I am a huge fan of tattoo'd heroes and tattoo artists there is something edgy and dangerous about them that appeals to that "bad boy" attraction I have. Imagine my surprise when reading this book and finding out the hero who owns a tattoo parlour is actually a pretty laid back "normal" guy. Don't get me wrong I liked him but can't say I'd rave about him, he is sweet and nice, no edge about him at all.
This all being said means I'm in a bit of a dilemma..there were things I really liked about the novel and things that just didn't work for me. So lets start with the things I just didn't connect with....The female protagonist..Blair.
I didn't really get Blair..down and out had to come home with her tail between her legs...yes she is funny and I did laugh at times but she lies, avoids the truth, keeps secrets and for me that made her unlikable. I found her maturity was that of her cousin and that living in the city did not give her any finesse...I absolutely did not get an urban feel from her. The gossiping with the other ladies from city hall and sharing information that should not have been shared at this point, the whining she did about her old boss in NYC...it all points to a very young, very unworldly, immature girl. No can't say I "got" Blair.
Ben. I liked Ben but didn't love him.. I got where he was coming from ..just wanting to be laid back and live his life ..easy. He was a nice boy next door type of guy. He was not alpha at all...he put up with Blair's lies and then rewarded her by being nice to her ...the relationship was very one sided in many ways. For me he was just not a strong male protagonist. I didn't get how him coming from a wealthy background played into the story at all and am not sure why this was even brought up in the story as it didn't play a role.
Starling. Nothing about this character made much sense to me...her manic behaviour and loving a nerdy guy...and her talking big and seemly being a bit of a "partier" it all just didn't add up and I absolutely did not like her at all.
Ok lets get to the good stuff. I loved the town of Celebration, adored the seniors, loved the other town people that we met...and I think this setting has a lot of potential. The Senior centre as a place to hold the Inkfest could have been exploited so much better I could just see some hilarity going on..especially with the characters LS had already introduced and allows us reader to connect with...I *loved* the old ladies of Celebration! This too could be exploited and then we may have had a better and more well rounded story. Other aspects of this novel that I really liked was Grizz, I found him a very interesting character and would love to see more of him...it was like we were teased but no follow through...Grizz and a Celebration Senior would be a hoot.
So there was good and bad for me..which made the read meh...For me the read was a 2.5 but I have upped it to a 3 based on the town and likability of the town's characters. No recommendation but appreciated the opportunity to read and review.
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