Review: Different Type of New Adult... And That's A Good Thing (B Grade)
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 17, 2013
I was pleasantly surprised by this debut by Anne Whitney. I wasn't sure what to expect with The Art of Love because I'm a bit underwhelmed with New Adult and where this sub genre or category is heading. The Art of Love is unique though. It features a twenty-one year old Marina who escapes from her abusive father and ends up in Manhattan with no money. She's alone, afraid and hungry. She's given a flier for an art showing, and because it has food, she goes there. What she sees there will shock her silly.The showing is performance art by Fitz, who is nude. Marina and Fitz's first interaction cracked me up because Marina has never seen a penis up close and personal before. Her reaction is priceless:"It's hard when you're eye level with a man's naked twig and berries dangling like Christmas ornaments."Fitz realizes Marina is all alone in the world and takes her in like a stray kitten. His gay drag queen brother, Derek (total lubs for this guy) and their other friend, fellow artist Viridian want to help Mariana when they find out why she's on the run and hiding. Fitz, Derek and Viridian become Marina's fairy godmothers in a way and transform her with a makeover that's more of a disguise, as well as to give her confidence. Then Mariana becomes Fitz's personal assistant and that's where things become more interesting.The Art of Love has a fairy tale feeling to it. Marina may at first come across as naive and too innocent but there's more to her than that. Fitz is not your typical love interest found in this type of read. He's really sweet to Marina, and you can't help but fall in love with him. And he has tattoos. Rowl. He has a few secrets, one of which I figured one pretty quickly, but it added something more to the overall story that I felt was needed and to give Fitz more depth to his personality.The writing is pretty good and I loved the character interaction. I adore Derek and want his story next STAT. The way Fitz and Marina act on their attraction is more believable and real with Mariana, who has no experience with men (which again makes sense when you learn her past). There's one scene in a bathroom with Fitz and Marina that may have you fanning yourself.If you're a fan of Painted Faces by L.H. Cosway, I think you'll enjoy The Art of Love. Overall I enjoyed this one. The well rounded, dimensional cast of characters really made this shine and I look forward to more from Anne.Katiebabs