Reviewed by Jess

TITLE: New Ink on Life

SERIES: Thorn & Thistle #1

AUTHOR: Jennie Davids

PUBLISHER: Carina Press

LENGTH: 315 pages

RELEASE DATE:  May 27, 2019

BLURB:

Quiet does not equal weak…

Leaving a dependable job to apprentice as a tattoo artist was a drastic step after surviving breast cancer, but Cassie Whiteaker is nearly five years cancer-free. Nearly. She’s not ready to go out on her own until she clears that all-important hurdle. Also off-limits are relationships and sex—something Cassie is sure she’ll never want again.

Struggling tattoo shop owner MJ Flores doesn’t give a damn what people think, but losing Thorn & Thistle would mean losing everything. When her former mentor’s protégé arrives at her door, MJ hires her out of obligation…at first. Cross-stitching goody-goodies are not her type, but Cassie’s business background might just get the shop back on solid footing. They strike a bargain: Cassie will enact new marketing plans and MJ will teach her to find her inner bitch.

Only when clients request to see Cassie—having learned of the beautiful, compassionate tattoos she creates for survivors and their families—does MJ realize all Cassie has endured. And as Cassie’s fears fade, she finds it harder to keep her admiration for her bad-girl boss from reawakening all she’d feared was lost.

REVIEW:

I’ve read a lot of tattoo-themed romances, but this is one of my first F/F experiences with the popular subgenre. While I fell in love with Cassie and her struggle right away, it took me a long time to warm up to MJ. But by the end, I was totally falling for these two and how their polar opposites personalities and temperaments assist them in the tattoo parlor, the bedroom, and everywhere else.

The book begins with timid, buttoned-up Cassie approaching MJ, the owner of the Thorn & Thistle tattoo shop, to ask her for an apprenticeship. Their mutual mentor, Zan, passed away earlier, and the only person she trusted Cassie’s education with was prickly, outspoken MJ. MJ is instantly turned off by Cassie’s supposed weakness, but she decides to cash in on the free labor—after all, her struggling shop could use it. Soon, the women strike an agreement. MJ will help Cassie become more assertive, and Cassie will help MJ with the business side of the shop.

Of course, their little arrangement soon culminates in sexual tension, and their hookups are explosive. They both find pleasure in getting the other off, taking and giving delicate balances of power, and each subtle exchange is delicious. Their no-strings affair quickly becomes something more, but Cassie needs space to heal, and MJ isn’t used to all these feelings. Through it all, Cassie is hesitant to reveal to MJ that she is recovering from breast cancer and wants to make sure she is physically and emotionally ready to take any kind of romantic risk.

The tentative, budding love story between these two is simple, but it sinks the hooks in deep. It helps that I see a lot of myself in Cassie. She’s a people-pleaser who doesn’t like to make waves, and there is bravery in her softness that an extrovert like MJ sometimes cannot see. I admire Cassie for being strong and wanting to assert herself, even if it is challenging. However, for the first half of the book, I actually hated MJ! She was so aggressive, rude, and callous towards not only Cassie but everyone in her shop, including customers. I was so turned off by how she bossed around and bullied Cassie that I was so not invested in their relationship right away. But I gave MJ a chance, and I’m glad I did, because she has a truly excellent character arc with a lot of growth. She learns that being kind is not being weak, and that opening your heart is the bravest thing you can do. It isn’t about anyone being taken down a peg or given a comeuppance—it’s about recognizing strength in different forms and using it for good.

I almost went a little lower on my review because of MJ’s abrasiveness, but in the end, both of these women had such a strong influence over each other that it became a perfect representation of a balanced relationship built on trust and honesty. MJ might need a slap to the head once in a while, but I think she and Cassie make a pretty damn good team. I love the background of the tattoo shop and the challenges of the business, and I think the treatment of Cassie’s cancer and her recovery is great. I’m eager to see what else Davids does with this series.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon