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jackiehorne's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Another interracial romance winner from Hibbert, this one a holiday novella set in a tattoo shop. Our hero is hot/cold emotion-wise tough-guy white Cash, the owner of the shop, and our heroine curvy, take no guff black Bailey, who finds herself drawn to him, despite having watched her own mother fall far too often for guys who did not end up staying. The central question here is one asked by Bailey's friend John:
"He's very 'tortured artist.' You know?"
" 'Tortured artist' is code for 'attractive arsehole'"
"Only when they're faking it. Have you considered that he might have some genuine baggage?"
How much baggage should a woman put up with? And why?
The answer: adults talk things out, call each other on bullshit behavior. And agree to treat each other better. And trust yourself not to hurt the other.
Half a point off because the opening of the novel, in which Cash and Bailey join together to aid a homeless man, made me really uncomfortable (Cash pays for him to live in a hotel and gets him a job, without knowing anything about him except that Bailey, whom he has been obsessing over but whom he has never interacted with before outside of the coffee shop where she works, says that he's a good guy). The whole thing felt like it was there to make Cash (and Bailey) into the good guys, even though the homeless character, John, does feature in small ways throughout the rest of the story.
"He's very 'tortured artist.' You know?"
" 'Tortured artist' is code for 'attractive arsehole'"
"Only when they're faking it. Have you considered that he might have some genuine baggage?"
How much baggage should a woman put up with? And why?
The answer: adults talk things out, call each other on bullshit behavior. And agree to treat each other better. And trust yourself not to hurt the other.
Half a point off because the opening of the novel, in which Cash and Bailey join together to aid a homeless man, made me really uncomfortable (Cash pays for him to live in a hotel and gets him a job, without knowing anything about him except that Bailey, whom he has been obsessing over but whom he has never interacted with before outside of the coffee shop where she works, says that he's a good guy). The whole thing felt like it was there to make Cash (and Bailey) into the good guys, even though the homeless character, John, does feature in small ways throughout the rest of the story.
kenwashburne88's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
witcheep's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Read this book if you seek sexual tension building while a troubled past is being used as an edgy backdrop for smut scenes. If you want to read about a balanced relationship forming, pick up some other book (I suggest Hibbert's The Brown Sisters series, I'm far more impressed with those books than this one).
It bothers me that the Merry Inkmas's main characters Cash and Bailey are represented as nearly perfectly goodhearted people that want to save each others from the ghosts of their dark and traumatic pasts: Both their parents have been in different kinds of abusive relationships. This has lead to the main characters to close up in order to shield themselves from similar harm, but they seem to easily warm up to each other because of their sexual chemistry.
However, Cash and Bailey's relationship has big imbalances of power all the time: they are a customer and a server, or a boss and and employee. There is also economical inequality in their relationship. These things are not addressed enough in my opinion, even though they clearly affect the characters' choises in the present and bring up similar situations from their past where things went very badly. This is a novella so I understand there isn't room for very in depth bonding on mental level if you want to write about the sexual tension building up and releasing in multiple smut scenes, as happens in this book. Maybe I picked up a wrong book for me, but I would have preferred to see more chemistry in the interpersonal relationship besides the bedroom.
I hoped these issues would be at least mentioned in the ending, but they are completely brushed under the rug. In the epiloqueCash and Bailey are thrust into a happy ever after of one big family with seemingly no trauma or baggage remaining. The premises of this book had potential to discuss the heavy topics and show how to deal with them, but the novella falls short in this regard, unlike the other books by Hibbert I've read. Hibbert's later books address representation and struggles in a more wholesome and considerate way. Perhaps Merry Inkmas could have accomplished that as well, if it had been a fully fleshed out novel instead of a shorter novella.
It bothers me that the Merry Inkmas's main characters Cash and Bailey are represented as nearly perfectly goodhearted people that want to save each others from the ghosts of their dark and traumatic pasts: Both their parents have been in different kinds of abusive relationships. This has lead to the main characters to close up in order to shield themselves from similar harm, but they seem to easily warm up to each other because of their sexual chemistry.
However, Cash and Bailey's relationship has big imbalances of power all the time: they are a customer and a server, or a boss and and employee. There is also economical inequality in their relationship. These things are not addressed enough in my opinion, even though they clearly affect the characters' choises in the present and bring up similar situations from their past where things went very badly. This is a novella so I understand there isn't room for very in depth bonding on mental level if you want to write about the sexual tension building up and releasing in multiple smut scenes, as happens in this book. Maybe I picked up a wrong book for me, but I would have preferred to see more chemistry in the interpersonal relationship besides the bedroom.
I hoped these issues would be at least mentioned in the ending, but they are completely brushed under the rug. In the epiloque
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Mental illness
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pregnancy
littlemissreadsalot21's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
✨BOOK REVIEW✨ - Merry Inkmas by Talia Hibbert
What a cute Xmas novella, yes I know it’s February. I really enjoyed Bailey and Cash. They’re both so guarded and yet obviously obsessed with each other. The pacing of this was really good and the spice was hitting 😮💨😮💨😮💨. Definitely add this to your 2024 holiday tbr.
Check the trigger/content warnings.
UNOFFICIAL BOOK SUMMARY ✏️☕️📖🎄
After witnessing Bailey lose her job for coming to the aid of a friend, Cash offers her one at his tattoo parlor. Slight problem, now he’ll have to see his crush all day every day.
readbykatherine's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, and Physical abuse
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
a_manning11's review against another edition
3.5
While the narrator does a great job with the characters and emotions, she is terrible at pronunciation. These errors are frequent and so annoying! (Derby, bauble, barista,
lreising's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
alisonreadsdmv's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75