Padme's Library: A Brighter Palette by Brigham Vaughn

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

A Brighter Palette by Brigham Vaughn

Title: A Brighter Palette

Author: Brigham Vaughn

Series: Colors #1

Genre: F/F Romance

Release Date: June 30, 2017

Summary:
Annie Slocum is a bisexual woman struggling to make a living as a freelance writer. Stuck in a rut, she feels bored with her career, her relationships—her life. A chance meeting with Siobhán at a gallery adds a bright spark to her dull life.

Siobhán Murray is a lesbian Irish painter living in Boston. She loves her career, loves her life, but she’s missing the one piece that will make her life complete—a partner. She falls hard for Annie and is delighted to realize Annie inspires her work. But a string of failed relationships has left her wary of bisexual women and wondering if she can trust that Annie won’t leave her.

When Siobhán’s past comes back to haunt them, they’ll have to decide if the new relationship is something that will burn bright and end quickly or if it’s meant to last.

Annie Slocum is a struggling writer who happens to be bisexual and is seriously lacking in inspiration, on all fronts. Siobhán Murray is an Irish lesbian painter who is happy on all fronts but one, love. When they meet, more than inspiration sparks, but will it be enough to fan the flames?

It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Brigham Vaughn's work, so when she told me she was starting a F/F romance series, I knew I had to read it. Followers of my reviews have probably noticed that M/M is my favorite genre but that I really don't have a prescribed comfort zone. I like everything! Sure I have my favorite tropes and genres but I am not beyond reading those that may not be my norm. Having said that, my familiarity with F/F is limited but not non-exsistent so when I say A Brighter Palette is an amazing read and incredible portrayal of love, I am not exaggerating.

Before I touch on Annie and Siobhán I have to make mention of one of my favorite TV ships being a relationship between a gay man and bisexual man and how the fandom perceives some of the writers as bi-phobic because they feel it should be all roses and rainbows without problems. I don't feel they're being bi-phobic in how they are writing the gay man wrapping his brain around the bisexual man finding him to be enough, it can be a real issue for some in the LGBT community and it is a fictional soap opera afterall. But as in every facet of the fiction spectrum, its in the eye of the beholder.

Now, I said all that about my TV ship because I feel that Brigham Vaughn has also shown that Annie's bisexuality is a bit of an issue, not in a bi-phobic way but because Siobhán's past relationship has made her weary and gun-shy but it doesn't make me not want to shake Siobhán any less for her way of thinking and some of the words she uses. Brigham deals with this in a believable and yet entertaining fashion. I say "entertaining" not because its roses and rainbows from beginning to end but because it kept me intrigued even when I was upset with Siobhán. I love how their artistic sides mesh with their personal sides, sometimes all that is needed to get the fire started is a common spark. A Brighter Palette is just an all-around enjoyable read that will break your heart one minute and heal it the next but most importantly Brigham has left me hungry for the next installment.

RATING:

Annie pressed her palms to her cheeks. “I got a little carried away.”

Siobhán straightened but didn’t slide away. “I enjoyed watching you get carried away. We’ll have to do that again when we aren’t in such a public place.”

Annie glanced around. Thankfully, they were toward the back of the nearly empty lounge and the backs of the booths had dividers. Unless a waitress had walked by, it was unlikely anyone had seen them.

“This is so unlike me,” Annie admitted.

Siobhán tilted her chin and gave Annie an appraising look. “Perhaps it’s just what you need.”

Annie’s embarrassment began to fade, and she offered Siobhán a small smile. “I certainly could use a bit more excitement in my life,” she admitted. “Although, that doesn’t necessarily include a public exhibition.”

“Public exhibition is optional,” Siobhán said, “but passion shouldn’t be.”

Author Bio:
Brigham Vaughn is starting the adventure of a lifetime as a full-time writer. She devours books at an alarming rate and hasn’t let her short arms and long torso stop her from doing yoga. She makes a killer key lime pie, hates green peppers, and loves wine tasting tours. A collector of vintage Nancy Drew books and green glassware, she enjoys poking around in antique shops and refinishing thrift store furniture. An avid photographer, she dreams of traveling the world and she can’t wait to discover everything else life has to offer her.