The Art of My Life - Ann Lee Miller

4.5 Stars!

ABOUT THE BOOK -

Cal walked out of jail and into a second chance at winning Aly with his grandma’s beater sailboat and a reclaimed dream of sailing charters.

Aly has the business smarts, strings to a startup loan, and heart he never should have broken. He’s got squat. Unless you count enough original art to stock a monster rummage sale and an affection for weed.

But he’d only ever loved Aly. That had to count for something. Aly needed a guy who owned yard tools, tires worth rotating, and a voter’s registration card. He’d be that guy or die trying.

For anyone who’s ever struggled to measure up. And failed. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR -

Ann Lee Miller earned a BA in creative writing from Ashland (OH) University and writes full-time in Phoenix, but left her heart in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, where she grew up. She loves speaking to young adults and guest lectures on writing at several Arizona colleges. When she isn’t writing or muddling through some crisis—real or imagined—you’ll find her hiking in the Superstition Mountains with her husband or meddling in her kids’ lives. 

Visit her at her beautiful site - HERE

MY REVIEW -

This was a good book that just kept getting better. As I kept reading I kept liking it more and more. This is a suspenseful love story, I would call it. It had all the great components - a great guy, a great gal, great friends and family, drug addiction, jail, the ocean, a sailboat, a bad guy, a gun, and love! Sound like a good combo?

This book starts off two years after "Kicking Eternity" (the first book, reviewed - HERE). I think I actually liked this one better. It was way more suspenseful. And in the first book I said that the characters seemed young to me not the college age they should be. In this book, the author hit it spot on!

The character development was great - I loved Cal even with all his flaws. I just kept rooting for him. His heart was in the right place, and I never gave up on him and thought Aly shouldn't either. I also loved Aly. She was a smart, sweet, funny, but also a strong young woman who knows what she wants and can stand up for herself.

In the beginning of each chapter there is a journal entry from Aly's blog. I really loved this idea! here's one -

"Nov. 24 - Sometimes I feel like I've gotten caught in the vortex of life. I'm spinning and spinning out of control. If I am the artist of life, I need to regain control of the palette and brush. Who is in charge when I abdicate? I can't let life happen to me. I need to make choices. Good ones. or I will only have myself to blame when I get hurt."  - I didn't know what abdicate meant, so I looked it up. - to give up or renounce (authority, duties, etc.)

I got into reading these just as much as reading the story itself.

Here is a couple more quotes I love -

"A picture of God's palm cradling Aly, keeping her afloat, protecting her on every side illumined the screen of his mind - like a prayer God put in his head to steady him." - this also shows you how suspenseful this is!

 "I'm on my way to a party, and I'm going to get kissed. I'm going to find The One by the time I graduate at the end of the semester - like Where's Waldo, only in real life." - haha cute!

"You need a man who wants you, who works hard to get what he wants, then spends the rest of his life grateful he got you." - Amen to that!

THE ALL-IN-ALL -
All in all this is a nice Christian based (but not preachy at all!) suspenseful love story. Has plenty to keep you reading. No swearing, no sex.

Thanks to Ann, the author for sending me an e-book copy to read and review!

THE GIVEAWAY -
Ann, the Author, says that anyone who comments here with their email address will get a free e-book copy of her first book "Kicking Eternity".   Its worth it - that was a great book as well!