CBR17 Bingo: Arts (Everett makes detailed sketches before making his amazing snow sculptures)This was an ARC from the author. My opinions are my own.
Nora Blackburn no longer believes in love and is super wary of anything that might be a fraud or scam. Her previous relationship was with a man who scammed her out of thousands of dollars, and she’s determined not to be fooled again. Her state of constant hyperawareness and scepticism of everyone and everything also means she isolates herself, and she certainly doesn’t want to go out to experience new things. Now it’s coming up towards Christmas, which was never her favourite time of year, but which is extra hard after her mother passed away during the holidays last year.
When pictures of a large, elaborate snow sculpture that has appeared in a Toronto park start circulating, Nora is convinced it’s all just AI fakery. But then, more pictures from various angles, and even videos of people with the snow sculpture are shared, and her curiosity is piqued. When she visits the first one, to see it for herself, she runs into her neighbour across the hall, Everett Sun, a man so positive and full of Christmas spirit that she’s been avoiding him in self-defence. As always, Nora is deeply wary of him at first, in case he is another scammer, but he seems so gentle and genuine that she is drawn to him. As more snow sculptures appear, they go to visit them together, and the park visits develop into more elaborate dates.
What Nora doesn’t know is that it’s not some mysterious team of performance artists making all the sculptures; it’s all Everett. He discovered his strange, magical ability to manipulate snow when he was younger, and has been going out to make the sculptures partly as a way of spreading holiday cheer, but mostly to actually impress and entertain Nora. She’s been hurt before by dishonesty. What is going to happen if she discovers that Everett has been withholding the truth about the sculptures?
Full review on my blog