Jett is accustomed to people thinking he’s an intimidating, aloof loner. He doesn’t really mind, even though finding a special connection to someone would be nice. Opening his own tattoo shop on Cravenwood Block is a dream come true, but he isn’t prepared for the determined little ray of sunshine who walks through his door and turns his entire world upside down.
Leighton knows better than to let himself get involved with a straight guy again—been there, done that, got the t-shirt and some stylish baggage he’s been lugging around ever since. However, the moment he lays eyes on the new tattoo artist on the block, he can’t help the instant pull toward the man.
Meeting Leighton throws Jett for a curve. He’s forced to recognize he’s got a lot to learn about himself, and he quickly realizes he actually likes the man he’s uncovering. Leighton knows it’s dangerous to let his heart hold onto hope, but he can’t shake the feeling something good is just around the corner.
*Jett & Leighton: On Cravenwood Block is a steamy, opposites-attract, bisexual-awakening, roommates-to-lovers M/M romance featuring a sexy-as-sin tattoo artist and a fresh, flashy barista with a smile that lights up the room.*
Category Archives: tattoo
#WOTR22 #NewRelease #2ndChance #tattoo – Mixed Ink Book 3 of Permanent Ink Series by Michel Prince
In book three of Permanent Hangover: Puck Larson has spent years honing his craft. Splitting his time between four cities and becoming one of the world’s best tattoo artists creating optical illusions on skin. For years he’s used every excuse to live as a nomad; money, opportunity and being told to go by the only woman he’d ever loved, Delilah. But when a pandemic shuts down the world he’ll be challenged to show Delilah he’s no longer the guy she’s given up on.
When Delilah Washington named her baby Patience it was a reminder of what she would need to deal with Puck. A pair of teenagers in a secret high school romance have turned into turbulent adults. The hot and cold relationship has gone from one of excitement to draining. Reality of being a single mother, with a sometime father, and a chance with a new man has Delilah finally drawing lines in the sand when it comes to Puck. Only the world flipped the script and a mix of fear and uncertainty has the nurse reaching out to an unlikely ally.
Has proximity and happenstance given way to a second chance at love in the face of a new man? Or has the lockdown brought on a confrontation a decade in the making as the past rears its ugly head to destroy a final chance at forever?
USA Today Bestselling author, Michel Prince, graduated with a bachelor degree in History and Political Science. Michel writes young adult, new adult and adult paranormal romance as well as contemporary romance.
“Ms Prince writing is like summer breeze caressing your body, slow and sultry.”-Amazon review of First and Ten.
“Michel Prince is a wonderful author with a real talent for writing.”-Amazon Review of Triple B Baking Co.
“Prince explores in her novels is interracial romance and friendships. Prince pokes fun at stereotypes, but never allows stereotypes to guide her plot. The focus is on creating two strong, independent characters who can stand on their own, but complement each other as a couple.”- Amazon Review of Silly Girl
“One Last Sunset is a well written story by the awesome Michel Prince that left me wanting to learn more about the rest of the Long family.”- Amazon Review for One Last Sunset.
“I could not put it down, and will definitely be looking for more from this Author.”-Amazon Review of Silly Girl.
With characters yelling “It’s my turn damn it!!!” She tries to explain to them that alas, she can only type a hundred and twenty words a minute and they will have wait their turn. She knows eventually they find their way out of her head and to her fingertips and she looks forward to sharing them with you.
When Michel can suppress the voices in her head she can be found at her son’s games in a variety of sports. She would like to thank her family for always being in her corner and especially her husband for supporting her every dream and never letting her give up.
Michel has been awarded Elite Status with Rebel Ink Press in 2013, the service award for her local RWA chapter Midwest Fiction Writers 2013, 2014, won 2015 Sweetest Romance from IREA for Chrysalis, a 2022 finalist for the Minnesota Book Awards for The Amalgam and was a PAN member of RWA. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, and new puppy.
#WOTR22 #EnemiestoLovers #tattoo – Inked All Night book 2 Permanent Hangover Series by Michel Prince
Warning: Mature Adult Audiences 18+. Contains language and actions some may deem offensive. Sexually explicit content. MF.
In book two of Permanent Hangover: Cain Washington would gladly pay a million dollars to have a shrew as nice as the one Shakespeare had to deal with. Because frankly, the one living next to him makes the Bard’s seem like a Sunday school teacher. As the chief fixer at the Permanent Hangover Tattoo Parlor and Bar, he’s cursed with the ability to see the beauty in everyone. Though his harpy of a neighbor tests and teases that ability on a daily basis, Cain’s never been one to let a challenge stop him. Especially with the flashes of the beautiful soul he can see beneath the surface that is keeping him mesmerized.
Bianca Jessel came to Minnesota for advancement and, more importantly, to escape the fact of who she is. Born ‘blessed’ with light skin, she found in the land of ten thousand lakes that she’s seen as everything, but a woman of color. Determined to keep it that way and assure a future blessing for her own children, she chooses her men based on a list of criteria. Sadly, the one person she wants the most has one glaring disqualifier. Too bad he lives next door.
After years of conditioning, and with the lies rapidly catching up to her, can Bianca push past the voice of her grandmother admonishing every aspect of who she is? Can Cain show that her beauty is not only inside her, but in the skin she tries to deny? Or will the decades of self-hate bring a halt to an everlasting love before it has a chance to start? And could the lies turn into a dangerous situation instead of one girl’s misguided musings of one’s worth?
Review by Twinsie Angie
I purchased this ebook and audio book.
Lemme start by saying I loved the narrator and the narration of the story. Logan did a great job varying up the different characters and their voices for me during the audio listening.
Ok so this book…..so complex….I had to sit on it for a few days to think about what I was going to share with you and why its taken me so long. One word – Bianca!! Man I just did not like her. But you see my 5 star rating and are like uhm Angie Explain yourself here. LOL Give me a second and I will.
Bianca. She is a mess. I mean a MESSSSSS!! The hate she has for herself makes her as cuddly as a porcupine. She has an end game and that is it…marry a rich white guy (with a cough I imagine) so she can be set for life. The issue is, she is also hiding more and more of herself with each failed relationship because …well…because she a black. Now I know you’re all like ..uhm Angie ..calm down and let me explain. Bianca’s grandmother did a number on her. She told her she was a blessing because her light skin made her undeterminable. She could be passed off as Italian, Jewish, etc but no one would think she was black. This is where my view of her changed. I felt bad for her. I mean she was never able to embrace what made her an awesome person because people could find out she was black. I can’t imagine being raised and being told to look down on people with the same skin coloring as your own and as your parents.
Cain…omg did I love him in book 1 annnd my love for the tattoo parlor player didn’t stop but wait…is he not the player he pretends to be? What is he a soft and gushy sweetheart after all??? Cain is not at all threatened by Bianca and her nonsense. In fact, he picks up on her and all that she does to push him away. After a night when Bianca needed help, Cain was right there to rescue her like he does with so many women he meets. Cain is there to break down Bianca’s walls and even help her see what a beautiful soul she is when she stops putting up the wall and facade.
Cain and Bianca start to explore where the relationship could go but Cain is all the while afraid she will hurt him and Bianca is afraid people will see her different for living as an openly black women. The twists and turns in the story were great. Catching up with the Permanent Hanger over crew was amazing. I don’t know if I want Puck or Sarah’s book next. Both are going to be such a great read but I kinda hope its Puck and his naps…lol
Michel Prince is an author who graduated with a bachelor degree in History and Political Science. Michel writes young adult and adult paranormal romance as well as contemporary romance.
With characters yelling “It’s my turn damn it!!!” She tries to explain to them that alas, she can only type a hundred and twenty words a minute and they will have wait their turn. She knows eventually they find their way out of her head and to her fingertips and she looks forward to sharing them with you.
When Michel can suppress the voices in her head she can be found at a scouting event or cheering for her son in a variety of sports. She would like to thank her family for always being in her corner and especially her husband for supporting her every dream and never letting her give up.
Michel is a member of RWA Pro and Midwest Fiction Writers. In 2013 she was awarded Elite Status with Rebel Ink Press. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, and cat.
#WOTR22 #SeriesStarter #Tattoo – Two Ink Minimum book 1 of Permanent Ink Series by Michel Prince.
Warning: For Adults 18+. Contains wording and actions some may deem offensive. Sexually explicit content. MF.
In book one of Permanent Hangover: All Finn Gardner wanted was a breath of fresh air when he stepped into the alley behind the Permanent Hangover Bar and Tattoo Parlor. At first sight, he’d thought it was just another homeless person to shoo away from the building. Instead, he found someone who needed help—his help.
Having been given a second chance himself, Finn believes in paying it forward. The Hangover has taken more than one lost soul in over the years.
Bailey Parson needed to get away. She left her life in Chicago behind and escaped to St. Paul, but she never once thought far enough ahead to what her next step would be when she arrived there. To her, what she was running from, was much more to worry about than some half-baked plan. After a month stuck on the streets, a new need arises as the temperature started to drop—survival.
Given a chance by a stranger, Bailey works to find her way. Not only winning over customers and the staff with her smart wit and empathy, she wins over the standoffish tattoo artist.
Keeping their relationship forward focused, Finn hoped to avoid both of their baggage. However, when Bailey’s past threatens to destroy everything they built together, Finn’s left with decisions to make. Does he give up the beautiful curvy woman, the only one whose touch calms him? How much of his dark past would he need to unlock to save her? A past with the potential to destroy what they have together.
More importantly, can the lovers turn the scars of the past into a design strong enough to see them through any challenge? Or will the permanent ink leave them with open wounds and no chance of healing?
“Nevaeh is an outlet. One that needs little attention,” he confessed as his chest pressed against her back. The warmth leached from her, melting more than the flurries from the touch. Brushing her hair to the side his fingers tickled her neck as he leaned down.
“What did you do with her?”
“You want to know how I touched her? Every detail?”
Her eyes fluttered as his voice got harsh.
“I make her face away from me.” His hands slid down Bailey’s arms, and once again he wrapped his fingers around her wrists. This time he brought them above her head and placed her palms flat on the door. Hardness pressed against her mid-back, dwarfed by his height and encompassed by him, heat leached from his body to hers. “She grips the top of the bathroom stall. I don’t want her to look at me. Talk to me. The moans she makes annoy me to the point I almost stop, but my body protests. It wants me deeper inside. Pounding at an ungodly pace because all I want to do is get away from her.”
“Why do you do it then?” Bailey’s voice struggled to escape her lips. The gooseflesh wasn’t coming from the cold. Her core ached at the vision he’d placed in her head. Even with the cruelty, she wanted the touch. Yearned for it to the point her legs weakened.
“Punishment.”
Bailey turned around to face him. “For you or me?”
Finn leaned down, and for the first time in her life, a man touched her in a way that didn’t make her skin crawl. Cupping her cheeks, he dipped his head. Her heart beat hard against her chest and blood rushed to her lips causing them to throb in anticipation.
“I don’t like to be touched. It burns me in a way I can’t stand,” he said as his lips caressed hers with an absent touch. “She doesn’t require much. Whether it’s her mouth, ass, or pussy, she is a receptacle more efficient than my hand.”
“You don’t even like to touch yourself?” Bailey asked as her hands itched to reach for him and feel his body. No touch rule. One she hadn’t seen before. How degrading she thought and realized he was holding her.
“I like the thought of touching you, Bay. A little too much.”
Amazon UK https://tinyurl.com/v6txpp2
Amazon AU https://tinyurl.com/r8rrqr8
Amazon CA https://tinyurl.com/u2272pz
Nook https://tinyurl.com/v45648s
Kobo https://tinyurl.com/skt5ak6
Apple https://tinyurl.com/t7uhjks
Google https://tinyurl.com/y78ze7dt
Audible https://tinyurl.com/ybhokp9m
I receive this audio book from the author for an honest review.
Friends. I finished this audio book and had to sit and think about my review. There is so much happening in this slow burn of a love story ….I mean….WOWZERS!!!
Bay and Finn are not your ordinary H/h of a love story. They are both broken in a way and that brokenness affects how they deal with people. Finn cannot stand to be touched and Bay just doesn’t trust or doesnt believe people don’t have an ulterior motive. No one is nice for nothing.
Finn is in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people. He serves his time and comes out. He is living but in black and white. He has lost the ability to live life in color…until Bay. When he sees her, he has the need to help her.
Bay is running for a really bad situation. The more we learn of her past, the more we are angry for her. When Finn offers to let her move in to his spare apartment little did they known this blooming friendship would become so much more for each of these broken souls.
Seeing these two fight the connection for fear of running what they have built made my heart ache for that finally first kiss!! GAH!! It was so sweet and perfect. As the story builds and we see their relationship move forward we know their pasts will come back to haunt them. When we learn who helped Finn, I was stunned. When we see Bay is afraid of her past I literally yelled “you are stupid!! DO NOT LEAVE HIM!!!!” LOL (That isn’t a spoiler so don’t worry!!)
Their story is full of happiness and healing. I really enjoyed listening to the audio narration. He did a great job expressing the feelings of both characters.
I love the story and the side characters are amazing. Michel said there is a new book coming out soon and I cannot wait to see who it is about. I mean, I don’t think I can guess or even choose!!
Michel Prince is an author who graduated with a bachelor degree in History and Political Science. Michel writes young adult and adult paranormal romance as well as contemporary romance.
With characters yelling “It’s my turn damn it!!!” She tries to explain to them that alas, she can only type a hundred and twenty words a minute and they will have wait their turn. She knows eventually they find their way out of her head and to her fingertips and she looks forward to sharing them with you.
When Michel can suppress the voices in her head she can be found at a scouting event or cheering for her son in a variety of sports. She would like to thank her family for always being in her corner and especially her husband for supporting her every dream and never letting her give up.
Michel is a member of RWA Pro and Midwest Fiction Writers. In 2013 she was awarded Elite Status with Rebel Ink Press. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, and cat.
#WOTR22 #NewRelease #Military #FriendsToLovers #2ndChance – Thistle Tattoo by Tricia Andersen
Review by Twinsie Angie
I was given this book by the author for an honest review.
I read this book when it was in an anthology. I was excited when Tricia said she was expanding the story of Rhett and Morgan. The anthology short story was good but the expansion was even better.
Rhett and Morgan were high school “friends”. She was the nerd hired to tutor the high school jock. They didn’t realize how in love they had fallen but high school being high school neither would face the music of friends for being with the other so they stayed silent with their longing.
Fast forward to Morgan saving Rhett from the darkest place he could imagine being after the War. Rhett has serious PTSD and Morgan is all in for saving her friend and the man of her dreams.
Rhett and Morgan have a lot to deal with between her admirers and his ex-fiancée. Plus, they have to deal with his mental health from the war. The scars he carries are traumatic. They have some blurring of boundaries and looking at what they want.
When Rhett and Morgan finally admit what they want they story is amazing and then another twist I didn’t see coming. I was so invested in the couple and loved every chapter of the book, I would have loved even a few more…..
Tricia Andersen lives in Iowa with her husband and her three children. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts in English and from Kirkwood Community College with an Associate of Arts degree in Communications Media/Public Relations.
For the past five years, Tricia has been a member of Hard Drive Performance Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, an affiliate of Roufusport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has experience in kickboxing and currently trains in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Even though she has never competed in an MMA cage, she’s witnessed and been a part of a fighter’s journey from fight camp to their walk to the cage. She also has competed in jiu jitsu.
#BookBlast #BookPromo – Music Lights & Never Afters by C.L. Matthews
THIS IS A STANDALONE ROCKSTAR NOVEL.
Some blades cut deeper than others.
When I was younger, that saying never made sense. I was the child of a famous musician living my best life, learning talents of my own, and making the world my stage.
I had it all, until that very first cut.
Losing my parents was only a nick in the dumpster fire that became my life. Their death hurt, but not as bad as the betrayal I felt from Andy.
I admit I went a little crazy when they passed away. I isolated myself, pushed away everyone I could, and it worked.
I was free from the confines of expectations, but that high only lasted so long before the second cut came.
Andy gave me my space.
Even though I asked for it, it wasn’t what I wanted.
It was almost as if the connection we shared, all the late-night conversations, and laughs evaporated.
And now, five years later, when I feel at least halfway decent about my life and the music I create, she calls me, asking me to meet him—her new fiancé.
Some blades cut deeper than others, but that one completely bled me dry.
#WOTR21 #NewRelease – Healed, Sugar and Spice, Ink Book #3 by Evan Grace
Colton immediately starts his campaign to win me back, but I just don’t know if I can trust him not to run again, but the more time I spend with him—those feelings I’ve pushed aside return with a vengeance.
What’s a girl to do?
I knew I wanted Heidi Collins back the minute I was signed to play for the Fire, but the hurt she felt made me think I might never win her back. The only thing I can do is prove my love to her.
When it finally feels like we’re getting our happily ever after, our world implodes, and it throws our lives into complete chaos. Our relationship is put to the test. Are we strong enough to fight for our happy ending?
All I know is that we love each other more than anything and if we go down, It’ll be swinging.
Heidi
I pin my hair up on top of my head and give it a quick spray. I pull the illuminating powder and contour brush out of my makeup bag. I add some to my forehead and above my cheekbones. I grab Greta’s setting spray and quickly use it on my face.
“You look hot, girl,” Greta says from behind me. She grabs my lipstick and quickly dabs it on my lips before stepping back. “There, perfection.”
Out of the Collins kids, I’m the baby in the family. Greta is a year and a half older than me, but she’s my best friend and roommate. I turn back toward the mirror. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, you know I wouldn’t tell you, you looked great unless I meant it. I went through your closet and found the perfect outfit.” My sister is a fashionista and has a good eye for style.
She disappears out of the bathroom, and I follow her into my bedroom. On my bed are my black low rider wide-leg tuxedo pants and a silver top that hugs my breasts, making them look bigger. Lord knows I could use all the help I can get.
Since I’m the youngest, the boobs were all taken up by the time I came along. I take off my robe and pull on some pink satin panties and a matching bra. I grab my perfume, spray some in front of me, and walk through it.
I get dressed and slip on a pair of black stiletto sling backs. Looking in the mirror, I feel confident and sexy. My plan is to pick up some hot football player and have some much-needed fun.
That’s what I need, to have fun. Over the past couple of years, I’ve spent most of my time building my clientele at the studio and proving to my sisters that I deserved my spot there.
I head into the living room and find Greta standing in front of the mirror, fiddling with her hair. I love my sister, but I can totally admit that I’m jealous of her. She’s tall, lean, has gorgeous long, wavy brown hair, and is beautiful inside and out.
Her dress is a mixture of pinks, creams, and browns. It’s a long, flowy maxi dress with long sleeves and a slit in the front. She’s wearing brown thick-heeled sandals, which compliment her Boho chic style.
She smiles when she sees me. “Damn, I knew that outfit would look great. I ordered our Uber, so we should probably head downstairs.”
We grab our purses, lock up, and head downstairs. Tonight is a party for Nick’s arena football team. He invited us so we could hang with our sister, Sierra, I’m sure.
When we reach Blaze, a man in an all-black suit opens the door for us and holds out his hand, helping each of us out. We step inside and head up a beautiful staircase to the space where the party is at.
We grab some champagne before searching out our family.
“Look at all these hot men,” Greta leans down and whispers in my ear.
I cover my mouth as I giggle, but then I sober up. The one and only serious boyfriend I ever had was a football player, a quarterback, and that asshole broke my heart.
Greta moves to stand in front of me. “What’s that look for?” She tips her head to the side, looking closely at me.
I give her my best fake smile. “Nothing, just admiring the view.” Yes, these men are all hot, but I have no desire to hook up with a football player. “Let’s go find everyone.” I take a sip of my champagne and thread my arm through hers, and we walk through the crowd, looking for our family.
The party is in full swing, and I glance around the room. There truly are hot guys everywhere. The players we’ve met have been nice. Several of them have been vying for Greta’s attention, but of course they would because she’s a babe. I haven’t decided if there are any men that I want to speak to yet. Nick calls someone named Colton over, and my stomach pitches, which is stupid because there are a lot of guys out there named Colton.
I turn toward Nick, and that’s when my heart stops, and my stomach drops. Colton Winters is standing in front of me for the first time in five years. “Heidi.” Just hearing my name on his lips has me turning and running down the stairs.
Outside, I run down the street with Colton calling my name, but all I can hear are the words he spoke to me five years ago. “Heidi, I just don’t love you anymore. This is over.” I stop, panting for breath and holding my side due to a stitch.
Colton stops in front of me, but I don’t think—I just react, slapping him across the face. “Stay away from me,” I grit out. “I just don’t love you anymore.” I throw those words back at him and flag down a cab, climbing inside when it pulls up to the curb before he can follow me.
It’s not until I’m safely back in my apartment that I finally fall apart. I lock myself in my bedroom and grab a box from the back of my closet. Peeling the lid off, I feel the tears fill my eyes.
The first picture was from our eighth-grade graduation. Colton was behind me with his arms around me—both of us smiling widely at the camera. God, we were just babies, and I still had braces.
No one thought we’d last back then, but we proved them wrong, over and over, with each passing year. I wanted to marry him—I wanted to have his children, and I almost did until that slipped away as well.
In a matter of two months I lost him, and then I lost the baby I was carrying. I never told anyone about the second, and I never will. I honestly don’t know what it is about us Collins women, but three of us have found ourselves at one point knocked-up and single. Well, Sierra isn’t single; she may say she is, but Nick follows her around like a lovesick fool. I can’t wait to see it when she realizes she loves him too.
I focus on the pictures. Shit, I took so many. Our whole relationship is in this box in the form of pictures. My favorite is one that was taken right before Colton broke up with me—the night I’m sure our child was conceived.
“How many people are going with you?” Mom asks as I carry my sleeping bag and backpack downstairs.
I shrug. “I don’t know. Maybe three or four. Colton’s the one who set this up.” Ugh … I hate lying to my mom, but with graduation getting close, we’re going to be so busy. Colton and I just want one night alone.
We love camping, so we’re going, just the two of us, for a romantic getaway, sleeping under the stars.
Mom gets close, lowering her voice. “I know you’re having sex, but promise me you’re being careful.”
I roll my eyes. “I am. We are; I promise.”
My parents found out we were having sex when we were sixteen. One night when they were out, Colton was over, and things were getting very physical between us. Miles had come home to surprise us, and surprise us he did. Poor Colton got chased out of the house, naked, by my overprotective big brother.
He, of course, called our parents, who then came home and chewed us out before calling Colton’s mom and dad. There was a lot of yelling, some crying, and then talking.
Colton shows up as I reach the bottom of the stairs. He knocks and then comes right in. “Hey, babe.” He leans down to kiss me.
God, he is so hot, but he’s so much more than that too. He’s kind, loving, funny, and so freaking smart it’s scary.
Bam, bam, bam… “Heidi are you okay?” Greta asks from outside my door, pulling me from my trip down memory lane. “Honey, open the door.”
“G-go away, Greta. I’m fine. I just want to be left alone.” I sit quietly and pray that she goes away.
“Are you sure?” She’s quiet for a minute. “Was that the first time you’ve seen Colton since you broke up?”
Does she mean when he broke up with me, shattering my heart into unfixable pieces? I don’t answer her because I’m afraid of what might come out of my mouth.
I can hear her sigh from the other side of the door. “I’ll leave you alone for now, but I love you, and I’m here for you.”
I quickly grab my pillow from my bed, bury my face in it, and sob.
When the voices in her head give it a rest, which isn’t often, she can always be found with her e-reader in her hand. Some of her favorites include, Aurora Rose Reynolds, (the queen) Kristen Ashley, Kaylee Ryan, Natasha Madison, and Harper Sloan. Evan finds a lot of her inspiration in music, movies, TV shows and life.
She’s a wife to Jim and a mom to Ethan and (the real) Evan, a weightlifter, a home healthcare scheduler, and a full-time author. How does she do it? She’ll never tell.
#WOTR21 #Tattoo #EnemiesToLovers – Ink All Night: Book 2 of the Permanent Hangover Series by Michel Prince
Warning: Mature Adult Audiences 18+. Contains language and actions some may deem offensive. Sexually explicit content. MF.
In book two of Permanent Hangover: Cain Washington would gladly pay a million dollars to have a shrew as nice as the one Shakespeare had to deal with. Because frankly, the one living next to him makes the Bard’s seem like a Sunday school teacher. As the chief fixer at the Permanent Hangover Tattoo Parlor and Bar, he’s cursed with the ability to see the beauty in everyone. Though his harpy of a neighbor tests and teases that ability on a daily basis, Cain’s never been one to let a challenge stop him. Especially with the flashes of the beautiful soul he can see beneath the surface that is keeping him mesmerized.
Bianca Jessel came to Minnesota for advancement and, more importantly, to escape the fact of who she is. Born ‘blessed’ with light skin, she found in the land of ten thousand lakes that she’s seen as everything, but a woman of color. Determined to keep it that way and assure a future blessing for her own children, she chooses her men based on a list of criteria. Sadly, the one person she wants the most has one glaring disqualifier. Too bad he lives next door.
After years of conditioning, and with the lies rapidly catching up to her, can Bianca push past the voice of her grandmother admonishing every aspect of who she is? Can Cain show that her beauty is not only inside her, but in the skin she tries to deny? Or will the decades of self-hate bring a halt to an everlasting love before it has a chance to start? And could the lies turn into a dangerous situation instead of one girl’s misguided musings of one’s worth?
Review by Twinsie Angie
I purchased this ebook and audio book.
Lemme start by saying I loved the narrator and the narration of the story. Logan did a great job varying up the different characters and their voices for me during the audio listening.
Ok so this book…..so complex….I had to sit on it for a few days to think about what I was going to share with you and why its taken me so long. One word – Bianca!! Man I just did not like her. But you see my 5 star rating and are like uhm Angie Explain yourself here. LOL Give me a second and I will.
Bianca. She is a mess. I mean a MESSSSSS!! The hate she has for herself makes her as cuddly as a porcupine. She has an end game and that is it…marry a rich white guy (with a cough I imagine) so she can be set for life. The issue is, she is also hiding more and more of herself with each failed relationship because …well…because she a black. Now I know you’re all like ..uhm Angie ..calm down and let me explain. Bianca’s grandmother did a number on her. She told her she was a blessing because her light skin made her undeterminable. She could be passed off as Italian, Jewish, etc but no one would think she was black. This is where my view of her changed. I felt bad for her. I mean she was never able to embrace what made her an awesome person because people could find out she was black. I can’t imagine being raised and being told to look down on people with the same skin coloring as your own and as your parents.
Cain…omg did I love him in book 1 annnd my love for the tattoo parlor player didn’t stop but wait…is he not the player he pretends to be? What is he a soft and gushy sweetheart after all??? Cain is not at all threatened by Bianca and her nonsense. In fact, he picks up on her and all that she does to push him away. After a night when Bianca needed help, Cain was right there to rescue her like he does with so many women he meets. Cain is there to break down Bianca’s walls and even help her see what a beautiful soul she is when she stops putting up the wall and facade.
Cain and Bianca start to explore where the relationship could go but Cain is all the while afraid she will hurt him and Bianca is afraid people will see her different for living as an openly black women. The twists and turns in the story were great. Catching up with the Permanent Hanger over crew was amazing. I don’t know if I want Puck or Sarah’s book next. Both are going to be such a great read but I kinda hope its Puck and his naps…lol
Michel Prince is an author who graduated with a bachelor degree in History and Political Science. Michel writes young adult and adult paranormal romance as well as contemporary romance.
With characters yelling “It’s my turn damn it!!!” She tries to explain to them that alas, she can only type a hundred and twenty words a minute and they will have wait their turn. She knows eventually they find their way out of her head and to her fingertips and she looks forward to sharing them with you.
When Michel can suppress the voices in her head she can be found at a scouting event or cheering for her son in a variety of sports. She would like to thank her family for always being in her corner and especially her husband for supporting her every dream and never letting her give up.
Michel is a member of RWA Pro and Midwest Fiction Writers. In 2013 she was awarded Elite Status with Rebel Ink Press. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, and cat.