Reconnecting with Tyler helps Max settle back in, and it also leads to attraction. But when he tries to explore that connection at the grand opening of his tattoo studio—by kissing Tyler—awkwardness ensues. Max wants more, but has he misread Tyler’s signals?
As a single father raising a six-year-old daughter, Tyler doesn’t have much time to date. He’s ignored his attraction to men for years, but he can’t stop thinking about the kiss he shared with Max. If he can handle the complications of dating in a small town and the possible consequences to his career, this romance could blossom with all the colors of summer.
Anna Martin stories are always so easy to read regardless of the subject matter. She’s the kind of author where the words just flow so I forget I’m actually reading as the story just moves and before I know it I’ve read 200 pages. The Color of Summer is the same and while Max and Tyler’s story could have been angst filled it wasn’t and I was happy for that, the ease of everything matched with the characters personalities well.
The lack of conflict will make this story less memorable than others in the long run though. Tyler had a lot to reconcile with his sexuality, but he rolled with it pretty easily, almost too easily, but as I said, that seemed to fit with his personality, so he would have had to have been constructed differently to add angst and I really liked him as he was. He had an ‘everyman’ quality to him that was refreshing to read for a change. He was a nice guy from a nice family with a nice little girl and there’s nothing wrong with that and it’s probably more true to real life than a lot of characters.
Max is edgier than Tyler with his full sleeve tattoos and the opening of his tattoo shop in the small town he grew up in. He always wanted to open his own shop, and his catalyst for opening it in his hometown now is so that he can be close to his mom after she suffered a stroke. He may seem a little cooler than your average small town cat, but he’s also a good boy who loves his small family.
The best parts of the book were the conversations between Max and Tyler as they got to know one another (again) after not seeing one another for years. Tyler is Shaun’s older brother and Shaun is Max’s best friend since childhood. So the two had a relationship as much as that setup would allow so the chemistry of their new relationship could realistically be accelerated a bit and that worked well. They had history but also the newness that is so fun to read.
I had a tough time wrapping my head around Max and Shaun’s friendship. I was told they were besties but Shaun didn’t have much page time so I didn’t really know him and I definitely didn’t have a feel for the two of them together. So, when Max and Shaun had a confrontation in the kitchen about Max dating Tyler, Shaun’s reaction seemed really terrible and then over. I felt like I was watching from the periphery though without the subtext of their relationship to be able to understand what happened. It really could have been no big deal, but without the extra info, it seemed way more over the top than necessary. But maybe it wasn't, I just don't know.
The buildup was really well done. The feel of the story to me was that I was going to read a “quietly” romantic story. I love those. They are more subtle and believable to me and when it comes time for the feelings I can buy into them pretty easily. The last third of the book felt rushed though. A lot happened and there was some external drama that threw wrenches at the characters heads and served as an unnecessary impetus for things that would have happened eventually anyway. It was kind of a lot to introduce and then wrap up in a short-ish amount of pages. I would have been fine with more focus on the family dynamics as Max and Tyler really started to commit to one another and lost their final hangups. There was too much big stuff crammed into the epilogue that should have had more pages dedicated as what transpired were life changing decisions and declarations.
It was really nice to read a story with families that loved and supported one another and minimal drama. Communication is a lovely thing to read and Max and Tyler were very good at it so while I may not remember the subtle specifics long term, I will remember how the story made me feel all warm and fuzzy.
**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**
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