I was excited for Jude's story, add in Cypress and it's a hot and steamy story.

Cypress is back in Chicago after being gone for over 10 years for school and a job. A father she is estranged from is who she has to seek out for financial help after she's fled her high paying job. When her hot and sexy one night stands ends up being her stepbrother, Daddy Dan is quick to sense they're sexual tension and warns her away from Jude using his help with strings to guarantee his wishes.

When you have such a hot, heavy and deep connection as Jude and Cypress you can't stay away. As Jude as his own issues to deal with these two troubled souls are perfect for each other.

Passion and Ink continues the Sweetest Taboo series with Jude, the brother of Knox (I love him so much <3) and fellow tattoo artist.

Jude is dealing with living under the shadow of his brother's reputation as an MMA fighter and tattoo artist. He wants to make a name for himself, but that's hard to do when you're carrying around as much baggage as poor Jude.

Needing to blow off some steam after a stressful week, Jude notices a gorgeous new waitress - Ro - at his regular hang out and the physical attraction is so tangible between them you can almost taste it!

One thing leads to another - holy hotness, grab a fan! - and they spend a hot night together. What they don't realize is that Ro is really Cypress, Jude's step-sister who he hasn't seen in more than a decade.

The chemistry is still magnetic and they have to fight their attraction or it will rip their family apart. I love this taboo series and the family dynamic! You get to see a little of Knox and Eden from Sin & Ink the first book in the Sweetest Taboo series.

Both characters have their fair share of baggage. It was just a lot going on. If the book was longer and some elements were able to be fleshed out more, I would have been all for it.

Another reason why I only gave this book 4 stars was I felt that Jude and Cypress could have used some more down time. I would have preferred to witness them getting to know each other rather than Jude spouting off all of the things he learned about Cypress over the course of a few weeks. I'm a sucker for the small moments and I think that this book could have used more of them to sell me more on their relationship beyond the physical.

Rating 4.5 stars.

Simone is really good at stepping just slightly Into the taboo. In Sin and Ink, book one in the Sweetest Taboo series, the widow of a dead brother falls in love with another brother. In Passion and Ink, Jude and Cypress are step-siblings. Both cases sound like they’re taboo but are they really? That’s one of the issues the characters must iron out.

Cypress and Jude saw each other for short periods for three years as teens. They didn’t even recognize either other when they hook up. How taboo can that be? They’re really pretty much strangers. Cypress is escaping back to home after a job she loved became unbearable because her supervisor harassed her and blackballed her. She’s been treated horribly and life has thrown her back to her humble beginnings. Jude is tired of living in big brother Knox’s shadow and has taken a job as guest tattoo artist in London. He’s also having panic attacks and the situation with his nuclear family is in tatters.

One heated night together start this pair down a bumpy road with enough stress to keep me turning the pages. I loved watching Cypress become an even stronger woman who could fight her own battles and finding she could love a man and not lose herself. She’s amazing with Jude when she finds him having an anxiety attack. Jude was sweet and supportive but needed a little knock on the head to realize what love could mean.

I’m really enjoying this series and this book was a good read. .

Cypress has gone from a six-figure salary at a fancy investment firm to slingin' drinks in a Chicago dive bar after refusing to put up with the sexism and harassment necessary to further her career. She's used to being hit on by skeevy men, but has no trouble shutting it down. That is until the sexiest and most intense man she's ever seen sits in her section. And offers her a night of passion, no questions, no strings.

Too bad her "avenging angel" turns out to be her step-brother.

Jude Knox, still trying to push away the ex-girlfriend who threatened to kill herself when he broke up with her and trying to make his own way out of the shadow of his brother's success, is aghast when the woman he's still dreaming about turns out to be his step-sister, a little girl when he last saw her. He's even more aghast when he learns where Cypress has been living, what she's been putting up with as she struggles to make ends meet and take care of the health bills for her mother, the mother who was crushed when Jude's step-dad left her.

These two can't stay away from one another, but the ties to family and expectation may prove to be too much to handle.

Unfortunately I didn't connect with this story as much as I loved the first book in this series. The step-siblings thing was handled fine (but isn't a fav trope of mine), and I found it a little odd they wouldn't recognize each other at all, even if they were kids when they last saw each other. But I can let that go. I did really like Cypress's character, and her motivations were sound. Jude just wasn't my favorite hero, and I never really enjoy a "crazy ex" plot, but I did find that Simone handled it in a far better way than most.

That said, this book was smokin' hot and still a fun way to pass the time if you love high-angsty romances.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Passion And Ink by Naima Simone is the second book in her Sweetest Taboo series. It can be read as a stand-alone, characters from the first book do briefly appear in this one. Cypress Keller has moved back home to Chicago from California after her mother suffers a heart attack, to make ends meet she is working as a waitress in a dive bar and the hot guy she takes home for a one night stand turns out to be her stepbrother Jude Gordon a tattoo artist. Both of these characters are buried under huge amounts of baggage from their parents as well as dealing with stuff from their own lives. The steam level is super hot but I would have liked to liked to see a bit more about how they went from lust to love. Enjoyable read. Publishing Date February 18, 2019 #NetGalley #PassionandInk #NaimaSimone #EntangledPublishing

The cover is hot I mean who doesn't like a delicious body with art tattooed everywhere. The story itself is a bit taboo and shows you that life and love can be messy at times. "Ro" first meets Jay at the dive bar that she works at and at first sight he leaves her speechless! Jay is having a rough week but is taken by her at first glance. One night is all they are giving in to until "Ro" has to go to her dad's house who she has not spoken to in forever. Low and behold she runs into her stepbrother, and it's her one night stand Jay! they find out that Jay is a nickname for Jude and Ro is short for Rowena her middle name. The same man that gave her so much pleasure! They both feel the pull is there but they are 'family' now and it has to remain platonic. There were a lot of sexy scenes and great chemistry throughout and it was great to meet the crew from the Hard Knox tattoo shop! Great characters and really enjoyed the story.

WOW - sooo hot!!! Naima has hit this one out the ballpark! Jude - smoking hot artist/tattoo artist picks up the waitress from the bar by his studio for a smoking hot one-night stand only to discover at Sunday family dinner that she's his step-sister, Cypress, newly returned to town. This book is 2 in the Sweetest Taboo series and can be read alone, however there's a LOT of background family drama, so it is helpful to have read Sin and Ink first (believe me - you want to meet Knox - Jude's older brother!!!) I felt there was a bit too much inner dialogue with the main characters that I found a bit distracting but Jude's sensitive, sexy manliness and Cypress's strong, kick ass personality more than made up for it.

this was a great book I loved how the characters in this book got along. it was hot n awesome. they fought the attraction for each other It was hard

I must admit to mixed feelings when I requested this book, as I enjoyed book one, but have NEVER been a fan of ‘step” anything stories. There are an abundance of them at the moment and so many lack originality. As expected, when you throw that type of family dynamic into the mix, there is bound to be a disproportionate amount of angst and tension, not to mention some downright hostility.

There also seemed to be a disconnect in the relationship between Jude and Cypress; oh, don’t get me wrong, there was PLENTY of hot, sweaty encounters, but the deep emotional bond I held out for, was just…..meh. This is still an OK story, but the first book was definitely far better.

Chapter one definitely delivers that hot and steamy passion. It just Keeps getting better page by page. Throw In some major family drama and you have a good read.

I had just finished another Naima Simone book a day or two before I spotted this available on Netgalley. I really enjoyed the other book and immediately requested this one. (So, standard disclaimer: I was provided a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley in order to facilitate a review.)

I'm sorry to say I didn't enjoy this one as much as the other Simone book.

Let's start with what went right. This book is hot! The sex scenes! Simone knows what she is doing with these sex scenes! If you are in the mood for some down and dirty--and don't lie, you know you have your favorites for when you need that inspiration--this needs to be in your collection. On sex scenes alone, 5 stars.

But for the story? I didn't connect with either character and didn't feel the connection between the two of them together. I don't mind instalust, but I wanted to see it grow into something more, and I didn't get that. I felt like Cypress and Jude's stepsibling relationship was tacked on for the added drama of it, to give her father something to hold over her, but ultimately no one cared about it. Cypress didn't care. Jude didn't care. In the end, even her father didn't care. It provided all of two seconds of drama when they realize the connection, and that's it. So why bother?

Also, Jude was made out to be a long-suffering family "secret keeper", which might be true, but didn't feel true, if that makes any sense. (I need to allow for some benefit of the doubt here because I didn't read the first book in the series. Maybe more people lean on him in that book. In this one, there's... one secret? And somehow that means he was holding the family together? It's not a small secret, but it's also not devastating.)

And I'm not sure how Cypress didn't find another accounting job in Chicago? With her credentials? She was making "high five figures", so she couldn't have been making so much money that it'd be worth anyone's while to blackball her from an entire industry when she has a master's degree in the subject matter. Even if she didn't work for one of the biggest firms, there's plenty of accounting work to be had in Chicago that would pay "high five figures". So why the waitressing?

This one wasn't one of my favorites, but I will still keep an eye out for Naima Simone's new releases. Not every book is for every reader, and she has a lot of talent.

This book gripped me completely. I never wanted to put it down. It was SO steamy, so emotional, so full of unexpected curveballs and it was so superbly written. I really enjoyed every bit of Jude and Cypress' sexy, taboo romance. I devoured it!

Wow did I like this book. Such a good love story even with so many messed up family members. I haven’t read this author before but I will now.

Rated 4.5 Stars

I loved Passion and Ink. It's the perfect blend of taboo, filthy and emotion. I thoroughly enjoyed Jude and Cypress' journey and highly recommend it.

In chapter one when she delivers the beer with the cap on it and he opens it, that’s not going to happen. As a former bartender nothing ever left the bar with the cap on it or sealed up. The bartender always opens the bottled beers or pops the tops on the cans.
There is no conversation between anyone in this book. The awkward family dinner and no one talks to each other. It’s almost all internal monologue and then when Cypress talks to her dad. There is an abundance of internal monologue and it gets boring to read after a while. How after weeks of them living together do they badly have anything to say to each other. But then all the sudden the crazy ex shows up at his door and Cypress defends him and puts the pretty princess in her place. It was awesome and it just happens Jude overheard the whole conversation.
Oh and I absolutely hate the female lead name Cypress. In the beginning I couldn’t tell if it was the female or male character.

Imagine having a hot one night stand and then going to a Sunday dinner with your estranged father's family only to realize that your no strings attached night was with the step-brother you haven't seen since you were a teenagers. Awkward! Jude and Cypress are forbidden to act on their feelings again but when they are both surrounded by so much angsty family drama they quickly find that it feels as if they only have each other to turn to.

I wasn't sure about this book at first but after a few chapters I was so invested that there was no moving me from my reading spot until the last page had been turned. I do wish that there had been a bit less going on with their families (it reached over the top quickly) and that there had been more satisfying closure with Cypress and her family in particular. Still this was a great book for a few hours of pure escapism.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is Judes story. I loved the beginning. Cypress and Jude have hot raunchy sex then a week later find out "oops" they are step siblings.
The family drama continues from the last book into this one. So it might be smart to read, Sin and Ink, first.

Sexy and hot, I loved this romance. Cypress is estranged from her father....and his replacement family. However, after a series of tough blows, she finds herself without her fancy corporate job, instead waiting tables in a dive bar. When she sees Jude, he is just too beautiful to be real, and he wants her too. After a night of the hottest sex ever, they go their separate ways. A week later she goes to her father's house to ask for help, and learns that her one night stand is her step-brother...

Normally, I'm not a fan of step-brother romances, however, this one is so well done that I fell in love with the characters and loved their story. This series has sexy and hard men falling for forbidden women and no one can create a tale of naughty love like this author.

If you enjoy your romance sexy, spicy, and just a bit forbidden, you will love this book. While part of a series, this is a stand alone novel. The author is on my must read authors' list.

"Passion and Ink" continues the Sweetest Taboo series with Knox's brother, Jude. Each book in the series can be read as a stand-alone. The book begins with Cypress, also known as Ro (short for her middle name, Rowena) who is working at a bar after leaving her high-paying job in California due to sexual harassment. She is also trying to gather the money to help her mother while keeping her own head afloat. When a customer comes in and the attraction is mutual, Ro is willing to have a one-night stand.

Ro and Jay (a.k.a. Jude) have an unforgettable night together, presuming they would be unlikely to run into each other. However, when Sunday dinner at his mother's comes around, he finds out his stepfather Dan's daughter is coming over. They haven't seen each other since they were teenagers; their parents married when they were teens, and Cypress barely ever came around as she was mad at her father who had multiple affairs and eventually left her mother for Katherine (Jude's mother). Shocked when Ro arrives and sees Jay, they both find it hard to believe that they were actually step-siblings.

Both Cypress and Jude are dealing with their own demons, primarily focused around their parents. As they struggle to deal with their own problems, they also cannot deny the attraction that pulls them together. While the book starts with a bang and seems fast, the pace does slow down so that we can get to know the characters and see them grow as individuals before they grow as a couple. I would add some warnings for suicide (past- not Cypress/Jude), mental illness (multiple side characters), stalking, and sexual harassment. While I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book at the start (due to the immediate one night stand), I found the follow-up and development of Cypress and Jude's individual stories and their healing/growth to be a really engaging and worthwhile read.

Overall, I think this was a great installment, possibly better than the first, that deals with some important issues. I liked both the main characters and enjoyed seeing them deal with their pasts and move on to a healthier present. Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Namia Simone is an author I've been hearing more and more about, and I enjoyed the first book in this series, Sin and Ink. So, when I found Passion and Ink on NetGalley, you can bet I jumped at the chance to find out what happens next in the Gordon family saga. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review, and – as the three-star rating indicates – I liked it.

The writing is top notch, including a lot of inner monologuing, so the reader really thinks and feels right along with the characters. So much so, that it impacted my own mood. I kinda feel like I need to alert anyone around me when I’m reading Namia Simone’s books since they tend to have such a strong impact on my psyche.

Just like Knox and Eden, Cypress and Jude faced some serious external conflicts and are flawed and broken people who somehow find their way to happiness. And, just like in the first book, something held me back from really falling into their story. This time, I’m pretty sure it’s the internal conflict.

Cypress is a ball of contradictions. She has serious book smarts, but doesn’t realize how unsafe she is living in a seedy motel or see the easy solution to her money problems (hint: get another job in your chosen profession). She has some baggage and says she’s dealing with her life, but she’s literally avoiding her career, her friends, and family because she can’t deal with her history. The whole thing about becoming an accounting professor was so secondary, it felt out of character and forced. Most of her troubles are rooted in money, but she could’ve gotten a new job the day after she quit her old one, pretty much anywhere in the country. Was the only reason she was waitressing so her path would cross with Jude's? Because, otherwise, it made no sense. She has the classic child of divorce walls around her heart, that somehow Jude can sneak past by (SHOCKER) multiple orgasms and being nice to her. Yet, somehow, she’s only able to get over her past and figure out what she wants as a future when she’s faced with losing Jude. How is this not magical peen? I ask you? Because it seems like magical peen.

Jude is a great, though flawed, hero. A sensitive artist, he’s the heart that holds both factions of the broken Gordon together. He’s Knox’s right-hand man, but he still shows up for family dinner with the rest of his clan. He sees people and understands them, not just Cypress. Not just his mother, Katherine. Everyone around him. His one blind spot is his ex, Ana. His inability to see he was being manipulated, which is understandable considering his own history, kinda took away from his almost omniscient understanding of everyone else. He knows he has a savior complex, which he is trying not to act on with Ana, so, of course, he’s all too happy to rush in and save the day with Cypress. *head to desk*

Cypress often calls Jude a warrior angel, but that just didn’t work for me. For two reasons. (1) the way he fought for her was to let her go. Which, I understand as a platitude, but not an actual piece of relationship advice. My heart just doesn’t work that way. Sorry. You let someone go, fine, but you call the next day and try to work it out. And, (2) he’s less of a warrior since it has taken him 13 years to stand up to his mother. Which, don’t get me wrong, is great, but it’s sooooooo long overdue. And, he never gets around to telling his step-father to mind his own business. Though, I loved Knox’s bit in this book about needing to break things for them to heal into something better. That really sums up this entire series arch.

As I sit here thinking about it, I wonder if the real issue I have with Jude and Cypress is the same one I had with Knox and Eden. They put too much of an emphasis on what their family thinks. Since the first family dinner scene in Sin and Ink, I’ve wanted to throat-punch Katherine, and in Passion and Ink, I really wanted to kick Dan in the nads, too. Jude accepted his mother’s burdens when he really shouldn’t have, and we never see the resolution from their confrontation about that. We see her make a phone call, but we don’t know if she called Knox or if she was calling Dan or even the cable company.

As for Cypress and Dan, well, it’s the same thing. We see the confrontation, we see the apology, but no real results afterward. Instead of the epilogue we were given, it would have been lovely to have all three couples sitting around the table during family dinner with friendly conversations, no secrets, and no words or acts of aggression.

I can only hope that scene will be in book 3. I’m really looking forward to seeing what happens with Simon, because the youngest Gordon brother has some angsty shoes to fill and I really can’t wait to read every word.