{"id":30306,"date":"2018-02-21T08:30:03","date_gmt":"2018-02-21T13:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=30306"},"modified":"2018-02-21T07:34:21","modified_gmt":"2018-02-21T12:34:21","slug":"new-release-arc-review-love-and-ink-by-j-d-hawkins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=30306","title":{"rendered":"New Release & ARC Review: Love & Ink by J.D. Hawkins"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Love & Ink
\nby J.D. Hawkins<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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A Contemporary Romance –\u00a0<\/strong>Released February 21st<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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99\u00a2 for a LIMITED TIME!<\/b>
\nAmazon US<\/a>\u00a0| Amazon UK<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>| Amazon CA<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>| Amazon AU<\/a>
\n<\/strong>*FREE in Kindle Unlimited*<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Blurb<\/b><\/h4>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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. <\/span><\/p>\n

She’s left a permanent mark on my heart.<\/span><\/p>\n

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? <\/span><\/p>\n

FInd\u00a0Love & Ink<\/em> on GOODREADS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

3.5 stars!<\/p>\n

Ashley Carter wants a tattoo. She\u2019s picked out the image, the place, and the artist. Now she just needs it inked. Mandala Ink is everything she had expected until she realizes the artist is none other than Teo, her first love and the boy who broke her heart years earlier. To say Ashley is shocked is an understatement and she is not the only one whose world is rocked when these two come face to face again.<\/p>\n

Ash. A face I thought I\u2019d never see again. A face I\u2019d consigned to dreams and unfinished thoughts. Seven years to tell myself it didn\u2019t matter. Seven years to convince myself it was the right thing. Seven years to bury those memories and move on. Seven years to forget. Less than seven seconds to bring it all back, as fresh and as raw as the day it happened. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

J.D. Hawkins is a relatively new-to-me author but having read and loved two of his books, I jumped on the opportunity to read Love & Ink<\/i> especially since I am a sucker for second chance romances. This book\u00a0dives\u00a0right into Ashley and Teo\u2019s reunion and it sets the stage for an intense and emotional story. All of the heartbreak and angst that both Ashley and Teo went through when they were younger is apparent.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know if this is going to be a second chance, an opportunity for the closure I\u2019ve needed for years, or a final twist of the knife that was stuck into my gut seven years ago.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ashley and Teo fell hard and fast when they were teenagers. The heartbreak is still raw but the connection is there and it\u2019s as intense as ever.\u00a0They have trouble staying away from each other even when the past still haunts them.<\/p>\n

I feel like a moth being drawn to that flickering blue flame of his eyes, burning myself, killing myself bit by bit. My own curiosity, his impossible beauty, compelling me to do the things I know aren\u2019t good for me.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The sexual attraction is well done and Ashley and Teo are steamy together. They still know and understand each other and it\u2019s clear that they still love one another. It\u2019s the getting over the past that is the most difficult part of their relationship and I wanted to see them work things out.<\/p>\n

Ashley is sweet, fun, and sassy. She is hard working and I loved her determination to earn her place as a producer. And while I liked her, I didn\u2019t really love her. I thought that\u00a0her emotions were well written but when they get jumbled, things start to move faster than I would have liked. I wanted Ash to be stronger and stand up for what she deserved but she was so hot and cold with her feelings that I got whiplash a few times.<\/p>\n

Teo is sexy and sweet and full of regret. He wants Ashley but he refuses to tell her why he left and he is harboring some secrets that can ruin them. His aversion to telling the truth made me even more intrigued.\u00a0When we find out what sent him running, I understood the choice he made even though it was crushing. He could have done so many things to make the situation better and I felt his remorse.<\/p>\n

I loved the premise of this story – a second chance between a wealthy heroine and a \u201cwrong side of the tracks\u201d bad boy – and though it was entertaining, I found I wanted more.\u00a0The buildup to what really happened to make Teo leave was well done and I was eager to find out the truth but forgiveness came a little too quickly for both Teo and Ashley. I wanted Teo to grovel and have to fight for her more than he did. Ashley made some choices that frustrated me and I wanted to scream at times. I think she too needed to grovel more after the way she handled a certain situation.<\/p>\n

In the end, I was rooting for Ashley and Teo\u2019s HEA. I liked the way the story turned out and while I didn\u2019t love Love & Ink<\/i> as much as I did the two previous Hawkins books I\u2019ve read, I still enjoyed this entertaining and emotional second chance romance.<\/p>\n

*ARC generously provided by the author*<\/i><\/p>\n

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Excerpt<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cYou want something to drink?\u201d she calls from some other room.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure. Something strong.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cVodka ok?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlways.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHere you go,\u201d she says, handing me the glass.<\/span><\/p>\n

I take it from her, sip slowly, but my eyes stay on hers\u2014a living work of art even more captivating than what\u2019s on the walls. The alcohol burns, hitting the spot, but I\u2019m 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

I climb on top of her and we devour each other\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

I pull away, enjoying how she hisses with unresolved desire.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhy are you stopping?\u201d she asks, her voice tinged with desperation.<\/span><\/p>\n

I growl, low and firm, \u201cI\u2019m not. I\u2019m going to eat you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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About the Author<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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\nJD 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Subscribe to JD\u2019s\u00a0<\/b>NEWSLETTER.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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FACEBOOK<\/a>\u00a0| FB READERS GROUP<\/a> | \u00a0AMAZON<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0GOODREADS<\/a>
\nBOOKBUB<\/a> |\u00a0INSTAGRAM<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0TWITTER<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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  Love & Ink by J.D. Hawkins   A Contemporary Romance –\u00a0Released February 21st   99\u00a2 for a LIMITED TIME! Amazon US\u00a0| Amazon UK\u00a0| Amazon CA\u00a0| Amazon AU *FREE in Kindle Unlimited*     Blurb […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":3.5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"Product","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,24,29],"tags":[59,609,344,48],"class_list":["post-30306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-romance","category-second-chance-romance","category-steamy","tag-arc","tag-j-d-hawkins","tag-new-release","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/JDH-love-and-Ink-BookCover55x85_HIGH.jpg?fit=150%2C234&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-7SO","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30306"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30306\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}