Darlene's Book Nook: #Book #Review: 4 out of 5 stars for Sins & Needles by Karina Halle @MetalBlonde @ForeverRomance #CanadianAuthor

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

#Book #Review: 4 out of 5 stars for Sins & Needles by Karina Halle @MetalBlonde @ForeverRomance #CanadianAuthor

TITLE: Sins & Needles

SERIES: The Artists Trilogy, Book #1
AUTHOR: Karina Halle

PUBLISHER: Forever

PUBLICATION DATE: August 26, 2014 (first published 2013)

FORMAT: Mass Market Paperback
LENGTH: 384 pages

GENRE: Romance/Contemporary

ISBN: 9781455552191

There's a Fine Line Between Sin and Salvation . . .

Ellie Watt is a woman on the run. Raised by a pair of thieves who taught her the art of the grift-and pursued by a mobster who fell for her con-she hopes to find refuge at her uncle's farm in quiet Palm Valley, California. Ellie swears she's through with her life of crime. But before she knows it, she's right back in the game when she meets an easy mark who's too good-and too hot-to be true. His name is Camden McQueen. A master tattoo artist and a total inked stud, Camden is nothing like the awkward kid who crushed on Ellie back in high school. Now, as owner of the wildly successful Sins & Needles, he's got tats to kill for, muscles to die for, and money to burn. Ellie can't believe the transformation-and can't resist pulling off one last con. But when Camden catches Ellie red-handed, the tables are turned. The mark becomes the master. And when the ultimate player gets played, you never know who's going to end up on top . . .

MY REVIEW:

I remember seeing this book featured on blogs when it first came out, and I added it to my Wishlist back then but wasn't sure it was my thing because I'm not a contemporary romance reader. I am trying to read more Canadian authors and, when I realized that Ms. Halle is Canadian, I decided to pick this one up and I'm so glad that I did!

Ellie Watt has had an interesting life. She's the daughter of con artists, and grifting has always been her way of life. She has been on the run for two months from her Ukrainian ex, whom she swindled in a scam. She decides to head back to her hometown to lie low, and she hopes that her uncle will take her in for a while. She applies for a job at a local coffee shop, and runs into her former BFF Camden McQueen...only now he's no longer the geeky goth boy he used to be but a tattooed hunk! Back in high school, Camden liked Ellie and she gave in to peer pressure and humiliated him just because he was a bit different and marched to the beat of his own drum. Ellie finds out that Camden runs a tattoo studio and, always looking for her next target, she decides to scope out his place.

Even though I did not like Ellie, I found it difficult to tear myself away from this story! I like Camden, and I hate how Ellie tried to play him and how she treated her one and only friend in the past. Ellie really hasn't changed much over the years. She's still the same selfish bitch that she always was, always just looking out for herself! I'm hoping that Ellie redeems herself in the books to follow.

I have already bought the prequel, On Every Street, and will be continuing on with the series. I'm really happy to add another Canadian author to my list!

MY RATING: