After years of following his activist parents, artist Blu Taylor finally found somewhere to call home. He sees art in the world around him yet is never truly part of it. There's a line that keeps him just on the outside of everything and everyone except his best friend. Thomas Harrington has everything--the money, the car, and the designer suits. But something is missing from a seemingly perfect life, lost when his mother fell ill. After attending a local art show, Blu is contacted by Tom and offered his dream--a chance to show at a gallery. Though there is a growing attraction between the men, their worlds couldn't be more apart. Blu speaks through paint and brushes, and Tom's life is filled with words and paperwork. Though opposites attract, these differences might push them apart.
RJ Scott writes heartwarming, passionate MM/gay romance stories where every man finds his happily ever after. When not writing, she enjoys reading books, watching movies, spending time with her family, following Formula 1 (Forza Ferrari!), and cheering on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Email her here: rj@rjscott.co.uk
I just finished reading - 2.5* Sorry Ms. Scott! I'm a great fan of your writing and was really looking forward to a new release. So I interrupted my reading of another book and had to start this one. But I'm sorry to say, this book fell short for me. I totally liked Blu and I so followed his insecurities regarding his dyslexia (especially as my boys suffered the same), but if I take into account the upbuild of the story-line, then in the end it fell totally short. On top of that - the connection between Blu and Tom vanished during the last third of the book, in so much as I skimmed the final 10% of the book. In the end, I felt let down.
Very good m/m romance about an artist with severe dyslexia that he keeps hidden. When his work attracts a wealthy, handsome sponsor, it seems too good to be true...
4.75 stars - I'm always really hesitant to give a book such a high rating because I feel like it has to have something really special to deserve it. The Art of Words was definitely something special, and there's just no way I could rate it anything less purely because of the massive smile I had on my face the whole time I was reading it and the happy feeling that stayed with me even after the last page.
I'd been looking forward to this book for a really long time, so I was praying that it'd be as good as I'd hoped. All too often, I spend months in anticipation only to be left feeling a little underwhelmed. But seriously, I can't believe how brilliantly this book delivered and I was definitely not disappointed. The Art of Words was everything I was hoping for and much much more - the characters were wonderful, the story was interesting and engaging, the build-up was just right, and the whole thing was so well written and perfectly put together. The ending was so perfect too! Jackson was a wonderful character and a total diamond. Tom and Blu were so cute together, and most of the time I just wanted to hug Blu. I'd perhaps have liked to learn a little more about Tom outside of his relationship with his mother, but I really can't find much else to fault with this other than that I wish I could keep reading about Tom and Blu forever! I must also add that the cover is absolutely stunning! It was (almost) exactly how I pictured Blu and Tom in my head.
I would totally recommend this book to fans of the genre. It's the perfect little story to put a huge smile on your face and make you feel all warm and toasty on the inside ;)
I adored this book. I don't thinks any words of mine can do it justice. Its a very gentle story of Blu and Tom. Blu is an artist and Tom a businessman who wants to promote Blu. I really enjoyed the way the relationship between Blu and Tom developed, how it dealt with it each characters vulnerabilities as they opened up to each other, and the angst towards the end is unexpected and works very well for that reason. As for secondary characters Jackson was perfect I found the writing very expressive, far more than in a usual RJ Scott book so I am assuming that's come from Meredith Russell, another author I'll be keeping an eye on. All in all a wonderful read, one to keep you smiling all the way through and to leave you with a well satisfied lump in your heart when you turn the final page.
The story was sweet and had this kind romantic echo at the end. But truthfully Thomas and Blu didn't click for me as a lovers. There was something off with them. Blu was emotionally shy and reserved. And even Thomas behaved reserved and unsure toward Blu. Because of this, we have a couple which didn't feel right. The plot was emotionally strange with to angsty Blu. I didn't like the feeling. Tom was to undeveloped as a character, for my taste. I didn't really feel his love for Blu.
Blu is a struggling artist who suffers with severe dyslexia. With the help of his best friend, Jackson, he gets through life. At Jackson’s insistence, he enters a local art exhibit and is contacted by Tom, who offers him his dream. Tom is a rich and sophisticated businessman who was taught to love art by his mother. When he takes an interest in Blu’s work, he quickly becomes enamored with the artist.
A well-written story that is sweet and enjoyable. Blu is embarrassed because he can’t read and write well, but he loves to paint and is talented. When his work catches Tom’s eye, he is both excited and scared. Tom quickly becomes important to Blu, but Blu is scared to reveal his true self for fear of ridicule and rejection. Tom is enchanted by the way Blu sees the world and wants to help him with an exhibit of his art, but he quickly begins to fall for Blu.
In this story both Blu and Tom are wonderful characters and even though Blu hasn’t had the best of educations (his mom and dad moved around a lot), he has enough street smarts that he can usually fake his way out of a situation. And if he can’t then his best friend Jackson is there to help him. The authors have done a wonderful job of showing the struggles that someone with dyslexia cope with and how they try to cover the disability. Blu’s fear of ridicule and his shame were well done and his actions to try and divert attention from his weakness were brilliantly portrayed.
The way the relationship between the two men played out was great. They got to know each other and grew close before the relationship progressed further. There were some blips as Blu’s insecurity and Tom’s privacy clashed. It was also really nice that we got to know what kind of men they were through their friends and family. The support and love they received from them and how they interacted with them as well. The sex between Blu and Tom is erotic and also sweet with a little bit of chocolate body paint .
So for this one, I recommend it to those who love artists and businessmen, a sweet love, a bit of conflict, wonderful lovemaking and a happy ending.
The Art of Words by RJ Scott and Meredith Russell is the delightful story of two men from totally different worlds. The blurb covers the basic storyline but to really appreciate it, you need to read it for yourself. Anything that I could add would just spoil it. This is definitely a character driven tale with a plot that starts smoothly and flows effortlessly until the end. The characters are very well rounded with diverse personalities that complement each other, with strengths and weaknesses that bring them to life.
The authors' styles of writing complement each other as they combine their genius together with simple, clear, concise,and original skill. There's not much sex in the story, but it's so well done that it's really not needed. There's just enough backstory to lay the foundation without too much trivia. The story has a HEA ending after a misunderstanding almost ends the budding relationship and I really enjoyed reading it. If you're looking for a great way to spend an hour or so, then I can really recommend this book to you.
Good reading material. Main character Blu is really an painter and he is written like artist should be or are (don't know - just thinking) "strange - inside there own world". The writer done really good work.
It is often difficult for two authors to combine their writing styles and come out with a good book but Ms Scott and Ms Russell have pulled it off. Blu Taylor is an unknown artist with all of the insecurities an artist has plus low self esteem due to severe dyslexia. He is unable to read or write and relies on his best friend, Jackson, to help him navigate the tough spots in life. Jackson helps Blu get into his first art showing where Blu's work gets noticed by Tom Harrington who offers to become Blu's benefactor. Tom's mother was an artist until Alzheimer's took most of her ability to paint but Blu helps Tom to understand just what his mother saw and eases some of Tom's pain. What started out to be strictly business soon grows into more but Blu hides his dyslexia from until he can't any longer and runs from Tom right before his first big solo show. I enjoyed the way Tom and Blu's relationship shifted between business and romance. I felt sorry for Blu because his parents were too wrapped up in their causes to get their son the help that could have made him a more secure man. The story moved a little too fast for me though Ms Scott's pulled a HEA out of her hat. This book is not on par with Ms Scott's other books probably due to the shared writing but it is definitely worth picking up.
I thought this was a good book. I tend to prefer a little more drama. It kind of felt like the feeling betrayed/dismissed/ hurt on Blu's part was a little more intense than what the situation called for. I liked that, but I wish what Tom had said fit a little better to Blu's reaction. I don't want to make Tom a bad guy, but his talk with Harry wasn't really all that bad, so it didn't fit with Blu's reaction - and I wish it did. Other than that the story was good. I like the little bits of humor that was added in.
I don't know if the story was too short or what the issue was, but something was off for me. I sort of felt some chemistry between Blu and Tom but not really. And Blu's freak out at Tom's parents' house was kind of crazy and ridiculous, I had no idea what he was even mad about. He seriously wanted a grown man to punch his friend because he was telling him to be careful with his new bf?! Blu seemed a little childish to me, and I am surprised that Tom forgave him so easily/quickly.
A good simple read. The two authors worked well together and everything flowed really nicely. I liked that dyslexia was brought up in this book and readers got to read about the difficulties that people with dyslexia have to deal with daily.
For some reason when I started the book I thought Blu was a musician having stage fright and not a artist trying to get noticed.