Color of You

By: C.S. Poe

Narrated by: Greg Boudreaux

Bowen Merlin - yes, that’s his real name - accepts a position in the quaint town of Lancaster, New Hampshire, as the high school band director. He leaves New York City for the snowy countryside of New England just in time for the holidays. With class, homework, after-school activities, and a surprise Christmas concert to plan and rehearse, Bowen is plenty busy. And since he’s never had much luck with romance, factoring in time to find Mr. Right isn’t a priority.

Until he meets the proprietor of Snowy Ridge Apple Orchard, Felix Hansen. Suddenly, true love seems like a possibility for the first time in Bowen’s life. The two are a perfect match and fill the skipped beats of each other’s hearts. But as wonderful as Felix seems, he’s harboring old scars that could bring an end to their budding relationship after someone in town goes to great lengths to sabotage their careers.

If Bowen is to survive, he’ll need to lean on old friends and new, convince Felix he’s worth any hardship, and prove they can come out of the catastrophe stronger if they do so together.

©2017 C S Poe (P)2018 Dreamspinner Press

Perfect sweet Christmas story

Bowen and Felix are sweet and supportive of each other, and complement each other well. Greg Boudreaux captures them exactly right (as usual) and Poe's humor had me laughing throughout. Recommend.

Color Me Happy!

This book is so charming and wonderful. The writing is good, the characters are real and believable, and utterly adorable. Alan is really fantastic and I definitely felt a little kindred spirit with the gamer teen. Bowen and Felix are just so warm, and fuzzy, and listening to their romance is like curling up in the fluffiest blanket. I was coming off quite a stint of books that I really ended up hating and this was the balm my soul needed.

And, of course, no one can deny the skill of the wonderful Greg Boudreaux. An absolute must read for a wonderful little slice of life novel.

Sweet holiday story

Color of You was a sweet Christmas story, it made me wish for winter and snow and the holiday spirit that tends to set in in the beginning of December. This book was packed with it; from the romance between Bowen and Felix to the Christmas concert and the town and students coming together.

Bowen is new in town and with his bright red hair and colourful bowties he doesn’t go unnoticed. Also he’s a bit of a klutz and on one of his first days in town he spills apple cider on, not one but two, unsuspecting customers in the coffee shop. One of whom happens to be one of the most gorgeous men he’s seen. After some initial hesitation the two starts to date. Their romance is mostly uncomplicated. It might have been a tad fast, but it never felt rushed, it felt right and sweet.

Something I appreciate, and I know many more will to, were the reversed roles (at least when talking stereotypes) for Felix and Bowen. Felix was the bigger of the two, with visible scars from a past trauma, the strong and silent type while Bo was colourful, slender and a bit geeky. Stereotypes will have Felix as the dominant one, personality-wise. Here it was the other way around. It really worked for them and for the story. It was sweet how they came together. Both so relieved that they truly did complement each other, needed what the other had to give.

I also loved the single dad aspect and how easy Felix and Alan made room for Bo. How well they gelled together. There was no friction or drama. They just were. I also love how fiercely protective Alan was of his dad, wanting him to be happy – even meddling a bit. Not too much, just enough.

Greg Boudreaux captured the essence of this book and characters. From the eager to learn students, exuberant best friend to sweet Alan. Boudreaux also made you feel the connection between Felix and Bo, how they danced around each other in the beginning to the horror of waking up late for school for missing to set the alarm. He captured the fun and sweet moments just as well as the hot and heavy ones. Like always Boudreaux has made a masterful job performing this book.

Color of You was beautifully written and narrated and is definitely recommended to if you are looking for some early holiday feelings.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review for Love Bytes.

amazing

amazing story. amazing narration.

What else needs to be said.

Two men that have gotten stuck in stereotypes pretty much there whole adult life. Finally think they have found the man they can be free with until a small town or a couple of people in a small town have other plans.

Love and friendship can conquer all.

Cute holiday tale enlivened by great narration

3.5

This feel-good story, which evokes images of warm apple pie and apple-cheeked Christmas sweetness, is full of instas—insta-crushes, insta-love and an insta-solved Scooby gang homophobia plot device for that touch of C.S. Poe amateur sleuthing.

Bowen Merlin, beyond being a sound-to-color synesthetic, is an interesting character whose awkward first moves, clumsiness and thin, outward appearance belie a craving to be sexually dominant, an important part of himself that has been a major contributor in his failed relationships. While at a holiday fair, he spills his apple cider on the owner of the local apple orchard, Felix Hanson, and is instantly smitten. After some awkwardness and Bowen being surprised that Alan, the talented clarinet player he bonded with on his first day at work, is Felix’s son, the two settle into an adorably hot courtship. Having been burned by a fire and his ex-husband, Felix is shy and hesitant when it comes to exposing his emotional and physical scars. Yet, all Bowen can see is how thoughtful, beautiful and special Felix is and how perfectly they fit together.

Per usual, Greg Tremblay/Boudreaux does an excellent job bringing the story to life. As books with good teachers are a particular fave of mine, and as a former band geek, I loved hearing Bowen’s enjoyment of the music, teaching, and the kids, and could almost hear the colors of his interactions just like Bowen. Frankly, with everything happening on a three week time table—from bonding with all the students and his boyfriend’s son, to love—listening to Tremblay infuse the dialogue and thoughts with the weight of the characters’ emotions helped make the speed of events believable enough to immerse me in the story and enjoy the sugary goodness. Because I was so invested in Bowen’s and Felix’s sweet, yet intense courtship, I found the incredibly ugly and unexpected homophobic turn it took at around 65% a bit jarring. However, in keeping with the allegro tempo of all the emotional beats, it’s tidily wrapped up in Christmas bows not long after, and the honeyed happiness of holiday cheer and community is restored.

Color of You is full of characters that are charming in their own unique ways, a sweet and spicy romance, and is narrated in full color by Greg Tremblay. So, if you like that special gooeyness of holiday romances and are looking for a good, easy listen, this audiobook is for you.

The Novel Approach Reviews

So good!

I loved this book so much. It was amazing, well, written and the characters are complex and right away I felt like I was part of their world and was rooting for them. Even the side characters were endearing and I rooted for them too.

The narrator does an awesome job of bringing the characters to life. I just got lost in it and to me that’s the best sort of narration.

super quick love story with quirky characters

I’m going to be in the minority here. It took me awhile to figure it out and I had to really think on what about this story didn’t work for me. There’s so much about it to like/love. The music is what attracted me originally, the hurt/comfort aspect and the scarring, the big city meets country – all of these things really worked for me. I also loved the synesthesia –that was not only cool but really interesting, too. At first, I thought maybe it was the insta-love – and I think that wasn’t my favorite aspect, but it didn’t bother me that much EXCEPT…

I never liked Bowen. Ugh. I said it. I wanted to like him, but I never warmed to him. He was bossy and though he said he wanted an equal in his relationships, he was just too bossy/toppy and as I’ve said before I really shy away from anything even remotely BDSM and his relationship with Felix really bordered on D/s in the sense that he was so dominant.

Many people really enjoyed this and if you’re not as sensitive to that particular power dynamic it might not bother you either – but – for me – each time they were intimate and Bowen began to talk it just pushed all the wrong buttons for me and that influenced my feelings for the rest of the story.

In general, it was really sweet – with an OTT subplot about homophobia that sort of matched the super quick love story and large personalities of all the secondary characters.

I think people who are looking for something really sweet, holiday themed, super quick love story with some interesting/quirky characters will find this right up their alley.

3 of 5 stars

Audio

Greg B (Tremblay) does his typically wonderful job with this and it was his narration that attracted me to this story in the first place. I knew I could trust that he would be easy on the ears and really let me sink into the story. He did not disappoint!

5 of 5 stars

Overall 4 of 5 stars

sweet

Sweet christmas story.
I want to see the world the way Bowen does ❤️

4.5 Stars

Told in music teacher Bowen Merlin's single POV Color of You is set in the small town of Lancaster, New Hampshire. Bowen is in for a few shocks after moving up from New York city - from the bitter cold, to how welcoming his students are, to meeting quiet, but gorgeous, Felix Hansen.

When the relationship that develops between Bo and Felix heats up and comes out not everyone in town is happy about it and the consequences are severe. Luckily Bo has his bestie, Scarlett, from New York, a foul-mouthed tattoo artist with cotton candy-colored locks and a fierce protective streak, and some new friends, along with Felix at his back.

Greg Tremblay, under his sexier Boudreaux brand, does a great job with character voices and bringing a realism to the story and romance. Sure they fall in love in less than a month, but Greg, reading Poe's words, makes it not only believable, but I was cheering Bo and Felix on.

Color of You is a cute romance, filled with interesting elements and substance, great characters - both main and secondary, plenty of super hot and steamy sexy times, and a fantastic epilogue HEA.

This was a delightful listen, and for those who love sexy dirty talk and a switch up of the smaller man being the alpha and the bigger guy being more submissive, this one should definitely be on your radar!

great

i really enjoyed the book I looking forward to more of your book there is always some one out there to love you no matter what you look like