The first
time Logan ever saw Charlotte, she was staring up into the rain.
Logan is
searching for direction when his new roommate makes that entrance. With a body
of pure sin, giant bright eyes, and the voice of an angel, she has his
attention immediately. But everything about Charlotte is also screaming
"hands off."
Charlotte is
hiding. She made a life of pretending, and she is happy to keep it that way.
Physically and emotionally scarred by the secrets of her past, the last thing
she needs is a gorgeous roommate asking all the wrong questions. Their mutual
attraction and devotion to music may be too strong to keep him at arms length,
though.
Can they find
a way to resolve the dissonance between them?
“Dance with
me,” he repeated.
I nearly
dropped when he asked. Even following him through the crowd, I was unsure if it
was a good idea to dance with someone who turned my heart into a jackhammer.
But, with my hand secured in his and determination radiating off of him, there
was no going back.
When we made
it onto the dance floor, the crowd had thickened and Eli and Alex were no
longer in our sights. A stranger bumped into me, sending me staggering backward
a few steps and tugging my hand free from Logan’s. He was on me again almost
instantaneously, pulling me to his chest to steady me. I looked up at him,
breathless from the proximity of our bodies, feeling his toned chest and
abdomen beneath his t-shirt. They were even more alluring pressed against me
than they had been that afternoon in the living room.
“You okay?”
he asked, leaning in close so that I could hear. Chills shot down my exposed
arms and neck from the warmth of his breath. I couldn’t form words. I could only
nod and try to keep my face from looking like a deer about to be struck by an
18-wheeler.
Pulling back
just enough so that he could see my face, he smiled. It was the same knowing
smile that I’d seen from him before, the one that seemed at once charming and
almost disgustingly cocky. If there was one thing I did not want, it was for
the arrogant man with his arms around me to know the effect he was having on
me. Silently coaching myself, I regulated my breathing and turned around. With
my back pressed against his front, I began to move to the pulsing rhythm
echoing through the club.
If Logan was
at all surprised by my sudden command of the situation, he managed to not let
on. His hands immediately went to my hips and pulled me tightly against him.
Even once I was pressed so close that I could feel every muscle of his toned
core move and flex behind me, the pressure of his fingertips against my
gyrating hips did not let up. He was holding me there, giving me no room to
pull myself away.
There was no
need to hold me. When Logan began to move, his pelvis rocking sensually against
my backside, I was so enthralled that I doubt I could have gotten my body to
pull away from his. I never would have expected Logan to be able to dance the
way he did, with a sensual power over me that was far more intoxicating than
the rum we’d been shooting.
Song after
song bled together but neither of us made any move to pull away. The thought
never even crossed my mind until the music slowed. The constant pressure of his
hands had never let up – although it had traveled around the curves of my hips
and waist – until that moment. When those deft hands slackened their grip, I
assumed he wanted to stop, so I started to pull away.
I was wrong.
He caught my
hand and turned me back to face him. I expected to see the same arrogantly
dashing smile, but instead his face looked serious and pleading. I allowed him
to pull me into his arms again. I placed my right hand against his chest, which
was overly warm, and I felt the fluttering heartbeat under my palm that matched
my own. He took my left hand up to his neck. The thin layer of sweat on his
skin made me want to run my tongue along his neck. The sensual response my body
had to him was wholly unnerving. I had never felt such raw desire for anyone.
Given my history, I could hardly ignore the way that Logan ignited my blood,
even if I wanted to.
This was no
middle school, arm length slow dance. Moving with the deep beat, Logan let his
body, which was touching mine from chest to knee, lead. His eyes were locked on
mine, his irises reflecting back the colors of the changing lights around us.
His hands moved from resting on my hips and slowly skimmed up my back. When his
rough fingertips touched the slightly damp skin of my arms, a shock ran through
me, just as it had when he touched my hand in the car. He continued a soft,
tickling path up the length of my arms, pushing my right hand up to encircle
his neck.
As distracted
as I was by his hypnotic touch, I did not realize that his hand had reached my
wrist until I felt his thumb graze the scar. I froze. I kept the raised, red
line hidden beneath a thick layer of make-up, but there was no disguising the
raised edge from his touch. I never let anyone get close to the spot, let alone
actually touch it as Logan had. How it slipped my mind, I didn’t know. It was
impossible to forget it now, as his fingers traced the line down the center of
my arm.
I couldn’t
look up at Logan, couldn’t stand to see the confusion, or pity, or judgment
that would have settled into his expression. I had to get away from him.
Yanking my arm from his hold, I muttered a feeble apology as I rushed away.
This book took me on an emotional journey. It is a story that focuses on 2 characters that have trouble committing for different reasons. They both avoided personal attachments most of their lives until they find an undeniable attraction brewing between themselves. They slowly discover that they compliment and understand each other like no other has so far. It's not easy accepting this predicament that is so new for these two flawed characters, so it's not an easy road.
Charlotte has had a troubled past. She is an academic perfectionist and is a skilled vocalist She keeps her problems guarded and had endured violence at the hands of someone she trusted.
"My past was too dark,too messy, and had too strong a hold on me to make a good choice for someone normal like Logan." –Charlotte
Logan is twenty something works for his Dad and is passionate about being the front man for his band. He ends up taking on a roommate and it changes his life completely.
"She wasn't lost. I couldn't change her past, but I could make her future better." – Logan
The heroine deals with her troubles on her own terms. But by doing this she pushes people away and really doesn't make progress.
The hero has had his share of meaningless interactions. But he's ready to follow his heart and his instincts. In this story he needs to fight for their happiness! I like Logan a lot he's just my type of guy!
This book had an angsty quality to it... I rooted for a HEA for these two! I do feel her secrets dragged on a bit...... Just my opinion....
The writing flowed and the characters had meaningful and deep dialogue.I also liked the secondary characters Alex and Eli. They have their own story that seems engaging coming soon. They were instrumental in the cohesiveness of this story.
"Let love be stronger than your fear." – Alex
I give Dissonance by Drew Elyse 4 Harmonic STARS! A pleasant read……
Dissonance is a love story told in the dual points of view of Charlotte and Logan. Both of these characters have a passion of music and poetry. Both have their individual struggles. Maybe they can work through them together.
"There is time, still time, for those who can groan to sing, for those who can sing to be healed."
When Charlotte almost takes her own life her brother Eli talks her into leaving Chicago and moving to Seattle. He cannot stand leaving her behind anymore and needs her to be around him where he can look over her. There is no reason for her to stay anyway. He has arranged for her to live with a good friend of his, Logan. He's a musician by night and by day he assists in running a real estate company with his dad and brother, Caleb.
As time goes on and they get to know each other, Logan realizes that Charlotte is broken and he wants nothing more than to fix her. But Logan is also a bit broken when it comes to relationships. He's usually a "wam bam thank you ma'am" kind of guy. Eli has warned him to keep his hands off of her. That she is not to turn into one of his conquests. In the story of Dissonance you rarely hear about him with a lot of woman unlike most of these "rocker" type of stories. It was a nice change of pace.
"Look, I know my track record with woman is less than stellar. But Charlotte is different. She makes me want more. She makes me want to be the perfect f*cking boyfriend because I know she deserves nothing less. When she smiles I cannot look away. When she's sad, I want to take on the whole damn world to make her happy. I'd lay down my own life before I'd let her be hurt again. Whatever happens, I just want what's best for her." - Logan
What I loved about the story is that the tattooed Logan isn't like all the other "rock star" guys. Yes, he can get any woman he wants but he doesn't make it his life mission to have every one of them. He doesn't have a big head like most and actually has heart. He also realizes that he can let his walls down and be in a relationship and that it can all come naturally.
"Despite the fact that I doubt that I'll ever deserve you, I can't stop myself from falling in love with you." -Logan
"The poor, beautiful, f*cked up girl that I'd become so attracted to had been handed more misery than I had expected, and I knew that there were still a major pieces missing.. Thanking God that she was still there, offering up my pathetic soul for chance to heal her pain." -Logan
When changes are made at his father's company, he needs to make a decision to assist more in the company or pursue his music career. Will he make the right decision? Will Charlotte do what she usually does and run?
3.5 "Charlotte Sometimes" stars!
Drew
graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a BA in English. She was born and
raised in Chicago, IL, and still lives there with her boyfriend, a rabbit named
Lola, and a bird named... birdie.
Besides
writing, she loves reading, music, and crafting. She has a
slightly-less-than-healthy obession with all things Disney, and is an avid fan
of the Chicago Blackhawks.
