Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Art House
SERIES: Buchanan House #6
AUTHOR: Charley Descoteaux
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 254 pages
RELEASE DATE: August 21, 2018
BLURB:
Chase Holland spends his days painting Portland scenes to hang in local businesses, neglecting his own surrealist style. After twenty-five years as a full-time artist, he’s frustrated that his career has stalled, but churning out the equivalent of corporate art is better than getting a day job. Chase and Garrett have been together—off and on, but mostly on—for a decade. If asked, they would both say the source of their trouble is the seventeen-year age gap. The truth is less clear-cut. Life would be so much easier if Chase could make a living with his own art, or if Garrett held less conventional ideas about relationships.
Garrett Frisch has been watching their friends get married for the past two years, and it’s taking an emotional toll. When he proposes as a way to keep them together permanently, he thinks he’s being responsible, but Chase is ambivalent and hurt and can’t hide it. It doesn’t help that Garrett’s anxiety is out of control and he’s dealing with insecurities about his own art career. They will have to do their least favorite thing—talk about something more important than which food cart to visit—if they are to get the happy ending they both want.
REVIEW:
I was surprised to see a book six after such a long break (December 2016 was the last book in the series). I jumped on this because I haven’t been to my beloved Lincoln City (an extremely intricate part of my life for over 60 years!) in a long time and had missed it so much.
I was very surprised to hear that this was Chase and Garrett’s story. Chase was an intricate part of Kyle and Brandon’s story in “Safe House”. Garrett had seemed to be an on again/off again lover but was missing quite a bit of the time in the apartment. This story picks up right after that book even though there was another story in between these two. Chase and Garrett are still having difficulty in their relationship. A good part of that difficulty stems from their 17 year age difference and both men’s insecurities with it. They both believe that the other is going to finally grow tired of them even though they have been together for ten years. They also are very down on their own selves over their own personal perception of their lack of advancement in the art world and their belief that they are a sell-out! When Garrett is attacked and seriously injured they get the jolt that they have needed but both men are so reluctant to share their thoughts and insecurities that they almost tank again. What will happen to the two men that are so perfect for each other but are determined to to keep their private issues to themselves?
Because of the very long time between these stories I kinda wish that I had reread the series or, at the very least, “Safe House”. The author did a pretty good job of reminding us of some parts so I wasn’t as lost as I could have been.
Both Garrett and Chase were so down on their selves and their own self worth that it began to wear on me. I wasn’t even sure if they were going to make it. They are so similar that I wasn’t even sure they were well suited to make it a positive relationship until they finally opened up and started to share. But that seemed like forever! Their lack of willingness to have an open and honest communication process was difficult to endure. Although I finally did grow to love these two wounded and damaged men, it took awhile. I wasn’t sure if I was even going to like them after awhile. I had loved all the match up in the pervious books but this one was harder. I did like that the author brought us back to the coast and some long time issues were finally resolved. And she kept the “family” whole and continuing to thrive. This series really is about the Buchanan House family. A family not created by blood but by the love and respect of the friends that needed a more unconventional type of family created by themselves to support one another.
This book touched on a few more serious and delicate subjects. Death of a family member, parent neglect, abandonment issues, depression and anxiety were a few issues that made this book more darker and difficult to read.
I know that this wasn’t my favorite of the series (due mostly to the high level of angst it stirred in me) but I believe that it was necessary. It did wrap up some hanging thoughts and gave us a nice look at a few of our most favorite members of the “family”. I am unsure if there are more books to come but you can be assure, if there are, I will be reading them. However I will probably be rereading the entire series again first just to refresh my mind.
RATING: 
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