magnetismRating: 2.5 stars
Buy Links: 
 Amazon | All Romance
Length: Novel


Taggart Monroe is confused by his attraction to Rhodes Winslow. The security expert annoys Taggart to no end, but there is something about him that Taggart wants more of. Rhodes enjoys nothing better than getting Taggart riled up for no other reason than to poke the bear, until he realizes the enjoyment he gets from picking on the police captain has gradually turned into attraction.

When the spark of attraction ignites between both men, there is no turning back. Deciding to take it slow and get to know each other better, Taggart and Rhodes build a solid relationship, doing their best to ignore secrets both are obviously keeping from one another – namely their mysterious pasts.

When Rhodes is accused of attempted murder by a dirty cop, Taggart must help Rhodes prove his innocence and then find the missing link in the case so the dirty cop has no way of escaping the many charges brought against him. Hopefully Taggart can do it while keeping Rhodes safe and his and his unit’s lives intact.

Magnetism is the seventh book in the Something in Common series by Talia Carmichael. And to say that these characters have “something in common” is putting it mildly. Taggart and Rhodes are practically the same person. They are both strong, snarky, sarcastic, men with pretty much the same personality. They both have covert backgrounds in either the military or spy-life. Frankly, for men with such interesting backgrounds and dangerous jobs, they’re so dull. I really wasn’t feeling them as individual characters or as a couple. I felt no chemistry either way. And frankly, they were both annoying most of the time. They are very competitive and argue like children over the pettiest things (i.e. who is more uptight, whose coffee is better, etc.). So, yeah, more than anything, they’re annoying.

Second, the writing doesn’t flow as smoothly as I like, especially the dialogue. I was most disappointed with the dialogue. When it’s not forced and awkward, it’s cheesy. And there’s a whole conversation in there about Skype, which felt like more of an advertisement than actual conversation. Also there’s not a lot of transition between scenes; it feels a little disjointed. And honestly, the first three chapters are just plain boring, and there are only eight chapters. There’s a lot of info given, but most of it is the main characters’ everyday routine, their family background, and some glimpses into their growing relationship, although a lot of time and relationship-building is skipped over. It’s just disappointing all around.

The plot is just okay. I’m not impressed with the everyday, ho-hum life that the two main characters portrayed. It didn’t hold my interest. The best thing about this book, and what gave this book a little saving grace was the crime drama portion, the little bit of mystery. I wish this book would have contained more of that and less of everything else. That part was interesting and, at times, exciting. But the romance fell flat for me.

So, I really am not all that impressed with this installment of the Something in Common series. The series itself isn’t that consistent, some books good and others less so. This is one that is less so. I’ve read all of the books to this point, and there are some characters that I absolutely adore. That’s what keeps me coming back to this series and hoping for another good story. So, until next time…

Cover: The characters on the cover appear to be younger than what I believe Rhodes and Taggart to be, and much happier. Neither of the main characters tend to be smiley, happy men. I do like the cover. I just don’t think it fits this book.

crissy sig