Drawn to You

by Jerry Cole

Max Everett is a world-renowned architect, the artist behind buildings everywhere from New York City to London to beyond. After marrying his college girlfriend at nineteen and ultimately having a child, that one decision threw his life off the rails for what seemed like forever. Now, he is in the process of a divorce.When Max heads to Venice to deliver the news of his divorce to his daughter, Christine, he stumbles into none other than Mario Venezzia. Mario is an elusive, yet destructive art teacher who is teaching Christine. He is also the man who forces Max to ask himself this question: Has he really been missing this kind of emotion, this kind of lust, this potential for love, his entire life?These two men and the daughter who changed Max’s life for good, question the boundaries of art, and when art must be destroyed so life can move forward. Can Max and Mario fight for their love in a world so willing to tear them to shreds? Please Note: This book contains adult language and steamy adult activities, it is intended for 18+ Adults Only. Novel, approximately 61,000 words in length. HEA (happy ever after ending). Does not end with a "cliffhanger." Themes include: Art school, Italy, France, architecture, gay for you, starting over, self-reflection.

225 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 8, 2019

About the author

Jerry Cole is a gay author who lives in California & enjoys writing love stories. Jerry has been writing fiction since he was a child. As a young adult, he worked as a freelance writer in the evenings & on weekends. Jerry started writing gay romance stories several years ago, but initially just for his own entertainment & occasionally sharing stories with his friends. In the summer of 2015 he published his first gay romance short story on Amazon. Overwhelmed by the positive response he decided to quit his “day job” & took up writing gay romance full time. When he’s not writing steamy M/M romance he enjoys globetrotting, watching movies with family and friends, working out, & being dragged down the road by his two Great Danes.

Reviews

[RavenAngels · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nope, sorry, hard pass!

I'm getting really impatient with "authors" who feel the need to write the women in their books as either ugly/histerical/untalented or all of the above, just to drive home the point, about how very gay their main characters are.
Two chapters in and the two main characters are nothing but misogynistic and superficial.
I don't care, if that is for their 'character developement' or not. If you can't manage to write otherwise, maybe don't.

Note to self: Nope to the author!

[Denise H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

* A tale of angst, anger, love, secrets, change, wrong choices, uphoria, and "best ever" sex !
We get real emotion from regrets, fears, mistakes and consequences. This grabbed my attention immediately. Deep thoughts, realizations, flashes of memory, new electricity, and I was absorbed into the sights, sounds and feel of the story. I wanted to know more.
Max, 38, is a well known Chicago Architect,

beginning to grey, well built GQ type, who is anguishing about his divorce and it's effects.
Mario, 30, ex-player, a beautiful Italian with dark curly hair,

who is running his deceased Dad's art school in Venice, Italy.
Christine, 19, is a student, trying to find her way in art, like her famous Mom. She is Max's daughter, who cared about her, but never got close to her. He's come to tell her about the divorce, in person, and he has a project there.
So, there are issues with her volitile nature, and the city of Venice rejecting his design. We have masterful storytelling with flow, intense anticipation, and an incindiary encounter. Mario and Max truly burn up the sheets and their deep emotions flow from them.


After a bit, Christine finds out about Mario and her Dad, and explodes. There are horrible events that spiral downward. We see each person deal with the issues, react poorly, deal with their truth, and regrettable circumstances that take place.
Mario retreats and cuts himself off from the world; Max has completely disappeared, and Christine became famous, but irresponsible.

It's complicated and we have twists and turns, but the flow is steady and we are full of curiosity.

HEA. ENJOY!

======

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘You shouldn’t avoid the things you want the most’

Jerry Cole is a successful California author who has been writing since his youth, both as a freelance writer and now as a highly respected and popular gay romance author. He has published in excess of 65 books to date – each being popular with a very large audience.

One of the many reasons Cole’s books are so well received is his courage in taking on problematic relationships and sharing enough insight into his character development to allow the story to be both sensitive and erotically charged. In DRAWN TO YOU he pairs two men of artistic interests and occupations – one architect and one art teacher, places them in picturesque Venice where the architect, Max Everett who comes to Venice to inform his daughter Christine of his progressing divorce, and Mario Venezzia who happens to be and artist and the art instructor for Christine. The clash of temperaments results in an introduction to Max of his latent gay emotions to a man who brings Max’s true self into focus. The manner in which the story unravels marries art and passion and identity makes for an illuminating premise – and of course the erotica is very present. This is a fine new novel by a man who grows with each story he explores. Recommended

[Karic · Rating 5 out of 5]

There have been quite a few books of Jerry’s that have elicited such a raw, emotional response from me. But none have ever been of anger. I was literally angry for half of this book as I was reading each word along the pages, as I was trying to comprehend what happened in the previous chapters, as I was trying to pick up the pieces of how the characters got to where they were within the story. I kept asking myself “why?”. There are some authors, when writing romance novels, who leave everything warm, bubbly and comforting. Jerry has that in many of his books but there are some, like “Drawn to You”, that leave you feeling empty inside. That leave you second guessing the characters and asking yourself “what was going on in Jerry’s head as he was writing these chapters?”. It’s funny because this story is about artists. It’s about their creations and how countries and the world perceive those creations and how many people can be affected by them. Jerry, himself, is an artist. You can clearly see that during the darkest moments of this story as he notes the specific details of the weather, of the buildings, of the characters, of the atmosphere. It’s beautiful, yet very heartbreaking at the same time. It’s said that artists are at their best when they are most pained or hurt. I think that is true for authors as well. Maybe I am just having a bad week and am delving too deeply within the words. I did, however, enjoy this one immensely and I do recommend it for anyone wanting to see how creative and artistic an author can be. I read a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy of this book & am voluntarily leaving an honest and unbiased review.

[❤Sharonica-Logic❤ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Art imitates Love! 💖🌈💖


💋**Sigh... Max and Mario, gosh. What a beautiful bittersweet journey these two took me on. This story was very reminiscent of the old romance novels Danielle Steel wrote in the '80s. A love that spans continents, countries, and years. Max and Mario's story includes Max's relationship with his daughter in such a pivotal way that her character plays a key role in the book.

The love this couple has for each other, with all the passion, joy, angst, anger and overwhelming desire to be with the ONE their heart beats for is nothing short of artistic beauty. This story was lovely, and I would recommend it to anyone who is a romantic at heart. 💕

The book:
• 179 Pages • Contemporary • Standalone • Happily Ever After • Third-Person Narrative

The romantic theme:
• Gay Romance • Coming Out • Second Chances

The read:
• Intense characters • Good Plot • Dramatic Family Elements • Relatable • Sexy

Heat level:
• 4 / 5 (Includes hot and explicit sex scenes) • MM scenes • Vanilla Sex

MC #1 is...
• 39 yrs old • World-renowned Architect • Gay/ Closeted • Recently Divorced • GQ Handsomeness • Anger Issues • Emotionally Detached from Daughter (19)

MC #2 is...
• 30 yrs old • Famous Italian Artist • Gay/ Out • Venetian Charm and Looks • Unconventional • Art school Teacher • Lives in the Moment • Afraid Talent is Lost

4.5 art-filled stars🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

**I read a complimentary (FREE) Advanced Reader Copy of this book & am voluntarily leaving an honest and unbiased review!** 💋

[Cheryl_cajun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for the ARC read, I voluntarily give this book an honest review. At thirty-eight Max's  marriage was over. Maybe it was time to come clean, come out of the closet after all. Thinking about his time with Amanda was an eye opener, there was good times as well as bad. Their daughter Christine was away from all the heartache of seeing this at least. Going to Venice was going to be dreadful, telling his daughter in person was a disaster.
Meeting the handsome art teacher was interesting. He may not be much of the father figure but when he trailed behind Christine, he spot the hot male he meet at the little cafe. Lighting his daughters art in flames.  Mario hadn't felt passion in a long time. Everything was bland, unexciting even. When both meet can they spark something inside the other to make them feel alive again? Or can Mario even take a shot to show the love he feels for max or eill he finally push to far for max to stay? Once Max runs can Mario pull his head out of the sand to care about anything other then himself. Such an amazing story, where Max goes and "finds himself" after what happens how Mario helps Christine after he messed up the love of his life. This was a moving book to read.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book full of angst, darkness, shadows and grief. Max is a famous architect. He is gay and has been cheating on his wife for years and thus his daughter, Christine also. The whole family is artistic with Amanda, Max's wife being a famous artist and his daughter striving to be famous by attending an art school in Venus. Mario is an art teacher. Feeling he has lost his touch, he takes over his fathers art school after he dies. Christine being the young female falls in love with her teacher. Max asks for a divorce and goes to Venus to tell his daughter. Meeting Mario, they start to fall in love. Max wants to keep his being gay a secret and thus starts a two year saga of hurt, emotional pain, angst, secrecy, hiding, and searching for who these strong characters really are deep down where they have pushed themselves down so far they got lost over the years. An excellent story that is compelling, intriguing and very worth reading if you like a good emotional story that grabs you and won't let you go. An HEA at the end is worth waiting for. I voluntarily read and reviewed this ARC book.

[Alejandro Pinto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I JUST LOVED THIS STORY.

Even though it's about Mario and Max, which by itself is a great love story, I was actually more preoccupied with the plot involving Christine - Max's daughter.
The main themes about coming out, living and loving your truth, dealing with how gruesome can be a divorce not only for the people in the relationship but for those around them, the idea of crushes, art and emotion are beautifully put together in this novel.

The fact that the whole story developes in the span of several year was something that I haven't read from Jerry Cole before (as new as I can be to his content) and it was definitvely a strong point for me. You can experience sorrow and grief from the main characters and realize that it doesn't matter how many years come by, sometimes pain will be as strong as it was in day one.

I'm a fool for second chances, as I'm a fool for forgiveness, with this being said I just loved this story and will recommend it.

I read a complimentary Advanced Reader Copy of this book & am voluntarily leaving an honest and unbiased review

[Maria771 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of Max and Mario. When I read Jerry's books I usually like them unreservedly, but this book confuded me so thoroughly that I had to restart it quite a few times before I could finish it. It made me so angry at times. It is the first book that I have read that drew so many different emotions that I wanted to throw the book agaist a wall a few times. If you are looking for something light, this not it. At the same time this story will take you on emotional rollercoaster like you have never experienced. It takes you on a journey that is emotional, full of sorrow and grief. You cannot help but become part of Max and Mario's story and start rooting for them. This story has a very believable and real feeling. Very beautifully descriptive.

I received this book as ARC.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Max and Mario’s journey to love is complicated, not only by themselves but family. Set in romantic cities of the world this book takes you there. With the vivid description of Venice and the canal you can almost smell it.

I enjoyed the book and all the angst that followed the characters, it felt real and I felt their pain. Characters having flaws make them interesting and Jerry Cole knows how to write real people.

I highly recommend this book, finding love in a romantic city isn’t easy when artistic temperaments are involved.
I received a free advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest & unbiased review.

[Monika]

At the beginning this book had all the signs of a good romantic love story. But then everything went wrong with the two main characters Max and Mario. Being the artists they where, emotions made both of them doing things they regretted. The journey to the HEA is laced with anger, sorrow, pain and grief. The emotions are flying and Jerry managed to describe them very vividly. In places it almost seems too dark for a love story. It looks more like a journey of self-destruction. But in the end it all came together beautifully. A book I highly recommend.

I read a complimentary advanced reader copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest and unbiased review.

[Patdbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waow,, it took me awhile to be able to get overt this one. this has to be one of Jerry Coles best books. it was such a packed story-line with extreme passion, anxiety, betrayal, mental breakdown (characters and readers) sex, madness, the lot. and I just loved it.

the whole read is a roller coaster of a read and there are times you will want to put it down and times you want to have never end....

wonder do you get the idea that I liked this book....

"I received a free advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest & unbiased review."

[Kaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting and different type of storyline. good characters.. good writing. and all around a very good story. i liked it a lot