Today, Dienece Darling offers a book review of Pixels and Paint, a contemporary romance by Kristi Ann Hunter
Book Description:
For Emma Trinket, life is a delicate balancing act between loving her family and pursuing interests they don’t understand. When the opportunity arises to finally impress them with her job as a computer programmer, she jumps at it even if it means immersing herself in a world she’s despised since childhood.
Unfortunately the one man who could crush her prospects is also the best person to help her navigate the lessons she needs to be a success.
Artistic expression is both Carter Anderson’s safe space and his livelihood, but his fading inspiration has him worried about his place in life. His encounters with Emma spark a passion to create that he hasn’t felt in years and he isn’t ready to let go of his new muse even if she’s threatening the sanctity of his art world with her digital technologies.
As each tries to gain an advantage from the other, Emma and Carter discover they actually might be more compatible than they thought. Will that be enough to unify their opposing missions or will the real differences between pixels and paint tear them apart?
Dienece’s Review:
Pixels and Paints is a debut book, which seems a little odd coming from a multi-published author.
This is Kristi Ann Hunter’s first contemporary romance, and she smashed it out of the park.
I had mixed feelings coming into this. Kristi Ann’s latest historical series Hearts on the Heath was an all-time favourite of mine. So, you can imagine my disappointment when I discovered she was moving genres just when I thought she’d found her feet! But for all that worry,
Pixels and Paints was a good, deep, compelling read.
Like all Kristi Ann’s books, Emma and Carter and their fictional world are so realistic. One feels like they know the characters, major and minor ones personally. Even the setting feels like a real place. Nothing is left out. Nothing missing. You know Emma and Carter’s quirks, their likes, their world, and they are so interesting you just keep turning page after page.
Emma is a computer geek. She doesn’t get art, and Carter, an artist himself, doesn’t get electronics of any kind. It was so much fun seeing the two try to figure each other out.
There are multiple threads through the story that draw you in. It’s not all just romance. Emma has kept much of herself secret from her family, and the anticipation of a blowout when they discovered Emma’s secret geek life had me turning pages late into the night.
I laughed when we meet Carter’s grandfather. He was a blast and not at all as I’d expected, which made it even better.
There was one part of the story I didn’t like. Emma’s sister is not a Christan, and she slips a condom into Emma’s purse. The writing tone made it clear this was supposed to be joke and doubled as a way to show that Carter and Emma had the same values (no sex before marriage), but the condom joke fell flat with me, like really flat. That aside though, it was a great read.
If you love reading about people and places that feel real. Two people who learn how to appreciate the uniqueness of each other and fall in love. A book with deep personal and spiritual growth, give Pixels and Paints a try.
Do you enjoy the ‘opposites attract’ trope? What about it draws or repels you?
I love to see (and laugh about) how couples clash but eventually find a rhythm unique to them that will carry a sweet tune far into the future like Emma and Carter in Pixels and Paints. Happy reading!
