I really struggled to finish this book, starting it back in the fall and finishing it in February. During my first attempt to read it, I grew so frustrated with one of the MCs, Tony, that I had to stop reading. Picking up the book again, and starting at the beginning, I pushed past my extreme irritation with Tony, resisted the urge to DNF and finally finished.

Tony was raised in the theatre, is currently a successful director and is hired to direct the pilot of a television show that is similar to Glee. Tony meets Gee (short for Gentry) one night at a club and sparks fly. Gee is a massage therapist and is comfortable wearing pink dresses with killer heels, jeans and tees, and everything in between. He's not defined by gender norms .... and while Tony is madly in lust (and eventually in love) with Gee, Tony cannot get past Gee's choices.

Tony spends the entire book trying to hide Gee from everyone and/or second-guessing his attraction. Tony loves Gee ... but he just wishes Gee were less flamboyant, less "girly" appearing, less of who he is. Tony lies to Gee, lies to himself, lies to the conservative Christian woman doing the hiring for the TV pilot, and hopes that somehow he can continue this charade without ever having to come clean.

The story had a lot of good qualities - Gee is a fascinating character, interesting secondary characters, the plot holds your interest - but I could not get past Tony's duplicity and his attitude drove me batty. 2.5 stars.

I really wanted to like this book based on the synopsis but it fell so flat for me. The author's writing style was a big turnoff and that alone made it hard to get into it. I ended up not finishing after 60%.

12/20 | 2,5 stars.
Tony has a very ordered life, where everything fits perfectly. Hisfriends, his family, his job. But everything changes when he meets Gee, a young man proud and happy in his own skin. Gee is nothing Tony has dated before. Gee doesn't care about gender roles and what society expects him to be. And Tony is confused, embarrassed, and scared to go further with him.
I thought I would loved this book when I read the first chapters. It's joyful, and sexy, and sweet. And I would have, if not for Tony being a jerk during 80% of the story. He's lying to Gee almost everytime about what he feels and saying he's trying (but definitely not trying enough). He's not accepting Gee and we know it because at least, he's not lying to us. And it hurts. It hurts so much for Gee, even if he doesn't even know what's going on in Tony's head.
It infuriated me because I loved Gee so much. Gee is adorable, proud of who he is, and have a vision of society that I deeply share with him. He's brave, and kind, and caring, and patient, and cute. Well, in other words, he doesn't deserve to be hidden away like something embarrassing.
In conclusion: even if I don't sound very soft on this book, it was not that bad. There's still a lot of positive things. Gee shares with us important thoughts about tolerance. And Tony too, with his own life. But to me, the romance is ruined and is ruined because of Tony. I'm one hundred per cent sure that if we love someone and want to be with him, we don't think the way he thinks most of the time about Gee.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is one in a series, but can be read as a standalone. I read Thaw a little while ago, so it was good to catch up with that couple at a party.

I found this to be a thoughtful and thought-provoking read. Most people have been conditioned to consider certain things to be absolutely unacceptable, and even when it is blatantly wrong, it is difficult to not react. Tony has definitely been subjected to that from childhood, and at least in his mind, it is still affecting his thinking. I felt that his mother dying when he was a child was a significant factor in that inability. It is frustrating, but actually I think it is really well written and addresses a real issue in a refreshing, even if painful, way.

Gee is a wonderful character, determined to break rules he considers to be ridiculous – and his argument is difficult to fault. And Tony is well aware of that, he just isn't sure how to sort all the strands of his life. Watching them come to terms with each other, and seeing how their passion transcended the issues, was fascinating and highly engaging.

Another excellent installment, thank you Ms. Springer.

Tony Quinn likes the world to be well-defined. People go in boxes and that's where they stay. Even in the world of the theater, he manages to keep his life very tidy that way. At least, that's until he meets Gee in a club one night. It's lust at first sight. But then Tony muffs it up. See, Gee is a man who likes to wear women's clothes. He is not transitioning in any way; he just likes to wear women's clothes. Half the time, he doesn't even shave. And Tony can't handle that. They are together for a short time, then apart for a long time, then together again.

I seem to have picked up several romances lately where one character is rigid and the other one has to make all the changes. That's how I felt about Gee. Here's Tony stepping out of his comfort zone and Gee is shitting all over his efforts. Gee is otherwise so comfortable in his own skin, something you don't get to see often, I wish he hadn't been such a jerk. Then there's the fact that Tony was more or less stalking Gee (or at least his sister had a Google alert out.)



Two stars

This book came out October 23

ARC provided by NetGalley

I’ve been seeing this series around quite a bit in the “online book world” and thought I should give it a try to see what the hype was about. I probably did go in with high expectations because of that. But I quickly realized a few things.

1 – The author’s writing style is not for me. I’m usually the one that hates when authors get very descriptive and prefer something quick and to the point. However, this was an extreme. I was left feeling a bit of backlash after every scene ended by just sort of glossing over what was happening. Have you ever had that feeling? It’s like we are somewhere in the middle of a scene (which is already not extremely detailed) and all of a sudden this happened and that happened and on to the next scene. Wait, what? Did I miss what they talked about? Did I miss what they did? At first, I thought this was a way to just speed through the beginning part of the story. Maybe just how they meet because somehow their first encounter wouldn’t be crucial and the author wanted to fast forward. But I realized that this is just the style of the book. This may be great for some readers, but for me it just didn’t work. I was constantly left like I was missing part of the story because it was glossed over.

At this point, I had thoughts of DNFing the book. But honestly, I wanted to give it a full shot and see if it changed. So here comes my second problem.

2 – I couldn’t connect with the characters. There was no depth of emotion for me when it came to either one and ultimately they didn’t come alive. Tony felt a bit weak in my opinion and then Gee I found very interesting but I don’t think we delved into his mind and emotions enough. Again, this could be because of how I felt about the writing style but I really didn’t get a sense that I could say I knew either character even after reading the whole story.

So, sadly that brings me to my conclusion. I did finish reading this story because I kept looking for something. But it never quite gave it to me. And maybe this is a classic case of it’s not you, it’s me. I think the fact that I had a problem connecting with the author’s writing and kept feeling like I was missing parts untold of the story was probably a determining factor in how I felt about the characters. That being said, I don’t think I’ll be reading this author again.

I've been waiting for Tony's book since he was first introduced in White Out, the first book in Elyse Springer's Seasons of Love series. Since then, he's made small appearances in each book, but he's made an impact on almost everyone. Once he reached out to Sara in Heat Wave, readers got a little bit more of Tony's story... and that was the perfect set up for Changing Colors.

So, confession time. I could kind of relate to Tony. I'm not proud of that fact, but I've gotta be honest. I admire Gee for his sense of self and I really liked him, but I'm pretty sure my initial reaction around him would have been as uncomfortable as Tony's was. I think my reaction is more empathetic than embarrassed though. At least I'd like to think so. That being said, that's one of the reasons why I like reading books that take me out of my comfort zone. They make me see things from a different perspective and make me want to be more understanding and even more empathetic than I already am.

That doesn't mean that I wasn't upset with Tony. He hurt himself almost as much as he hurt Gee. A lot of that goes back to the way he was treated by his father. He knew in his heart that he had screwed up as soon as he turned Gee away and he worked hard to try to make up for it. Then he blew it again by not being honest. Gee was such an amazing character, he deserved more than Tony seemed to be willing to give. It took losing almost everything for Tony to finally realize what was really important.

So yeah, there were a lot of ups and downs in Changing Colors. Although I'm kind of sad that the Seasons of Love series has come to and end, Tony and Gee's story was the perfect finale. I'd love to check in with these characters again though. This was an amazing debut series for a very talented author and I can't wait to see what Elyse Springer has in story for readers next.

One thing that caught my attention with this series is the beautiful covers for the books. They are so fitting to series and I adore them. But, I also love the series itself. The stories are beautiful, wonderfully written and tug at your heart strings and in the end make you happy.

Tony is living a life....that he's not entirely happy with. I am not really sure how else to describe it. He loves what he does, but he's trying to fit a mold to please his father without conforming, but conforming none the less. His Dad has not been an advocate for his sexuality and would prefer...IMO, the out of site out of mind mantra-and also, don't do anything to embarrass him. So, when Tony meet's Gee, and Gee is a man who likes to dress in women's clothing and wear make up.....he's not sure how to react. He's attracted to Gee, he wants to be with Gee, but his social obligations (perceived) prevent him from fully accepting Gee as he is. So, they break up.

Gee is a man who likes to feel pretty. He is for the most part, confident with himself. However, there have been some times when things have happened to him that can bring his courage to a halt. But he won't be with someone who can't accept him for who he is.

When the two are apart, Tony is miserable. So, he does everything he can to locate Gee. Once the tow reunite, Tony tries really hard to be the man Gee needs. He still struggles with a few things but in the end is able to embrace who he is and they get their HEA.

This was a beautiful story, that I thoroughly enjoyed. The characters, the story, it was all beautiful.

This is the last book in Elyse Springer's Season of Love series and it's been a year in the life of some wonderful characters. Whiteout, Thaw, and Heat Wave were fun stories that were never too angsty and I loved that this series had both m/m and f/f pairings. In Changing Colors, we've come full circle to Tony's story. We first met him in Whiteout, and now it's Tony's moment to find love.

Tony's story actually starts ten months before the "present-day" events in this book. We already got an introduction to Tony and who he's paired with in book three. But this is where I do have reservations on the story coming into it. I'm not sure if it would have been better to read this as a standalone not knowing Tony's story ahead of time, because Tony kind of comes off badly to me? There were parts of this book that were uncomfortable for me to read. I do feel like if this were a m/f book and there was a guy acting like Tony, I don't know if I would have finished the book.

The premise of this story is that Tony met a guy who only introduces himself as "Gee" at a bar and they really hit it off one night. They decide to go on a few dates and while sex isn't an issue for them, Tony has some real hang-ups about how Gee presents himself in public. Tony likes things neat and in their own boxes. He has a very set perspective in life where men should dress like men, and women should dress like women. What does that mean? Well, it certainly doesn't mean how Gee chooses to dress. Gee loves wearing skirts and dresses paired with high heel shoes and makeup. Tony freaks out and the relationship with Gee is over before it ever even really began.

Tony has known Gee a very short amount of time, but he gets it into his head that Gee is THE ONE. Well, he doesn't say it like that, but he can't stop thinking about Gee, and with nothing to go on but a nickname, what are the hopes of ever seeing Gee again after Gee deletes Tony from his life? This is the part in Heat Wave, where many months afterward, Tony enlists the help of his friend Sara to hunt down Gee. It's...stalking. Gee obviously wants no more contact with Tony, AND YET.

It doesn't help that the story is told only from Tony's perspective. He does gain some self-awareness by the end of the book that he was indeed stalking Gee, and that Gee wanted no part in any of it. Gee is a fantastic character. He's unapologetic about who he is and wears what he loves no matter what anyone thinks. I do like that their roles are reversed, in a way. Tony, as the bigger guy is actually the one who likes to be bossed around, and even though Gee is shorter and has a smaller frame, Gee is the one who puts Tony in his place. Gee is non-conforming to society's idea of gender roles and being seen out in public with Gee terrifies Tony. There are some lines in this book where it seems like Tony wouldn't be okay with transpeople either based on some lines where he's so worried about how people look and dress, so IDK TONY. I wanted to like Tony, but he's really not winning me over, you guys.

I do think that at an impressionable age, Tony's father did a number on him about what is supposed to be "right" and "wrong". Even in his thirties, Tony hasn't quite gotten out of that yet and lives by what his father wants. I think it's interesting, and a small consolation, that Tony's father is totally okay with Tony being bisexual. Tony's father is still awful in all other aspects when it comes to Tony's life, but at least he's accepting of Tony's sexuality.

Tony is coming to an end of his production on working on RENT off-Broadway and has a number of opportunities lined-up. One of his dream jobs comes up for him to be a director on a television show. Side note though, I did find it interesting that this television show wanted to hire Tony to direct an entire season, since more often than not, there are usually multiple directors who work on one show. It's not really feasible to direct and put out shows week after week with the same director. BUT. Suspend belief, I suppose. One other odd thing is trying to understand why Tony is worried about how his Broadway, or rather off-Broadway, co-workers or his friends will view Gee and the way he dresses. Am I being too open-minded to expect Tony's off-Broadway folks to not bat an eye about this?

There are some redeeming factors in this book. I do love seeing character return from the previous books in the series. And the small moments between Tony and Gee can be fun and sexy. This story seems to be a learning experience for guys like Tony, but reading a book about a guy’s journey to learning to accept others as they are isn't really my thing. The ending wraps up well. The stalking thing is still kind of a miss for me. Tony realizes what he did was very wrong, but the way Tony and Gee finally wind up together is still kind of iffy to me. The epilogue involving the other characters is short, but sweet. I did enjoy this series as a whole. I think my favorite is still Whiteout, but overall, this is a well-written series by Springer.

***Thanks to Riptide Publishing for providing me an ARC on NetGalley***

I loved this book. Between Tony coming to terms with being independent and finding himself, the journey the charcters go on is so sweet and passionate, Gee is so strong and has a wonderful personality. It’s a great addition to the Seasons of Love series. I love how he characters are all show up and ar featured in each other’s lives without feeling shoehorned in. Would highly recommend this for a great read,

Tony is a theater director in New York City, off Broadway but loving his job. Gee is a mysterious non-binary southerner who has relocated to the big city. The story starts off with a first-night-sexy-times encounter, and then stumbles into an awkward relationship.

Tony is very controlled, has major Daddy issues, and struggles with accepting anything that doesn't fit into his neatly labeled boxes. Gee is uncompromisingly determined to be happy, but is defensive due to past experience. There are issues that they have to overcome, which mainly appear to be Tony's issues.

I feel that the book lacked a bit of intimacy, although that may be because both leads are strong-headed and masculine in that sense. This is the fourth book in the Seasons of Love series, although it is perfectly able to be read as a standalone. I will read at least one other of the books, 'Thaw', because it was sounded very interesting when it was recommended on SBTB.

3.75 Stars

Ugh, some people are so infuriating! I really liked Tony and in the beginning, I even felt bad for him when he lost Gee, but I also wanted to beat him at times. How can you love someone if you can’t truly accept them for who they are? The answer is you can’t and Tony learns that the hard way. And why do characters do things that they know will blow up in their faces? Is it just to make the reader have an anxiety attack?! LOL Tony’s actions were, as I said, infuriating. I sat on the edge of my seat mentally yelling at him, begging him to please do the right thing, not only by his boyfriend, but by himself as well.

I loved that Gee was so comfortable with who he was both on the inside and the outside. It takes courage, especially for someone who I’m sure, growing up in the Deep South, was faced homophobia throughout most of his life, to be brave enough to be true to who they are. Gee was so brave to walk the streets of New York with his head held high while wearing women’s clothes. He knew who he was and wasn’t ashamed of it.

I enjoyed the story. It grabbed me and held on until the last word, you know, yelling at Tony. Tony was a well-developed character, but I knew almost nothing about Gee. He remained a mystery throughout, both to Tony and the reader and I just couldn’t connect with him. He felt more like a secondary character rather than a main character. For me this is where the problem lies with having just a singular point of view. If you aren’t going to have a dual point of view, you need to be sure your main character who doesn’t have a voice is well-developed through dialogue.

All in all, this really was an enjoyable read, but for me it lacked chemistry between Tony and Gee. I loved their story, but I just didn’t feel that spark between them. Maybe it was just me? Still, the writing was good and the story flowed well. Filled with an interesting and supportive plethora of secondary characters I’m anxious to get to know better. I’ll definitely be checking out the other stories in the series! A recommendable read!

*copy provided by author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

How do I even review this book that broke me, made me cry and had me rooting for the protagonists from the get-go. The moment I started it I could not put it down. And I expected that... but at the same time I was surprised by how much I needed to get back to these characters as soon as I could. Changing Colors is the conclusion in Springer's Seasons of Love series and for me the definite favorite; with Thaw a close second. (A really close second!)

Those who have followed this series will know Tony, one of the main characters, already. I really liked what I saw of him in Heat Wave so I was really excited to read his story.  The time when Tony and Gee first meet initially overlaps with the events in Whiteout, but then jumps forward a couple of months. This way the reader knows that Tony made a mistake and let Gee go, but we have no idea what happened. Only thing we know is that he knows he fucked up and wished he could have a second chance.
When I went in I totally expected him to be my fave, but along came Gee and Oh em Gee! - he's absolutely brilliant. I loved how he's so unapologetically himself. I love and admire him equally, because he does not care what others think about him. No, I have to rephrase that, because of course he cares. He's human and shitty people doing shitty things hurt him the same as everyone else. But he doesn't change or hide for anyone. If you don't like the package you're getting, then he's out.

Tony on the other hand really cares about what others think of him - which is why he fucked up the first time with Gee. He was so afraid about what others might think of him that he let something great go. It's a slow progress, but over the course of Changing Colors Tony realizes that even if he has the best job - one that'll bring him a lot of recognition and is great for his career -  it won't make him happy if he has to lock up part of himself. This change seemed natural and while at times I wanted to shake Tony because he was SO irritating, I also loved him. Gee turned his world upside down and he really was trying, but sometimes took a wrong turn or two (again). I know that this will probably be a thing other readers won't like, but I absolutely loved it.

There is so much I loved about this story. One thing is how Springer did not fall into those stereotypical roles between "weaker" and "stronger" protagonists - but went ahead and put them upside down. Gee is gender non-conforming - he wears what he feels comfortable in and what makes him feel pretty. If that's lipstick, a dress and heels so be it. The next day he might just like a bit of eyeliner and less feminine-cut clothing. But that doesn't make him less of a man - a fact that Gee repeatedly calls Tony out for (unintentionally) assuming. I adored and learned something from it too.
I'm sitting here, trying how to best put it and it all comes down to the fact that we are taught to fit into boxes - like Tony tries so hard to put Gee into at first. It's sometimes just a small thing like holding a door open for the other one - something at least I was brought up thinking was, what guys had to do because it's polite. But then comes Gee and makes you realize that... just fuck the patriarchy. And fuck trying to fit into boxes because we don't all fit neatly into a box you can label and put away. Labels are a great thing if you choose them, but can also be restricting. Especially when trying to put others into a neat category.

This play with the gender (and other) stereotypes is one of my favourite thing for authors to do. I love when characters are not as perceived - like the jock who is not stupid, the femme guy who is 99% a top or the geek who isn't shy and insecure. (This kind of went down a direction I hadn't anticipated.) What I mean is that I think Springer handled this exceptionally and I really, really loved it.

One last thing I want to mention is that I LOVED that when things came crashing down around Tony, he gives Gee space when he asks him to and doesn't force a happy end on his terms! It's something I wish we'd see more of in romance because it's honestly not romantic when you have to "wear down" your love interest until they finally take you back. It being their decision, without influence, is one of the most romantic things you can do and something that will make me 100% believe in the happy end. And that's something I undoubtedly do with Gee and Tony.