Jon the job. By having him alongside me every work day. I was wrong.
I thought too that I could work with him without having to face my dirty desires. I was so damn wrong about that, too.
The sizzling chemistry, those eyes …how could I resist?

So I succumbed. And when our lips connected, all I wanted was more…

*This is a short & sweet gay office romance with an HEA. 



REVIEW
My Rating - 4 stars

Take a Chance is a short, sweet romance.

After a one-night stand, Alex and John end up working together, creating an awkward situation for both men.  They have a tough time holding off their attraction, and things become even more awkward.

If they want to end up together, they need to figure out their feelings, learn to separate work from their relationship, and ascertain how to navigate their situation.

N Casey does a good job with this 2nd chance romance. It is a quick read, with some conflicts and some strong attraction.