A Movie Magic RomanceIn his neighborhood, El Martin stands out, and that can be life-threatening. Against the odds, he’s managed to graduate high school and then master IT. Now he’s desperate to get a good job to free his drunken dad and himself from the control of gang leader M2 and the drugs he sells. But with his piercings and his slang-ridden speech, El looks and sounds like a Bronx … sounds like a Bronx gangbanger, and potential employers won’t give him a second look. So when El hears about Henry Fairhaven, PhD, linguistics researcher and wealthy New York socialite, El takes his life in his hands to escape from M2 and ends up sleeping in the stairwell at Henry’s building, hoping to learn how to speak.
To Henry, who wants to prove himself as a scholar and not merely a rich dilettante, El isn’t only the most beautiful man he’s ever seen—he’s also the key to getting a paper published on Henry’s ground-breaking linguistics methods before a competitor beats him to the punch. But Henry doesn’t tell El the truth, and El thinks Henry’s helping him because he cares.
El’s dreams collide with Henry’s ambitions at the elegant Met Gala, where El captivates a prince of Silicon Valley. But the real collision comes when M2 tracks El down and Henry has to choose between the validation he craves and a future with the man he’s come to love.
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Dreams of being more than your circumstances and a love to cross all boundaries. This is a touching story of limitless possibilities for each of our souls. These MC’s are both well developed and interesting men. I really liked El, he had such an amazing heart and soared above his circumstances.
El and Henry find a unique and inspiring bond, both need the other but deception and desire get in the way of a future until they figure out how to be true to their hearts. I love the supporting characters of Margo, Arabella and Freddy.
This is the second book in the Movie Magic Romances series and it can be read as a stand-alone story.
I was gifted this book from the author and i freely give my honest opinion and review.
My Fair Lady is one of my favorite story. So I love Tara Lain’s retelling of that story. Henry and El’s story is so sweet and funny. I just love see how their relationship grows and how this whole storyline developed. I would smile and laugh one minute and then want to shake someone the next. I will definitely recommend this story.
*I received a free copy of Love and Linguistics. This has in no way influenced my review which is honest and unbiased.*
What a delight this story was! I got my linguistic geek on, I got an incredibly sweet romance, and some amazing characters! I loved all of them! Margo, El, Henry, Arabella… They were all just great.
The story is about a young man from the wrong side of town, forced into a gang, but aspiring to so much more. And he is ready to walk the walk and talk the talk. Literally.
Well written, with splashes of humor to counter the serious subjects, the story kept me smiling most of the time.
Man oh man I loved this book. El’s misunderstanding of Henry’s initial motive for helping him and the way he felt when the truth came out absolutely broke my heart. I knew Tara Lain would make it all right again but I don’t think I’ve hurt quite so much for any other character in her books. That made the ending all the sweeter. As for the reworking of My Fair Lady/Pygmalion I found this set up fascinating. The threat posed by the gang, the details about Henry’s research interests everything fit together perfectly. I have read and listened to many of Tara Lain’s books and enjoyed every one of them, but this is my favorite. I’m setting up for a re-read already.
This was a terrific story, based on the classic tale, My Fair Lady. I absolutely loved El and wanted him to have all the good things he deserved. Henry occasionally made me angry, but I did adore his nerdiness and his struggle with himself over his feelings for El. I also loved several of the other characters, especially Margo and Freddy. M2 was the very creepy bad guy, and I was on the edge of my seat, waiting to see when he would discover El’s location.
There were some mentions about not being ashamed of one’s beginnings at the end, and I was glad those were included. I found this to be a sweet slow burn romance wrapped in the engrossing story of a very good man seeking a better life than he was born into. I loved it!
Fantastic Story! Tara does a great job of creating her own version of My Fair Lady. I loved watching how the story unfolded while connecting parts of the stories. Loved reading the book.
Love and Linguistics is a modern m/m retelling of My Fair Lady. Our Eliza is El Martin a smart guy kept back by circumstance. Our Henry is Henry Fairhaven, PhD, linguistics researcher and wealthy New York socialite and needless to say impressed with our dear El. I laughed so hard at points in this book comparing it to the straight version. There were also times I wanted to throw my e-reader as I got frustrated with Henry. All in all I loved this story.
A different take on My Fair Lady, we have our El and we have Henry the professor, not Higgins. Apart from some missing but vital information El knows what he’s involved in and really the benefits are all his. We get to watch this couple navigate falling in love, while trying to deny it. We see a duckling turn into a swan. We meet a cast of enchanting and not so enchanting characters. With a dramatic few hours towards the end. It’s really an epic fairytale with a satisfying HEA. Possibly the only way this could be better is to enjoy it again in audio.
4.5 stars
“Love and Linguistics” by Tara Lain is a contemporary gay romance story that follows El Martin as he struggles to break free of the shackles of his background as a gangbanger. Being chosen by noted linguistic researcher Henry Fairhaven as his next project makes El dare to hope that he may be able to create a new life—if he can avoid betrayal and stay alive.
This second story in the ‘Movie Magic Romances’ series is a sweet and sexy retelling of the Pygmalion/My Fair Lady story with a multicultural flavor. I love the twists on beloved scenes from MFL (and spent much of the story humming several songs from the original musical, lol). The author did her usual great job of creating characters who grab our hearts and make us root for their happy ending. Even though I knew what to expect, I was still disappointed by the heedless disregard of poor El after his triumph. The hint of danger added to the allure of this story and I was kept spellbound until the exciting end. A fun and entertaining tale!
A copy of this story was provided for review
Love & Linguistics by Tara Lain was given to me in exchange for an honest review. . One a former gang member trying to get a better job and life. The other a linguist who wants to publish. El meets Henry on the advice of an HR manager to help him fit in on future interviews. Like Cinderfella with fairy godmothers Margot & Arabella, El hopes he is ready for the Gala of life with Henry by his side. I really enjoyed this book, I did have to work a little to click with the story but once I did, it was wonderful.