What do you think?
Rate this book
Salacious
*February 28th*
Keller Vaughn is everything that I aspire to be.
An artist. A visionary. A creator.
If ever a perfect man existed, it would be him. The only problem is… that perfect man?
He’s also my professor.
*
I came here to teach. To absolve myself from the guilt of my past by doing good for others.
That plan has worked out just fine.
Until her.
Chloe Abernathy.
Because when I see the shy dancer in the back of my classroom, the man in me wants nothing more to corrupt her.
Keller Vaughn is everything that I aspire to be.
An artist. A visionary. A creator.
If ever a perfect man existed, it would be him. The only problem is… that perfect man?
He’s also my professor.
*
I came here to teach. To absolve myself from the guilt of my past by doing good for others.
That plan has worked out just fine.
Until her.
Chloe Abernathy.
Because when I see the shy dancer in the back of my classroom, the man in me wants nothing more to corrupt her.
ebook
First published February 28, 2017
84 people are currently reading
842 people want to read
About the author
A. Zavarelli
56 books7,501 followersA. Zavarelli is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of dark and contemporary romance.
When she’s not putting her characters through hell, she can usually be found watching bizarre and twisted documentaries in the name of research.
She currently lives in the Northwest with her lumberjack and an entire brood of fur babies.
Facebook Page- https://geni.us/AZavarelliAuthor
Facebook Reader Group- https://geni.us/FemmeFatales
Mailing List: https://geni.us/ucfAZH1
Instagram- https://geni.us/AZavarelliInstagram
Amazon- https://geni.us/AZavarelliAmazon
Bookbub- https://geni.us/AZavarelliBookbub
Twitter- https://geni.us/AZavarelliTwitter
Website- https://www.azavarelli.com
When she’s not putting her characters through hell, she can usually be found watching bizarre and twisted documentaries in the name of research.
She currently lives in the Northwest with her lumberjack and an entire brood of fur babies.
Facebook Page- https://geni.us/AZavarelliAuthor
Facebook Reader Group- https://geni.us/FemmeFatales
Mailing List: https://geni.us/ucfAZH1
Instagram- https://geni.us/AZavarelliInstagram
Amazon- https://geni.us/AZavarelliAmazon
Bookbub- https://geni.us/AZavarelliBookbub
Twitter- https://geni.us/AZavarelliTwitter
Website- https://www.azavarelli.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
June 16, 2021
4 Beautiful Fucking Poison Stars ⭐️
It feels as though we have known each other forever. Two souls reunited after countless lives searching.
I love this cover!! This author did a great job of weaving a tale of art and love in a very short number of pages. There's nothing more magical then watching two broken people find love and happiness even if it’s not in the conventional way.
Chloe Abernathy is a 22 year old ballerina with a path set by her father. Although she loves dancing, her real passion lies in creating art, which she is forced to hide. Not only from her father but especially in a class taught by her once idol, now teacher.
Repression.
It is in both of our souls. And this is why Keller Vaughn is my hero.
My inspiration.
At one time Professor Keller Vaughn was a sought after innovator of modern art. With his identity blown after a catastrophic event, he put away his paint brushes for teaching. Until her. The sad girl in his class. Once he discovers her secret he is inspired to recreate and give into temptation the of her.
She is an artist’s muse if I ever saw one. Tragic.
The lies she draws and paints with her hands. Trying so hard not to try at all.
Salacious had a whole lot of depth and emotion I didn't expect. Apart from the age gap, I didn't feel the taboo nature of their relationship. Just inspiration and a second chance for happiness. It was easy to get lost in the beauty of this world I could envision in my mind.
It feels as though we have known each other forever. Two souls reunited after countless lives searching.
I love this cover!! This author did a great job of weaving a tale of art and love in a very short number of pages. There's nothing more magical then watching two broken people find love and happiness even if it’s not in the conventional way.
Chloe Abernathy is a 22 year old ballerina with a path set by her father. Although she loves dancing, her real passion lies in creating art, which she is forced to hide. Not only from her father but especially in a class taught by her once idol, now teacher.
Repression.
It is in both of our souls. And this is why Keller Vaughn is my hero.
My inspiration.
At one time Professor Keller Vaughn was a sought after innovator of modern art. With his identity blown after a catastrophic event, he put away his paint brushes for teaching. Until her. The sad girl in his class. Once he discovers her secret he is inspired to recreate and give into temptation the of her.
She is an artist’s muse if I ever saw one. Tragic.
The lies she draws and paints with her hands. Trying so hard not to try at all.
Salacious had a whole lot of depth and emotion I didn't expect. Apart from the age gap, I didn't feel the taboo nature of their relationship. Just inspiration and a second chance for happiness. It was easy to get lost in the beauty of this world I could envision in my mind.
June 16, 2021
4.5 stars
There’s just something magical in my mind about artists. The fact that they can create beautiful things out of nothing. They’re like magicians that can actually create magic.
And the story of Keller Vaughn is intriguing, alluring and unfortunate. The same can be said about Chloe. The fact that she has to hide her art for fear that it’ll be taken away from her.
They’re both broken puzzle pieces and together they’d be whole.
This story is so short but it packs a punch. The emotions it elicits is provoking and awe inspiring. These words are beautiful.
Enthralling ... she should’ve called this book Enthralling.
Then you add the deviance of a D/s relationship and this is everything. Like this book was written specifically with me in mind. Plus the contrast between the beauty of the art and the dirtiness of the kink. Just perfect!
Honestly, my only complaint is that it was a full length novel. I would’ve liked to have spent more time making art with Keller and Chloe.
There’s just something magical in my mind about artists. The fact that they can create beautiful things out of nothing. They’re like magicians that can actually create magic.
And the story of Keller Vaughn is intriguing, alluring and unfortunate. The same can be said about Chloe. The fact that she has to hide her art for fear that it’ll be taken away from her.
They’re both broken puzzle pieces and together they’d be whole.
This story is so short but it packs a punch. The emotions it elicits is provoking and awe inspiring. These words are beautiful.
Enthralling ... she should’ve called this book Enthralling.
Then you add the deviance of a D/s relationship and this is everything. Like this book was written specifically with me in mind. Plus the contrast between the beauty of the art and the dirtiness of the kink. Just perfect!
Honestly, my only complaint is that it was a full length novel. I would’ve liked to have spent more time making art with Keller and Chloe.
February 8, 2018
This is a short story about the strong expectations of a widowed father, a daughter’s love of art, and the shame of an emotionally tormented male lead.
There’s a thirteen-year age gap between the lead characters, the steamy scenes are hot, and there’s very little angst.
There’s a thirteen-year age gap between the lead characters, the steamy scenes are hot, and there’s very little angst.
April 13, 2017
4.75 "l'art pour l'art and freedom of the heart" stars
Damn, it s really a rare thing for me to find a completion of emotional impact in a novella but this one was close to perfection!
Chloe Abernathy
and yet she feels trapped within herself, always under the harsh eyes of her father, who wants her to be like her mother, and he drills her, pushes her...
even though she loves to dance, she's captivated by the freedom of the art and she craves for it...
but that's exactly what happened. Cause HE noticed her. From the beginning, the very reason she was pulling into herself brought the attention of the only man who could have seen beyond the mask.
Keller Vaughn.
he's haunted by the aftermath of a tragic event set by a mad bomber that took several lives and crippled the lives of people who followed his art and fame status and he never moved on from that burden, even relinquishing his art.
BUT when his curiosity prevails and he sees her "real art" that she secretly displays on the walls on the roof, Keller is stunned and overwhelmed by her, in and out. She pushes him by encouraging him to start painting again. To face his own demons and open his soul to everything around him once more. She awoken him to feel again and he wants her, the way he's not supposed to want her.
And that's what they do for each other, they set each other free, emotionally, mentally, phisically. Their carnal cravings are so filled with bursting passion that no color spectre could ever display. The expressivness, the vibrance and vividness of this liberating and satiating state...
So even when it's forbidden, it feels right, it is right.
And yet he will sacrifice all to set her inner spirit soar high
(A choreographed story of my transformation.
From dancer to artist.
From mental imprisonment to freedom.)
I can't really explain why this novella had such an impact on me other than the appeal of the mere combination of the subjects displayed. And basically, all I can add is that I honestly felt the passion and the freedom spilled through out the amazing writing of Ashleigh Zavarelli.
Damn, it s really a rare thing for me to find a completion of emotional impact in a novella but this one was close to perfection!
Chloe Abernathy
I've lived, breathed, and thought of nothing but dance for as long as I can remember
Everything I've earned has come through nothing less than blood, sweat, and tears. But it isn't the thing I want most.
and yet she feels trapped within herself, always under the harsh eyes of her father, who wants her to be like her mother, and he drills her, pushes her...
Never stop. Never rest. One day, you will be Prima.
It's what everyone in this room wants. Everyone except for me.
even though she loves to dance, she's captivated by the freedom of the art and she craves for it...
I have to hide the truth. the fact that art is my real passion. That I can paint and draw and sculpt, but I have to keep those abilities hidden. To blend in with the rest of the students and turn in mediocre work so that I never get noticed. So that I never stand out.
but that's exactly what happened. Cause HE noticed her. From the beginning, the very reason she was pulling into herself brought the attention of the only man who could have seen beyond the mask.
Something is holding her back. And both the artist and the man in me want to coax it out of her, but in entirely diffeernt ways.
Keller Vaughn.
He is a genius. An Artist. A professor. And a damaged soul.
he's haunted by the aftermath of a tragic event set by a mad bomber that took several lives and crippled the lives of people who followed his art and fame status and he never moved on from that burden, even relinquishing his art.
What he sees when he stares at his blank paper is the same thing I see in the dance studio. Repression. It is in both of our souls.
This deadness. This solemn loneliness.
BUT when his curiosity prevails and he sees her "real art" that she secretly displays on the walls on the roof, Keller is stunned and overwhelmed by her, in and out. She pushes him by encouraging him to start painting again. To face his own demons and open his soul to everything around him once more. She awoken him to feel again and he wants her, the way he's not supposed to want her.
"I'm sorry that I could not stay away from you when I should have."
"You are the entire reason I am here. I have followed your work since the beginning. I have followed you."
And that's what they do for each other, they set each other free, emotionally, mentally, phisically. Their carnal cravings are so filled with bursting passion that no color spectre could ever display. The expressivness, the vibrance and vividness of this liberating and satiating state...
So even when it's forbidden, it feels right, it is right.
And yet he will sacrifice all to set her inner spirit soar high
(A choreographed story of my transformation.
From dancer to artist.
From mental imprisonment to freedom.)
"How did it feel? To create again? Did it make you feel alive?"
"Yes."
"You make me feel alive. So it can't be wrong."
I can't really explain why this novella had such an impact on me other than the appeal of the mere combination of the subjects displayed. And basically, all I can add is that I honestly felt the passion and the freedom spilled through out the amazing writing of Ashleigh Zavarelli.
August 2, 2020
2.4 "My artist and my muse" stars. ⭐️
“I was your teacher. Yet, you were the one to teach me.”
The idea behind this book was intriguing, but the execution felt off.
This was my first A. Zavarelli book and I thought I'd like it, but I just couldn't get into it.
The book ends so abruptly and is so short, it feels incomplete. Also, there was hardly much interaction between the MCs for me to care about them or their HEA.
Where was the chemistry? I've never felt so lost while reading a romance book.
“I was your teacher. Yet, you were the one to teach me.”
The idea behind this book was intriguing, but the execution felt off.
This was my first A. Zavarelli book and I thought I'd like it, but I just couldn't get into it.
The book ends so abruptly and is so short, it feels incomplete. Also, there was hardly much interaction between the MCs for me to care about them or their HEA.
Where was the chemistry? I've never felt so lost while reading a romance book.
February 22, 2017
“Sometimes we must indulge in the things society would not approve of.”
Short, steamy, and totally taboo. Salacious features two haunted and repressed souls finding comfort and power in each other.
Keller Vaughn is an art professor atoning for a crime he erroneously claims responsibility for. For six years, he been serving a self-imposed sentence of atonement. Until an equally haunted soul catches his eye. His student, Chloe Abernathy, is a curiosity he can’t ignore.
“She’s an artist’s muse if ever I saw one. Tragic. To say that I have not noticed her would be a lie.”
These two lost souls attempt to ignore their mutual attraction and lust for a while, but aren’t capable to hold out for long. Keller tries his best to avoid the temptation. He definitely gives it the old college try (pun intended). Fortunately, that doesn’t last long.
“I wish she’d never stepped foot in my class. Never caught my eye. This beautiful fucking poison.”
Here’s what I enjoyed: The writing is beautiful. It’s artistic, emotional, and poignant. It’s definitely the highlight of this very short novella.
I enjoyed the raw emotion of the character’s struggle. The situation and circumstances they’re dealing with could be crushing, however they eventually find a way to deal with their difficulties with each other’s help.
Overall, this is a quick enjoyable read if you take it at face value. It’s a novella, so there’s no character building. It’s more like a snapshot in time. We only get a brief glimpse into their psyche. It’s insta-lust and insta-love quickie. The steamy bits are well done, but again not traditional. I’d classify this a good filler read. It’s short enough to be read on a lunch break at work or a quick read between books.
April 4, 2017
A great little shorty!
Plus, I love A. Zavarelli.
February 6, 2020
Creatively sexy.
Chloe Abernathy has always been a gifted artist. Painting is her passion but her father wanted to follow her mother's footsteps and become a ballerina. She is a fan of Keller Vaughn but he's been on a hiatus on creating artworks and he happens to be her professor.
The forbidden romance in this book is steamy and saucy. I enjoyed it a lot though it's a novella. I wish it could have been longer. The only part I dislike was when Keller threw Chloe under the bus. It was frustrating but the ending was soulful.
Chloe Abernathy has always been a gifted artist. Painting is her passion but her father wanted to follow her mother's footsteps and become a ballerina. She is a fan of Keller Vaughn but he's been on a hiatus on creating artworks and he happens to be her professor.
The forbidden romance in this book is steamy and saucy. I enjoyed it a lot though it's a novella. I wish it could have been longer. The only part I dislike was when Keller threw Chloe under the bus. It was frustrating but the ending was soulful.
June 15, 2021
"Sometimes we must indulge in things society would not approve of."
Chloe and Keller's story was a taboo student-teacher one, yet intense, somewhat sweet and really enjoyable to read. Two artists find their other half and the freedom to express themselves in the arms of each-other. LOVED IT
March 11, 2017
~~~ 3.5 "artistic" stars ~~~
I bought this novella before I went to bed and since I woke up at 5.20 I started reading it because what else would I do that early on the Saturday morning, right!? "face palm"
A. Zavarelli is one of my fave authors, so ofc I loved the writing style.
The plot was interesting. It was a forbbiden love between the art teacher, who's our tortured hero and a former brilliant artist, and his art student and admirer, a reppressed ballerina who secretly wanted to be an artist herself. The story is complex and so are the characters, but there was no room for proper development due to the length of the book. Ugh, such potential...I'm a bit pissed beacuse I really liked it.
I realized that I like novellas if their plot aren't too complex, mysterious, intriguing, etc. and they don't leave you wanting more. Well, Salacious left me wanting more thus 3.5 *.
I bought this novella before I went to bed and since I woke up at 5.20 I started reading it because what else would I do that early on the Saturday morning, right!? "face palm"
A. Zavarelli is one of my fave authors, so ofc I loved the writing style.
The plot was interesting. It was a forbbiden love between the art teacher, who's our tortured hero and a former brilliant artist, and his art student and admirer, a reppressed ballerina who secretly wanted to be an artist herself. The story is complex and so are the characters, but there was no room for proper development due to the length of the book. Ugh, such potential...I'm a bit pissed beacuse I really liked it.
I realized that I like novellas if their plot aren't too complex, mysterious, intriguing, etc. and they don't leave you wanting more. Well, Salacious left me wanting more thus 3.5 *.
March 12, 2017
Love this author. This book was well written and all around a great novella.
March 20, 2017
OMG!!! THAT WAS PHENOMENAL! And, the exact reason I don't like novellas..... I want more! I am so sad that it's over.
Salacious is sexy, smart, artistic, and very well written. This would have made a stunning full length novel. For being a novella, the characters are rather well developed and have depth. This is not your average student/teacher story. It's a work of art. If you're looking for something great that you can inhale in a single sitting, Salacious might just be what you're looking for.
Salacious is sexy, smart, artistic, and very well written. This would have made a stunning full length novel. For being a novella, the characters are rather well developed and have depth. This is not your average student/teacher story. It's a work of art. If you're looking for something great that you can inhale in a single sitting, Salacious might just be what you're looking for.
June 6, 2017
This is a biased review because the story is about a young women in art school who falls in love with her teacher, and I the reader, just graduated from an art school with a BFA. This book was mediocre at best until the end where the heroine gets offered 50,000 dollars for her "amazing" paintings. Just......stop. So really, this book was an example how authors should do some more research if they have no idea what they're talking about. I know this is a fantasy, but my bias kicks in and I start to roll my eyes when topics that are close to home are so badly messed up.
March 13, 2017
Love the cover!! <3
July 31, 2020
I LOVED this. The torture, the love, and the emotion. I'm such a sucker for hard hitting emotions. This book should've been way longer than it was. WAY WAY WAYYY LONGER. It still felt perfect in its length, but I am selfish and I want more of it. The imagery and the way this was written? Incredible. INCREDIBLE. Fuck. I love a tortured artist and their equally tortured muse. Both of them fit both of these. I'm in loveeeeeeeee love love love love.
February 23, 2017
She danced to the painting or He painted to the Dance?
Keller Vaughan is an art teacher. And Chloe Abernathy his student
Keller likes to forget his past . Chloe need to forget her future.
He is a survivor. And yet he hates himself for it. At thirty-five years old, he has stopped living. Given up. Ceased to do the one thing that he was born to. So here he remains, in this college of arts, teaching oblivious students who could never fully appreciate his talents. Because he doesn’t even remember what they are anymore.
The delicate butterfly. The graceful dancer. And the tortured artist.
So they hang in Limbo. A respite in the river of time that's going to split in two different tributaries.
The story is about tortured and pressured souls. But intense pressure turns coal into Diamonds and that's what Chloe hardens to. Keller on the other hand tries to turn his soul to ash by hibernating and burrowing deep in anonymity.
“Sometimes we must indulge in the things society would not approve of,”
“Those are the words of someone who was free.”
It's a colourful projection of a Black & White Dismal life that Chloe secretly paints on a canvas and while painting it, she splatters some paint on Keller as well.
The greatness of Rellek can't be subdued any longer and as her love explodes in his life, he finds the strength to face his fears.
It's a story that can be compared to an impressionist painting , tbh. What the writer was thinking vis a vis these two characters, What they were thinking about themselves, is what Ashleigh put on the paper.
And just like art , it's open to interpretation.
Chloe revived Rellek
Or Keller pulled out Chloe
Who saved who and who ended up richer !
There’s a well-known stereotype that artists are tortured souls. I guess in a way it’s true. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the short span of my life, it’s that you can either take that pain and use it or let it wreck you. I think in some ways, pain can make the most beautiful art. The dysfunction. The chaos.
It's a complex story told simply or a simple story told complexly ...I'm still trying to understand.
There's the taboo factor, age factor and Divergence
I liked reading it but I wish she had delved more into the thoughts and mindsets coupling rather than physicality of their relationship. It doesn't demean their togetherness, but it trivialized it , took the attention away from artistic love and focused on pent up lust .
Could have been great but fell a teeny bit short , both in length and impact.
Keller Vaughan is an art teacher. And Chloe Abernathy his student
Keller likes to forget his past . Chloe need to forget her future.
He is a survivor. And yet he hates himself for it. At thirty-five years old, he has stopped living. Given up. Ceased to do the one thing that he was born to. So here he remains, in this college of arts, teaching oblivious students who could never fully appreciate his talents. Because he doesn’t even remember what they are anymore.
The delicate butterfly. The graceful dancer. And the tortured artist.
So they hang in Limbo. A respite in the river of time that's going to split in two different tributaries.
The story is about tortured and pressured souls. But intense pressure turns coal into Diamonds and that's what Chloe hardens to. Keller on the other hand tries to turn his soul to ash by hibernating and burrowing deep in anonymity.
“Sometimes we must indulge in the things society would not approve of,”
“Those are the words of someone who was free.”
It's a colourful projection of a Black & White Dismal life that Chloe secretly paints on a canvas and while painting it, she splatters some paint on Keller as well.
The greatness of Rellek can't be subdued any longer and as her love explodes in his life, he finds the strength to face his fears.
It's a story that can be compared to an impressionist painting , tbh. What the writer was thinking vis a vis these two characters, What they were thinking about themselves, is what Ashleigh put on the paper.
And just like art , it's open to interpretation.
Chloe revived Rellek
Or Keller pulled out Chloe
Who saved who and who ended up richer !
There’s a well-known stereotype that artists are tortured souls. I guess in a way it’s true. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the short span of my life, it’s that you can either take that pain and use it or let it wreck you. I think in some ways, pain can make the most beautiful art. The dysfunction. The chaos.
It's a complex story told simply or a simple story told complexly ...I'm still trying to understand.
There's the taboo factor, age factor and Divergence
I liked reading it but I wish she had delved more into the thoughts and mindsets coupling rather than physicality of their relationship. It doesn't demean their togetherness, but it trivialized it , took the attention away from artistic love and focused on pent up lust .
Could have been great but fell a teeny bit short , both in length and impact.
February 10, 2019
Sighs. Reading novellas like this often make me wish they were full-length novels instead.
January 7, 2021
1.5 ✨
"𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑏𝑢𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑙𝑦. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑟. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑠𝑡."
This is the first book I read by this author and when I read the blurb the story seemed interesting but I didn't feel the chemistry btw the caracthers, there wasn't interaction, nothing. The end was very abrupt.
"𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑏𝑢𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑙𝑦. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑟. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑠𝑡."
This is the first book I read by this author and when I read the blurb the story seemed interesting but I didn't feel the chemistry btw the caracthers, there wasn't interaction, nothing. The end was very abrupt.
March 15, 2017
I just love this author's work. Even though this subject of teacher/student romance has been heavily featured in books as of lately, the way this author wrote about made it so it was secondary to the real storyline and it was about the characters and the lives they are living. So Chloe is attending an Art's school and her primary attention is on dance but the real passion she feels is for her art(painting). Now.she chose this particular school because of her art teacher Keller Vaughn who is this grat artist only to have something tragic happen and he doesn't feel like creating anymore so he teaches. That is until he meets Cloe, soon their passion for art draws them together and they both begin to heal each other. This was a novella and.it was done perfectly, not to fast and it made sense. Well worth the time to read.
May 3, 2018
I loved the depth of feeling in this short erotic fantasy...just the right amount of everything. Yummy, Mr. Vaughn ;)
March 19, 2017
4 STARS
This was a short read, but definitely a great one!
This was a short read, but definitely a great one!
March 8, 2017
A fast paced poignant short romance between college student Chloe and her art professor Mr. Vaughn.
Drawn to each other because of their passion of art, each is haunted by painful experiences and doing what is expected not what they want.
Their in school romance is short lived after an incident Mr. Vaughn set up with ulterior motives.
I felt the story was a little rushed.
Drawn to each other because of their passion of art, each is haunted by painful experiences and doing what is expected not what they want.
Their in school romance is short lived after an incident Mr. Vaughn set up with ulterior motives.
I felt the story was a little rushed.
March 8, 2017
Salacious has a beautiful cover and it's really relate to the story. It is a quick read between a student and a professor. I liked it, but I loved her other books much more. Although 4 stars, because A. Zavarelli is one of my favorites authors.
February 27, 2017
I was provided this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Let me start by saying I'm a huge Zavarelli fan and have loved all of her books...until this one. I didn't hate it but it missed some major marks for me. The story has such potential with the girl controlled by her father to dance like her deceased mother but secretly she loves art....and then the art teacher who was once famous but tragically stopped creating art when a crazed person bombed one of his shows and people got hurt. But then it falls flat...all of a sudden, its like some weird BDSM experience whenever they "hook up"....that felt odd and out of place for me. Then, the character development was so limited....I ached for more backstory. She tells her dad that she is going to do art instead of dance and bam, that part is over? She says she wants her teacher and he resigns then bam, he is at her art show for an HEA? It all felt very fast paced (I know...its a novella)...but this book could have been so much more....the story parts were just sitting there waiting to be explored and I felt like it was a travesty that they weren't. In my mind, a novella is light and fast but Zavarelli doesn't do "light"....her books provoke heavy thought and backstory...my opinion, AZ is a phenomenal writer and novellas are not her space...stick with full length novels because this book could have been amazing. I say all this because Zavarelli is one of my favorites.
Let me start by saying I'm a huge Zavarelli fan and have loved all of her books...until this one. I didn't hate it but it missed some major marks for me. The story has such potential with the girl controlled by her father to dance like her deceased mother but secretly she loves art....and then the art teacher who was once famous but tragically stopped creating art when a crazed person bombed one of his shows and people got hurt. But then it falls flat...all of a sudden, its like some weird BDSM experience whenever they "hook up"....that felt odd and out of place for me. Then, the character development was so limited....I ached for more backstory. She tells her dad that she is going to do art instead of dance and bam, that part is over? She says she wants her teacher and he resigns then bam, he is at her art show for an HEA? It all felt very fast paced (I know...its a novella)...but this book could have been so much more....the story parts were just sitting there waiting to be explored and I felt like it was a travesty that they weren't. In my mind, a novella is light and fast but Zavarelli doesn't do "light"....her books provoke heavy thought and backstory...my opinion, AZ is a phenomenal writer and novellas are not her space...stick with full length novels because this book could have been amazing. I say all this because Zavarelli is one of my favorites.
March 12, 2017
3,5
"Two souls reunited after countless lives searching."
"Two souls reunited after countless lives searching."
March 2, 2017
This story was like poetry. As a reader I could feel the movement of the words and it felt smooth and soft and beautiful. The story flowed perfectly, it was graceful and moving. The Characters were so well developed that I felt like I knew them and I was rooting for them from the beginning. I loved the way they go together and how that carried to the end of the story. The way the story was written and the scenes were described I felt like I was there dancing along with them. I felt the colors and heard the songs. I could go on and on. I have never felt so involved in a story, so enchanted by the words that I melted into the fantasy. I received an ARC and am leaving a voluntary review, and can say that this was the most beautiful and pleasurable read that I have had in a long time. It was as close to perfection as a short story can get. This is a story that everyone should own and read again and again.
February 28, 2017
Ashleigh Zavarelli does it again! Another 5 star read! Salacious is a short but fabulous read. Chloe the college student and Keller the art professor have undeniable chemistry and seem to be the light in each other's darkness. The cover is gorgeous and definitely can be used to judge this book!
May 31, 2017
The problem with this book was the shortness of it. The story felt incomplete, as if it were missing some crucial details. Chloe is a student who has been forced into the world of dance, however her real path lies in art. She forms an admiration toward her teacher, who has suffered a tragedy that he is struggling to recover from. Besides a few minor exchanges, there is barely any interaction between the characters to warrant a relationship. I mean, I guess it's okay if you chalk it up to lust, but the author wants us to believe that they have something real going on. Not sure how that's supposed to happen when they speak barely two sentences to each other before sleeping together. Not to mention Chloe is supposed to be this art prodigy when all she does is splash some paint on a canvas and step on it and omg the world goes gaga. Give me a break.
May 14, 2017
This was a quick read about two tortured souls who cannot resist each other. It is a forbidden romance. I enjoyed it alot.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews