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Hard Ink

Get Ink'd, Book 4

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Hard Ink

By: Ali Lyda
Narrated by: Connor Brown
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I don’t have the best history with older men.

When Mateo saw my last relationship implode, he was there to help. He saved me. Hopefully, self-defense lessons will keep me from getting hit again.

I can’t ask for more of my friend. Even dreaming of keeping him is wrong. But when my ex makes things difficult, Mateo steps up again.

I don’t want a protector, but maybe, it’s time to accept a little help. For the first time in my life, I want something real.

What will it cost to keep the man I’m falling for?

Bryan needs a protector. Those rich old guys that chase after him aren’t the answer. All I want is to keep him safe.

I want to watch him grow into the strong man I know he can be. Falling for him wasn’t the plan. But now that I’ve had a taste, I can’t let him go.

Sparks and ink fly in Hard Ink, a 60,000-word stand-alone m/m workplace romance between a tattoo artist and teacher Mateo and his student and co-worker Bryan.

©2020 Special Fiction Books (P)2020 Special Fiction Books Contemporary Contemporary Romance Literature & Fiction Romance Romantic Suspense Suspense
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Another great audio addition to the series. The narrator once again did a fantastic job. I've loved all the books in this series and each one I say is my new favourite then I read the next book and then that's my new favourite. I really enjoy books with found family's ☺

fantastic listen

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This is Bryan and Mateos story. Bryan is obviously making bad choices. He's naive and lacks confidence. Mateo wants to help him learn to protect himself. They slowly come together. Overall I enjoyed their story, and watching them come to trust each other after both having questionable pasts. The thing that kept it from being great to me was in the last quarter of the book I felt some of Mateo's actions were not true to how he had been the first 3/4, and I felt he was dismissive of Bryan. It prevented me from really loving the story. This was my first Connor Brown narration. It took me a little bit to get accustomed to his cadence, but after I did I was good.

Hard Ink

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I have listened to this series from the very start and was just blown away once again at the narration of the story as well the ease of listening.

The story itself pulls you in and grips you magnificently

Completely blown away

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Listener received this title free

still loving the series and seeing the backgrounds of all the artists. can wait to see what Thor is up to in the next book

good listen

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I liked this story as an audio better than the Kindle version, but it still wasn't a home run for me. I've read the other books in this series, so I already knew a lot about both Bryan and Mateo. I'm tempted to say this book shouldn't be read as a standalone, but I think if you can get over the abrupt-feeling start you'll be able to catch up on what's going on pretty quickly. For the most part, I loved the age-gap dynamic in this book. Sometimes I feel a little weird about the uneven power dynamics in books like this, but Bryan and Mateo were so obviously on equal footing in this relationship. At times, Mateo stepped up to fill the protector role, but he ceded to Bryan and let himself be supported just as often. That being said, I really hated the childish temper tantrum these two engaged in towards the end of the book. Everything up until that point had led me to believe that they were communicating clearly and trusting each other completely, so to have their relationship be tested by something like that didn't sit right with me. I understand that Mateo had so much more to deal with than just his and Bryan's new relationship, but it felt ridiculous that over eight days went by without these two even touching base with each other. In a story where I saw Mateo and Bryan building each other up and exploring their love so deeply, it did annoy me to go through such a rollercoaster at the very end. Putting that conflict aside, I have no complaints about the rest of this story. Bryan and Mateo both know what it's like to be betrayed by the ones who are supposed to love you, so it was all the more satisfying to see them find a lasting, unconditional love with each other.

**I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions. 

Enjoyable romance, minus the temper tantrum

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