Author: J.A. Howell.
Publisher: SideStreet Cookie Publishing.
Genre: Erotica.
Publication Date: March 15, 2014.
Source: Review copy.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Purchase: Amazon | Amazon UK
**Not for readers under the age of 18+. Contains language, explicit sex, and adult situations.**
Kieran Donovan has always been a doormat to the women in his life. Begging his wife not to leave after finding her in bed with not one—but five men—only provides further proof of that.
In need of an escape from an empty house and a broken heart, Kieran heads to Midtown to see his estranged brother, Liam. There he meets Shayne Wickham, Liam’s best friend. Shayne’s dark and sexy with a wild streak a mile long and a sexual appetite for things Kieran’s never even dreamed of doing. But after an intense, and all too brief encounter, he’s more than willing to learn. Despite the usual safeguards Shayne keeps around herself and her own wounded heart, she finds herself more than willing to show him the ropes…and the floggers…and the paddles.
Kieran’s never seen himself as dominant in any aspect of his life. But when Shayne submits herself to him, it ignites an inner strength and hunger he never knew he had—and feelings Shayne didn’t know she could have. So used to keeping others at an arm’s length, the ease with which she finds herself trusting Kieran is both exciting and unsettling. Could Kieran be someone she could finally trust her heart to—or will he leave her scarred like everyone else?
Just another mark on her skin.
Marks on my Skin is an emotional rollercoaster of an erotic romance novel. It’s the third book I’ve read by J.A. Howell and the one I’ve enjoyed the most. It was at times dark and others were more humorous which gave it an edge and made it great entertainment to read.
The novel was high emotion right from the start after Kieran catches his wife in bed with five men. Awkward. From there, I struggled to connect with the story a little bit until about a quarter of the way in when we start to get to know him and Shayne a bit more.
I loved the development in Kieran and Shayne’s characters as their relationship progressed. I just loved Kieran’s character completely from his sweet and awkward tendencies to when he’s a whole lot more sexy and confident. Shayne is not the typical female character but I really felt for her story. She’s a pretty cool tattoo artist who struggles with her own issues including lack of trust. With Kieran she feels different and I enjoyed seeing how their characters changed.
The plot was fast-paced and the author packed in lots of well-written steamy scenes. I loved Kieran and Shayne’s characterisation and their connection and chemistry was captivating to read. I enjoyed that some of my favourite characters from Howell’s previous novels crossed over too. I thought Marks on my Skin was a really great opener to the Love & Ink series and I’m looking forward to reading more from the other characters.
Thanks so much Sophie for your kind review! Glad you enjoyed Marks as well as some of the other characters that snuck their way in. :)
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