Synopsis:

Warning: This is New Adult and is suggested for late teens and up. There are mild sensual love scenes in this book but are not graphic.

When a young woman discovers the boy in drama class is actually the immortal who painted the world into being, she becomes the target of another painter who hates humanity. Holly & Theo is a New Adult Supernatural Romance set in the small mill town of Chesnee, SC and beautiful historic Charleston, SC. It starts with Holly Scruggs in her senior year of high school, after a major downsize for their family that lands her in Chesnee, her parents’ hometown. Her image conscious mother corrects her to the point of brokenness until she meets Theo. He is the artist responsible for all the beauty of the land and he thinks Holly is beautiful too. Together they will fight against Fritz, the water painter who hates humans and is hiding a secret under the high school.

The story continues two years later with a twenty year old Holly and a very changed Theo. Fritz is up to his old tricks and the story continues to be life or death. What price is Holly willing to pay to save those she loves? What price has Theo already paid?

Secrets can kill a relationship. But the secrets Holly and Theo keep from each other in the start of their relationship could mean the death of either of them. Fritz holds all the cards, and raises the stakes in this deadly, more adult conclusion of The Painter Series.

What reviewers are saying:

“The main character, Holly Scruggs, who has been beaten down by her mother, is such an inspiration! She never allows herself to fall into self-pity.  With the mysterious Theo’s help, she discovers her true calling in life and the confidence she needs.”

~Sheila Hollinghead Amazon Reviewer

“The author was very descriptive; it was like she was painting every scene. The book is different from all other books I have read in its genre. Even the ending surprised me… I couldn’t put this book down.”

~The Mystical World of Book Reviews 

“My heart is bursting at the seams and my mind is empty now that I have just finished reading the last page… I was completely blown away by the life-altering transformation that we see Holly and Theo go through day by day. They slowly shed the filthy skin of selfishness and replace it with the selfless depth of love that they have for each other. This is a story of true and pure love at its finest, and it is an extraordinary end to an amazingly beautiful and captivating series.

I can’t say enough good things about this series!”

~Shadowplay Amazon Reviewer 

About the Author:

Melissa Turner Lee is a stay-at-home-mom to 3 wild and very loud boys. She used to skip sleep at night to write, but now that they are in school writes in the daylight. She is married to a wonderful man she met when she was 17, back before texting and people wrote notes that might be in a trunk in her house. While dating, her then boyfriend, now husband told her his friend had pointed out that the picture he had drawn for art class long before meeting, that hung behind the door in his room, looked just like her.

The picture disappeared after the wedding and was never seen again. These events helped inspire Holly and Theo’s story.

Excerpt:

My mouth fell open. Was he nuts? How was I supposed to answer a question like that?

I balled my hands into fists and put them on my hips. “What’s the matter with you?”

When he put his hands on his hips, I got upset for a moment before I realized he was still doing the mirroring exercise.

Ms. Jones suddenly yelled and clapped. “I love this. Love it! Everybody look at Holly and her partner. They aren’t just moving, they are conveying emotion with it. Brilliant!”

I went back to doing normal movements. And Theo continued to stare at me. “You look so familiar. I heard you say you just moved here, but did you move back? I mean, did you live here before…a long time ago maybe?”

“No.” I half-smiled and then bit my lip.

 He was exceptionally good looking. I’d been too irritated to notice at first, but the more I looked at him the warmer my cheeks grew. The way he stared at me didn’t help. It was intense and inquisitive, and he was too close. We weren’t touchy-feely at my house so this invasion into my personal space was especially uncomfortable.

“So you’ve never been here before?” His gray-blue eyes studied me even more.

 “Well…um…I’ve been to Chesnee before—to visit my grandmother before she died. Maybe you saw me around town then.”

He shook his head. “No, that’s not it. I’ve seen you up close, like this. I remember your eyes. They’re the color of the sea—just inside a coral reef, and your freckles are the stones of a volcanic island scattered along the sand. Your hair is like the sun setting over the water, shooting out orange rays in all directions.” He stared into my eyes even deeper. “You’re very pretty.”

The impact of his words slammed into me. I’d braced myself for an insult. That’s what I was used to. This was either the way he came onto girls for a hook-up, or more likely, some mean joke to get a good laugh going with the other kids. Anger bubbled up. I knew those kinds of tricks. Those were the kinds of things the kids I used to hang with did all the time. They played them on me too, when I no longer belonged in their circle.

My hands trembled, and my lips drew up to hold in the anger, but I refused to cry in front of this boy. I wanted to call him on his prank. I knew better than to think it was a real compliment, but I couldn’t think of anything clever to say.

The tears burned in my eyes despite my efforts.

“Forget this!” I shouted as I ran off the stage. Everyone’s stares bore into my back as I grabbed my backpack and made for the door. My head throbbed from ear to ear. I was dropping the class, and that was final.