Review ~ Cupcakes and Ink ~ Helena Hunting #BloggerShame #ShelfLove

Cupcakes and Ink by Helena Hunting
Clipped Wings #0.5
Release Date: February 3, 2014
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley. This did not affect my rating and my review is voluntarily provided.
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Challenges: #BloggerShame, #ShelfLove
Goodreads

Synopsis
Tenley Page is looking for a new start: a new city, a new apartment, a new life. Her plan is to keep to herself and stay focused. But leaving her past behind and starting over isn't as easy as she thought. And neither is maintaining her solitude. As Tenley settles into her new surroundings, she finds herself drawn to Inked Armor, the tattoo studio across the street. But it's the gorgeous, dark-haird tattoo artist who captures her interest. There's something about his severe beauty that captivates her - and not just in her waking hours.

Covered in the ink he inscribes on other people's skin, Hayden Stryker has made a career out of being a tattooist. He's got his own business and a tight circle of friends. As far as he's concerned, that's all he needs. At least until his aunt, who owns the antiques and used book store across from his tattoo studio, hires a new employee. At first his intrigue is based on physical appeal; hot chick equals something nice to look at. But as he begins to catch glimpses of the fiery personality under the fragile, feminine exterior, his fascination with Tenley grows. Annoyed by his inability to control his fixation, Hayden decides the best way to cure him of the new obsession is to get to now the girl under her skittish facade.

But like the ink he wears as armor, Tenley has the ability to get under his skin and stay there.

Novellas are always hit or miss but I'm happy to report Cupcakes and Ink was a hit. It's partly because it's well written and partly because this is a prelude of sorts - a little glimpse into the lives of the characters of this series. And I'm intrigued, y'all. Intrigued.

Hayden is this big guy - tall, wide, and built - who has a thing for tattoos - as in he's got quite a few - and metal. I mean piercings and he has quite a few of those as well. He's the owner of a tattoo shop as well as a tattoo artist and he gives a certain vibe. But he's also this kind and caring guy.

Tenley is on the run, from what we don't yet know. She's beginning work on her Masters and it seems tattoos might figure into her thesis. She's smart, attractive, and lonely. Oh, and she can't speak coherently to save her life when she's around Hayden.

These two have chemistry galore but they're both dealing with some apparently heavy things. Things we're left to speculate on for now.

As for the writing, Hunting provided just enough detail in this novella to hook me, make me anxious in my need to know more. She's obviously created characters that are complex and compelling and the story was dual POV - which I love.

Cupcakes and Ink hit the mark for me despite being a mere 60 pages. Lucky for me, I have Clipped Wings in my possession already. :)