Ms. Elizabeth Hunter's new novel, The Singer will come out tomorrow (yay!) unfortunately, I wasn't able to sign up for the blog tour (I've been busy, If you noticed I haven't posted a single review in a while) so, to make up for it, I'm re-posting my review of one of my favorite EH novels. I promise to write a review of The Singer as soon as I receive my copy. =)
The Genius and The Muse
Read: September 01, 2013
Review Originally Posted: September 03, 2013
Published: April 27, 2012
Synopsis:
When Kate Mitchell decided to research the mysterious portrait in the student gallery, she had no idea how her life would change. She thought she knew what she wanted. She had a great boyfriend, a promising career, and a clear path.
How could one simple portrait change all that?
A photograph. A sculpture. A painting. One clue leads to another, and Kate learns that pieces of the past might leave unexpected marks on her own future, too.
And how, exactly, did she end up in an irritable sculptor’s studio?
One portrait may hold the answers, but learning its secrets will challenge everything Kate thought she knew about love, art, and life. A single picture can tell more than one story, and in the end, a young artist will discover that every real love story is a unique work of art.
The Genius and the Muse is a contemporary romance novel for adult readers.
Review:
It all started with a portrait. Kate Mitchell is a graduate school photography student and is completing her master's thesis. Her subject is the photographer Reed O'Connor who is renowned for his stunning and often controversial portraits. O'Connor is an alumni of her school that's why his early works are posted in the photography exhibit gallery of the Foothill Art Institute. Among his works, there is one portrait that intrigued Kate the most. When an advise was given to her by her professor (who happened to be one of Reed's friends), she listened to him and followed it through until she finally understood the man behind the lens and the story of the mysterious portrait.
The Story. It's no secret that I'm a contemporary romance novel junkie and since I've read a lot, I'm a little hard to impress in this genre. However, after reading The Genius and the Muse, my emotions are everywhere. I just couldn't stop thinking about the events that occurred in the story. Every chapter is filled with small, yet awe-inspiring moments that will make you wish you were inside the book.
The story mainly revolved in Kate's discovery of Reed and Sam's epic love story. Along the way, Kate met Sam and Reed's artistic friends who witnessed first hand the almost magical romance between the two. While Sam and Reed's story unfolds through flash backs, Kate in the present experience heartbreak, meeting new people, building connections and eventually falling in love.
One of the things that I particularly loved in this novel was the glimpses of the two couples' present (part twelve). Instead of using an epilogue like what most romance novel has, Ms. Hunter did what O'Connor does on his portraits. She didn't focus on the whole picture of the significant moments of the couples' lives but rather wrote intimate moments before or after the actual event which made it unique and more sincere.
The characters. It's hard not to love the characters. Each of them, the main and the minor ones are unique and have something to offer to the readers. I am hoping that Ms. Hunter *fake coughs* have plans for the other characters in this book---make it a series or something.
Anyway, favorite character... I think I like Kate Mitchell's character the most. She may be the youngest in this book but I think she's also the smartest and most practical. What really drew me into the story was Kate's longing to know a love like what Sam and Reed's had. A kind of love so strong and magnificent that it inspires the people around them to create outstanding art works. Since Kate experienced betrayal from the man she thought she loved, she felt like she needs to understand why two people who loved fiercely can just throw it all away. It's so easy to connect to Kate. I felt like I was with her every time she visits Sam and Reed's associates especially after her interview with the assistant. IDK, that part just made me stop and think about things. I guess because that part made me realize that even the strongest people can break too, and that we all make mistakes, we are human after all. Also, her frustration about miscommunication between Sam and Reed, I felt that too.
Javier "Javi" Lugo , Kate's love interest is a what you see is what you get kind of guy. He's portrayed as a brutish sculptor. He knows that he's not pretty but he's incredibly honest. When he loves, he does fiercely and is over protective of people he cares about.
Reed O'Connor and Samantha Rhodes , it's hard to describe the one without the other. They are both incredibly talented artists, stubborn and temperamental. This couple is one of the lucky ones who didn't just found love but also found the other half of their souls.
What I like the most with the characters in this book is that they are easy to relate to because they are so human. The ordeals they've been through, the emotions and actions shown in this novel is very realistic.
"If you really want to understand Reed O’Connor, you have to understand Samantha Rhodes.”The Writing. This is my first Elizabeth Hunter novel and I am so glad I was able to read one. I think the writing was flawless. I was expecting a lot of art jargon because the story is about a bunch of renowned artists but there weren't much---I liked the author's less technical approach when it comes to the art aspect in this book. The story was seamlessly delivered despite the dual story-line and the switching of the time line wasn't confusing at all. In fact, it made the book hard to put down. I just loved Ms. Hunter's writing style and I will definitely read her other novels.
The Story. It's no secret that I'm a contemporary romance novel junkie and since I've read a lot, I'm a little hard to impress in this genre. However, after reading The Genius and the Muse, my emotions are everywhere. I just couldn't stop thinking about the events that occurred in the story. Every chapter is filled with small, yet awe-inspiring moments that will make you wish you were inside the book.
The story mainly revolved in Kate's discovery of Reed and Sam's epic love story. Along the way, Kate met Sam and Reed's artistic friends who witnessed first hand the almost magical romance between the two. While Sam and Reed's story unfolds through flash backs, Kate in the present experience heartbreak, meeting new people, building connections and eventually falling in love.
One of the things that I particularly loved in this novel was the glimpses of the two couples' present (part twelve). Instead of using an epilogue like what most romance novel has, Ms. Hunter did what O'Connor does on his portraits. She didn't focus on the whole picture of the significant moments of the couples' lives but rather wrote intimate moments before or after the actual event which made it unique and more sincere.
The characters. It's hard not to love the characters. Each of them, the main and the minor ones are unique and have something to offer to the readers. I am hoping that Ms. Hunter *fake coughs* have plans for the other characters in this book---make it a series or something.
Anyway, favorite character... I think I like Kate Mitchell's character the most. She may be the youngest in this book but I think she's also the smartest and most practical. What really drew me into the story was Kate's longing to know a love like what Sam and Reed's had. A kind of love so strong and magnificent that it inspires the people around them to create outstanding art works. Since Kate experienced betrayal from the man she thought she loved, she felt like she needs to understand why two people who loved fiercely can just throw it all away. It's so easy to connect to Kate. I felt like I was with her every time she visits Sam and Reed's associates especially after her interview with the assistant. IDK, that part just made me stop and think about things. I guess because that part made me realize that even the strongest people can break too, and that we all make mistakes, we are human after all. Also, her frustration about miscommunication between Sam and Reed, I felt that too.
Javier "Javi" Lugo , Kate's love interest is a what you see is what you get kind of guy. He's portrayed as a brutish sculptor. He knows that he's not pretty but he's incredibly honest. When he loves, he does fiercely and is over protective of people he cares about.
Reed O'Connor and Samantha Rhodes , it's hard to describe the one without the other. They are both incredibly talented artists, stubborn and temperamental. This couple is one of the lucky ones who didn't just found love but also found the other half of their souls.
What I like the most with the characters in this book is that they are easy to relate to because they are so human. The ordeals they've been through, the emotions and actions shown in this novel is very realistic.
Rating: 5 Fairy Wings!
The Genius and the Muse is truly a masterpiece that must be read by every romance novel fan. I highly recommend this novel and please after reading it, don't forget to share the word to others, this book deserves to be read and enjoyed by all.
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