“We all paint on a face to show the world," Nicholas replies philosophically. "For some of us, that's quite literal.”Painted Faces by L.H. Cosway has to be one of the best book that I've read in 2013 so far. I'm absolutely in love with everything – the characters, romance, plot, everything. I never thought that I would find someone like Nicholas to be sexy... but he really is. He is the embodiment of a man who knows what he wants, possessive of Freda, and at the same time, a very broken man. I am instantly reminded of Chris Merit from If I Were You . As readers, we watch the relationship between Freda and Nicholas grow from next door neighbors to best friends, and finally best friends to lovers. Freda knew from the very beginning that if she gave her heart to Nicholas, he would somehow break it in the end. I don't think I've cried so much over a book ever since The Sweet Gum Tree . But regardless of that, Painted Faces was a wonderful and unique romance that I'm glad to have the pleasure to read. Freda and Nicholas are by far my favorite characters and couple!
Freda, also known as Fred, is our heroine. She doesn't have a filter and some of the things that blurts out of her mouth are sometimes funny and at most offensive. But Nicholas finds her charming and hilarious from their first encounter.
“He recalls their first meeting, she'd been soaked from the rain and frustrated, but she'd still shone for him that day, and made him laugh. That's what caught him, he thinks to himself, her unending humour, how she could render the world both light and dark with a simple joke.”Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I would say Nicholas fell in love with Freda, without realizing it, the moment he met her – slowly if not surely. To him, she was different – she was the pureness and light in his life. Freda is also very shy and insecure about herself. She has low self-esteem and my heart just broke every time she mentions something offhandedly about her image. Nicholas, of course, tells her that she is beautiful and I do believe that he means that she is beautiful inside and out to him.
Nicholas Turner is our hero who also happens to be a world traveling cabaret performer. The big surprise is that he's a performer who dresses up as a woman while doing his act – he is a drag queen known as the name Vivica Blue. Rest assured, he is 100% straight and I just find that fascinating. The reason why he still does this is his deep dark secret and I will do him the honor of not saying it in my review. Please read to find out! Nicholas is such a character. His reason for being the way he is just so sad. He sufferes from being very happy in one moment and very sad the next. I say it's due to being both lonely and depressed.
“You'll always be my friend, won't you Fred? Don't let me fuck this up. I need you in my life now. I need the golden eyed girl who can make me smile.”The moment Freda realizes that she is in love with Nicholas was just so heartbreaking. Every moment that she has been with him has slowly solidify her love and feelings for him. Freda knows that Nicholas will break her heart and it's undeniable. Their two nights in Edinburgh was one of the sexiest and heart-wrenching moment in the entire book.
“I love him because he makes me laugh when I don't feel like laughing. I love him because he challenges my view of what a man is. I love him because I know I shouldn't love him and that he'll break my heart. I love him because he's a complete and total anomaly. I love him because I want to kill the sadness inside him more than I want anything else in the world.”I loved these two characters so much and I wanted them to find a happy ending together. The question is, will Nicholas throw Freda's love away or will he accept it in the end? Painted Faces by L.H. Cosway was indeed an unconventional love story between two beings who are broken – Nicholas was more literal. It was lovely, sensual, and very beautiful. I don't think I can ever forget this story and the meaning behind it. Who are we, as society, to judge other people based on appearances? There is more than meets the eye and never judge a book by it's cover has never been more apparent to me. Highly recommended!
Rating: ★★★★★
