#NewRelease & #Review “Love & Ink” by JD Hawkins

Love & Ink by JD Hawkins

Release Date: February 21st

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Designer: Letitia Hasser from RBA Designs

Musings…

4 Second Chance CROWNS

Love & Ink by JD Hawkins is a second chance romance that is not just a story about two people reconnecting but a story about accepting yourself, knowing your worth, and making a home, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Teo’s character is my guilty pleasure. Physically, he plays the part of a bad boy with the bike, the tattoos, and the transient nature, but there is so much more to him, though. His background, the way he was raised as a kid and treated by others, is a key part to who he became and the insecurities he has, especially where Ash is concerned. What makes me love him the most, though, is that he becomes better for himself. He makes strides to create a better life and become better not just for the heroine but to prove to himself that he has value and is worth more than anyone ever thought. His happiness at the end of the novel is a perfect reward.

Ash earns my respect as a heroine for her desire to succeed on her own. She doesn’t depend on her father or her family’s connections to reach her goals. She wants to do it on her own. There are parts of her character that are a bit naive when it comes to her family, which isn’t entirely unexpected as we tend to see our parents through rose-colored glasses, but her character grows and evolves, becoming more aware of what is transpiring behind the scenes. The person she is at the end, and the happiness she gets through Teo and their relationship is worth the work she puts in and gives her the home she has always wanted.

Love & Ink is and isn’t what I expected. Based on the teasers, I expected it to be steamy, and, Lord, was it ever HOT. I swear when these two hit the sheets my kindle went up in flames. Part of what makes it sexy is Ash and her sexuality. I love that she owned her desires in the bedroom and was vocal about what she liked and wanted. Teo is just as hot, but he was exactly what I expected based on the teasers I saw prior to reading the novel. What I didn’t expect, though, is a tale of learning to love oneself, of acknowledging that you have worth, and of showing how a home is so much more than a place to sleep. Most of all, I didn’t expect this aspect of the story to be told through the life of the hero, and I truly enjoyed the break in the standard romance trope. This part of the story also gave their romance the depth I wasn’t expecting and a authenticity to the characters and their journey back to each other.

JD Hawkins always delivers super hot romances with heroes I swoon over every single time, but with Love & Ink, he gives us a bit redemption for Ash and Teo as individuals and as a couple, and I truly enjoyed watching these two make their way back to each other and grab the HEA.

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

I’m a world famous tattoo artist with a six month waiting list. Everybody’s begging me to put my ink on them. I’m the hottest shit in L.A., and can get any girl I want. So the last thing I expect is for Ash Carter to walk into my shop and blow me off.

I’ve spent the last seven years screwing half the women in the northern hemisphere, but nobody could come close to the girl I left behind. Ash was my world. But in order to protect her, I had to let her go. It was the biggest mistake of my life. And now I’ll do anything to get her back.

It’s been seven years since we last spoke. Seven long years of trying to ignore the memory of her skin, her eyes, her incredible confidence. She is everything I remember. Still stubborn and feisty and sexy as hell. They say you should forgive and forget. But Ash can never forget what I did. And I can never forgive myself.

She’s left a permanent mark on my heart.

But even if she takes me back, will we be able to overcome the past? Will we be able to move forward towards our future?

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EXCERPT

“You want something to drink?” she calls from some other room.

“Sure. Something strong.”

“Vodka ok?”

“Always.”

I pace around the room a little, lust still pumping me full of adrenaline, taking in the details, stopping to study a Basquiat print above a bookcase. Flashbacks of conversations we had in her bed rushing through my mind, until she clinks some glasses behind me and I turn around.

“Here you go,” she says, handing me the glass.

I take it from her, sip slowly, but my eyes stay on hers—a living work of art even more captivating than what’s on the walls. The alcohol burns, hitting the spot, but I’m intoxicated enough by the room, by the smell, by her. She must sense it, because she breaks my gaze, eyelashes flickering away as she smiles down, but her coyness only ignites the fire building within me.

I put my drink down and throw her on the couch so I can gaze at those lush curves, trace my eyes down the length of that magnificent body.

I trace a finger around her ear, down her neck. She trembles like a leaf under my touch, skin cool with goosebumps. Her breath quickening, hot and heavy.

I climb on top of her and we devour each other’s mouths as I tug her pants off and she pulls her shirt over her head. We roll around on the couch, her hands squeezing my cock, my mouth sucking each nipple until her breath shudders, her fingers clawing down my back. I need to taste her.

I pull away, enjoying how she hisses with unresolved desire.

“Why are you stopping?” she asks, her voice tinged with desperation.

I growl, low and firm, “I’m not. I’m going to eat you.”

Teasers:

About the Author:

JD Hawkins writes erotic romance with modern-classic alpha males and strong, independent women. He currently lives with his wife in Los Angeles, CA. He loves to travel and has lived in many places, including New York City, India and Thailand. When he isn’t writing, JD enjoys surfing, training in Mixed Martial Arts, reading and taking naps. He’s always loved making up stories, especially ones inspired by real life.