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Impressions #3
Opposing Rhythms
Impressions are made, whether it’s that first glimpse, a random encounter, things you have heard about someone without first meeting them, or any number of things. They all lead to an impression, that first and immediate perception of mind or sensation each person has about another.
You form an unconscious impression, based on your visceral reaction. Many times our reactions and the way we interact is due to how our impressions are coloured.
Yet… What goes beyond that impression? What happens when you move beyond it and delve into the deeper reality of who a person is?
Impressions explores the lives of men in the fictional town of Hollisville, California. The complexities, sexuality, and love they find there. Take a journey to explore and unveil the layers that reside behind…Impressions.
Book three in the Impressions Series
When a man who makes interesting objects from the CDs of a musician he cannot abide the rhythm of meets him—the sparks are going to fly.
Niall Hilton cringes whenever he hears music from a group that used to be his favourite until after their second album. In his opinion Roarke McBride—the band’s lead singer and songwriter—is to blame for the loss of rhythm that had made the band great. When a friend brings the singer into his home Niall is irritated by the intrusion and lets Roarke know his opinion on his music. The singer surprises him with a performance of his latest hits, which to Niall’s shock he actually enjoys. He’s stumped as to why. Although Niall plans not to see Roarke again, the musician is determined to change his mind. As he gets to know him, Niall is drawn beyond the persona of Roarke the superstar to the man—who is interesting and aggravating.
Roarke McBride is used to some people not enjoying his music and is usually able to shrug it off. Niall’s creations from his CD’s make him laugh thinking it’s a trick until Niall opens his mouth and insults him. Instead of taking it in stride as his norm Roarke is furious, at first. By the next day his thoughts are clear—Niall might hate his music but Roarke is determined to make the stunning man his. Niall was snarky, rude and blunt but as he gets to know him Roarke sees he would stand by his side and weather anything with him. In order for Niall and he to meld they will need to combine their...opposing rhythms.
Talia Carmichael is a romantic who believes that family, no matter if it is by blood or those you choose as family, is integral to who you are. She is an author who writes sexy stories in a variety of genres. She believes in creating stories that encompass all that falling in love or lust entails, from the highs of that first blush of attraction to the lows of not knowing if you can make your coming together as a couple work, and then finally to the acceptance of the reality of making a life together. It's all about the journey.
Among her books you'll find contemporary, futuristic, fantasy, and paranormal settings with M/M and ménage themes that will have a happily-ever-after. Her books are passionate, intense, and real…to fill the craving.
You form an unconscious impression, based on your visceral reaction. Many times our reactions and the way we interact is due to how our impressions are coloured.
Yet… What goes beyond that impression? What happens when you move beyond it and delve into the deeper reality of who a person is?
Impressions explores the lives of men in the fictional town of Hollisville, California. The complexities, sexuality, and love they find there. Take a journey to explore and unveil the layers that reside behind…Impressions.
Book three in the Impressions Series
When a man who makes interesting objects from the CDs of a musician he cannot abide the rhythm of meets him—the sparks are going to fly.
Niall Hilton cringes whenever he hears music from a group that used to be his favourite until after their second album. In his opinion Roarke McBride—the band’s lead singer and songwriter—is to blame for the loss of rhythm that had made the band great. When a friend brings the singer into his home Niall is irritated by the intrusion and lets Roarke know his opinion on his music. The singer surprises him with a performance of his latest hits, which to Niall’s shock he actually enjoys. He’s stumped as to why. Although Niall plans not to see Roarke again, the musician is determined to change his mind. As he gets to know him, Niall is drawn beyond the persona of Roarke the superstar to the man—who is interesting and aggravating.
Roarke McBride is used to some people not enjoying his music and is usually able to shrug it off. Niall’s creations from his CD’s make him laugh thinking it’s a trick until Niall opens his mouth and insults him. Instead of taking it in stride as his norm Roarke is furious, at first. By the next day his thoughts are clear—Niall might hate his music but Roarke is determined to make the stunning man his. Niall was snarky, rude and blunt but as he gets to know him Roarke sees he would stand by his side and weather anything with him. In order for Niall and he to meld they will need to combine their...opposing rhythms.
Talia Carmichael is a romantic who believes that family, no matter if it is by blood or those you choose as family, is integral to who you are. She is an author who writes sexy stories in a variety of genres. She believes in creating stories that encompass all that falling in love or lust entails, from the highs of that first blush of attraction to the lows of not knowing if you can make your coming together as a couple work, and then finally to the acceptance of the reality of making a life together. It's all about the journey.
Among her books you'll find contemporary, futuristic, fantasy, and paranormal settings with M/M and ménage themes that will have a happily-ever-after. Her books are passionate, intense, and real…to fill the craving.
100 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 16, 2012
7 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Talia Carmichael
60 books192 followersTalia Carmichael is a romantic who believes that family, no matter if it is by blood or those you choose as family, is integral to who you are. She is an author who writes sexy stories in a variety of genres. She believes in creating stories that encompass all that falling in love or lust entails, from the highs of that first blush of attraction to the lows of not knowing if you can make your coming together as a couple work, and then finally to the acceptance of the reality of making a life together. It's all about the journey.
Among her books you'll find contemporary, futuristic, fantasy, and paranormal settings with M/M themes that will have a happily-ever-after. Her books are passionate, intense, and real...to fill the craving.
Among her books you'll find contemporary, futuristic, fantasy, and paranormal settings with M/M themes that will have a happily-ever-after. Her books are passionate, intense, and real...to fill the craving.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 13, 2015
I finally managed to struggle the rest of the way through this one, although it was a close call. I'm not sure that I've ever read a book with such horrendously unlikable characters before. It was a relief to get to the end and put this one behind me.
January 15, 2020
It seems to be a cruel twist of fate when Niall Hilton discovers that the new neighbor he's attracted to is Roarke McBride, the one man Niall purports to despise. Even more intolerable is the fact that Roarke is attracted to him and instead of taking the insults Niall directs at him to heart, he decides to 'kill him with kindness' and persistence. Niall really wants to continue to dislike him, but with Roarke being as nice to him as he is, his resistance begins to weaken.
Roarke McBride is an interesting fellow. He's tired of all the razzle-dazzle of the music business and is ready to settle down; but his profession is making that difficult. When he first meets Niall, they don't know who each other is, so things are amicable and look hopeful. The fireworks begin when Niall learns that Roarke is the musician he despises and absolutely refuses to be civil to him. Roarke takes this as a challenge and is nothing but generous and polite. Fortunately, Roarke is as persistent as Niall is caustic. Niall has seemingly met his match. I loved his campaign to win Niall over, especially the way he surreptitiously draws Niall into his family. He's a bit presumptuous, but with Niall, it's the right approach. I especially loved that Roarke expresses happiness by baking for his family and friends.
Niall is one of the most interesting, intelligent, handsome, but difficult characters Talia has ever invented. If I had not have read the first two books in the series, I would have seen him only in a bad light, because his people skills leave a lot to be desired. But since I knew his background and how he got to where he was in this story, he's kind of like one of those people that you like in spite of his outward inhospitably. Even though he's downright rude, he's also brutally honest. He's like so many gifted people, complex, the good mixed in with the bad, balancing each other out. Niall is unique and has his own reasons for doing what he does. He has to come to his own conclusions and when he does, he follows through with them and he so loves being outrageous, regardless of the situation. No one else may understand his way of thinking, but at least he's honest.
'Opposing Rhythms' is a good story with unique characters with big personalities. There's a lot of tension and angst, but there are also some good times and strong family values. It's almost impossible not to get caught up in the spirit of things. Niall and Roarke's relationship is not a fairy tale by any means. It's a complex dance of wills, sometimes a cacophonous, sometimes rhythmic, but everyone knows that each love affair creates a harmony all its own. I recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a love story which is not love at first sight, one which needs a lot of work to achieve a successful outcome. Thanks, Talia, for a satisfyingly different love story.
NOTE: The first edition of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Roarke McBride is an interesting fellow. He's tired of all the razzle-dazzle of the music business and is ready to settle down; but his profession is making that difficult. When he first meets Niall, they don't know who each other is, so things are amicable and look hopeful. The fireworks begin when Niall learns that Roarke is the musician he despises and absolutely refuses to be civil to him. Roarke takes this as a challenge and is nothing but generous and polite. Fortunately, Roarke is as persistent as Niall is caustic. Niall has seemingly met his match. I loved his campaign to win Niall over, especially the way he surreptitiously draws Niall into his family. He's a bit presumptuous, but with Niall, it's the right approach. I especially loved that Roarke expresses happiness by baking for his family and friends.
Niall is one of the most interesting, intelligent, handsome, but difficult characters Talia has ever invented. If I had not have read the first two books in the series, I would have seen him only in a bad light, because his people skills leave a lot to be desired. But since I knew his background and how he got to where he was in this story, he's kind of like one of those people that you like in spite of his outward inhospitably. Even though he's downright rude, he's also brutally honest. He's like so many gifted people, complex, the good mixed in with the bad, balancing each other out. Niall is unique and has his own reasons for doing what he does. He has to come to his own conclusions and when he does, he follows through with them and he so loves being outrageous, regardless of the situation. No one else may understand his way of thinking, but at least he's honest.
'Opposing Rhythms' is a good story with unique characters with big personalities. There's a lot of tension and angst, but there are also some good times and strong family values. It's almost impossible not to get caught up in the spirit of things. Niall and Roarke's relationship is not a fairy tale by any means. It's a complex dance of wills, sometimes a cacophonous, sometimes rhythmic, but everyone knows that each love affair creates a harmony all its own. I recommend this story to anyone who enjoys a love story which is not love at first sight, one which needs a lot of work to achieve a successful outcome. Thanks, Talia, for a satisfyingly different love story.
NOTE: The first edition of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
January 20, 2013
I just have to say I loved Niall in the first book. The thing he does with Roarke's CD's has me chucking. I like the evil laugh kind of air he gets when he turns the CD's into different objects. That was just something I really wanted to see a lot more of.
The fact Niall and Roarke are the couple in this book made me fall in love with it before I read it. I just loved their dynamic and the way they fell in love. I would have love to have read more about when Niall still hated Roarke. But I thought this book was really well composed.
I really highly recommend this series. I had a good laugh at the second and this one. So I hope there will be more to come and more laughs as they are released. :)
The fact Niall and Roarke are the couple in this book made me fall in love with it before I read it. I just loved their dynamic and the way they fell in love. I would have love to have read more about when Niall still hated Roarke. But I thought this book was really well composed.
I really highly recommend this series. I had a good laugh at the second and this one. So I hope there will be more to come and more laughs as they are released. :)
July 17, 2012
This story was enjoyable enough, but I couldn't connect with the main characters. Gosh, Niall Hilton is a terrible unpleasant character. Roarke was cool. The romance between them wasn't pulling, at least not for me.
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January 24, 2023This book, like the second in the series, is not as good as the first. The characters are good - rock star Roarke and genius businessman Niall, but the story lacks realism eg. The whole extended family watching their first meeting on CCTV!
January 6, 2014
I have to say how much I loved Niall and his snarky attitude, great character!! And I truly liked that the author had his love life be with the one person he hated so much. This was such a funny story and as usual the sex was awesome!
August 8, 2012
I'm giving it 5 stars because I loved Roarke baking bread everytime he's happy :))
The story was as good as I imagined it would be.
The story was as good as I imagined it would be.
July 26, 2012
Niall's snark and Roarke's acceptance of Niall's opinion of his music makes for a very entertaining and amusing read.
December 30, 2012
A 2-3 read. Enjoyed this one the most out of the three. It was the snarky artwork that did it for me. Such a surprise.
May 18, 2016
Niall improved considerably as the book progressed but was too much like a three year old having a temper tantrum in the beginning.
April 13, 2014
3.5 stars
January 9, 2013
Not my favourite in the seies...
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews