Pre-Release Review: Charisma Check by Katherine McIntyre

21 May of 2023 by ButtonsMom2003

Charisma Check By Katherine McIntyre

Genre: Romantic Suspense, GLBTQ, MM

Tropes: Found Family

Releases: May 23, 2023

Publisher: Self-Published

Series: Dungeons and Dating, Book 6

Length: 323 pages

Cover Design: Cate Ashwood

Synopsis

Never fall for the straight guy—Jasper knows better. At least until his straight guy crush starts crushing back…

Jasper Tanaka has made an art form out of avoiding commitment. Which is why his crush on a nearby café owner, Matt, has been perfect—the guy is straight, vanilla, and far too sweet—everything that puts him out of Jasper’s reach.

Matt Reed’s always been unlucky in love, never enough for his partners. And when his most recent girlfriend dumps him, he decides to take a chance on something new—a rope class. Lucky for him, Jasper’s there, and their time together sparks an attraction that both surprises and captivates Matt.

When a developer’s offer threatens to shut Tabletop Tavern down, Jasper’s grasping for any distraction possible—and Matt offers the perfect one. Except the intense feelings between become far too real, and if Matt decides this was just a curiosity, Jasper won’t survive the loss of the one guy he’s let in and the only home he’s ever known.

Roll the dice on romance at Tabletop Tavern…

Charisma Check is an M/M bi-awakening + friends to lovers romance that reads as a standalone. (Warning: might include shibari and copious amounts of rope)

Teaser Graphic

Review

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

I loved Jasper and Matt’s story.

Charisma Check is the sixth book in the Dungeons and Dating series but I believe it works well as a standalone. I haven’t read all of the books in this series and I didn’t feel lost while reading it. I do think, however, that you would probably enjoy it even more if you read the series in order as characters from previous books appear frequently in this one.

Both Matt and Jasper have good reasons to protect their hearts. Jasper has been smitten with Matt for a couple of years. He thinks his crush is safe because Matt is straight. Matt doesn’t exactly understand what he feels for Jasper but he knows it’s something powerful and he also knows he isn’t as straight as he’s always thought.

This story grabbed me and didn’t let go. When Table Top Tavern is in danger of closing due to a homophobic developer trying to buy the building from their landlord, Jasper feels his dream coming to an end. One thing keeping him from completely going under is his arrangement with Matt. They were paired in a shibari class and that eventually led Matt to realize he’s not as straight as he always thought and they begin hooking up.

Table Top Tavern provides a safe place for queer people to gather and the workers and regular customers have become the kind of supportive family that Jasper has always wanted but didn’t get from his homophobic parents.

The writing truly allowed me to feel the connection between Jasper and Matt. When things got tense between them my heart was breaking. I think the way that Katherine McIntyre solved the problem for Table Top Tavern was perfect. Maybe I should have seen it coming but I didn’t and that made it all the sweeter.

♥♥♥♥♥

O Factor: Scorcher

Dungeons and Dating Series

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About Author

Katherine McIntyre

Katherine McIntyre is a feisty chick with a big attitude despite her short stature. She writes stories featuring snarky women, ragtag crews, and men with bad attitudes—high chance for a passionate speech thrown into the mix. As an eternal geek and tomboy who’s always stepped to her own beat, she’s made it her mission to write stories that represent the broad spectrum of people out there. Easily distracted by cats and sugar.

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Review copy kindly provided by the author.