Reese Carter is definitely not your average college girl. She'd prefer to spend Saturday nights playing Hero's Crusade than attending a wild frat party on campus. When she bands together with Adam, fellow comic enthusiast and illustrator, it appears that Reese has formed a dream team sure to propel her writing into the comic hall of fame.
Adam Hayes has never met a girl like Reese. She's sassy, smart, and loves talking comics, although he can't see why she'd choose DC over Marvel. He's thrilled to finally put his artistic chops to use in their upcoming comic project. But. this relationship is strictly professional. Or so he tells himself. When the two combine forces, they churn out magic in more ways than they had planned; they never expected to develop a steamy romantic sub-plot of their own...
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 4 Stars
I accidentally started reading this series in reverse order, having started with His Dream Role, but luckily that doesn't seem to matter. I thought that Free from His Dream Role would have been my favorite character, what with his fascination with pop culture and the constant costumes that he wore. However, having since read His Work of Art, I think that Adam and Reese are a more interesting couple to read.
Adam had relationship issues from the start because he was attracted to Reese, a problem for him because she was white. He wasn't prejudiced himself, but rather his father had abandoned the family because he couldn't take the constant comments and insults that he got because his wife was white and he was black. Being a mixed race child, this made Adam particularly sensitive to what it might be like if he were openly involved with Reese. He's genuinely interested in her, but even before they begin dating they meet up for coffee and he hears a racial insult directed toward Reese. He becomes protective of her, but he goes about it in all the wrong ways, figuring that distancing himself from her without really telling her why is the right way to go.
Reese, now that I think back on it, was slightly underdeveloped. We get her basic history: she and her mom are living on their own because her mom left her dad due to his abuse. This sets up her distrust of men, but it's a very bare bones backstory. It isn't fleshed out much, which is more annoying after the fact than a real problem during the course of reading the story.
I would like to have heard more about Adam and Reese's stories, particularly since what happened to them as children has such a huge impact on them as adults. I did enjoy their interactions and their resolution though, as well as the interaction with the other men from the Hot & Nerdy series.
Music Recommendation
This music video by Passenger reminded me of some of the hangups that Adam had regarding his relationship with Reese. His problem was that he thought that because his dad abandoned his wife due to racial intolerance of their marriage, he would be subject to the same situation. He didn't know what he was doing to himself, though, by letting the past cloud his view of a relationship with Reese until he nearly lost her.
All pictures, quotes, and videos belong to their respective owners. I use them here solely for the purpose of review and commentary.
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