The Art of Loving (Arts & Hearts #1)

Title: The Art of Loving (Arts & Hearts #1)
Author: Cassidy Ryan
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Release Date: June 14, 2016
Genre(s): Contemporary
Page Count: 88
Reviewed by: Gigi
Heat Level: 4 flames out of 5
Rating: 2 stars out of 5
Blurb:

Does Asa have a life sentence doing time in the friendzone?

Asa has been in love with Theo since their art school days in London, but Theo has only ever had eyes for their straight friend Oliver. Two years ago, unable to take the pain of unrequited love any longer, Asa came home to Glasgow. He hasn’t seen Theo since, nor has he stopped loving him.

When Oliver marries Charlotte, Asa can’t come up with any reasonable excuse not to attend the wedding, so he returns to London. He isn’t exactly shocked when Theo doesn’t show up, but when he learns that the reason for Theo’s no-show is a car accident that has landed him in hospital, Asa immediately rushes to be with him.

Unable to leave Theo to fend for himself while he recovers, Asa takes his friend back to Glasgow with him.

There, secrets are revealed, and Asa learns more about Theo than he ever imagined.

Cassidy Ryan. Gah, I love her stuff! But not this one. Super big bummer for me.

Theo and Asa were friends in art school together and while Theo harbored an unrequited love for his straight friend Oliver, Asa loved Theo. Kinda messy, but I bought it.

The day of Oliver’s wedding to Charlotte, Theo gets into a car accident and misses the wedding. Asa ends up being the one to care for him while he heals.

So, here’s the thing. These are men in their 30’s yet they both act like teens crushing for the first time. That just doesn’t work for me. Theo comes off as a pretentious dick, yet Asa loves him anyway. The book is told from Asa’s POV so we only hear the hearts and flowers in his eyes for a man who really doesn’t have a lot of redeeming qualities.

But that could be because this book is so short. There just wasn’t enough time for character development. I probably would have liked this better if it had dual POVs and a more fleshed out story. We were TOLD what Asa felt, but didn’t get to see it. Because of that, I didn’t feel it.

This is the beginning of a series, with the next book most likely about painter Gus, and I will most certainly read it. I probably won’t ever give up on Ms. Ryan.

As for the Art of Love, I cannot recommend it.

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