Goodreads / Buy It
Published May 19, 2015
They say death can be beautiful. But after the death of her mother, seventeen-year-old Raven Weathersby gives up her dream of becoming a fashion designer, barely surviving life in the South Carolina lowlands.
To make ends meet, Raven works after school as a seamstress creating stunning works of fashion that often rival the great names of the day.
Instead of making things easier on the high school senior, her stepdad's drinking leads to a run in with the highly reclusive heir to the Maddox family fortune, Gideon Maddox.
But Raven's stepdad's drying out and in no condition to attend the meeting with Maddox. So Raven volunteers to take his place and offers to repay the debt in order to keep the only father she's ever known out of jail, or worse.
Gideon Maddox agrees, outlining an outrageous demand: Raven must live in his home for a year while she designs for Maddox Industries' clothing line, signing over her creative rights.
Her handsome young captor is arrogant and infuriating to the nth degree, and Raven can't imagine working for him, let alone sharing the same space for more than five minutes.
But nothing is ever as it seems. Is Gideon Maddox the monster the world believes him to be? And can he stand to let the young seamstress see him as he really is?
Dios mío. This
book is one of the most amazing books I think I’ve ever read. The Artisans has everything I’ve ever
wanted in a book, plus has me liking things I’m usually not too fond of (like ghosts
and ghouls) a whole flipping lot. A modern twist on Beauty and the Beast with a dash of a few other fairy tales for
good measure, this tale is one of a curse, a steampunk dress-maker in a modern
world and a boy entwined in the middle of it all (whether it be by his own
design or not).
When Raven’s stepfather messes with the wrong family, he’s
finally in over his head. Gideon Maddox calls for him to come pay his debt, but
he’s unable to go and Raven goes in his place. She strikes up a deal with the
bad boy who has a troubled past and magic that goes on for days. Terribly
handsome, terrible lonely and terribly hopeless, Raven is just what Gideon
needs to battle the demons of his past and the ones that reside in the halls of
his mansion. Raven stays at the mansion with Gideon and his two in house
servants and makes clothes for Gideon’s clothing line. Nightmares keep her
awake and soon she really can’t rest until she’s figured out everything.
Everything about the house and everything about the boy who isn’t as bad as
everyone believes.
"You are everything I never knew I wanted" (ARC).
Okay, so that was a really bad over view of the novel.
Nothing can really describe how amazing this book is. I mean its romance and
mystery and self-discovery and heartbreak and meaning and finding meaning and friendship
and family. That doesn’t really describe it any better though, does it? Let’s
just go with its amazing. So, so amazing.
The characters are fantastic: Raven, Gideon, Ben, Maggie,
Dane, Cole, Edgar. I love them all. Cole is the ghost who made me like ghosts. Something
I’d never thought would happen, by the way. But he’s just so completely sweet.
Maggie and Dane are the best friends that anyone could have. They sort of made
me ask the question how far are you willing
to go for the ones you love? As a matter of fact, this whole story made me
ask that question. Well, that and where can I get a Cole or Gideon or Dane?
Costco? Ikea?
The mystery with the whole curse really had me going for a
bit, but the way it was composed was breathtaking and wonderful. I sat down and
I read it all. That’s how good this was. Now, this isn’t a debut novel. That kind
of surprised me. It felt fresh. But, since it isn’t a debut that means I can totally
binge of the other books this author has written.
I suppose what I’m trying to say is this: go read or
pre-order or order it right now.
Oh, one last thing. That nursery rhyme. Be still my heart.
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