Bending the Spine: Review: The Genius and the Muse by Elizabeth Hunter

Title: The Genius and The Muse
Author: Elizabeth Hunter
Paperback: 224 pages
Release Date: May 2, 2012
ISBN-10: 1475119054
ISBN-13: 978-1475119053
Source: Author
Goodreads Kindle Paperback

Kate Mitchell knew what she wanted: to finish her degree from Foothill Art Institute and break into the art world on her own terms. Just when she thinks she has it all figured out, new insight into a mysterious photograph by her artistic idol will lead her on a journey through the past.

A photograph. A painting. Lost dreams and secret pain. One clue leads to another, and Kate learns that pieces of the past might leave marks on her own future, leading to a love she never could have predicted.

One portrait may hold the answers, but learning its secrets will challenge everything Kate thought she knew about love, art, and life. A single picture can tell more than one story. In the end, a young artist will discover that every real love story is a unique work of art.(Goodreads)

Review

Elizabeth Hunter is one of my favorite authors. I’ve read and loved her Elemental Mysteries series which is a paranormal read. Elizabeth has this way of writing characters that you care so much about, you just can’t let them go even after you have finished the book about them. When Elizabeth emailed me to let me know she had a new book out that was contemporary I jumped on reading it… I am so glad I did!

Kate thinks she has her life together for the most part. She is working on her final project for school when she is encouraged to dig a little deeper in her project subject, Reed O'Connor, a famous photographer. I had no idea what direction the story of The Genius and The Muse was going to go. At first I thought, well this will be typical, the main character Kate will go after her idol and they will fall in love. I was so wrong! As Kate moves into Reed’s circle of friends I got to learn about Reeds past love, which is interwoven into the main storyline beautifully.

I really liked Kate. When she sees something she wants, she goes after it, and when things don’t work out for her she doesn’t wallow in self pity. I don’t know that I would have put up with some of the questions she asked Reed and his friends, but she is very driven. Kate’s drive for knowledge leads her to Reed O'Connor’s best friend Javi.

OK y’all, confession time: I have a new book boyfriend! I know you’re so surprised;) His name is Javi. Oh this man. Javi is gruff, does not have a gorgeous face, is covered in tattoos, he does the whole hermit thing, and I am so in love with him!!! Here are some of his reactions to Kate that are just too great not to share.

“Too young,” he said, pulling his eyes away from her. “Too pretty. Too damn breakable.”

But Javi just can’t stay out of her life.

“Don’t find a nice guy. You’d get bored, and he wouldn’t know what to do with you. So… yeah, be pissed at me if you want, but you—you’re one-of-a-kind…” He paused, unsure of what he was really trying to say. “So just find a guy that gets that, you know?” He rolled his eyes at the longest voicemail in history. “Or just ignore me, because it’s none of my business, anyway.”

Don’t you want to hear that you’re one of a kind!

Perfect, he thought. She was perfect. Actually, she was a nosey, stubborn, pain in the ass.
And she was perfect.

Oh’ you know you want to read about these characters.

I loved the fact that The Genius and The Muse is not about insta-love or merely just falling in love. It’s about how love is lost, how sometimes life is not what you thought it should be, and how something broken can be fixed if you’re willing to work on it.

Go get a copy of The Genius and The Muse today and read it!!!

Happy reading,