Whit is in love with two men -- brothers.  One is his earth, the other is his sky, and Whit is their center.  All three men have never been happier, but happiness always comes with a price.  Whit, Grey, and Raine’s peaceful world is turned upside down when Grey is diagnosed with cancer.  

Watching the effect of the cancer treatment slowly destroy their strong and beautiful Grey, Whit and Raine must find the strength to be strong for him and hold their family together.  The boys realize, in order for them to find strength and move forward, they have to go backwards -- back home to the desert.

Painting the Desert is a very sweet, overly emotional story.  This sequel to The Center of Earth and Sky continues the fairytale life of Whit, Grey, and Raine, and as like the previous book, it is very emotional and high on the sugary romance. Painting the Desert contains a bit more substance than its prequel, with the cancer storyline and the glimpse into tribal rituals.  Even though I’m a huge Sean Michael fan and there were parts of this book I loved, I was not totally captivated by this story.