PAINT
THE STARS
Release Date: February
20th, 2017
Cover Artist: Natasha
Snow
Ezra Greene has made a pretty decent life for himself. He
has a nice apartment and spends his days doing the one thing he’s always
loved—creating art. Despite being somewhat of a grumpy recluse, he’s even made
a few loyal friends. When he takes a side job painting a mural at a local
holistic center, he can’t help being curious about a certain friendly and
self-assured yoga instructor, even if he doesn’t buy into any of that Zen crap.
His holier-than-thou family already tried fitting him inside a box, and he
swore he’d never be molded into anybody’s belief system again.
For Daevonte Randall, adulthood has worked out pretty well.
He’s close to his parents and lives with an awesome roommate. He’s content with
weekend hookups, teaching yoga, and taking college courses. What he doesn’t
expect is to be so intrigued by the brooding and reserved painter he’s been
tasked to stay after hours with at the center. Something fascinates him about
Ezra, even after Daevonte’s attempts at flirting gets him friend-zoned on the
spot.
As weeks pass, Ezra and Dae get to know each other, and soon
their friendship catches fire. But Ezra’s been burned pretty badly before so
trust and intimacy has to be earned. Daevonte feels up to the task, but it
proves difficult as Ezra continues to keep his emotions in check. Dae’s only
willing to wait so long, and when they’re dealt a surprising blow, Ezra needs
to decide if love is worth the risk, that is…if it’s not too late.
BUY LINKS:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2kh1iK0
B&N: http://bit.ly/2kDSYA4
iBooks: http://apple.co/2lcOS54
B&N: http://bit.ly/2kDSYA4
iBooks: http://apple.co/2lcOS54
What do you usually do to relax?” I ask him.
“Besides paint?” I nod and he continues, “You
really want to know?”
“Nope.” I wink at him and he rolls his eyes.
“Smoke weed.”
“Whew.” I tease him. “I thought it was going to
be something bad by the way you were acting. Go get it. Let’s light that shit
up.” I’ve never been a huge fan of weed. Not that I dislike it, because it can
be fun, but it makes me giggle for a little while and pass out. I typically
don’t want to just randomly pass out.
“Okay.” He pushes off the counter, sets his
coffee down, and disappears down the hallway. There’s some rustling in the
other room. A moment later he’s back with a small loaded pipe in his hand. “You
can have green,” he says, offering me the first hit.
Our fingers brush when I take the pipe from his
hand. He hesitates for a second, then nods at me as though he wants me to go
ahead and put the pipe to my lips. I do. Instead of handing me the lighter,
Ezra flicks the flame to life and then holds it over the weed. It crackles and
pops and burns as I inhale, the smoke stinging my lungs and my throat. He pulls
back, and I set the pipe down, and his eyes are burning me the same way the
flame just did with the pot. My stomach flips, and he keeps looking, and holy
fuck that was hot for some reason.
He takes the pipe back, still watching. He puts
it to his lips, still watching. He takes a hit, still watching. There’s
something about the way Ezra looks at you. It’s as though he can see something
in you no one else can. Like he looks deeper because it’s easier to look inside
of someone else than to look inside himself. It makes me feel like he’s seeing
things I didn’t know were there. Like he’s asking questions he can’t find the
words to ask and like he’s trying to make sense of all of it himself.
“Here,” he says before he hands the pipe back.
I put it to my lips, and we continue on that way, him lighting for me and me
passing the pipe back to him until the bowl is dusted. His eyes only briefly
dart away from me from time to time, otherwise their searing stare is locked
with mine. It’s the most intensely he’s looked at me since I met him.
“Wow,” I tell him. “I almost feel like I need a
cigarette even though I don’t smoke them. I don’t know how all this works for
you, but on my end, that was kind of hot.”
A laugh bursts out of Ezra’s mouth— it’s
infectious and happy, and I realize it might be the most honest one I’ve ever
heard from him. It makes me decide right then and there to do whatever it takes
to make it happen again and again until it becomes a habit for him. That’s what
friends are for, right?
Oh Ezra! Who knew there was all that sweetness inside the grumpy Gus? Fans of the series have known Ezra through the first 2 books and now, perhaps, it's time for Ezra to feel the love.
What we learn is that Ezra's heart is very well guarded. His libido even more so. His past has shaped his view on relationships and basically left him crippled to exploring anything new. Then he meets Dae. Bright and engagind and the stubborn man just won't leave him alone. Agreeing to friendship relieves some of the tension between them. In fact, this is my favorite part of the book. They agree to be friends. Help each other, laugh together, get to know each other, maybe steal some smoking hot kisses once in awhile. In the process, Dae helps Ezra realize his heart may be able to heal.
The book is full of beautiful words. You feel the emotions of both men so strongly in the written word. When Ezra and Dae realize they may want to turn the friendship into something more, Dae is all in but it's Ezra who has to have that "aha" moment.
"As he watches me, his gaze softens, intense and dazzling, and I realize I no longer want to paint the mural, I want to paint the stars I see in his eyes. The constellations I put there right in this moment. The ones I desperately hope don't fade-burn out-anytime soon."
As always with these two authors, we get a comment on society. Ezra and Dae have had polar opposite experiences coming out at gay men. Their families have responded very differently. That response has shaped the mental health of both men. Ultimately, there is the chance for acceptance and healing, even if it might be Dae's family embracing Ezra and not the other way around.
It's always a joy and adventure to read from these authors. Great pairing of writing style and imagination. Hopefully we will see more from Nyrae and Christina in the future!
*Complimentary copy provided for an honest review.
Nyrae Dawn
Nyrae Dawn can almost always be found with a book in her hand or
an open document on her laptop. She couldn’t live without books—reading or
writing them. Oh, and chocolate. She’s slightly addicted.
She gravitates toward character-driven stories. Whether reading
or writing, she loves emotional journeys. It’s icing on the cake when she
really feels something, but is able to laugh too. She’s a proud romantic, who
has a soft spot for flawed characters, who make mistakes, but also have big
hearts.
Whether she’s writing young adult, new adult, or adult you can
always count on a healthy dose of romance from her books. She likes to tackle
tough subjects, and believes everyone needs to see themselves in the stories
they read.
Nyrae is living her very own happily ever after in California
with her gorgeous husband (who still makes her swoon) and her two incredibly
awesome kids.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nyrae.dawn
Twitter: http://twitter.com/NyraeDawn
*Nyrae
also write Adult Gay Romance as Riley
Hart: www.rileyhartwrites.com
Christina Lee
Once
upon a time, I
lived in New York City and was a wardrobe stylist. I spent my days shopping for
photo shoots, getting into cabs, eating amazing food, and drinking coffee at my
favorite hangouts.
Now I live
in the Midwest with my husband and son—my two favorite guys. I've been a
clinical social worker and a special education teacher. But it wasn't until I
wrote a weekly column for the local newspaper that I realized I could turn the
fairytales inside my head into the reality of writing fiction.
I write
Adult, New Adult, and M/M Contemporary Romance. I'm addicted
to lip gloss and salted caramel everything. I believes in true love and
kissing, so writing romance novels has become a dream job.
Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorChristinaLee
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Christina_Lee04
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorchristinalee/
No comments:
Post a Comment