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171 reviews for:

Sin and Ink

Naima Simone

3.68 AVERAGE


The spicy scenes were v good. I loved like 80% of it, but for me, the end was low angst to the point of being inconsistent with the premise of the book.


Tbh I’m not too upset about that because the world is falling apart rn and I can’t handle angst.

I'm dead

Holy Hell. I am deceased. This was hot. And angsty. I loved it and I'm definitely reading the rest of this series. Take all my money, Naima.

Daaang was this steamy, taboo, and so addicting. And Knox...woof...what a hottie!

Hot, great story, heartbreaking, and left me wanting more. cannot wait to read more from Naima!
theinkylife's profile picture

theinkylife's review

2.0
emotional sad tense medium-paced

Older brother/younger brothers widow.


This book is super fun! I read it in almost one sitting. It's a very compelling read that gets right to all the spicy goodness! I really liked their chemistry and how we see their relationship develop. The book takes out the slow sections, jumping ahead a few weeks or months at a time when they don't see each other or when everything is progressing as expected. This keeps everything move quickly but it doesn't come across as choppy. It was well done.

Even though there's the backdrop of MMA fighting and the tattoo shop, there isn't too much time focused on that or spent in those spaces unless it's quickly furthering the plot. The story is more about the two of them figuring out their feelings or what they really want considering the real world and people's reactions. They know that many people won't accept them together or view them as incestuous, especially his parents. I liked that they talked through this together and separately--there's definitely angst.

I think it would be nice to hear more about the other characters and this bloom into a series in that way. I don't think that's the direction the author decided to go and I'm a little sad, but I'll cope. I've already put the second one on hold and I am excited to read more from this author!

Tropes: m/f; former MMA fighter now tattoo artist male meets widow working to move on; friends/siblings-in-law to lovers; NOT a slow burn--totally not a slow burn; crude language and sexy goodness throughout; she was married to his brother who died 2 years ago; he's been in love with her for for 5 years, but his brother talked to her first--repressed longing; guilty feelings and worrying how they could be accepted on both sides

Heat rating: NUCLEAR—explicit sex, indelicate language during sex, and graphic depictions of a sexual nature used to further the story; may also include light kink; not quite enough for an EXPLICIT level (5), but takes it a level past HOT (3)

Knox is a former MMA fighter who now owns a tattoo shop. His brother’s widow, Eden, works for him, which is a problem because Knox is totally in love with her and being so close to her every day is erotic torture. Knox feels like a scumbag for wanting his brother’s wife, but he can’t seem to turn it off, especially when Eden might feel the same way about him.

I had a few bones to pick with this one. First of all, the male narrator for the audio book is horribly miscast. He sounds more musical theater than rough and gravelly, and I especially couldn’t take the sex scenes he narrated seriously. There’s a time and a place for jazz hands, and that ain’t it. I also wanted Eden to be a more fully fleshed out character--she didn’t have an identity outside of being somebody’s wife, and she didn’t even have her own friends or family to make her seem more like a real person. Still, Naima Simone knows how to write erotic romance, and if the forbidden aspect is your kink, you’ll probably love this one.

Really this more a 2.5 star for me.

I am honestly torn about this one. Definitely steamy... I am not sure why it was angsty? I feel like one decent conversation between these two and it would have been fine... His declaration is awesome though and I am glad they both sought therapy.
challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes