Sin and Ink

DNF at 41%. First off, let me say that this is my fault, I failed to see that this book was labelled as erotica (okay I just saw that gorgeous cover and hit the request button so hard I damaged my finger!). Knox used to be a famous MMA fighter until the day his younger brother Connor died after a fight. Now he owns a tattoo parlour and employs his sister-in-law, Connor's widow, Eden as a receptionist. Eden is everything he isn't: clean; pure; perfect, and he has lusted after her since the first moment he saw her. Eden loved Connor but he has been dead for a while now and she needs to move on with her life, she wants to start by moving out of her mother-in-law's house. She also has started to have lustful thoughts for her brother-in-law but the only time she even sort-of made a move he shut her down and leapt away as though he'd been scalded, but nevertheless he's been there for her. This was typical NA/YA fare. Lots of plump lip biting, swearing, tattoos, angst-angst-angst etc. Also lots of push-me, pull-me back and forth between wanting each other and feeling inadequate. Disir is someone whose reviews I trust (don't always necessarily agree with), she wrote a brilliant review here and I think it sums up my feelings far more eloquently than I can. Having read that the rest of the book was more of the same I decided to bail. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

***4.5 Stars*** Hello Feels. And I mean ALL. THE. FEELS. I’m not sure if I should categorize this one as a roller coaster or a yo-yo with the way it had my emotions going crazy, but it was one hell of an intense one that yanked me in from the first page and had me #multitasking because putting it down wasn’t an option. The need to know how everything with Eden and Knox played out was intense and I didn’t stop turning the pages until there were no more words to read. I loved and adored Eden and Knox. Eden is sweet and sassy in equal measure, despite the fact that her heart is still healing over the loss of her husband. But the woman is strong and I loved watching as she took the steps to start truly living again. Knox. OMG this man. I spent the ENTIRE book wanting to hug him and Gibbs smacking some sense into him in equal measure. He keeps himself so walled off from everyone and everything that it’s painful because the heart that beats beneath all those layers of protection is a golden one that only wants to love and protect those he calls his own. Eden and Knox’s journey to their HEA was a rocky one, not that it’s a surprise considering how they are connected, but while I found myself frustrated with them on numerous occasions with the whole push/pull thing, I never had the urge to toss my Kindle into the freezer because everything they felt was their truth in that moment and they needed to work through it all in this new situation they found themselves in. The smexy between them was nuclear aka have that B.O.B. on hand or an ice bath ready to go HAWT, but it was that intangible connection they had with each other, that easy flow when they were together and just being, that had me rooting for them. Now there were many, many roadblocks they had to traverse, one that actually had me all kinds of growly and wanting to gut a certain character with a spoon, but I liked how they worked through them all in the end. Being a fan of the author’s thanks to her WAG’s series, I jumped at the chance to read this baby and boy did it take me on one hell of an emotional ride. Though funnily enough, the emotions that had me wanting to grab a spoon and do harm were towards a secondary character, who I had empathy for, but very little sympathy when everything was said and done. As for the rest of the supporting cast we meet, I don’t have an ultimate favorite, but more of an overall need to know more about all of them. So bring on the next book! ~ Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~

Sin & Ink by Naima Simone Sweetest Taboo #1 Mixed feelings…I felt the angst and drama and steam and yet felt that both Knox and Eden were a bit confused about what taboo really means. In biblical times brothers were expected to marry the widows of their brothers so I am not really sure why the two believed that their attraction to one another was wrong. That said…did enjoy this story of two people drawn to one another in spite of it all. Knox Gordon owns a tattoo parlor and Eden, his widowed sister-in-law, is his office manager. He wanted her from the moment he saw her but his brother got to her first. He had made a name for himself in the MMA arena but left it all behind after his brother died and put his all into his business. He has a strong libido and has taken what has been offered often. That said, he seems to be fixated on Eden though he feels he probably will never have her…even though she is definitely interested in him. Knox’s mother is a piece of work that makes mommy dearest appear to be an angel. His brothers are a delight and I am eager to hear more about them in future books whether in taboo relationships or in other type books – almost think the series should be based around the tattoo parlor instead of the topic of taboo relationships. Why do I say this? Because not only are his brothers great sounding but I also loved the snippets about the people working in the tattoo parlor and would like to hear more about them, too. Taboo Tattoo has a nice ring to it but…will have to see where Naima goes with this series. Did I like this book? Mostly Was it steamy? Yes Would I read more in this series? Probably Was the relationship really taboo? Not in my opinion I felt the ending was a bit rushed and would have liked to hear more about the fight at the end and how Knox and Eden went forward after it ended. Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review. 4 Stars