STOLE MY HEART!!
There is no other way to start this review than … this one TOPS the first two (in the series) by a mile! Never have I been so taken by a pair of characters – this is TRULY a character driven book. Normally my reviews comment on supporting characters – but this story needed only a few. I just craved more and more of Bee and Maddox. Bee Malone has a story – but she never wants to share it. She’s new in town, ready for her fresh start with her own tattoo parlor “Masquerade.” She’s a straight talker who doesn’t want to be rescued, and keeps everyone at arm’s length. We first met Maddox in Façade, as Laney’s guilt-ridden, angry, hunky brother. Maddox seems to have lost everything, but his passion for art still exists. Wanting a fresh start as a tattoo artist, Maddox shows up at Bee’s new parlor looking to intern. Bee’s not sure she’s willing to take on a ‘Scratch.’ Bee and Maddox are consistently drawn to one another, but there’s no insta-love here. This relationship takes chapters to develop. The secondary cast is full of the folks we already love: Colt and Cheyenne, as well as Laney and Adrian. The gut-wrenching dialogue is full of surprises, and we can easily see where everyone is coming from thanks to alternating POVs. I absolutely love how all of Dawn’s characters are full of flaws, but are still so easy to love and root for! The final stand-off between Maddox and Adrian still has me reeling. This is some of the finest writing I’ve seen lately! Nyrae Dawn has hit a home-run with the Maddox and Bee love-story. Compelling … that’s the only way to describe this beautiful love story.
