Reviewer: Tracy The Fractured Heart by Scarlett Cole
Series: Second Circle Tattoos #2
Also in this series: The Strongest Steel (Second Circle Tattoos #1), The Purest Hook, The Darkest Link
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: January 5th 2016
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Series Rating:
All things, when placed under pressure, eventually break or leave a mark.
Tattoo artist Brody "Cujo" Matthews knows how to keep things simple. In life and in love. Abandoned as a child by a mother who refused to stick around to raise three boys she didn't want, he's intent on staying clear of complicated women. The only things complicated in Cujo’s life are the killer tattoos he designs and inks. That all changes when he’s asked to help organize his best friend Trent's engagement party, which means working with Trent's fiancée's best friend, Drea, the definition of high maintenance and sizzling curves. And the one woman he doesn’t want to walk away from.
Andrea "Drea" Caron is broke and tired. After years of caring for her ailing mom, she's at the end of her rope trying to manage the piling medical bills, two jobs, and a life placed on hold. She certainly doesn’t need the added frustration of a sexy playboy tattoo artist messing up her best friend’s engagement party or her carefully balanced life. But when Drea witnesses the abduction of a woman from the café she works at, she can’t help but turn to Cujo who’s determined to prove to Drea that he’s someone she can count on forever…but as they attempt to bring the truth to light, someone is working to bring that forever to a sudden, deadly halt.
All things, when placed under pressure, eventually break or leave a mark.
Tattoo artist Brody “Cujo” Matthews knows how to keep things simple. In life and in love. Abandoned as a child by a mother who refused to stick around to raise three boys she didn’t want, he’s intent on staying clear of complicated women. The only things complicated in Cujo’s life are the killer tattoos he designs and inks. That all changes when he’s asked to help organize his best friend Trent’s engagement party, which means working with Trent’s fiancée’s best friend, Drea, the definition of high maintenance and sizzling curves. And the one woman he doesn’t want to walk away from.
Andrea “Drea” Caron is broke and tired. After years of caring for her ailing mom, she’s at the end of her rope trying to manage the piling medical bills, two jobs, and a life placed on hold. She certainly doesn’t need the added frustration of a sexy playboy tattoo artist messing up her best friend’s engagement party or her carefully balanced life. But when Drea witnesses the abduction of a woman from the café she works at, she can’t help but turn to Cujo who’s determined to prove to Drea that he’s someone she can count on forever…but as they attempt to bring the truth to light, someone is working to bring that forever to a sudden, deadly halt.
Drea is a caretaker. She’s always trying to take care of people, and she does a great job at it. She’s been taking care of her mother since she got sick with COPD when Drea was just 17 years old. She put off college and all of her dreams to work to pay the bills. Her mother is definitely a handful and makes Drea crazy but she still takes care of her as best she can.
Drea met Cujo when her best friend, Harper, started dating Trent. Cujo (who finally admits that his name is Brody) and Drea’s personalities as such that they rub together like to sticks trying to start a fire. They’ve been put in charge – together – of planning Harper and Trent’s engagement party and neither is happy about it.
Drea is at her place of work one day when a woman is attacked and possibly abducted. A few days later bother her and Brody are at the coffee shop after hours and they get held at gunpoint again. Drea is determined, on top of everything else she has going in her life, that she’s going to find out what happened to the woman who got abducted. Brody would love to help but his mother, who left him, his father and his two brothers 25 years earlier is suddenly back and has retrograde amnesia. Life is crazy but as it all goes on Drea and Brody manage to fall in love.
The love story between Brody and Drea was really great. I loved so many things about it that I was almost disappointed when it was done.
Brody was an incredible hero. He was a wonderful son (even though he and his father didn’t always see eye to eye), a fantastic brother, a loving uncle to his twin nieces, a good friend and a hard worker. He was one of those characters that I just wanted to hug as he pretty much seemed like a gentle giant. Yeah, he could brawl with the best of them but he was pretty chill on the inside. He’d never gotten over his mother leaving them when he was very little. When she resurfaces but has no memory of ever leaving them Brody is torn as to what to do. Should he act like he’s not heartbroken and pissed off at her? Brody’s emotional state really brought an added layer to the book that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Drea was a great woman and perfect for Brody. She was the epitome of a hard worker and while she was torn as to what she wanted to do with her life when it was finally her own to decide, I knew that she would figure it out and make a great decision. With Brody backing her how could she not?
The story, in the end, was wonderful. I really enjoyed reading this romance and definitely recommend the series so far.
Rating: 4 out of 5
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