REVIEWED BY CINDY
TITLE: Rebel
SERIES: 415 Ink: Book 1
AUTHOR: Rhys Ford
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 220 Pages
RELEASE DATE: December 29th, 2017
BLURB:
The hardest thing a rebel can do isn’t standing up for something—it’s standing up for himself.
Life takes delight in stabbing Gus Scott in the back when he least expects it. After Gus spends years running from his past, present, and the dismal future every social worker predicted for him, karma delivers the one thing Gus could never—would never—turn his back on: a son from a one-night stand he’d had after a devastating breakup a few years ago.
Returning to San Francisco and to 415 Ink, his family’s tattoo shop, gave him the perfect shelter to battle his personal demons and get himself together… until the firefighter who’d broken him walked back into Gus’s life.
For Rey Montenegro, tattoo artist Gus Scott was an elusive brass ring, a glittering prize he hadn’t the strength or flexibility to hold on to. Severing his relationship with the mercurial tattoo artist hurt, but Gus hadn’t wanted the kind of domestic life Rey craved, leaving Rey with an aching chasm in his soul.
When Gus’s life and world starts to unravel, Rey helps him pick up the pieces, and Gus wonders if that forever Rey wants is more than just a dream.
REVIEW:
Did you ever have so much to say and not be able to find the words? This is how I feel today.
Gus and his family won me over in about three and a half seconds flat. Every good thing in their lives is hard-won and struggled for, but the best thing they have is each other. I know this is only book 1 and so I know that there are more stories to tell, but for now I’m going to focus on Gus…and Rey.
I will admit, I had my own unique struggle with this because I HATE warnings on books. But I almost feel like there should be on this one for one scene in particular. I won’t warn you, however, but I will say, read the tags.
Gus is someone who is looking for where he truly belongs but might be missing the obvious.
Rey thinks he knows Gus but seems to be missing some important details.
The world the author creates for these two men to live in absolutely came to life for me. This was good and bad because I got so totally caught up in the story that my level of emotional involvement became a little overwhelming at times. Trying to explain to my daughter why I was sobbing and clutching at her like an octopus had her rolling her eyes and hugging me a little tighter.
Gus’s family will make you wish that they were yours. The level of devotion and protectiveness that his brother’s feel for him and each other made me a little jealous.
Rey’s family is equally devoted but not quite as understanding in some ways. I think the shared trauma of Gus and his brother’s bonded them as close as they could get.
The son Gus finds and the family that comes with him add one more amazing layer to this story that grabs you by the heart and drags you along for the pain and the love and everything in between.
Gus and Rey are the perfect portrayal of two people who love each other so much but who are torn apart by misinformation and fear. Fear of asking the questions you should, terror of the answers you might find.
It’s amazing how uplifting a book that has so much sadness and rage can be. This is very definitely an angsty story…very angsty…but it’s necessary to tell the story so I hope that if you’re someone who usually prefers a happier book, that you’ll buckle down and drag yourself through the bad to get to the parts that are oh so good.
Bring on Book 2 Rhys Ford! I’m not to proud to beg.
RATING: 
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