Artist's Dream

Cassie Parker, the artist of the title, was raised by a fire-and-brimstone preacher father who told her that she would go to hell if she didn't do everything his way. With that inculcated into her brain, she has been unable to feel - anything for anyone. Her best friend, Kim, is convinced that Cassie is a lesbian, but Cassie knows that she will roast in hell if she is so she's not. Then along comes Luke - Lucinda - an architect and all the Reverend Parker's dire predictions no longer have weight.

Hill, in this book, fails to develop the characters deeply enough for the reader to really care about them. Nor does she use the setting as a character as she does in other of her books. Nor is there much of a plot. These failings make the book less than her others. Also I got really, really tired of the characters' eyes locking. Every time they looked at one another, Hill had their eyes locking - give it a break, please.

If you are looking for a fast read and/or a light romance, this is the book for you. If not, I suggest you try Hill's The Killing Room or Hunter's Way - both have an interesting plot, strong characters, and are better written.

Cassie Parker, the artist of the title, was raised by a fire-and-brimstone preacher father who told her that she would go to hell if she didn't do everything his way. With that inculcated into her brain, she has been unable to feel - anything for anyone. Her best friend, Kim, is convinced that Cassie is a lesbian, but Cassie knows that she will roast in hell if she is so she's not. Then along comes Luke - Lucinda - an architect and all the Reverend Parker's dire predictions no longer have weight.

Hill, in this book, fails to develop the characters deeply enough for the reader to really care about them. Nor does she use the setting as a character as she does in other of her books. Nor is there much of a plot. These failings make the book less than her others. Also I got really, really tired of the characters' eyes locking. Every time they looked at one another, Hill had their eyes locking - give it a break, please.

If you are looking for a fast read and/or a light romance, this is the book for you. If not, I suggest you try Hill's The Killing Room or Hunter's Way - both have an interesting plot, strong characters, and are better written.

Not one of my favorite Gerri Hill novels. I loved all her other books, but this one was too... unrealistic for me. Some of the things the characters say are just not things I see people saying. I guess it was just too mushy for me.

If you are familiar with Gerri Hill's writing then this book will be sure to entertain as her others do. She has an amazing way of writing about the chemistry between two people when they meet and as their relationship develops...we've all been there at one time or another in our own lives and we get to experience it again through her characters.

I recommend this if you are looking for a light, entertaining, fun lesbian romance read. No Drama, nothing too serious, not a Nobel prize winner...but that's what makes it good!

I really like how this author writes. You have empathy for her characters, and the stories hold your interest. Highly recommend this book.

This book is a little different that the other Gerri Hill books I've read. The setting she uses isn't as vivid. There isn't some overarching plot or mystery or intrigue or even a vacation set aside as a certain amount of time with anticipated events like her other works. And yet, I found myself liking this book the best of all of her books. It may be true that she doesn't quite develop all of her characters as deeply as she does in some other books.

The portrait she paints of Cassie is interesting and multi-layered, though. Definitely not typical of many of the characters we see in lesbian fiction. We get plenty of characters not coming out until they're adults, but the descriptions we get into her emotions and thought processes are excellent and really ring true, particularly given the harshness of her upbringing. The motivations of her father we learn about in the end aren't exactly a surprise, but add another layer to the story. I thought the characters were very realistic. I could nit-pick about their eyes locking too much, or too many "instant" realizations, but unlike some other books I've read there was enough emotional resonance to buoy me along that these minor annoyances did not take me out of the story.

I like that the characters have interesting occupations. I enjoyed learning about Luke as an architect and Cassie as an artist. In the absence of the setting being a character, it's almost like Cassie's art was another character. I like the close "family" that Cassie formed with Kim and Lisa, and that relationships between friends and family were addressed as much as they were.

Unlike some of Gerri's other works that tend to rely more heavily on plot and tend to lag at times for me, particularly towards the end when I feel the need to slap sense into some of her characters, there were no "get on with it already" moments for me. Luke and Cassie make consistent and realistic progress in their relationship, one that is very sweet, and also satisfying. My favorite book of hers yet; maybe 4-1/2 stars for its remotional resonance.

Beautifully written love story of two women letting themselves fall in love despite past experiences.

GOSH there are no words to discribed this book. It was just excellent, what a read. I could not get enough of this book. Gerri Hill did an awesome job at capturing Cassie. I felt the termoil she was going through and I felt her struggles with her feelings for Luke.

I enjoyed this book mostly because I am going through the same thing, my mom is a minister and she is just like Rev Parker. So I could totally understand what Cassie is going through. Trying to hide your feelings to please your parents.

GOSH there are no words to discribed this book. It was just excellent, what a read. I could not get enough of this book. Gerri Hill did an awesome job at capturing Cassie. I felt the termoil she was going through and I felt her struggles with her feelings for Luke.

I enjoyed this book mostly because I am going through the same thing, my mom is a minister and she is just like Rev Parker. So I could totally understand what Cassie is going through. Trying to hide your feelings to please your parents.

This was another good work from a dependable writer. It was not Gerri Hill's best (that goes to Hunter's Way). Reading the book was a very pleasant way to spend several hours with new friends.