Watercolor by Leigh T. Moore Review

Watercolor by Leigh T. Moore
Series: Dragonfly #3
Publish Date: October 3, 2013
Source: Author for Review – Thank you!
Find It: Goodreads / Amazon / B&N


Love is stronger than distance…

Finishing senior year is supposed to be the best time in a person’s life.
Finishing senior year as Julian’s girlfriend should’ve been the icing on the cake.
Knowing the secret that could change everything for him is the only thing threatening to spoil it all.
Until Jack returns.

Anna and Julian are together at last, and it’s as hot and happy as they knew it would be. The only problem is The Secret. 

And Jack. 

But while Anna is determined to fight for the guy she loves, she could still lose Julian when he discovers the truth she’s been helping to hide.

My Thoughts:  Earlier this year, I became swept-up and captivated by the Dragonfly Series and by the characters – their story, the secrets between them, including deception, and the love young Anna has for her best friend Julian and the rich, handsome, almost-out-of-reach Jack. The first book, Dragonfly, was a wonderful set-up – a perfect summer read with a great setting and a little bit of a love triangle that was done so well because it actually had some substance to it with some BIG things were revealed. The follow-up, Undertow, was such an interesting concept for a story because while it was set in present-day, the story revolved around main character Anna’s reading through some very important journals that contained some vital information about the two boys that she cares deeply about – their parents, who Julian’s father actually is, and why he absolutely cannot know this information. Undertow is written in such a way that we are actually taken back and immersed into the time of the journals – back when the writers were young, back long ago when things were much simpler and times were fun…or were they? Undertow is a perfect example of how something simple can turn into something extremely complex, something very devastating, and how the lives of everyone involved can change in an instant. It was such a fantastic way to explore the book, a brilliant way to write it – it kept my interest and made me even more invested in the lives of these characters. 

The journals that comprised the majority of Undertow‘s story presented our main character Anna with a HUGE dilemma – she now knows the identity of Julian’s father and a ton of secrets, deceptions, and betrayals…and this is the boy that she loves. She knows that Julian struggles with not knowing who his father is – she watches how their friends pick “with” him about not having a dad, but how it really bothers him. She knows that he has needs, both emotional and regular everyday “stuff” needs, that aren’t being met. She knows that it would be so simple to just tell Julian what she knows – but she’s been sworn to secrecy by not only Julian’s father…but by his mother too. Julian’s mother is adamant that he not find out the truth. The weight of this promise has Anna terribly stressed out because she feels she is deceiving Julian, and the more Julian hurts over this father-shaped hole in his heart, the more Anna hurts for and with him. Should she tell him? Or should she keep her promise? 

And then there’s the big elephant in the room: Jack. In the beginning, Jack was very present in the picture, but then he left for a period of time. Now Jack has resurfaced and Anna can’t help that memories and feelings have resurfaced along with his reappearance. So what happens now? Which feelings are stronger: her feelings for Julian or her feelings for Jack? I have to admit that in the first book, I was kind of rooting for Jack but then he kind of became less of a favorite and I became a fan of Julian, and I think that he is the right choice for Anna. I LOVE the two of them together – I think this is largely became they have been friends for such a long time before they started dating and you all know that I am such a sucker for friends-to-romance relationships. I WILL LOVE THEM FOREVER. 


AND: looming over everyone is the knowledge that college is nearing. Now, you see, Jack is already off at college – when Anna sent off her college applications, she did so with Jack in mind because she was with Jack at the time. But now Julian is in the picture and, well, things have changed a bit. Not that Anna wants to change her college choices because that isn’t really the case. But Julian, naturally, is a little nervous that old feelings will continue to resurface and being off around an old flame in a different city will not bode well for his future with his girlfriend. TOTALLY valid feeling, if you ask me. 

TO ME, it’s so much fun to read books like these because even though Julien and Anna feel solid, it is absolutely true to life to feel shaken-and-stirred when an old relationship suddenly and unexpectedly pops back into your life. Unless you have a super-great handle on your feelings or emotions, or unless you are 100% over that person for good, you cannot help that little memories will pop up every now and then. And then there are the tiny little insecurities that will inevitably pop up into the other person’s heart and mind, which are also totally true to life. The thing is, is the relationship strong enough to handle these things? Is it strong enough that you can talk through these things open and honestly, or do you have to hide them from one another? It certainly helps when you are dating someone that you were close to before you became romantically involved because you were really great friends first but STILL these are obstacles that any couple would have to navigate and tread carefully. 


But it’s THIS SECRET that has had me all in knots – you know, the one everyone seems to be keeping from Julian, including Anna. It’s so obvious that Julian can benefit from knowing his father – even his father knows that AND he wants to know his son! – but there are some people making some poor choices and making all of the decisions, and Anna is caught in the crossfire – sworn to a promise that she feels horrible for keeping. 


You guys, I’ve already told you in the my reviews for the past two books why I’m so invested in this series – the characters are solid, the setting is fantastic, the premise of the story is fun and mysterious and engaging, and it is really sweet and romantic – but I have to admit that I only recently realized that there would be a fourth book, Mosaic, and I honestly have no idea how Author Leigh T. Moore is going to end things. I’m excited, though, because I’ve enjoyed this series so much from page one all the way through each of the three books that I’ve read. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Dragonfly Series to fans of YA Contemporary Romance with some mystery to it, fans of great settings, and people that do not mind reading mild love triangles, particularly when they’re well-placed and well-written. This series is solid and fun, and I’m excited-yet-cautiously-nervous for Mosaic to come out so I can see how things will end up!