Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | iBooks | Nook | Kobo
Synopsis
“Six years, a complex about my freckles, a love for pastrami, and a fear of failure.
That’s what he gave me before slaughtering my heart and my faith in men.”Suffering from the sting of betrayal, twenty-eight-year-old Avery Johannas quits her job and moves hundreds of miles away to Ocean City, the beach town of her dreams. With the help of her zany roommate, Jodie, Avery finds a new career, home, and freedom. Throughout her self-exploration, she makes only one rule: She won’t give her heart to a man again. She’s living for herself this time.
But then she meets Jesse.
A tattoo shop owner, the green-eyed Jesse Pearce is wild with a touch of mystery. As Jesse and Avery explore Ocean City and their friendship, they’ll have a hard time drawing a line in the sand between their hearts.
When summer nights get a little more heated than either expected, they’ll have to ask themselves: Can they let go of their notions of love, or will their hearts be permanently inked by past pain?
Review
This is a really sweet story of a woman rediscovering herself after her life changed in ways that she never expected. A heartwarming, fun journey with an easy and sweet romance, this is a really cute read.
Avery Johannas is starting over. After literally finding her husband cheating on her, she has divorced him and is moving on with her life, and that comes with a fresh start. So she’s packed up her life and is starting over in a small beach town, determined to live her life on her own terms, exploring what she wants and who she wants to be, and not giving her heart away again.
I won’t let a man change that again. I won’t let a man control me, own my heart. I’ll live for myself this time, wild and free, a girl of the unpredictable wind.
Avery finds peace and contentment in her new life. She has a wild and hilarious roommate, a job she enjoys and new friends that feel more like family. And then she meets Jesse. A quiet, somewhat broody man, Jesse own and runs the local tattoo studio, and he and Avery share an immediate connection. And though neither of them are looking for love, it sneaks up on both of them as they begin to spend time together.
There’s something different about Jesse, something that makes me feel like it might be okay to let go. He makes me feel like I won’t lose myself. In fact, he makes me feel like I can actually find myself again.
This is a really sweet romance. Although there is an attraction there, Avery and Jesse become friends first, hanging out, laughing and joking, and sharing their pasts as they get to know each other. Jesse has a great sense of adventure and he challenges Avery to push her limits and really live, and it’s exactly what she needs. Their feelings grow naturally and there is a beautiful sense of honesty between them as they open up and embrace what’s happening between them.
“I know it hasn’t been long, and I know I shouldn’t fall this hard so fast. I’m still scared, Avery. But that kiss yesterday well, it made me think maybe it’s okay to be a little scared. It made me feel like it’s worth it. You’re worth the risk.”
And he’s such a nice guy! He’s not a bad boy or a manwhore, he’s just a regular guy who hasn’t had the easiest life, but he’s done well for himself and though he’s also scared of jumping in, he is beautiful with Avery – treating her sweetly and with respect. Though they do get intimate, there is no sex in this book, but there’s a nice amount of swoon.
“I love you. Scars and all. Sadness and all. Let me be here for you.”
But will Avery and Jesse ever fully be able to move on from their pasts? They will be put to the test sooner than either of them expected, and will need to figure out what it is that they truly want.
I enjoyed this book. It’s a beautifully written story, and I loved Avery’s journey as she rediscovered herself and found what she never knew she wanted. The love story is really sweet, but I would have liked to have seen more of them together, been a part of more of their dialogue. What is there is really nicely written, but there was a bit more monologuing than I would have preferred. But it all ends in a really good place, and I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series (fingers crossed it’s Jodie’s story!).
A really sweet read – 3.5 stars.
Giveaway
To celebrate this release, the author is giving away two signed paperbacks of Inked Hearts!
ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE
The Escapist Book Blog is not responsible for this giveaway
About the Author
An English teacher, an author, and a fan of anything pink and/or glittery, Lindsay’s the English teacher cliché; she loves cats, reading, Shakespeare, and Poe.
She currently lives in her hometown with her husband, Chad (her junior high sweetheart); their cats, Arya, Amelia, Alice, Marjorie, and Bob; and their Mastiff, Henry.
Lindsay’s goal with her writing is to show the power of love and the beauty of life while also instilling a true sense of realism in her work. Some reviewers have noted that her books are not the “typical romance.” With her novels coming from a place of honesty, Lindsay examines the difficult questions, looks at the tough emotions, and paints the pictures that are sometimes difficult to look at. She wants her fiction to resonate with readers as realistic, poetic, and powerful. Lindsay wants women readers to be able to say, “I see myself in that novel.” She wants to speak to the modern woman’s experience while also bringing a twist of something new and exciting. Her aim is for readers to say, “That could happen,” or “I feel like the characters are real.” That’s how she knows she’s done her job.
Lindsay’s hope is that by becoming a published author, she can inspire some of her students and other aspiring writers to pursue their own passions. She wants them to see that any dream can be attained and publishing a novel isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | Newsletter Sign-up | Youtube