Release Day Review ~ Permanent Ink by Jaime Samms
Title: Permanent Ink
Author: Jaime Samms
Release Date: January 18, 2017
Category: Contemporary
Pages: TBD (Novella)
Beauty is only skin deep, but some marks—and what they represent—are impossible to escape.
Eric resents his comfortable college life and the restrictions his family’s expectations put on him. Dwayne, his best friend Angel’s cousin, is a pierced and tattooed ex-con trying to rebuild his life. Eric sees only the tattoos and the way Dwayne’s upbringing have dictated his future. It takes a surprising revelation from Angel to force Eric to see past Dwayne’s defenses to the generous heart beneath and to realize it’s time for him to break free of his own instilled beliefs. The men can’t keep apart, and they gradually learn that everything they thought they knew about each other might be wrong.
Opposites attract as two men from very different backgrounds move from enemies to lovers in a story of understanding, compassion, and redemption.
First Edition published by Pink Petal Books, 2011.
3.5 Stars
I'm going to be brutally honest here, I'm not really a huge fan of this particular story and I'm pretty disappointed by that. As much as I tried to like the MC's, I just couldn't connect with them enough. It also did not help that the story was only from Eric's POV so it made it even more difficult to get a true understanding of Dwayne.
I found Eric to be extremely judgmental and slightly self-righteous and although he changed his tune, I just didn't get enough page time (this is a short book) to feel like he redeemed himself. As for Dwayne, while I might feel sorry for his past, I really didn't care about him. He was like a side character to me even though he was half of the main couple. I felt like I knew Angel more.
Overall, I gave the story 3.5 Stars for the writing. As for the rest, it just didn't work for me.
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*
3.5 Stars!
Decent short, but could have been so, so much better as a longer tale with more angst.
There's a dedication by this author at the start of the book, thanking various people for helping him/her put it into existence - I'm glad that he/she did, because it was a decent tale of seeing behind what seems like the obvious, not making snap judgements, not judging by appearances, admitting mistakes and opening oneself up and trusting another.
It's well-written, but for the depth of stuff in it, it felt a little rushed and as if the author was racing to the finish. We got hints, but not the full details of one's past, and we got hints of the influence of the other's wealthy family, but nothing went into detail, making the tale feel really rushed and not letting me know the characters properly. Both were decent, as was the storyline, but I wanted a little more.
Had this been slower, more fleshed-out, angstier and more emotional, this could easily have been a 5 Star read.
ARC courtesy of Dreamspinner Press and Bayou Book Junkie, for my reading pleasure.
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