The Man Painter Review

 

Can I have a Theo please?!?!

The Man Painter is the 2^nd book in “The Painter Series” by Melissa Turner Lee and starts off 2 years after Holly’s high school graduation. We find Holly in a completely different place than where we left her, still working for Martha and living in her painted room. Her parents are gone, they’ve moved to Ashville, NC for her father’s new job and she remained in Chesnee for college. It is Thanksgiving weekend, when for the first time in over a year Holly has one thought… Theo. When she gets into her car for the drive to Ashville to be with her family she hears something startling on the radio, a set of paintings older than time of jewel colored dinosaurs are going up for auction in Charleston. She feigns fighting the urge and inevitably makes the turn to Charleston instead of Ashville to see the paintings that can only belong to Theo. When she arrives at the gallery she finds it closed and almost gives up until a young girl named Cynthia walks up. She recognizes Holly immediately as the girl from all Theo’s sketches. Cynthia takes Holly to Theo’s apartment and reunites them and their bond is instantly renewed. A lot has changed about Holly’s painter, he’s buff and has a 5 o’ clock shadow, but that doesn’t change the way she feels about him. He is elated to see her, but the sciences not so much. Holly and Theo have a lot of catching up to do and they decide to go on a date the next morning to catch up. The next day when Theo gets sick at the diner Holly starts to realize something really is different. When she speaks to Bio, he tells her that her breath made Theo human that day 2 years ago and it has been a battle for his life ever since.

Holly slowly but surely learns the truth that Theo is human but missing some parts and that the fountain of youth that was gifted to Fritz could save his life but the sciences and other painters cannot find it. She also learns that Fritz is torturing Theo to try and find out how to become human. When Theo gets the flu and nearly dies, Holly is forced to make a decision barter for the water with Fritz or loose the man she just recently found again. She has Khai-Ree take her to Fritz and makes the bargain with the stipulation that when Theo is healed she will give Fritz the breath of life, or die by Fritz’ hand.

With this realization that she may have a lifespan shorter than she ever expected she is ready to live her life fully with Theo. Wedding bells ring and her fears come to fruition when Fritz sends Shelly to collect on their deal. Will Holly die so soon after finding happiness or will the Sciences come through to save her life. Check out the Man Painter to find out!

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