I love this book, she weaves a world you can instantly get lost into and I have to say that I am so glad I read her words.

4 stars

he characters were absolutely lovely, and I really applaud Ms. Witt for tackling an eating disorder in a male character. These diseases are considered, and wrongly so I might add, to be an affliction that is just seen in women, but more men suffer from them than you'd think. Though I thought this part of the storyline could have had a bigger presence in the book, what was present in the story was handled realistically and with dignity. Another thing that was handled very realistically was Daniel's first experiences with sex. He was excited, yet also nervous. He fumbled, and not everything was perfect.

A good book if you enjoy reading about tattoo's and the entire process of getting one.

When that was not happening they were having sex and getting the tattoo done. Again the amount of time spent describing the tattoo should have been spent writing a better ending. The tattoo process was described vividly, seriously, we were told when he adds a raven or an owl. Every flinch was cataloged. It was exhausting. If I was ever interested in getting a tattoo safe to say this book has changed that interest. The most interesting thing is that the tattoo was never completed. It's the name of the book and it wasn't completed, why take us on a journey we didn't necessarily need about the entire tattooing process only not to finish. Are you kidding me? . I was expecting a picture of the tattoo at the end. something to admire after all the time spent detailing it for us but alas nothing.

All in all, this book had potential but sadly the execution fell through. I was going to give it 3 stars but my review can clearly show my frustration.

4* Could have been more 'military/navy', which this author does so well, but still a decent tale.

I'm not sure if this will end up being a standalone tale or one that's connected to the navy theme that was sort-of in this one, but either way, it was a decent read, with great leads, a good storyline and a couple of side characters whose tale I wouldn't mind reading about.

This isn't as military/navy heavy as I'd hoped for, as we didn't get to see Daniel anywhere near his ship, other than when he gave Colin a tour...and a little more, lol! on board. But, it was a tale with a couple of decent guys who'd liked each other from afar, connected when one gave the other a tat, and then became lovers. It wasn't a mushy tale per se, and yet because of one's 'secret' and the other's past, it became one where they connected beyond words on the page and beyond the physical. I had kind of guessed at Daniel's secret rather early on in the tale, but not at Colin's...secrets. The first was kind of 'Oh, OK then', but not an issue, though the second was sadder and I think it was a decent subject to introduce in a MM tale. It's something that's not often discussed in relation to guys, and yes, the author did well to highlight that it's a mental health issue.

I enjoyed the tale, and that Daniel's uber-religious parents weren't utterly vilified in the tale, but that he stood up to them when he needed to tell the truth, and didn't put up with their brand of brainwashing. I liked that his younger sister also had a brain of her own, despite her upbringing.

The tale lost a * for me, because these guys were going to have to deal with ongoing issues in their relationship, ones beyond distance when Daniel was at sea and beyond exclusivity/not. The latter came up early in the tale and it seemed like Daniel wanted it and Colin didn't...though I suspect that I now know the latter's reasons for this. But, with Daniel outing himself and being without a support system, I wanted more for the leads. There wasn't a hint of commitment or anything to suggest a HFN, let alone a HEA, and I think the author was keeping the tale realistic to not provide either, but this is primarily a romance read by readers of romance, so to me, it was a little lacking, but still a decent read.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and SMP Swerve, for my reading pleasure.

I have read several books by this author and though this book was good, it didn't wow me. I think one of the reasons it didn't was because a bit too long for my liking.

Colin and Daniel meet at the gym. When Daniel finds out Colin is a tattoo artist, he goes to the shop to have one done. These two are quite the opposite of one another.

Daniel is a 26 closeted virgin and Colin is former porn star. Both are struggeling with different things in life. For Colin, one of those things is an eating disorder, for Daniel it's his homophobic parents, who don't know he's gay.

Daniel is very ready to give his virginity up and Colin is more than happy to help him.

There are a lot of steamy scenes in this book.....dare I say maybe too much ..... Don't get me wrong...I really think these two were hot together, but I started skimming a bit.

I liked that hey went from friends with benefits to lovers....they really did get to know each other well.

There is a lot tattooing going on and since I have worked at a tattooshop myself many years....I really liked these parts.

What I didn't like though was the ending....or lack of. I enjoy a good epilogue and I really could have done with one here. The end felt very abrupt with me.

Would it be fair to state I was not sure what to expect with this book? Truthfully, what I expected and what I got were completely different.

I expected a simple tale of a hot tattoo artist and a sexy little navy boy. What I got was way more complex.

The two MC's in this book, Colin and Daniel, probably couldn't be more different. Colin-our sexy tattoo artist with a past he's not necessarily ashamed of and Daniel, our virgin navy boy who was raised in an ultra conservative, religious family. Colin would clash with everything Daniel was raised to believe, but Daniel stopped believing in a lot of things many years ago. But he is still hiding who he is from his family, because they very obviously, would not be supportive.

Daniel and Colin meet at the gym, and their relationship grows from there. What starts out as something easy, quickly grows into more as these two get to know each other and Daniel discover's the joys of no longer being a virgin ;)

But can Colin overcome the demons of his past and Daniel take the leap to fully be with Colin? I guess yu will just have to read to find out ;)

2.5 stars

I am sorry but I will not be able to do a good promo review for this book. I am not sure if it was the writing style since this is a new author to me, but even though I liked the characters and story idea, I felt it was tedious, repetitive and over detailed. I tried for several days and I just could not get emotionally invested in it despite the depth of their backstories. There was lots of sex and tattoos, but I felt it did not evoke emotions. I am sorry. I feel it is better not to post a full review since much of it would be what I did not like.

Back Piece, L.A. Witt

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  Romance, LGBTQIA

Bit of a shock for me this one. L.A.Witt is one of my favourite m/m authors but I really struggled to finish this book. That came as a huge surprise! 

The characters are good, the settings feel real, and the issues both of them have are more common that we think, and yet taken as a whole the book just didn't work for me. It just didn't seem to gel together into a tale that kept me reading. 

Colin has issues, but they began to bog him down in the story, and we heard about them so much I was losing sympathy for him. That's unfair I know, but too much of something like that just drags the readers spirit down and that's how I felt. 
I wanted to say to him, you've got all these loyal friends and family helping you, why are you doing this to yourself, and writing off the relationship before it gets a chance? And that was pretty unfair to him, but its human nature that we can only sympathise so much. 
We've all got friends who have issues but tend to wallow in them, acting as if they're the only one with problems, and that was how Colin began to feel for me, like the friend who when you see them coming your heart sinks a bit....

Same with Daniel, I get his awful homophobic upbringing, that's too real for many but he's not a kid anymore, he's 25 now, and these's a time when by not saying anything you're tacitly letting people think their views are OK with you, that you agree. Its tough when its your parents, but was he going to spend all his life hiding, afraid of the fallout? 
Gosh I sound horribly callous and I don't mean to, I value family very much, but when they're this blinkered they aren't the wonderful family he's telling himself. 
So bits of the story worked, I loved the tale behind the tattoo for example, but as a whole for me this one just didn't cut it, took me several attempts to finish and in the end i was just "Arrgh, I just want to be done with this story" and like I said that is So So unusual for me with a L.A.Witt read :-( 

Won't put me off of course, its inevitable that not all stories suit all readers, even when past ones from that author have done. It could be just this series doesn't work for me, could be I love the rest in the series and its just this book. Who knows? 

Stars: Two, an uncommon occurrence, an L.A.Witt read I struggled with. 

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

Daniel grew up in an uber conservative family (protesting Pride parades while yelling Bible verses about burning in hell) and escapes by joining the Navy. Colin came out at fifteen, had a close relationship with his family and now is a tattoo artist. They meet at the gym and are instantly attracted to one another - Colin with his gorgeous tats and Daniel with his gorgeous Navy-honed body.

The time Daniel spends with Colin as he first does a pec tattoo and then starts work on a huge full back piece give the two men time to get to know each other and accept one another. There are plenty of very steamy sex scenes but always with a foundation of absolute trust between the two men and what begins as a friends-with-benefits situation quickly turns into something deeper and more meaningful.

On the surface, Colin is pretty solid. But he's got issues ...... SPOILER: A short-lived career as a porn star with a demanding partner left him with serious body issues, an eating disorder and anxiety, which makes the idea of committing to someone terrifying and a possible trigger for a cycle of starving and working out excessively. Daniel has a lot on his plate as well. Daniel loves his parents, knowing they'll never be able to accept him as a gay man, and Witt writes beautifully about the nuances of his struggle in coming out to them.

At times the pace of this book feels very slow as there are many long tattoo sessions (and lots of detail about tattooing and aftercare) followed by amazing hot steamy sex, more tattooing, more internal dialogues, more tats, more sex, each man rehashes their struggles and insecurities perhaps a time or two too many without any meaningful resolution, etc. At over 300 pages, the book felt somewhat bloated IMHO. There isn't a lot of plot other than the talk, the tats and sex and while Daniel and Colin get their HFN ending, it seems abrupt and leaves them still working on many of the same issues. 3.5 stars.

Back Piece starts with a scene at the local gym, where Colin and Daniel meet one day. Daniel, a Navy man (not a SEAL for once – he’s an aviation mechanic/engineer) is there with some of his fellow shipmates. Colin, a tattoo artist whose shop is just down the block, is there working with his personal trainer. Colin’s not sure that Daniel is gay, so he doesn’t make a move, but he’s not against sneaking a peek at the man during his workout. Daniel’s doing the same, both intrigued by the man himself and by all his amazing tattoos on display. Daniel’s been wanting to get a tattoo, and this seems like fate: ask the hot artist to give him one . . . and maybe a bit more than that.



Daniel is a virgin. He grew up in a super conservative and religious family and small town, and while he’s known since he was young that he liked guys and not girls, he never acted on his sexuality. He left town the minute he graduated and went directly into the Navy, and while he was lucky enough to be mostly surrounded by men and women who were not homophobic shits, he still didn’t explore his sexuality. By that point, he was too embarrassed that he had less sexual experience than most teenagers. Now he’s 26 and beyond tempted by Colin, inexperience be damned. He really does want a tatt – first a small one that shows off his time in the Navy – and Colin’s work is amazing. But he definitely wants more than just Colin’s ink on his skin – he wants his hands and mouth, too. And Colin is more than happy to give him all of that.



While Daniel has some minor demons he’s fighting, in the form of the knowledge that his family would disown him if they found out he’s gay and having to constantly fight the message he was taught growing up (that homosexuality is a sin), Colin is the one fighting so much more.



Now, part of this might be a bit of a spoiler – not so much about the plot, but about Colin’s character, so read the next two paragraphs at your own discretion.


Colin’s a bit older than Daniel (in his 30s). When Colin was younger, he was a porn star. Though there are always some who look down on him for that – including some of his previous partners – his past porn career didn’t damage him. But there was something that he was battling before, during, and after, that did. Colin has an eating disorder, and when it’s not in check, he’ll avoid eating and workout until he collapses. The disorder was at its worse when he was still in the industry and was with an ex, an older porn director, who constantly made him feel like shit for not looking thin and fit enough. In the years since then, he’s move past porn, apprenticed as a tattoo artist, and then opened his own shop. He’s also had a few other bad bouts fighting his disorder, but overall he’s reached a good place thanks to consistent therapy, his physical trainer/dietician, and the support of his brother. But none of that cures him, and it never will. He constantly has to fight to stay healthy, to beat down the demons still whispering that he needs to do more, eat less, be “better”.



It’s rare that you see eating disorders in men discussed – both in society and in romance – but yes, it DOES happen. (In fact, the only other romance hero with an eating disorder that I’ve read is in Courtney Milan’s Trade Me.) I’m glad that Witt wrote this story, and frankly we need more like it, need to see how damaging eating disorders are and how they can affect anyone, regardless of gender (or anything else, for that matter).



Okay, end of the spoilery parts. Moving on!


I really enjoyed Back Piece. I loved the scenes while Daniel was getting tattooed. I really loved his design for the giant back piece (I won’t spoil it). I thought it fit him and his story so well and sounded pretty damn cool on top of that.


Witt does NOT hold back the heat here. These two are hot as hell together, while the scenes are also very intimate and sensual, too. Their first time (anal) was especially memorable because of its sweet and tender intimacy that was weaved in with the off-the-charts heat. Each scene was as sexy, if not more so, than the last, and you might need a cold shower or two. Even better, I loved that these two were versatile. Though there are more scenes with Daniel bottoming than Colin, it’s not an exclusive deal, and both men love it all. I always appreciate vers couples; while there’s nothing at all wrong with someone only wanting one or the other, thus creating a straight forward top/bottom relationship, I do love having the variety – and it’s been a few months, I think, since I read a M/M with vers heroes.



As much as I loved these two and their story, I must admit that it’s a bit slow and the pacing is inconsistent, especially for the ending, which was quite abrupt. I wanted to see more page time of them happily together before “The End” came up. I felt like it went from the last-minute blow-up to a quick make-up just to drop the HEA curtain on the last few pages. The HEA is solid and believable, don’t worry about that, but I wanted to see a bit more from the ending – or rather, a bit more before the ending.



Related to the pacing, this is a story that has almost no conflict or angst, nor much of a plot driving it forward. I liked the story, truly, but I’m also able to see how this story could be boring to some. Even I had the thought a time or two, as the entire book pretty much cycles between the tattoo sessions, hot sex (which I have no complaints about!), and both men constantly rehashing the same thoughts and guilt trips. Rinse and repeat. Ultimately this didn’t ruin the book for me, because I did like these two, and the chemistry (read: sex), as well as Witt’s writing. But I do want to point it out because it might be too slow for other readers to truly get in to.



Back Piece is a hot read with two men that you’ll love, but the story was also a bit meandering, with very little thrown in to keep it moving forward, and the last 10% was a bit of a disappointment, a last-ditch effort to add some conflict before wrapping it up (a bit too quickly/neatly) for the HEA. Even with these few flaws in the execution, I still very much enjoyed this one, and look forward to seeing where the series goes.




4 STARS!

Full disclosure here.. I phoned in a lot of this book I did not realize it was a mm book and while the scenes were not over the top or hugely graphic I'm still not a fan of that concept. But the story was well developed and did not drag along. If your into this kind of genre this story is done well and you would enjoy it :)

Cute and sweet and hot, hot, hot.

I loved these boys. Perfect on the outside but just a little messed up on the inside.

Colin has a great family and has led what most would consider a great life. But, he has a demon inside that he has to struggle with every day of his life. A demon that was fed by a toxic relationship in his past. His fears and insecurities stem directly from his fight with this demon. Because of this, he no longer believes he can have a healthy relationship. Fortunately, he has a wonderful support system in place that helps him deal with the inevitable setbacks.

Daniel also has a wonderful family who love and protect him. However, his family has a truly rotten belief system. One of those religious fanatic beliefs that pick and choose specific lines out of the Bible to live by, as if those lines were meant to be read alone instead of in context as part of the whole. A belief system that IMHO is akin to brainwashing.

Daniel is the living, breathing, antitheses to those beliefs. He hides like a hunted animal during this adolescent years and escapes to the military life as soon as he turns 18 years old.

Eight years later, he is out and proud to his teammates in the Navy. He visits his family a few select times during the year and continues hiding who he is. Knowing that if they ever find out his true self, they will instantly disown him. It's tragic. My heart hurt reading this aspect of the plot.

Luckily, the bulk of the plot was much lighter. Virgin still at 26 y.o., Daniel meets Colin at the gym. Sparks fly and blushes ensue. Mine as well as theirs. Did I mention this is hot? Lots of super steamy scenes as Daniel loses his virginity and the boys seamlessly fall in love.
So that's why everyone likes blowjobs so much.

It a lot of fun watching these two find their way. But the beautiful thing about them was that they were so accepting of each other. Neither of them judging or discouraging. Communicating well and putting the other's well-being first. Gorgeous relationship. Really beautiful.
You were beautiful before we got here tonight. Now I don't know how to breathe around you.

Back piece was a good book with interesting characters. I loved the opposite attraction that brought this couple together.

I was able to get into the book easily and loved the chemistry that this couple had. I felt that it dragged on a little throughout the middle of the book. It was a bit monotonous at times.
However the ending was perfect for this couple.

I was able to read an ARC for a honest review

3.5 Stars Back Piece is a great start to the Skin Deep Inc. series. I liked Daniel and Colin’s story I found the characters balanced each other well and their interaction was well written. I will read more of this series

3.5 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

I have lots of mixed feelings about this one. I honestly finished it and was just completely uncertain how I felt. And not necessarily in a bad way, there was so much I genuinely enjoyed. I just knew there was another part of me that was hankering for a bit more. But I think the things I enjoyed outweighed my nitpicks this time so I'm totally rounding up.

This book dealt with a crapload of odd and intriguing issues. You have Daniel, shy, sweet, and incredibly naive. A virgin in SO MANY ways, occasionally his naivete would make me a bit skeptical, but at other times I felt like it was intriguing and refreshing. I could really feel his panic and worry about not knowing what to do. It wasn't the sex naivete that threw me off, I totally got that and thought it was handled really well. It was the relationship stuff. It was so odd that he felt so unsure about how relationships worked. I'm not entirely sure I buy into that, but I can't completely convince myself that it couldn't happen with the way he was brought up...that he would somehow assume that gay relationships would work any other way than every other romantic relationship.

I really appreciated the struggles he went through with his parents, and that the author showed that just because they were homophobic didn't mean they didn't have great qualities. And inevitably Daniel had to make the decision about what was important to him. I thought that was handled rather well.

And I even enjoyed his introduction to sex, and the strange amount of detail we got as a result (about pitfalls of bottoming or topping for the first time). To be frank, there was a LOT of sex in this book, but I didn't mind that so much as that I wanted a bit more on the relationship side. The steamy scenes were quite delicious, and the chemistry between Daniel and Colin was awesome. I just found myself occasionally puzzled about the relationship progression, and why some choices were made, and even if I guessed the reasons, why did they not ever discuss it and any hangups they might have had? I needed some more depth there.

And then there's Colin. I can't decide if I want to spoil the "secret" or not, I'm not sure if it really affects the enjoyment of the book to know here...you find out pretty early on (or at least there's hints from the first chapter). So if you don't want to be spoiled, skip to the next paragraph in this review. Still with me? OK, I LOVED that Colin struggled with an eating disorder. I felt like it was given so much authenticity and realism, and I could really FEEL his struggle. I thought it was respectful, and I appreciated its addition to the story. I also LOVED that his being a former porn star wasn't some horrible shameful thing. It added a strange layer onto the story. I will say that while I LOVED Daniel's reactions to learning these secrets, I kind of wished he considered Colin's struggles more often. I know he was overwhelmed with his own issues, but Colin was there for him with his family and thinking about him, why didn't Daniel give more thought to how he could help Colin cope? I wanted some development there that I didn't get.

There were the occasional parts where some of their conversations got a little repetitive. I'd be thinking "didn't they have a similar conversation" (like Daniel comparing Colin's situation to friends who came home with PTSD), and I get that that happens in real life especially with important stuff, but in romance books it feels kind of odd and unnecessary.

I enjoyed the tattoo stuff, and the meanings behind the back piece. I would love to see it, even as I understand it doesn't exist in real life.

My only other nitpick is that I would have liked to see more of an epilogue. I was totally anticipating seeing how things fell out with Daniel's family, and particularly the sister and maybe other siblings. I'm not sure if the next book will be Daniel and Colin again or other characters. If it's other characters, then I definitely wish we'd gotten that bit more since the ending came kind of quickly.

So yeah. It was a mixed bag, but definitely more to love. Will be intrigued to see what's next in the Skin Deep Inc series.

Back Piece by L.A. Witt
4.6/5

For those who enjoy the idea of muscles and military, this book is a good choice. The story follows NAVY Daniel Moore and tattoo artist Colin - Daniel is out to his group who encourage him to pursue the hot tattooist in their new gym, and Colin is a man covered in tattoos that takes a liking to Daniel from the moment he lands his eyes on him.

Daniel's naivety is shown in his chapters, and the way Colin treats him and cares for him can only be called sweet. But when thing start to get a little more ... passionate, Colin's caring is followed by the hot and steaming "workouts" he promises Daniel. And while Daniel is new to all of this, lets just say that Colin isn't.

And there are some surprises along the way - some things you would never expect. Some of them are good, and others bad. Basically, this book touches some topics that are usually more common when related to "troubled youths" stories, but only because people don't really touch the subject when the affected is an adult.

Since the chapters change the point of view from Colin to Daniel, you can, in a way, see what they experienced and how they feel about these things they have gone through. One interesting thing is how they cope, how they deal with these things. It's pretty, emotional and in a way, new. It shows how acceptance is one of the best medications, and that sometimes love isn't enough for people to keep seeing you as you are.

Ps.: What I'm about to say contains a small spoiler, and this spoiler is kind of the reason why I didn't give this book a 5/5. Although it won't ruin the story if you read it, it is a small surprise that you will lose if you are going to read Back Piece.
- Although a really good story, it has some holes. It seems like L.A. Witt ran out of ideas to continue a topic, and just made another one to complete it. For example, how Daniel's sister figured it out? Her revelation just came out of left field, Daniel and Colin kept it really quiet, not even touching, and then suddenly everybody knows that Colin is gay! What did he do that gave it away? Ate?

This book gave me many feels, some of them very good, a couple not as good, but overall it weighed out on the side of being a great read.

I loved both Colin and Daniel, I liked how each of their special hang ups were dealt with and I absolutely loved that there was no magic dick cure just because they fell in love.

I also liked that Daniel's family weren't portrayed as one dimensional homophobic religious bigots but as complete and complex people and how Daniel could love them at the same time as hate them for their views.

Throughout their visit I could feel the weight of the pressure on my shoulders, something LA Witt is excellent at writing.

Something else she's great at writing are sex scenes, and the steam level is high in this one with some stupendous virgin sex.

The angst levels were moderate. I'd guessed what Colin's background was going to be before it was revealed and, while it was a big part of his mental illness, it was never treated lightly but was explained and explored in the context of his continual eating issues.

World building was great and, as this is book one in a new series, I'm looking forward to seeing what's coming next. Oh, and that cover, yeah that could have stars all on its own, so hot.

L.A. Witt is mostly an autobuy for me. So I was thrilled to be granted an e-arc for review. I adored the characters of Colin & Daniel, I also really enjoyed that there was no magical cure by the end of the book for the issues plaguing Colin.. Not coming from a religious family myself I can only imagine the type of courage it took for Daniel to be able to come out and remain true to himself.

Overall an enjoyable read by an author that I continue to enjoy.

E-arc granted by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Back Piece is the first entry of a new Skin Deep Inc. series. As can be expected from L.A. Witt's writings, be sure to turn the air con or fan on high while reading this. Oi, how the heatometer hit the roof with this one. The story features a pair of MCs where one was former porn star turned tattoo artist and a Navy avionics technician virgin. So yeah, a rather lot of teaching involved in this one. *wink*

But the issues for both characters were way deeper: Colin was struggling with eating disorder that could escalate whenever he felt depressed and Daniel who - while out at work - still not coming out to his conservative and homophobic parents. They made for quite a heart-twisting accounts from both of our MCs. Though I loved that the author didn't put everything in stark black and white; as shown on how Daniel's family had their good side too.

This story really gave don't judge the book by its cover the true meaning. Colin's ripped and tattooed appearance covered a fragile persona who still recovered from abusive relationship. The way the characters's anxiety written over dealing with their personal demons felt realistic, even if I didn't agree with some of the action/decision taken. Unlike some of the stories I read where tattoo process seem painless, this book also quite graphic in portraying the ordeal that I found myself cringing along with the character's pain. No macho-front on this one; Back Piece presents real-life men with real feeling and pain.

I also loved that the plot didn't push the characters for happily ever after so soon in their association; and how the issue with the homophobia not being taken care of too drastically, like instantly being wiped out. It opened the possibility to - who knows - a follow up scene or novella in the upcoming entry in the series.


Advanced copy of this book is kindly provided by the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

All the ❤ ❤ ❤ for:

- Two real MCs, not perfect, far from it, but doing their best. I especially loved Daniel who put himself out there and never held back.

- Real-life virgin who's eager to finally be with a man. Daniel was raised in a religious, homophobic household and never had the chance to explore his sexuality. Colin is just the man to show him how amazing two men can be together.

- Hot & tender lovin'. Wowza on the passion between these two! This is a VERY steamy story.

- The way Witt presented Daniel's family. It's so easy to judge and dismiss anyone who won't come out to their family, but Daniel's parents really love him, and they're genuinely engaging people (except for the raging homophobe part, of course). I like that Witt didn't take the easy way out and make Daniel's parents super evil villains.

- Communication. The MCs are good at talking things through.

And now the ☹ ☹ ☹:

- This book is too long considering there's no real plot. Daniel and Colin talk and have sex. Colin tattoos Daniel. Rinse. Repeat. How many times can you discuss your insecurities or scold yourself mentally for doing or saying the wrong thing? And the answer is: TOO MANY.

- Colin's backstory was hella angsty. We find out early on that (not a real spoiler, but just in case) (view spoiler). An ex-boyfriend really did a number on him, and Colin is incredibly hard on himself. I'm glad Colin's issue wasn't brushed aside, but his treatment didn't seem to be working. (view spoiler)

- The way Colin treated Daniel after Daniel's parents left. This veered dangerously close to manufactured melodrama territory (everything is so good; let's give 'em something to fight about).

- Very abrupt HFN ending. The book ends like an hour after the MCs kiss and makeup. I needed MORE. The guys had only known each other for a few weeks at that point, and their plans for the future were vague at best.

Rounding up because that COVER, though. Seriously. All the lust for that cover.