Reviewed by Donna

TITLE: Artist’s Touch

SERIES: Guild #1

AUTHOR: Kerry Adrienne

PUBLISHER: Ellora’s Cave

LENGTH: 147 Pages

BLURB: Every starlet wants master painter Kenon Alavi to do her portrait…and more. But Kenon prefers firm to soft and sates his desires with the boyfriends of the women he paints, enjoying the diversity of many lovers but shunning any attachments.

Wallace Harte’s English degree isn’t helping him and working at a bar is the closest he’s gotten to being the Second Coming of Faulkner. Something’s gotta give soon, or he’ll be out on the street.

Kenon zeroes in on the bartender at an art exhibition, intending to add him to his long list of conquests, but Wally bolts, initiating a heated game of cat and mouse. Kenon delights in the game until he discovers what Wally is writing. Feeling betrayed, Kenon swears off all entanglements until he reads Wally’s story and discovers true love is sometimes between the pages and not the sheets.

Inside Scoop: This book contains hot, sexy scenes of M/M interaction of an artistic nature. Who knew having your portrait painted could be so hot?

REVIEW: How much did I love this book! It was a total guilty pleasure and took me back to the days when I first discovered romance novels. The characters, the plot, the settings, everything was bordering on over the top and highly dramatic. How do I tell him? I am not worthy of him. Yet I crave him like nothing else. How do I tell him I love him? It was all very Harlequin-esque. It made me think Fabio in a pirate shirt. Maybe it was just luck that I was in just the right mood to enjoy this, but enjoy it I surely did.

To start with – the first meeting. Wally (that name bugged me throughout) is working as a bartender at an art exhibition where world famous artist, Kenon Alavi (now that’s a name) is unveiling his latest masterpieces. Their eyes connect across the room with what I pictured to be perfect daytime television smolder and Kenon instantly adds Wally to his “to do” list.

Kenon is great character. He is an absolute man whoring bastard who amuses himself by sleeping with the husbands of the women whose portraits he paints. As always there is the usual excuse for his assholishness. Much like his last real boyfriend, the hot body that had been so ugly on the inside. Michael was heartless. He’s scammed and taken Kenon for a wad of cash, plus his dignity. I didn’t really buy it. That’s hardly an excuse. But really, I didn’t care. I loved Kenon the douche and was saddened that we lose him to nicer Kenon so early in the story. Of course, the misguided MC must always be reformed but because Kenon’s dastardly plan is to fool Wally into trusting him, he drops the nasty attitude too soon for my liking. He’d have Wally. He just needed to play the game a little differently than he usually did. Wally wasn’t used to the big leagues. He’d frightened the boy with his forwardness. He’d try again and take his time with him – a sneak attack instead of a frontal assault. Lure him. Seduce him.

Wally is cautious of Kenon. He doesn’t quite believe the vibes Kenon is sending his way but it’s more a disbelief that Kenon could be interested in lowly Wally rather than Kenon is just faking the nice. But Wally is an aspiring author who is unfortunately lacking any inspiration until he meets Kenon. This would make a great setting for a novel, Wally mused. Too bad he didn’t have a plot to go along with it. So against his better judgment he allows himself to be drawn into Kenon’s web. Sigh. It’s lucky this book doesn’t have a serial killer bad guy because young Wally is a perfect example of a TSTL heroine hero.

So, I already mentioned the setting. It may just be my favorite part of this book. Kenon Alavi is a founding member of an extremely exclusive club known as G3 – the Gallant Gentleman’s Guild. Most people would assume that G3 was simply a sex club – brothers with benefits. They were certainly known for their wild parties, at least in the gossip circles. But the guild was so much more. The men shared creative interests and pursuits and genuinely cared for one another. Too bad most people didn’t get that. Kenon would do anything for his guild-mates who were his only true friends. Its members include only the most talented of artists in any field, from painters to musicians. Most of the book is set in the guild, three large houses joined by a shared basement and it is in this basement that their decadent parties take place. Oh. My. God. I want an invitation to that party! The room sounds like a cross between a nightclub and an opulent brothel. On the stage sat a large filigreed cage flanked by two stripper poles that gleamed in the spotlight. Inside the cage, two masked men in tiny shorts danced seductively to the music. The masked men, painted gold and encrusted in glitter, bounced and moved in rhythm, faux-fucking and occasionally leaning in to kiss.

There was also another scene I loved that was set at the guild headquarters, which was a life drawing class. Of course, what would a life drawing class be in such a setting without a bit of voyeuristic masturbation? The hallway door was locked. He had privacy and no one would ever know he’d even been there. The thrill of his voyeurism egged on his desire almost to the point of pain and he pressed against his hand.

Seriously now, I know this review sounds rather facetious but I really did have a lot of fun reading this story. It was light, with no angst and had plenty of elements I enjoyed. If you love a spot of flamboyant drama then this is the book for you. Oh, okay, one more dramatic quote! “And I won’t talk to him.” Kenon tore the watercolor off the easel and dropped it onto the studio floor. “Ever.”

RATING:

BUY LINKS: Ellora’s Cave , Amazon Are