Artistic Appeal

By: Andrew Grey

Narrated by: John Solo

Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

Brian Watson knows close friends Gerald Young and Dieter Krumpf have an ulterior motive when they invite him to their Christmas party. Brian has taken over the case to secure the return of the famous painting called The Woman in Blue to Dieter, but they don't want Brian to be all work and no play. They intend to set him up with a friend, but he's not who catches Brian's eye. Instead, it's Nicolai, the deaf art restorer caring for the works already returned to Dieter.

But pursuing Nicolai won't be easy. A year ago Nicolai had to fight to regain his independence after a bad break-up, and he's reluctant to give up his freedom a second time. Plus, Brian has competition in Justin, Nicolai's ex, who wants him back badly.

Nicolai's reluctance isn't the only roadblock. Brian was married to a woman for almost 10 years. Now he has to confess to his mother, his ex-wife, and his young daughter that he loves a man, all while conducting a potentially groundbreaking court case and trying to convince Nicolai that love isn't about co-dependence, it's about support.

©2011 Andrew Grey (P)2017 Dreamspinner Press

A fabulous ending to the first story and new love

If you could sum up Artistic Appeal in three words, what would they be?

Heart-warming, charming, interesting

Have you listened to any of John Solo’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, the First in this series. It compares quite well

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes and I did.

Any additional comments?

I have been waiting to see how Dieter's case plays out and how Brians story unfolds. I adored Nicolai. Having a physically challenged character as the main character was such a fresh character. Nicolai is not damaged. He is very adept in himself. He knows he will never hear again and it doesn't bother him. Brian handles his attraction and feelings for Nicolai like a true champ. In my book that makes Brian a true prince. I also liked Zoe and how she brought such fun and charm and smiles to the story especially when she explains the birds and bees to her dad. I laughed my head off.

I liked how the two stories unfolded so well together. We not only got closer for Gerald and Dieter but a fresh romance with Brian and Nicolai and a bit of drama with the court case, Brian's ex and Nicolai's ex.

If you like a fast-paced story with well-flesh characters, unique characters, deaf men, cute kids and some man-love you will love this book. You don't have to read the first book but it does help you understand who Dieter and Gerald are and why Brian took over the case.

Wonderful sequel

Artistic Appeal is a continuation of book one. In book one, Legal Artistry, Brian is a Partner in the same Law firm as Gerald and they worked to get painting of The Woman in Blue back. Brian confides in Gerald he only married because Barbara was pregnant and this book, Artistic Appeal, is Brian's story. Now divorced Brian is ready to explore his sexuality.

I really like that although this book follows on from book one it is a very different story. With this story Brian has to fight his harpy of an ex-wife for custody of his daughter Zoe, come out to his family and Nicolai has a stalker. It really makes a good story all rolled up with whether or not they defeat the appeal. There is a lot going on and it keeps the pace steady so I never wavered in my interest. I liked they way the relationship between Brian and Nicolai was left to slowly develop made it more realistic. The descriptions of Vienna were lovely, gave a great feel for the City. Nicolai is a charming character, strong and independent and Zoe is a sweet child.

The narration by John Solo is good. In my opinion he nailed Nicolai, it can't be easy to narrate a deaf character but he made it believable. I also liked his portrayal of nine year old Zoe. Given that the two stories are quite different at first I was concerned that it sound too similar to the first story but that never happened. The narration adjusted perfectly keeping those characters from the first book but enhancing it with the new characters.


*I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher in return for a fair and honest review. On Open Skye book Reviews*