Rating:  4 stars out of 5

Saving for a down payment on a house of his own has caused artist Cecil Trace to make a few hard decisions.  He has moved back into his parents house and taken a temporary job as the Art Director job at the exclusive Linwood Academy.  And while Cecil is trying to figure out his students, assistants and life at Linwood, he is also trying to work on a scheduled art show of his own.  To top it all off, Cecil finds out that he is to put on a series of holiday pageants…with the first one celebrating Thanksgiving just three short weeks away.  Cecil needs all the help he can get, whether its from students, parents, and even other teachers.  Except for that cute mathematician.  Everything Cecil does seems to rub that teacher the wrong way, which is a shame because if Cecil was looking for a boyfriend, Reese is cute and different, perfect in many ways except he seems to dislike Cecil.  Good thing Cecil isn’t looking for a boyfriend or relationship of any type.

Brilliant, introspective and socially inept math instructor Reese Cavelli’s world has been turned upside down the moment he saw the gorgeous, long-haired, Art Director Cecil Trace.  Reese is a man who has always colored within the lines and Cecil? Well, lines and rules clearly have little meaning for this man.  He is a source of endless frustration, of many types, for Reese.  To hide his growing fascination, Reese has been abrupt even rude, he just can’t seem to help it.  Reese is quiet about being gay and has little in the way of relationships in his past.  But he just can’t ignore the impact Cecil is having on him.  Good thing Cecil’s position is only temporary.  Or is it?

Conflicts over the Thanksgiving pageant and an all important Math Contest bring the two men together and the sparks are about to fly.  Will their Thanksgiving wishes be answered?

This was such a sweet, heartwarming story, a perfect read for the holidays.  Lee Brazil has captured the stress and strain of the approaching holidays at a influential private school, the Linwood Academy.  Some mysterious goings on have forced the resignation of a popular Art Director right at pageant time and the resentment and confusion is apparent everywhere in the halls and classrooms.

Into this tumultuous mess, Brazil dumps free wheeling artist, Cecil Trace.  I loved Cecil, with his long flowing hair which matches his faded, painted on jeans and artsy shirts.  He’s thoughtful, exuberant, and overwhelmed by the needs of his students and new situation as Art Director.  Cecil also has a limited time frame to get everything accomplished, including setting up his art show.  Brazil completes Cecil’s character by giving him a family anyone would want to be a part of.  They are as warm and welcoming as you could hope for without being saccharine sweet or fake.  But the character who will break your heart a little is Reese.  The more his history and upbringing is revealed, the more his actions become understandable as does his vulnerability.  Reese’s mother is quite the creation, all the more upsetting because the author made her believable although never likable.  We get the impact her actions and behavior has had and continues to have upon her son, even if she will never be able to understand it herself.

Brazil manages to combine the holidays, school pageants and math contests, families of all sorts from the dysfunctional to the loving, and a romance that you will root for between two men you will adore.  I look forward to more stories from the Linwood Academy, so will you. A perfectly heartwarming story for the holidays, one you will want to put on your TBR list or one to give to someone you love.  Cranberry Pi is a Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Warmhearted Recommended Read!  Pick it up today.

Cover Art by Laura Harner.  I’m not sure who that model is supposed to be?  Student or either Reese? Eye catching but sort of confusing because that’s just not my mental image of the math instructor.

Sales Links:    All Romance (ARe)            amazon                         Buy it here

Book Details:

ebook
Published November 21st 2014 by Lime Time Press
edition languageEnglish
series Linwood Academy #1