Passion and Ink

Ro (Cypress) moves back home after an incident at work and takes a job as a waitress in a bar. One night at work she meets Jay (Jude) ... a tattooed hunk and they agree to a one-night stand. Weeks later when Cypress goes to her fathers one night, she is taken aback when Jay is there ... at her father's house. Cypress is then re-introduced to Jude, who she hasn't seen for over 10 years ... and has he ever changed. Jude can't believe that his step-sister is his hot as hell one-night stand. As the sparks fly between them, it doesn't take long for them to start a relationship.

This book is HOT HOT HOT! This author sure knows how to write steam. And there is so much more to this book. I couldn't help but fall in love with the characters. Cypress just didn't want to end up like her mom (who was devastated when Cypress' dad left her). And Jude just wanted to be known for himself ... not as Knox's younger brother. This is a great addition to the series and I recommend you read the first book ... to get the most out of this book.

I received an early copy courtesy of Entangled Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Passion & Ink - Naima Simone - 4 Stars

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Passion And Ink by Naima Simone is the second book in her Sweetest Taboo series. It can be read as a stand-alone, characters from the first book do briefly appear in this one. Cypress Keller has moved back home to Chicago from California after her mother suffers a heart attack, to make ends meet she is working as a waitress in a dive bar and the hot guy she takes home for a one night stand turns out to be her stepbrother Jude Gordon a tattoo artist. Both of these characters are buried under huge amounts of baggage from their parents as well as dealing with stuff from their own lives. The steam level is super hot but I would have liked to liked to see a bit more about how they went from lust to love. Enjoyable read. Publishing Date February 18, 2019 #NetGalley #PassionandInk #NaimaSimone #EntangledPublishing

3.75 stars—PASSION AND INK is the second instalment in Naima Simone’s contemporary, adult SWEETEST TABOO erotic romance series. This is twenty-seven year old,tattoo artist Jude Gordon, and twenty-six year old, waitress /accountant Cypress Winters. PASSION AND INK can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Jude and Cypress) PASSION AND INK follows the forbidden or ‘taboo’ relationship between step-siblings twenty-seven year, tattoo artist Jude Gordon, and twenty - six year old, waitress / accountant Cypress Winters. Tattoo artist Jude Gordon struggles with his direction in life; an ex-girlfriend who won’t let go; and the secrets and memories he is must keep to himself. Meeting the beautiful waitress who calls herself Ro, is the perfect foil for a man who battles between in the here and now. But a family dinner reveals Jude’s one-night stand is none-other than the step-sister he hasn’t seen for close to ten years, a woman who now consumes his fantasies and dreams. Enter Cypress ‘Ro’ Winters-Keller, and the woman with whom Jude will fall in love. What ensues is the building but secret relationship between Cypress and Jude, and the potential fall-out as Cypress and Jude’s time together comes with an unexpected expiry date.

Cypress Winters left California amid a work place controversy, and her mother’s inability to thrive on her own. Returning to Chicago meant starting over but never did she think she would have to face the man who all but destroyed her family and her mother’s life. Jude Gordon struggles with memories of the past, a time long ago where a thirteen year old boy became the adult to his mother’s spiral out of control. A gifted tattoo artist, our hero finds himself in direct competition with his more ‘successful ‘ brother Knox.

The relationship between Jude and Cypress is a step-sibling, taboo romance. Cypress’ father makes our heroine an offer she is unable to refuse but in doing so, places her relationship with Jude towards a path with only heart break but no future. The $ex scenes are passionate, vibrant and intense.

The colorful secondary and supporting characters include Cypress’ broken mother Brenda Keller, her father Dan Keller, and Jude’s mother Katherine.We are reintroduced to Jude’s brother and fellow tattoo artist Knox Gordon (Sin and Ink #1), and his girlfriend Eden, as well as several fellow tattoo artists at Hard Knox Ink, and Jude’s ex-girlfriend Annalise.

The world building continues to focus on the forbidden, the relationships deemed taboo by society but relationships where two people find love and their happily ever after.

PASSION AND INK is a story of family, betrayal, loss and love. The premise is captivating; the romance is seductive; the characters are broken, determined and lost.