ravenstreet 's review for:

Under Your Skin by Lee McCormick

4.0

medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This one I picked because I liked the cover. Well, the cover sparked my interest, then I also liked the premise. Jonah is approaching Levi in a delightfully unhinged way. First I thought of him as a psychopath but I think sociopath fits better. Not that it really matters. The beginning is slow, Jonah is stalking Levi and playing cat and mouse with him, without Levi knowing it. Both Jonah and Levi are clearly fucked up and when they get together their connection is raw and primal. Levi submits to Jonah right away and Jonah is as protective and possessive as he is blood thirsty. 

 

If Levi wanted me to, I’d burn down the entire world just to see the smile curving across his lips. If he wanted me to, I’d cut my own chest open and let him crawl under my skin, beneath my ribs. I’d let him settle there and listen to a heart I never knew I had until I’d met him. 

 

I would have liked to know more about the town where the police is encouraging everyone to ignore crime and actively is a part of hiding it. But overall I enjoyed the plot and the writing style. I did however feel that the pacing was a bit off and the ending was a bit abrupt. And while the book is dark, it isn't really dark-dark. That said, I recommend to check out the CWs. We have dub con, one MC cutting the other one deliberately, pain/comfort, an age-gap (Jonah is 40+ and Levi 24-ish) and some more.  

 

🫀🫀🫀🫀 4 human hearts out of 5. 

(4 = A very good book, entertaining and captivating!)