Title: The Purest Hook
(Second Circle Tattoos #3)
(Second Circle Tattoos #3)
Author: Scarlett Cole
Publication Date: May 3rd, 2016
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Can a love built on secrets survive?
Rugged, hot, and rock hard, Dred Zander is exactly
the type of man that normally sends Pixie running. Not dreaming about running
her hands down his washboard abs...and lower. The lead singer and guitarist for
the band Preload embodies trouble behind his quick smile and guarded eyes, and
Pixie left trouble behind her years ago along with the name Sarah Jane Travers
and the pathetic trailer her mom called home. With her abusive past in her
past, she has a new life, a new family at Second Circle, and a dream of opening
her own business. She needs capital and time. What she doesn't need is a
tempting long-haired rocker or the paparazzi that follow him around.
But Dred has other ideas. Pixie's sweet hazel eyes,
purple hair and kaleidoscopic tattoo of exotic flowers that swirl up her arm
haunt his dreams, and he knows she wants him too. He just has to convince her.
But as a juicy exposé threatens to expose their pasts, and a blackmailer
terrorizes their present, Pixie and Dred have to decide what really matters and
fight like hell to keep it.
Pyrotechnics
went off all the way around the stage as the crowd screamed and cheered. He
hugged each of the guys, then ran off the stage to pull Pixie from Harper and
Drea. The break between the end of the act and the encore was approximately
four minutes, and he had plans to use them wisely.
Pixie looked
at him, her eyes wide in shock as he grabbed her hand.
“Quick,” he
said to her, tugging her down the stage steps. There was no way he could make
it back to his dressing room in time, so he hurried them along the black
curtain that surrounded the stage into a darkened corner. He pushed her gently
against the wall, trapping her in his arms.
“Watching you
watch me, Pix . . . drove me crazy. You going to let me kiss you?” he begged.
“Please.”
Pixie looked
at him and put a hand against his cheek. “Yes.”
He slid both
hands into her hair and pressed his mouth against hers. Energized from the
performance, Dred struggled to rein in the need to kiss her fiercely. When he heard
her groan, felt her lift up on her toes to loop her arms around his neck, he
was done for. She was more than he’d dreamed of, and he’d dreamed a hell of a
fucking lot. And yet none of his half-asleep fantasies could match the emotions
currently blazing through him. Her tongue tentatively brushed against his so
gently it was almost innocent. Well, as innocent as it could be when what he
really wanted to do was take her against this black curtain.
It was
fucking heaven.
He slid his
hands down her body. Pixie giggled when he gripped her waist to pull her close.
Ticklish. He’d have to remember that.
Not that he
wanted to, but he needed to get back onstage. Fucking encore. He kissed her one more time, tasted the whiskey
he’d given her earlier. The telltale thump of Lennon’s bass drum started to
sound. He pulled back, willing his hard-on to take it down a notch before he
got back onstage.
“That was
quite the kiss,” Pixie said shyly.
He took her
hand and led her back to the stage, positioning her right where she had been.
It was impossible to resist kissing her again, and he grinned when Trent raised
an eyebrow in his direction.
“Agreed. As
beginnings go, Pix, it was pretty fucking epic,” he said with a wink, and
walked back onto the stage to face the screaming fans.
Scarlett Cole is a writer
of contemporary romance and a two-time RITA finalist. Her debut, THE STRONGEST
STEEL, has already become an Amazon best seller in romantic suspense, was a
Best Debut Goodreads Author Finalist 2015, and Authors On The Air Global Radio
Network Contemporary Romance Pick of 2015.
When Scarlett isn't
writing, she spends her time reading, hoarding mason jars, and working out to
off-set an epic sour candy habit. She likes hot men, cold beer, and expensive
shoes.
Having travelled the world
for work and fun, Scarlett is a citizen of both Britain and Canada. A true
city-dweller, she considers Toronto and Manchester home and likes to set her
books in vibrant locations such as Miami and Los Angeles.
Rep'd by Beth Phelan at The
Bent Agency, and published by St. Martin's Press. She'd love to hear from you
on twitter @itsscarlettcole
- I would:
- Befriend: Pixie
- Go out on a date & kiss: Trent
- Take to a desert island and leave behind: Petal's mother; Pixie's stepfather; probably Dred's mom, too.
- Travel to Vegas and let Elvis Presley marry us: Dred
4.0 “Tatoos, Music & Snowflake” Stars
ARC via NetGalley.
Thank you, St. Martin's Press!!!
I’ve been dying to read a Scarlett Cole’s book since
last year. I’ve seen the pretty covers (while I’m not a big fan of the half-naked-dude
type of cover, hers has an artistry to it) and read some great reviews, so I
was curious and anxious to get my hands on one of this new author’s titles.
Since St. Martin’s Press has been nice enough to allow
me early access to some of their titles (guys, I love you), I was lucky enough
to get an e-ARC of the third book in the Second Circle Tattoos series.
Sure the experience might be a little more fun to
those who already knew Trent, Cujo and the gang, but the author did a great job
welcoming new readers into that universe. While tattoos and the shop are still
a big part of the story, the fact that the LI was a musician helped make it
less about that world, which was a good thing for someone starting with book 3.
Plus, it almost felt like I was witnessing the start of a new series with the
guys from the band. I don’t know if that’s the plan, but I wouldn’t mind
getting to know them a little better.
Anyway, in “The Purest Hook” we follow Pixie, the
purple-haired girl who works at the tattoo shop, but doesn’t want to be a tattoo
artist. Although she loves Trent and Cujo very much and doesn’t want to let down
the two people who rescued her from a world of self-destruction and drugs, Pixie
has dreams of her own – she wants to make cute clothes for kids. Adorable.
When we’re introduced to Dred Zander, the lead singer
of a super famous rock band, he’s had his eyes on Pixie for a while. He’s
friends with Trent and Cujo and often stops by the shop to get new tattoos.
Every time he goes there, he asks Pixie out on a date. He has yet to get a “yes”
for an answer, though he’d have to be blind to miss how Pixie always seems like
that’s the answer she wants to give.
Until the moment she does.
A hot kiss – ass grabbing involved – later, Pixie and
Dred are the new talked-about mysterious couple. The media wants to know who
she is, but Pixie doesn’t want her name or face out there. She has a lot to
hide and a past to run away from. Just like she feared, the past comes back to
haunt her.
While Pixie tries to deal with all that crap, we get
to see good things coming her way too. She seems to be getting more clients and
a lot more sexy or sweet times. Yes, the rock star she’s seeing is more than a
sex machine. Dred is careful, kind and very sweet – especially when he’s not
battling his own demons.
You'll find a lot of drama, blackmails and horrible people surrounding Dred and Pixie, but I won't focus on that, mainly because by doing so my
review would be filled with spoilers, and no one likes those. I want to
focus on the two people finding real love for the first time in their lives.
It isn’t always easy to write believable love-virgins who are over
17 or 18 years old , but because of everything that had happened to
Pixie, I believed that was her case. In a way, Dred was a love-virgin, too.
These two people had dealt with so much since they
were young that it made sense that they guarded their feelings so well, and it
also made sense that they found each other. For those who despise love at first
sight, you’ll enjoy how this romance progressed. They didn’t wake up one day
and decided they were in love with each other… they had to overcome a lot of
obstacles to get there.
First, Pixie and Dred had to deal with distance. He
lived in Toronto and traveled a lot because of the band. She lived in Miami and
had a job and friends there. Then, they had to deal with Dred’s trust issues,
Pixie’s limitations when it came to intimacy, Dred’s best friends and band
mates, as well as a new and unexpected addition to the group. All while trying
to figure out how they felt for each other. It was slow burn romance as its
best.
The romance was the most important arc, no doubt, but I
enjoyed the mystery aspect as well. There was a lot to work with on both Pixie
and Dred’s side and the author did a good job with that. I have to say I’m
impressed with Scarlett’s ability to balance sweet and sexy scenes with the
suspense needed to make the story work.
Overall, I believe this was a great addition to the series
and it’ll make the fans who’ve been following this author from the beginning happy.
It’s also a great stand-alone that will make new fans want to read the first
two books and follow the rest that are sure to come – especially if they
feature the rest of the band.
I know I am.
Follow the tour and
enter to win great prizes!
1 grand
prize winner will receive a signed copy of The Strongest Steel (Second Circle
Tattoos #1).
2 runner-ups will receive a $25 Amazon Giftcard!
2 runner-ups will receive a $25 Amazon Giftcard!
Tour Schedule
05/02/2016
05/03/2016
05/04/2016
05/05/2016
05/06/2016
05/09/2016
05/10/2016
05/11/2016
05/12/2016
05/13/2016
05/16/2016
05/17/2016
05/18/2016
05/19/2016
05/20/2016
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