Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This novel reminded me a bit of Batman. Rich guy vigilante trying to protect the citizens of his city. Interesting that he's disabled and still saving lives. I wasn't crazy about the heroine, a thief by circumstances. Although the plot was interesting it was missing the explosive chemistry I've come to expected in romance novel. It didn't appear here but entertaining nonetheless.

I received a free copy of UNDER THE SKIN by Zara West through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Lena Correr and her family are illegal immigrants. When Lena’s father was arrested and detained, Lena’s life changed; she dropped out of college for fear of being discovered and ended up becoming a thief to pay back the sleazy attorney who failed to keep Lena’s father from being deported. Mic Vargas is an architect who spent part of his childhood homeless; he’s familiar with the neighborhood, and he visits sometimes to remind himself of who he is. Lena and Mic run into one another one night under circumstances that lead Mic to rescue Lena. Lena uses the opportunity to steal from Mic; despite this, Mic is fascinated and seeks out Lena and her family. Lena is used to not trusting anyone, so she falls under the control of a despicable crime lord and stays there even though Mic tries to help her out. Can Lena learn to trust Mic before Mic gives up on her?

This was pretty dark. A lot of focus was spent on the characters, individually, they’re both trapped by either the love of or for their families. Each has their own pain. However, other than brief encounters involving mostly sex and emotional pain, there was not much relationship building between Lena and Mic. If you like dark fairy tales where the attempts to rescue each other mostly fail and where the love seems to be based mostly on sex and the goodwill generated by the failed rescue attempts, this is the book for you.

#UnderTheSkin #NetGalley