Rating: A        Romance: 3/5       Raunch: 3/5

Redonk Nutshell: Con-artist returns home & is forced to face her past

Ellie Watt has been on the move since she was a child. Born to grifter parents, she learned young how to pull cons. She returns home after a job turned sour with the intent to possibly start fresh (knowing fully well she likely won’t). Her uncle reluctantly allows her a place to stay until she gets on her feet. In the process of looking for a job she comes across an old “friend” from high school, Camden McQueen. He’s a good looking guy, covered in tattoos and nicely filling out his gruff look. Ellie and Camden have an angsty history, and Ellie is torn between befriending him and/or ripping him off. She kind of sorta puts pieces in place to do both, but Camden, having received the brunt of the crappy end of the stick in life, is ready for it. Tables quickly turn on Ellie, putting her in a place she’s rarely in – serious trouble.  Cameron offers her a deal, and together they team up to make new lives for themselves. What they don’t count on is mutual attraction…and drug lords.

What a hell of a ride. Ellie isn’t 100% a likable character, and I give Ms. Halle a lot of credit for that. It takes balls to write a character a reader can’t immediately root for. You can even say the same for Camden, in way, though it’s easier to like Camden than it is to like Ellie. At least for me. They both bear some serious scars, both physical and emotional, and watching them epically mess it up is like watching a car wreck. You just…can’t look away. It’s incredibly raw.

And it’s fantastic.

This is a great read I’d recommend to anyone looking for something darker and ragged. Be forewarned, this is a trilogy and book one ends on a cliffhanger of sorts.

Sins & Needles by Karina Halle

The Artists Trilogy