Rowena’s review of Masquerade (Games #3) by Nyrae Dawn.
A biker. A tattoo artist. A love to last a lifetime.
Maddox Cross has always had to be tough. When his father went to jail for murder, the teenager took care of his sister and mother. Now on his own and working security at a night club, Maddox wants to become a tattoo artist-a dream that comes closer to reality when he falls for the hottest, most tatted woman he’s ever seen. She’s wild and beautiful, and Maddox will do anything to be with her.
Bee Malone came to town to open up her new tattoo parlor, Masquerade. Since being kidnapped as a young girl, Bee has had trouble getting close to anyone. But when she meets Maddox, she sees that under his hard biker’s body is the sensitive soul of an artist. What starts out as a sizzling one-night stand soon becomes so much more.
Bee wants Maddox to join her tattoo business, but letting him into her life means revealing all her most intimate secrets. And as the past begins to intertwine with her present, Bee fears their love may not be as permanent as their ink . . .
I’ve only read the second book in this series and I enjoyed it a lot so I was looking forward to reading this one. I think I enjoyed this one even more than the other book, Facade. This book follows Maddox (brother to the heroine in Facade, Book 2) as he stumbles his way toward that happy ending we’re all struggling for.
In Facade, I thought Maddox was cold and that he was a bit of a dick to his sister. But at the same time, I wanted to know more about him so when I found out that this book was his, I was a happy camper. If I remember correctly, Facade ends with Maddox hooking up with a girl…who ends up being his woman in this book, Bee.
Maddox wants to be a tattoo artist and it’s been a long time since he’s ever wanted anything. Ever since his father went to prison and his mother tried to kill herself (yet again), he’s been living in that “I don’t give a f*ck” land and he’s finally showing signs of wanting a future and Lanie is not going to let that slide. So when Maddox tells her that the new apprenticeship that he was hoping to land fell through, Laney does what any sister would do to help their brothers get a shot at their dreams. She went and had a little talk with the owner of the tattoo shop, in an effort to change their mind about Maddox.
And it works.
There’s some awkwardness between Bee and Maddox at first on account of the one night stand they just had. They both thought that they were never going to see each other again and then Maddox shows up at Bee’s shop and Bee shoots him down. But after looking at Maddox’s drawings, Bee changes her mind and lets Maddox come on down and apprentice with her. Maddox wants to learn the ropes so bad that he comes through.
Getting to know the both of these two people made for an interesting read. Bee was dealing with the issues of being kidnapped as a child but growing up with two people she thought were her parents and who were really good to her. Now she’s back and dealing with the guilt that comes with loving the people who kidnapped her and raised her as their own from age 4 to age 13. She’s got her real parents who never gave up the search for her, two people who love her more than anything but who don’t really know her anymore.
Maddox was dealing with a whole lot of guilt, himself. The guilt of knowing that his father was having the affair and not saying anything. The guilt of not being able to protect his sister from the harsh treatment from their mother. He doesn’t trust anyone and it’s hard for him to want to be close to anyone and with Bee, she understands where he’s coming from and she lets him be which is why they’re so drawn to each other. There’s understanding between them and I really liked seeing them grow closer together.
Their relationship was complicated and so very steamy and I really liked it. I loved the guy that we see Maddox morph into over the course of this book and same with Bee. They were both beautifully broken characters that came together and their journey was a good one. I thought Nyrae Dawn did a fantastic job of sucking the reader into their world, into their story and it’s left me wanting more from this characters. It was good to see Adrian, Laney and their friends. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy New Adult books or steamy romantic reads. This one delivers the goods! =)
Grade: 4.5 out of 5
This book is available from Forever. You can purchase it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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