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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Ellie, Camden, Gus, and, well, even Javier have been through hell and back. When Shooting Scars ended, Gus went missing. Ellie's mom was firmly in the clutches of none other than Travis Raines. Now, Ellie and Camden will do anything to get Gus - and Ellie's mother - back from Travis. Even if it means making a deal with the devil... aka Javier Bernal. And, oh, he doesn't make it easy. A lot stands between Ellie and Gus. The distance between them is almost the same as the figurative space between her and Camden. Camden is still hurt, rightfully so, and he doesn't take it easy on Ellie. Not only does she have Javier's temper to deal with, Ellie has Camden's hurt feelings to soothe.
This final installment felt like a lot of action, without the emotion behind it that was present in Sins and Needles and Shooting Scars. It didn't have the same force of feelings for me as the previous books. It felt like run, run, run - fight, fight fight. Don't get wrong, it is very much an adrenaline-fueled, high-octane ride that doesn't - ever - let up. It had me flipping pages like a madwoman to find out what was going to happen next. I simply didn't feel any angst. A strong connection to Ellie, Camden, or Javier. It didn't wreck my emotions like the other books did.
And Ellie... I do adore her, don't get me wrong, but she came off a little whiney and needy. I didn't like how Camden became the answer to all her self-doubts. She's better than that. After all the betrayals she experienced, after all the heartaches and letdowns, I wanted her to find her happiness in herself. Not someone else.
Not that Camden isn't a total BAMF (badass mother... you know) and worth some serious hero worship. What he went through to get to Ellie, well, can you blame the girl for going all mushy? No. You can't. But at the same time, I felt like the tension and the drama that crackled around the love triangle between Ellie, Camden, and Javier evaporated so fast it felt like it never even existed.
What did get me all fired up on all cylinders? The super ridiculously hot sex scenes between Ellie and... well, I won't tell you who. Needless to say, they are smokin'. Halle has a way of grabbing hold of your emotions and your lady bits and turning both to mush. Sigh. Those scenes will curl your toes, I guarantee it!
Bold Tricks leaves me in a confusing muddle. I loved so much of it—the writing was fabulous, the action was relentless, the suspense was heavy, and Camden was gloriously sexy—but I didn’t feel an emotional connection to much of it. I’ll probably be in the minority in my opinion. And even though I didn’t feel it in my veins like I did with On Every Street, Sins and Needles, and Shooting Scars, it was still a great story and a wonderful conclusion to this series.
Favorite Quote:
"Can you still see?"
He smiled, all beautiful white teeth, full lips, and dimples. "I'm nearsighted. Which means I'll be a lousy shot until I get a new pair of glasses or some contacts. But at least I can see you clearly. The things up close. The things that matter."
Boom. There went my heart.
In the middle of a Mexican convenience store.
-- A Romantic Book Affairs Review.
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Can't wait to write my review.
“My real nature, my real self, wanted that person to believe in me, to see the good, ignore the bad, and make me feel like I had a future.”
As we start off Bold Tricks we are in the midst of the storm that was unleashed in Shooting Scars. Javier, Ellie and Camden are all on the run from Travis's henchmen. But Ellie and Camden need to save Gus and Javier needs to keep his sister safe.
In the conclusion to this thrilling series Ellie and Camden are finally together. But all is not well between them. Ellie was weak and Camden cannot forgive her for succumbing to Javier's mind games. So throughout their mission both learn to find their way back to each other, all the while fighting off the evil that surrounds them.
“When I saw you I fell in love,” he said to me as I lay back against the bed and he crawled on top of me on all fours. “And you smiled because you knew.”
Ellie loves Camden and there is nothing that stops her from showing him how much. She has grown throughout the series and she finally learns to let go of her past. But with Gus and her mother in the hands of Travis she knows her only chance to get to them is with the help of Javier. So, while she is put through hell in this last installment, she shows us just how fierce Ellie Watt can be. And gets the awakening of a lifetime when she realizes that its time for her to fight for herself and for her future.
“That man would kill for me. He would die for me. And he would fuck me to death if I asked him.
I was tempted. What a way to go.”
Then there is our darling Camden. *sigh* If you read Shooting Scars and thought "damn this man is a badass" then you are in for quite the ride. His fierce protectiveness for those he loves is what empowers him to be the man he becomes throughout Bold Tricks. A man that has everything to lose but so much more to gain. He would do anything to keep Ellie, Gus and Ben safe. Even kill without a second thought. He isn't the sweet innocent man we meet in Sins & Needles. He is a man scorned by love and hardened by "war". But what never wavers his is unfailing belief in Ellie and her goodness.
“Ellie, he doesn’t have a very big heart.” He gave me a pointed look. “But I’m sure in his fucked-up mind, he was being noble. I’m at least grateful for that.”
Which leads us to Javier. In every story comes a Villain. My goodness what can I say about this man that hasn't been said before? Javier does his own growing in this series...not in a good way. He grows from little time VILLAIN to a big time MONSTER. He takes everything you liked about him and smashes it up in little bitty pieces. He is a man on a mission and he does not take any prisoners. What Bold Tricks did that no other book in this series did was make me understand where he is coming from. A little. His love for Ellie was so great and so rich that he wanted to hold onto that. But in the end, to him, POWER is so much greater than LOVE.
This is the last chapter in this threesome's adventure. Lives are lost, loved ones are betrayed, traps are set, new allies are made and LOVE will be the one thing that leads them through this storm. I will dearly miss this series and its characters. So much so that at the end I felt empty knowing that their journey had ended. :-(
I do look forward to reading more from Karina Halle and will continue to recommend this series to those who haven't had the luck to read it.
Buckle up for the last adventure with Jose and the gang! :)
HAPPY READING!
"On one side of me was Camden McQueen, on the other was Javier Bernal. One more light than dark, one more dark than light. Both men had come for me, both men had loved me, and both of them I had underestimated."
Please note that you cannot read this series out of order. You must start with [b:Sins & Needles|16029994|Sins & Needles (The Artists Trilogy, #1)|Karina Halle|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347859611l/16029994._SX50_.jpg|21799599] as the series follows the same characters with an overarching plot.
I binged this series and let it completely overstimulate me. I loved this wild ride!! Karina Halle's writing has always been comfort for me, but taking this trip through her backlist has really illuminated how much I appreciate her range and unique storytelling ability. The Artists Trilogy is a series I could see adapted to film; it's just got the whole package: grit, action, angst, heat, heart and humour layered into a plot that is steeped in danger and full of surprises.
I actually knew the outcome of this love triangle before I picked up Sins & Needles, because I accidentally started my journey through Halle's romantic suspense with one of her spin-off series (oops). I guess it's just a hazard of starting a series so late in the game. Knowing the outcome didn't negatively impact my reading experience at all, though I will say, I think if I went in blind I would have been leaning that way anyway. I thought Karina navigated the love triangle really well, and the outcome is the only one that would have made sense to me with the overarching commentary and themes throughout the story.
I never thought I'd be so invested in a love triangle, but I think this series proved to me that when done well, it's something I will absolutely EAT UP.
I loved the way Halle was able to wrap this story in such a way that answered all the lingering questions and provided closure while also throwing some extreme curveballs my way. Like the first two books in this series, the action starts early and does not stop.
I recommend this series to romance readers who are in the mood for action, entertainment, fierce and flawed characters, angsty and emotional romance with a love triangle and a non-formulaic plot. This is a new favourite for me from Karina Halle and a series I can't wait to revisit.