Release Day Review: Savior (415 Ink: Book 2) by Rhys Ford (Series Review+Giveaway)

Title: Savior
Series: 415 Ink: Book 2
Author: Rhys Ford
Release Date: September 18, 2018
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 215

Dreamspinner Press | Amazon


A savior lies in the heart of every good man, but sometimes only love can awaken the man inside the savior.

The world’s had it out for San Francisco firefighter Mace Crawford from the moment he was born. Rescued from a horrific home life and dragged through an uncaring foster system, he’s dedicated his life to saving people, including the men he calls his brothers. As second-in-command of their knitted-together clan, Mace guides his younger siblings, helps out at 415 Ink, the family tattoo shop, and most of all, makes sure the brothers don’t discover his darkest secrets.

It’s a lonely life with one big problem—he’s sworn off love, and Rob Claussen, one of 415 Ink’s tattoo artists, has gotten under his skin in the worst way possible.

Mace’s world is too tight, too controlled to let Rob into his life, much less his heart, but the brash Filipino inker is there every time Mace turns around. He can’t let Rob in without shaking the foundations of the life he’s built, but when an evil from his past resurfaces, Mace is forced to choose between protecting his lies and saving the man he’s too scared to love.

Rebel: 4.5 stars

On Sale at $1.99 for Limited Time @ Dreamspinner Press  |  Amazon 

The writing in this book was captivating! It was extremely descriptive and that first scene set the stage for the whole book. I wanted to know more about that scene the entire time I was reading. This book was written so differently than what I am used to. A lot of the times we learn what happened to the MCs at the start of the book. In this book, the author slowly reveals pieces of Gus and Rey's past a little bit at a time.

Every conversation with Rey and Gus had me feeling some emotions. The dialogue was brutally honest and I just felt when reading it. Even though they were pretty much pouring their hearts out, I loved the scenes because of the emotion it invoked in me. Also, when Gus first meets Chris, my heart exploded a little with the emotion leading up to that meeting and then the meeting itself. I wish we would have gotten a little bit more of Chris and Gus interacting. All of those scenes were really sweet.

There was a lot of sassy banter between pretty much all of the characters in this book that I really enjoyed. It kept things interesting and made me want more from those side characters just as much as the main characters. Getting a hint of Mace's POV at the end of the book was a great way teaser that left me wanting his story. 

Savior: 4.5 stars 

The first scene in this book was so heartbreaking but pulled me in immediately. This author knows how to make the reader connect to the characters. When we meet Mace in the first book in this series, I did not hate him but I definitely did not necessarily like him either. Just reading the first scene in this book had me changing my thoughts.

We slowly see the different layers of Mace in this book and discover that he has a lot more depth than the jerky older brother we meet in book one. Rob was also great because while he would not take any crap, he was also kind and was there for Mace when he needed it. It was sweet to see Mace let his guard down with Rob and let him in. It was easy to connect to both of them as MCs.

There were so many different aspects to this book that I did not want to put it down. The storyline of Mace's father had me on the edge of my seat. I pretty much needed to murder him after learning about him and then especially after meeting him. Grrr.. he was the worst! Even though he was such a detrimental piece of Mace's life, I think the author did a great job of giving Mace his closure with that by the end of the book. Though I have a feeling we will be seeing that storyline layout a little bit more in future books.

Just like book one, all of the side characters are just as interesting and entertaining as the main characters. I loved getting hints of Gus, Rey and Chris in this book. Chris is just SO SWEET. Getting Ivo's POV at the end of this book was great and I am excited to see more from him and Officer Nicholls in the next book. This was my first two books from this author and they were both great. I definitely plan on picking up more from Rhys Ford!

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

5 Stars

Starting this book, I didn’t think there was any way it could be better than book one. But, boy was I wrong. Every part of this book was Awesome. I loved the characters and the plot, storyline. It had conflict and drama and angst, but just the right amount of everything, nothing was too drawn out or overdone. We get the perfect amount of character development and communication between the two main characters Mace and Rob. And the chemistry and heat is off the charts HOT. The two men fit perfectly together and I loved that Mace was able to find the other half of himself in Rob. With every horrible thing Mace has gone through in life leading up to the point in the story, he fully deserves every moment of happiness he gets in life. Rob is awesome, I really liked getting to know his character and background. Knowing and seeing that he was willing to do whatever was needed to look past Mace’s rough edges, to see all his insecurities and still try to help Mace overcome them, just shows how perfect Rob was for Mace. I totally connected with Mace and his need to run. Knowing his thoughts and feelings behind it and his reasoning, really made me fall in love with him. I just wanted him to be happy. He’s one of those characters you wish you could just jump into the book and hug to try and make everything they have to deal with in life better. And make him realized that he is really a lot stronger as a person than he thinks and believes he is. Mace’s dad needs to rot in Hell, he is a horrible human being who deserves worse than death for what he put Mace and others through.

I LOVE this whole entire family, how they bond together and stick by each other no matter what happens. I need more of this series ASAP. Like, I will be holding my breath waiting on book three. I really hope its Ivo’s book and that he ends up with the cop… Ivo has the best personality and we’ve only gotten snippets of him so far. I really can’t wait for more.

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

5 Stars

I literally squealed when I finished Savior. It was so good, I couldn’t put it down and while my heart breaks for each and every brother, something about Mace ripped me apart and slowly glued me together again.

Mace is strong and stubborn and has so much crap from his past clogging up his mind, he almost doesn’t recognize someone trying to care for him.
　
Rob is brilliant, as a tattoo artist and as a person, while his background is nowhere near as bad as some of the brothers, he was made stronger by the stuff he had to deal with around his dad and siblings. This made him stronger and more willing to go after what and who he wants in the long run.
　
I knew when hearing that Rhys Ford was bringing book two to Rebel out that I had to get ahold of it as soon as possible and I was right, I think in some ways I loved Savior just a bit more than Rebel. Things just felt smoother and to be honest, less anxiety-filled to me but no less filled with caring brothers who would do anything and everything they could for any of the others.

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

4 stars

Savior is the second book in the 415 Ink series by Rhys Ford. It is about Mace, the second oldest brother who is a fireman while also a co-owner in their family tattoo shop and Rob, who is a tattoo artist working at 415 Ink.

Mace is a very interesting character. He starts out very cold but very (almost too quickly) does a complete 180 in attitude. He is a tough guy but when it comes to his family and an elderly Chinese lady who lives in his apartment building, he is very sweet. He seems to hate Rob at the beginning but we see real quick he actually likes him. Rob is never outright mean to Mace but he is a little cold towards him. They made a nice couple though.

This was actually the first book in this series I read and I really liked it. I was a bit confused since Gus who was the main character in book one was very present in this book and this book did not explain much about him and his living situation (aka Chris). I loved the family dynamic that while people believe blood is thicker then water it is not actually true. While all the siblings are not related they have one of the best family bonds I ever read. At the end, we learn that Ivo has the next book and I am so excited to read it.

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

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