When a man calling himself Dorian Gray moves into the coastal town of Fair Haven and opens an antiques and collectibles shop, the residents are intrigued. This impossibly beautiful man with old-fashioned charm who dresses in clothing from another century seems the perfect partner for illicit romantic encounters.
But Thomas Brand knows that Dorian Gray is actually Hayden March, a man with the extraordinary ability to make people immortal by painting their portraits. Unfortunately, too many of the wrong people know who Dorian is, too, and they either want to use his power to extend their lives or they want to kill him for possessing a power they believe is too god-like.
Too bad for them, then, that Thomas is a Guardian. Sworn to protect the Painters at all costs, Thomas will do whatever it takes to keep Dorian safe. Even if Dorian resists him. Even if Thomas sees past the clever words and the handsome face to the tortured man within...and recognizes Dorian for the danger to Thomas' heart that he is. Read More
MY REVIEW:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Captivating Read, May 10, 2017
| 5:13 AM While I enjoyed it as a stand-alone I'm holding out the hope that its continued in the future. The revamped story was wonderful and delectably thrilling. The plot twists I vaguely remembered from the series version, while not entirely scrapped, were rearranged and altered in such a way that in the end it was like reading the story for the first time. I loved the deliberate revelation of Brand's feelings for Dorian amidst their turbulent yet budding relationship, and yegads their love scene was amazing! Passionate yet sweet, open yet with an air of mystery in suspense, of which was noticeably incorporated throughout the entire story. The betrayals and the heartache were powerful, giving readers no way to avoid empathizing with its flawed yet endearing heroes. Though, for myself, I'd have to say my favorite part of this entire stand-alone came after its climax when their souls were barred in the wake of tragedy. The suspense of Brand's true face was agonizing the whole time, but none of my plausible ideas managed to prepare me when at last it was revealed. From that moment to the end of the book, which I couldn't cease reading until near dawn and just prior to my writing this review, I couldn't have been happier for Brand and Dorian. But you can't leave well enough alone once you reach a happy place, can you? ;) I'll be looking forward to seeing where the story goes in the future. Though, I pray I wont have to wait forty years to see them culminate their dream of a happily forever after together. 11:00AM I'm still lost in the sweep of the story today, the flow of its words and grip of its actions, even the denouement of its conclusion. It'll be a day or so before I think I can remove my mind from its pages and stop living as though I'm writing my own existence in everything I think and do. But then, for me this is further proof, perhaps the greatest example, that the book was a captivating read. Few authors have this power over me and you're definitely one of them. |
No comments:
Post a Comment