Art-Crossed Love (Second Chances #2) by Libby Rice **Blog Tour & Review**

Should they let love be more than a four-letter word?

Lissa Blanc is a painter on a mission. She filters the world through a lens of color, line, and form and hides her ambition behind a delicate smirk that lets her critics believe life comes easy. To her, art isn’t what she sees. It’s what she feels. Few know that behind the glitz of a prodigious upbringing, she’s driven to emerge from a shadow cast by painful memories that insist she’ll never be a renowned talent in her own right.

Cole Rathlen is a photographer on the mend. A crippling grief has stifled his once-rising career and compromised his creative instincts. Knowing he can’t stagnate forever, he seeks a twisted absolution in the form of a woman whose paintings give life to the emotions he won’t let himself imagine, let alone feel.When the two partner for a prestigious project that will pull them from the mountains of Colorado to the palaces of India, Lissa quickly realizes that more than diverging ideals hinder their search for success and salvation. Was Cole’s life upended by a tragic but unavoidable choice or something more sinister? While Lissa can’t delve into the mystery but not the man, Cole can’t resist a tenacious soul that refuses to leave him chained. As the truth closes in on a project finally sprouting wings, will Lissa sacrifice her chance at success to set Cole free? Or will Cole shrug the chains of lingering regrets to prove that those who love the most, love again. 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lissa is a painter, who struggles with her art, since it seems like her only supporters of her work are her rich parents, who help her financially, something that she doesn't like, since she wants to prove to everyone that she's capable of succeeding without their help.

Cole is a well known photographer, who approaches Lissa with an offer that can change her life. He offers her the chance to prove herself and show her talent to the whole world, if he joins her to the Colorado Mountains and later to India.

Thing is, Cole is no fan of her work and he believes in reality as it is , while Lissa focuses on the soul the object, on the feeling.To her, art isn’t what she sees. It’s what she feels.

 

But Cole wasn't always like that. He just deals with grief and he hasn't been able to let go of his haunting past. A past that also offers mystery in this beautiful and complicated story. Members of his family also take place in this story, taking care of his welfare, helping him, after the grief took over his life. But Lissa has also a past behind her and the real question is how their pasts will define their lives?

“In the past, I was gentle and caring, always giving more, never taking too much. Now I’m jaded enough to know better. Go ahead and fuck with me, Lissa, but expect me to fuck back.”

First of all, I want to address my personal issues with this book.

1)I dragged this book for a long time, making a pause in the meanwhile, so that can affect my rating & review. It also felt really long, probably because of that. Or because it wasn't an easy or light read.

2)Another personal issue was the language. Since english isn't my mother language, there were words (and even phrases) I didn't understand. That probably means that for a native speaker is a not a point, but that only made me feel confused at times. Again, this was only a personal issue, so don't let this affect you.

3) The artistic references and art -talking that I also couldn't get at the beginning, but eventually I got there and that's a good thing, right? ^^

4) There were moments, especially at the beginning that I didn't really like the heroine. I thought she was indiscreet and she was asking personal questions, judging without thinking and shoving her nose where she didn't belong. That was something that changed later on, but I felt like I had to state it, because it bothered me at first.

Personal Thoughts

I loved the build up between the MCs, the tension and the passion that was evident and was making me impatient! I really needed them to get it on. And boy I was not disappointed by that at all. Even though it didn't have many sex scenes, I really found H-O-T their moments, especially in the truck. What he did to her, my goodness! *swoons*

I also liked the graphic details of the places. Even though I have never been to Colorado or India, I felt like I was there. It was written really nicely and realistically. Especially the feeling about people in India. I was enamored with the writing, especially, when they reached at that place.

And last but not least, the mystery that was going on, I must admit that it was sort of predictable to me. I suspected what had really happened and who was behind it. That didn't let me down though, because there was plenty of tension and suspense in the last part of the book, keeping me on my toes, while wondering what would happen and how this story would end.

I haven't read a lot of art-related books, but even Gabriel's Inferno, that had poetry inside, didn't reduce the story behind it any less, so go ahead and give this book a try. If you like photography and paintings and all art-stuff related even better! ;)

This is part of a series, but can be read as a standalone. I haven't read the first one and there was no confusion or whatsover.

**Arc kindly provided in exchange for an honest review**