Reviewed by Shelley

TITLE: Tattoos & Teacups
SERIES: Tattoos
AUTHOR: Anna Martin
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 244 pages
BLURB: As a teenager, Robert McKinnon left his native Scotland and moved to America. That was sixteen years ago, and Professor McKinnon has never quite settled in his new home or found his place this side of the pond. He might be prematurely old, but he has his cat, and his books, and that’s all he needs.

Then Chris Ford explodes into Robert’s life with a crash of cymbals. The younger man is the polar opposite of Robert’s calm civility. Bright tattoos cover his skin, and he wears his hair in a Mohawk and plays drums for a rock band. But he’s a shot of color in Robert’s black-and-white world, and Robert turns out to be the one thing Chris can count on. Despite all the reasons it shouldn’t work, somehow it does.

Even if Robert wasn’t looking for love especially not with someone nearly ten years his junior he can’t deny being with Chris is fun. But sometimes Chris’s free-spirited nature leaves Robert feeling vulnerable. If they can’t find a balance between tattoos and teacups, their relationship won’t survive and neither will Robert’s newfound lust for life.

REVIEW:

I do love an opposites attract story. Just like the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean, Robert and Chris are very clearly defined by their differences, and yet they blend so well with just a few white ruffles in the wake.< — No eye rolls please, I’m feeling sentimental okay.

Robert Andrew McKinnon and Chris Ford couldn’t be more different. Robert is older than Chris (but not too old) a boring conventional academic professor who happens to looks a bit like Gerhard Butler and sports a Scottish accent (nice … right? Well, just the looking like Gerhard Butler and the accent thing, not so much the mouldy prof thing ) So Professor McKinnon is a bit set in his ways; he likes his cuppa tea, drives his ancient car, wears his ‘dull-as-dishwater’ wardrobe and liveshis (kind of) predictable existence.

“I’d labeled myself unlovable, a static, stoic bachelor, and myself and Flea, my scruffy cat, were doing quite well on our own, thank you very much. And then?Boom.”

Enter Chris, and Rob’s orderly life really does go BOOM! Chris is a carefree travelling musician; talented, intimidating, cocky, cool, and so confidently full of life. Plus, he’s gorgeously adorned in tattoos.

What starts out as something casual, grows into something more and then something special that neither character has experienced before. Ever. There is a whole heap of insecurities on both sides for these guys to overcome, not to mention that Chris isn’t actually going to be sticking around for long. So what happens when it’s time to move on? What happens when the person you’ve met has given you the confidence to be a new man, (not just because you’ve had a makeover) and then they walk away?

There are a few really sweet moments in this book, some really witty moments and a couple really funny as fuck moments too. The sex is … satisfying. Extremely satisfying, in fact I found it borderline erotic. Did I believe in this miss matched attraction? Yes, yes I did. Chris sold me when he says this …

“Rob, you’re amazing. You’re possibly the most amazing man I have ever met, and certainly the most amazing man I have ever dated. You are sweet and kind and loving and funny and so adorable, and the sex could be absolutely fucking terrible.”

It’s moments like that, that sells this book for me. Sharp, witty and sweet all at once.

The main complaint for me is the voice of the story. You see, it’s Professor Robert McKinnon’s voice and he is as dull as his wardrobe. His narration is filled with non-relevant ramblings and boring everyday shite that I really couldn’t care about. The story tends to take these sharp left turns into snoozeville with descriptions of shopping trips, furniture arrangements, house hunting, wardrobe detail etc etc … I had to shake myself awake a few times. The story would have benefitted from Chris’s perspective and perhaps the author could have thrown us a bone to chew on while we waited for the climax, and not include it in the climax.

But, you know what? I think I like this author, she is new to me and I won’t overlook her. How can I, with such gorgeous covers? Recommended for a sweet, slow, and sometimes humorous romance.

Shelley’s Rating:

BUY LINK: Dreamspinner Store :: Book Store

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Shelley is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

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