Comment: This is a trilogy I got quite recently because someone's recommendation was so positive I felt like not waiting to read the books and I bought them all last month.
Since the stories are connected, I've decided to have a general comment on the trilogy rather than individual posts on each story. For blurbs, there is always goodreads or the author's website.
The three books follow characters from the tattoo shop Skin Deep, Inc. and we get to see how each tattoo artist finds love with a previous client despite the initial agreement being they will have a casual hook up and won't let things go beyond friends with benefits but, of course, falling in love in the process.
In the first book, Back Piece, we have the story of the owner of the tattoo shop, Colin.
Colin is a 30 something guy who has dealt with a toxic relationship which affected his self esteem and he now has to deal with an eating disorder. Work and his brother help him being steady in his routines but things change when he checks Daniel out at the gym and is checked out in return by him. Daniel, a navy (sort of) soldier, looks for him for a tattoo and they discover they are a good match.
I liked this first story more because Daniel is a sweet guy, innocent in several ways but not stupid. I really liked how he felt attracted for Colin and felt comfortable enough to take a chance on him and share some intimate details with him such as the fact he had never been with anyone.
The relationship felt really nice because neither felt like overpowering the other and the main conflict was not solved, only dealt in a realistic way.
I finished this just glad they got an HEA and that they talked about their issues and neither judged the other for past choices and how supportive both are now. The book wasn't better because I think there was a bit too much time spent on the sex scenes where more "domestic" situations showing their bond in a different way could have happened instead.
The second book, Pounding Skin, features Matt, another tattoo artist, and navy pilot Jon, when he and a bunch of friends go to the shop so Jon can get a tattoo after losing a bet. Matt and Jon feel attracted to one another and at first they agree on a hook up but soon see themselves being together more often than not and even sharing personal moments like when Matt invites Jon to his mother's house or when Jon takes Matt with him to official ceremonies.
This felt a bit more centered on the sexual aspect of the relationship and in a way that can be explained by the fact Matt has recently come to accept he isn't straight but bi. Most of the conflict shows how his doubts have affected his life but now he is with Jon he can be himself and things even start to look better in other areas too. For Jon, the issue is commitment. He is never mean nor unfair to Matt but it gets to a point his reluctance to admit they have strong feelings for each other becomes too silly.
I liked their story and how intense it was, how some emotions were put on the page but the relationship didn't feel as easily balanced as the first couple's.
The third book, Cover Up, introduces Nate, a friend of Jon's whose husband of ten years cheated on him and now Nate wants to cover up a matching tattoo they did. The most recent add to the shop is Lucas, a sort of expert on cover ups. Lucas has three jobs and is feeling a little down because he botched a tattoo. Colin and the other guys support him but he does perk up a bit when he meets Nate and the attraction is instant.
This was, I felt, the most cliched story of the bunch. I mean, the one where it was more obvious that the characters went through the motions and the final HEA felt like a need to finish the trilogy rather than an obvious consequence of the character's paths and emotions together.
Nate is still mentally dealing with the loss of his marriage and Lucas has a lot on his mind so the beginning feels like they are sort of using each other but their actions clearly indicate the opposite. I just think it wasn't as subtle how the romance had to evolve.
I liked them together and that it got to a point where they felt like talking for real about their relationship and things end up well after all. But their match didn't feel as balanced because they didn't feel as emotionally equals. Perhaps it was just my personal impression.
Although I liked the first one better, as a trilogy this was a good series. I had a good time reading and I often space out series reading because I don't want to feel too immersed in a "world" that things start to feel too repetitive.
Here, the formula was obviously the same but each character had enough differences that it made the reading experience a good one.
As a whole, I'd say this is a series above average and this does make me confident to read more things by the author in the future too. another final mention to the covers which, by the way, are gorgeous.
Grade: 8/10
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