In December, on Yule (that’s December 21 for you non-pagany folks) I gave a gift to myself. I posted on Social Media the following image.
From the responses on Twitter and Instagram, I have a list of books I’m buying, reading and reviewing. Here’s January’s entry:
Title: Into the Gray, A Lighter Shade of Blue, The Violet Skies of Morning
Series: The Color of Love Series
Author: F. E. Feeley Jr.
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: 2019
Heat Level: 5/5
Pairing: M/M
Length: 353 pages (all three books)
Genre: Romance
I suppose I should have done a quick review of each of the three books in this series, but they really are one extended story, so I’m going to lump it all into one big review.
Feeley has done a wonderful job with this easy, sweet, and yet often heartbreaking story of two people who, quite by chance, come together and find out how well they each complement and enrich each other.
The first book is about origins, who each of the characters is, and what their lives have been up to the point where the two main characters meet. David is a mature man in his forties, about to be divorced (from a woman), a well-paid lawyer with extensive resources, but emotionally deprived of intimacy. Aaron is young, with a wealth of experience under his belt as a war vet battling daily struggles with PTSD, to a troubled past relationship with an addict. He’s also one smart dude having graduated from Harvard.
Circumstances bring these two together. Not a combination you’d think would work, and yet…
Feeley utilizes colors throughout the entire series to set the tone and the mood. It’s wonderful. Gray can be everything from gloomy, to the warmth of a blanket wrapped around you. A lighter shade of blue might inspire hope, and clear skies, whereas violet might make you think of the dawn of morning, or perhaps impending danger. Feeley wraps a multitude of hues throughout this story to give it texture and depth.
I always enjoy reading stories from #ownvoices authors. There’s a certain amount of magic that comes when the words they pull together are steeped in personal experience and history. Too many times throughout these books I was nodding to myself, thinking, “yup, been there.” Even though all the circumstances may not fit, the feel and the emotions embedded within the tale strike a chord that resonates with my own reality. And I will say the way Feeley wove in the emotions Aaron experiences during his panic and anxiety attacks should give any reader a deeper sense of understanding of the demons so many have to face on a day to day basis.
And damn it all, Feeley, you had me shedding tears on public transit, and laughing out loud. A first good sign of a great tale. A second? The fact that I read three books in the space of a week. They aren’t long, but they pulled me in and made me want more.
I loved the May/December romance of Aaron and David, and I wish them both a long and happy life together. (See, I actually think they’re real people.)
Feeley has several books published but writes in multiple genres. This is one author who has gone onto my “Yup, I’ll buy that author, list.” Go check him out:
Meet the Author:
F. E. Feeley Jr is a believer in magic, in music, in literature, art, and those things that connect us all. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Feeley is a veteran of the United States Armed Services. Feeley has written eight novels in the past six years, including Memoirs of the Human Wraiths, Closer, When Heaven Strikes, The Color of Love, Borderland, and Hallelujah. Feeley has published a collection of Poetry in his book, Heaven Underneath the Sound of the World.
Married to the love of his life, John, Frederick resides in Southeast Texas where they take care of their cat, Ms. Abigail Adams.
You can catch up with F. E. Feeley JR. on the socials:
J.P. Jackson 
Reblogged this on F.E.Feeley Jr and commented:
Thank you!