Review: Starving Artist or Gigolo? You can call him Mister.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 10, 2013
Starving artist meets crazy hermit, the perfect opposites attract combo. Daniel is the said starving artist/Casanova always looking for his next benefactor to keep his career afloat. If he has to do some extra curricular duties to make that happen with the cougar art contingent so be it. And that is how he comes to meet Stella, the recluse college student of his most recent patron, home on an extended break and her parents don't know what to do with her. She hasn't left the house in two months and the only thing she does all day is bake cookies and confections for their lucky housekeeper. Her mother commissions Daniel to give Stella a few art lessons, maybe that will get her out of her funk. Their first meeting starts out as hostile and gets progressively worse as the lessons go one, but you know the saying, "there's a fine line between love and hate," and this relationship is no exception.First off, I love the cover and it really captures the essence of the book. I found Daniel and Stella to be believable and compelling. I liked how the author dealt with Stella's panic disorder. This was no saccharine sugar coated story of the debilitating terror of panic disorders, but an utterly convincing reconstruction of what can happen. I liked that the author doesn't shy away from the frustration and misunderstanding of dealing with such a complex disorder.I enjoyed the measured cadence of Daniel and Stella's relationship. Despite a serious ick factor of how they come to meet, I found the ebbs and flows of their courtship credible and intriguing. The author has a nice way of taking what should be an unsympathetic male character and showcasing him as the enticing, irresistible hero he is. I liked how Stella made him unhinged and nervous and vice versa and the glimpses of vulnerability by both of them was charming.At its core, Everything Between Us, is a tale about fear. It's about being afraid to be yourself, afraid of the unknown, and afraid of disappointment. But it's also about being brave enough to take a chance, brave enough to open up and brave enough to be vulnerable. Both Daniel and Stella hide behind the facades and masks they choose to show the world. But I guess we all do that to some extent and like any mask it's always a relief when you can take it off and just be yourself. However, this is no tearjerker and it is at the top of the hotness scale (it's also a standalone for which I am grateful) and I for one am hooked and can't wait to check out the rest of the series.