Book Review: Pixels and Paint

I have read (or rather, listened to) a couple of Kristi Ann Hunter’s books, and plan to read more. The reason I started reading her books was her IG personality. I loved watching her reals, and seeing what I could call a genuine, funny person. Relatable. I couldn’t not read something from her. So when she started talking about balancing her historical fiction offerings with contemporary ones, I knew I had to jump on board from book one. I’m glad I did. This is the first book in the Trinket Sisters series.

Pixels and Paint releases July 4th

Book Description

For Emma Trinket, life is a delicate balancing act between loving her family and pursuing interests they don’t understand. When the opportunity arises to finally impress them with her job as a computer programmer, she jumps at it even if it means immersing herself in a world she’s despised since childhood.

Unfortunately the one man who could crush her prospects is also the best person to help her navigate the lessons she needs to be a success.

Artistic expression is both Carter Anderson’s safe space and his livelihood, but his fading inspiration has him worried about his place in life. His encounters with Emma spark a passion to create that he hasn’t felt in years and he isn’t ready to let go of his new muse even if she’s threatening the sanctity of his art world with her digital technologies.

As each tries to gain an advantage from the other, Emma and Carter discover they actually might be more compatible than they thought. Will that be enough to unify their opposing missions or will the real differences between pixels and paint tear them apart?

My Review

Pixels and Paint was a funny yet tender romance that kept me turning pages from the very beginning, from the moment Emma contemplated hiding under the dessert table at an art exhibit and Carter felt the only thing fascinating that night was watching Emma exhibit her displeasure at being there.

This was an opposites-attract romance where the characters were able to grow and change in ways they never thought possible or even thought they wanted. I loved how real Hunter made them, both stubborn in their own ways, neither understanding the other side of things. Where Emma was into tech and couldn’t see the beauty in art, Carter was an artist who, save for his phone and humidity control out of necessity, wasn’t a fan of technology. It was fun watching the two interact, and the frustrations that came from it, but also heart-warming to see the closeness that sparked between them.

My heart broke a little for Emma. She didn’t really know who she was and felt it best to split herself into (at least) three categories, holding each person in her life captive in their specific space. Emma wanted to please her family even if it meant pretending to be someone she wasn’t around them, and keeping her distance from them when it wasn’t their regularly scheduled time together. And no one else in her life was welcome to meet or even learn about her family. I found myself wishing her relationships weren’t so strained, and that she would be accepted for who she was.

Emma couldn’t even talk about God to her family.

And speaking of God, I appreciated how He was worked into this story. He wasn’t alluded to; both characters sought after God, attended church, and wanted to do what was right by Him.

I fell in love with both characters from the start and loved all the twists and turns they endured throughout the story, each changing and growing as the pages turned, neither remaining stagnant.

Pixels and Paint is a story I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a genuine romance, a foundation founded on art, technology, and God.

I received a copy of Pixels and Paint by Kristi Ann Hunter thanks to Kristi Ann Hunter and NetGalley. Opinions are my own.

Kristi is the RITA® award winning author of romance novels from a Christian worldview. Her books include the Regency era set Hawthorne House, Haven Manor, and Hearts on the Heath series. Look for her first contemporaries in early 2023.

She is also speaker, teaching classes in writing as well as Biblical and spiritual topics. She has spoken to writers’ groups, schools, and young women’s groups at churches.

When she is not writing or interacting with her readers, Kristi spends time with her family and her church. A graduate of Georgia Tech with a computer science degree, she knows that life rarely takes the turns we expect. While she still spends hours a day on a computer, now she’s living out the dreams of her childhood and creating stories for others to enjoy and be inspired by.