***A STANDALONE romance***Sometimes the things we shouldn’t want become exactly what we need . . .Waitressing at a seedy strip club isn’t ideal, but it pays Sarah Adamson’s tuition. Her goal is to finish her master’s program and get a job that doesn’t involve tight skirts and groping hands. She doesn’t need distractions. Especially not the one that comes in the form of a hot-as-sin tattoo artist … hot-as-sin tattoo artist who works across the street from her apartment.
Kicked out at sixteen, and a high school dropout, Chris Zelter is familiar with wanting things he can’t have. His fractured life has never been easy. As the product of someone else’s bad decisions, he knows exactly what happens when the wrong person controls your marionette strings. Now an accomplished tattoo artist in a renowned studio in Chicago, Chris has it together.
Mostly.
Apart from his infatuation with Sarah. She’s way out of his league, and Chris knows it.
But he’s willing to be her bad decision. At least for now.
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4.5 stars
“We’re all broken, Sarah. It’s not always about fixing the parts that don’t work; it’s about making the most of the ones that do.”
The Clipped Wings series was the first books I read by Helena Hunting. I loved the first two books A LOT! Especially Chris and Sarah intrigued me a lot and I couldn’t wait for their FULL-LENGTH novel to release. When I saw that Fractures in Ink would release SOON, I was super excited and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.
“Separately, these struggles could break us down. But maybe if we could hold on to each other and figure them out together… we could stop the fractures from becoming too big and keep the cracks from forming fissures we couldn’t repair.”
Chris and Sarah were perfect for each other. They were obvious both broken characters that are trying to make the best out of their lives. They both think they aren’t good enough for each other. I wanted to shake them both and tell them they were perfect for each other. There were a couple of times where both Chris and Sarah pushed the other away. I loved how the author handled those situations a lot. Chris was amazing he was so loyal and protective of the people he loves. He did his best to take care of his family and friends. Chris is a perfect book boyfriend, plus he is a tattoo artist and that is always a plus (FREE TATTOOS!!). Sarah did her best to be independent and do everything on her own, but sometimes there is too much going on and it is okay to ask for help from your loved ones.
“You work hard to take care of the people you love. You’re loyal, and you’re as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside.”
What I loved most about this book was the character development for both Chris and Sarah as individuals and as a couple. This book was COMPLETE in my eyes. The side characters added a very important layer to the story and I love them. It had enough suspense, romance and sad moments. I was completely sucked into the story. I really hope there will be more books in this series. I especially want Ivy, Chris’ sister, to get her how book.
Ok it is official. I LOVE Audible. I’m getting books finished and housework done at the same damn time.
Jacob Morgan’s voice was perfect.
I think Chris has broached my top 10 all time best #bookboyfriends. He is FIRE. He is SWEET. He is AMAZING.
It seems like Chris’s mind generally always wanders to one thing where Sarah is concerned, “I kissed the back of Sarah’s neck as she opened a box and looked inside. “I vote as soon as the bed’s made we have a naked wrestling match.” Chris sure can find Sarah in some pretty awkward spots at times, “…I headed for the bedroom, which was exactly where I found her— with her ass in the air and half her body under the bed. She wore a pair of shorts that did a phenomenal job of hugging her curves. “This looks like a really awkward new sex position.” I enjoyed this book, I really loved Chris
OMG! I don’t know what to feel right now. Lack of sleep can be one of the causes but I don’t think it is the reason. Helena Hunting did it again. It was a great story and I couldn’t put it down until it was done. All day yesterday I was looking forward to get off work and start reading ‘Fractures in Ink’ and when I start reading it, I couldn’t stop until I was done, which is why I only slept for two hours.
Was it smart to go to work after 2 hours of sleep? – Not really.
Was it worth it? – Hell YES!!!
First series I read by Helena Hunting was ‘Pucked’ and I loved it. ‘Clipped Wings’ was in my to-read list for a while but somehow I didn’t start reading it until ‘Get Inked’ was published. I am kind of glad that I didn’t start reading it before because I am not a patient person and even waiting two months (It is not even whole two months) for‘Fractures in Ink’ was hard enough for me That is the reason I usually wait for the whole series to be completed before I start reading so I don’t have to wait
I loved and really enjoyed reading Hayden and Tenley’s story but I think Chris and Sarah is my favorite couple in the series. Their story was beautiful and heartbreaking. Chris and Sarah both had tough life but I loved how they overcame every bad thing they faced in their lives and didn’t give up.
Chris is a very talented tattoo artist. His mom kicked him out when he was sixteen. Even though it took him couple of years, he took control of his life and established a decent living for himself. What broke my heart the most is he always thinks that every bad thing happens because of him and he truly believed he is unworthy of happiness and good things in life. But he is soooooo wrong. He is a good man and he will do anything to protect the ones he loves and cares for. He tries his best to help his mom and sister. After the things his mother made him go through, his mother DOES NOT deserve anything, but he is still there for her every time she needs him.
Sarah is beautiful and smart. Underneath her tough exterior, she is vulnerable, loving and soft. If you already read ‘Clipped Wings’, you already know that Sarah is getting her masters and in order to pay her school, she is working as a waitress in a strip club. She used to work at Dollhouse, which was closed down. Even though she hates her waitressing job because of the money she makes, she decides to start working in another stripped club named The Sanctuary. At the beginning everything seems better but after a while she finds herself in a huge trouble.
They both think they aren’t good enough for one another and because they are afraid that if they share their troubles with each other, they will end up alone, so they hold back all the troubles they are facing. But once they overcome their fears and everything comes out in the open, they realize they are perfect for each other.
I know this review does not make justice for this great book but I really hate ruining the book for the ones who hasn’t read it yet, so this is the best I can do. Helena Hunting is a great writer and I love her style. This book was so worth the wait and a sleepless night. It is one of the best books, I read in 2016. It is written from dual POV so you get the see the inner struggles of both Sarah and Chris. You can also read it as a standalone but I totally recommend you to read the other books from the series.
I also hope that this book is not the last one in the series. I would love to read Chris’s sister Ivy’s and Dee and Grant’s story.
Would I recommend this book: Yes.
Would I re-read this book: Definitely.
Would I read future books by this author: Yes.
This was my first book in the Clipped Wings series. Although any of the other characters from the first two books were in this story, it was a stand alone. Chris is a tattoo artist who has been seeing Sarah, a waitress at a strip club and college student. Both have had a hard life as they were growing up and both are slow to trust and open themselves up. For a lot of the book I wondered if they would find their way and emotionally give themselves to each other. There was quite a bit of darkness in this book but also a lot that made it real. I enjoyed this book and the happy ending.
Been waiting for this book for a while and SOOOO not disappointed. I seriously love these two. Getting to know Chris through the other books was just the beginning, and his story was phenomenal.
The way he loves and cares about people, while thinking he is undeserving shows his character and gracious heart. He’s been through so much heartache in the past, and then you meet Sarah. She has lofty goals of herself, mostly due to a crappy mother, but she knows what she wants, and Chris is it for her. Funny thing that she believes she is not worthy of him, so they are both going into this with massive issues. Until the truth and secrets come out and then it’s on!!
I really liked this book a lot. It has drama and secrets – and most of all love.
This book was phenomenal. I love all the characters but Chris was just everything. His capacity to love despite not being shown much his entire life is just beyond amazing. He cares so deeply for the people he loves yet thinks he doesn’t deserve to be loved himself. Despite all their walls Chris and Sara have forged a pretty deep relationship although they are both still too afraid to open up about themselves which is tearing them apart. Luckily they are able to figure it out. The audio book was fantastic but I would expect nothing else when you have a narrator like Jacob Morgan narrate the majority of it.
Fractures in Ink was good, I just still like Clipped Wings and Inked Armor more. Chris and Sarah are both very interesting characters. Neither has the best family situation and it has had a big impact on how they see and think about things in life. They’re a cute couple and I enjoyed watching their walls slowly come down because of and around one another. They both need each other and make each other better. Chris is a protector at heart and he makes Sarah feel safe and loved. Sarah is a sweet and kind girl that makes Chris see he is a good person and worth loving. The storyline was sad at times as well as angering and frustrating at other times. There are a lot of side characters that I really don’t care for, but it all works out in the end so it’s good. I really hope this series isn’t over cause I want more!
Sigh…Chris has permission to come save me anytime. This broken man is so much more than he knows. He is so selfless and would do anything for those he loves. He and Sara were at times infuriating in that they just kept tiptoeing around each other rather than communicating with one another. That being said, I believe this is all because they are a product of their pasts with hurt that runs deep. Sara is definitely Chris’s perfect match as she can see through his tough exterior and loves him despite his perceived failures. They burned up the pages when they got on the same page.
I am super bummed it took me so long to read this series!
Sarah moved to Chicago to go to college for her MBA and make a better life for herself. But mostly, she did it to get away from her mom and the lifestyle her mom lived. After growing up watching her mom bounce from one man to the next and depend on men financially, she was determined to not live like that. “I had no interest in being totally dependent on someone else for my financial well-being.” But that proved to be more difficult than expected. Now, thanks to her mom’s suggestion, she finds herself right where she doesn’t want to be, waitressing in a seedy strip club with even seedier men. At this point, she finds her choices are limited. With only months left in her internship, she’s just trying to get through without upsetting her boss. Her boss who has been pushing her to get on the stage and make him more money, but she keeps refusing. That job hits too close to home…she wouldn’t be any better than her mother if she began stripping. Like mother, like daughter. Zander is even threatening her internship, her scholarship and her degree. He’s determined to use her for financial gain in any way possible. She just wants out of the predicament she finds herself in. She’s been able to refuse Zander’s advances, but when her car breaks down on her way to work, she finds herself dependent on the one person she doesn’t want to owe… Zander. After all the financial pressures come crashing in on her (her loans, rent) and now her car breaking down, she breaks. Zander decides to loan her the money to repair her vehicle, but with interest. Unfortunately, Sarah has no idea what that interest entails or when Zander will call that favor in.
Chris Zelter has lived a fractured life. Kicked out of his family home at age 16, he learned the hard way that life isn’t easy. Abandoned by his family, he has grown up feeling that he is a failure. And as a result of that abandonment, he is completely closed off from others and unwilling to share his past with anyone. Not even his close friends know what his life was like growing up. So when Sarah, a woman going somewhere in life and only a “temporary fixture” in his life, is willing to spend time with him, he takes it. He knows that their “relationship” isn’t long term. He believes that one day she’ll realize that she can do much better than him and leave him, just like everyone else in his life. But Sarah proves to get under his skin quite quickly. She becomes more than a “booty call”. But with crappy work schedules and insecurities on both sides, Chris and Sarah find it difficult to open up to each other share their true feelings. “Sometimes it took almost losing the things you needed the most to recognize their importance – and to see your own worth.” –Chris.
Will Chris and Sarah be able to confide in each other and find that they are worthy of each other, no matter their pasts? Or will their fractures in their pasts break them apart? “Separately, these struggles could break us down. But maybe if we could hold on to each other and figure them out together… we could stop the fractures from becoming too big and keep the cracks from forming fissures we couldn’t repair.”
FRACTURES IN INK is book 3 in the Clipped Wings series and is said to be a standalone. It was a lovely romance with some angst, packed full of emotion, tons of internal struggles and external dilemmas. Both these characters had to learn to move forward and open up to each other. They needed to learn that everyone comes with a story, some stories are just more intense and devastating than others. They had to learn how to manage life’s struggles on daily basis, with each other, instead of on their own. “We’re all broken, Sarah. It’s not always about fixing the parts that don’t work; it’s about making the most of the ones that do.” –Chris. In the end, they are perfectly imperfect for each other and I’m glad I got the opportunity to read their story.
During reading FRACTURES IN INK, my only concern was, it was a bit slow paced for me. I needed something more in the beginning. Some connection was missing for me with the characters. I felt as if it took me about 50% to get completely drawn in and immersed into the story and the main characters. I don’t know if that was due to the fact that this was my first book in this series or that’s just how the novel was for me. As I said above, this is “said to be a standalone”, but I feel I might’ve needed the other books in the series to fully appreciate Chris and Sarah’s story and their struggles. Regardless, like I said, in the end, I enjoyed it. I feel Helena Hunting did a good job of writing a powerful story about two very fractured characters, fighting against the odds and fighting for their HEA.
4 stars!
Fractures in Ink is the 3rd full book in the Clipped Wings series by Helena Hunting, but don’t let that 3rd scare you away! This book can definitely be read as a standalone, but I can’t recommend the previous books in this series enough…you won’t be sorry if you go back and read them as well, you’ll fall in love with the whole Inked Armor crew.
Chris and Sarah’s story is so emotional, so raw and gritty, so real. I knew going in to expect all the angst and heartache, but I was overwhelmed with how deeply I ended up caring about these 2 flawed and broken characters.
Chris completely captured my heart. His pain and feelings of inadequacy tore at me.
“I was used to not getting what I wanted. Over the years it had been a pretty common occurrence. Anything remotely good in my life was fairly fleeting…”
“I don’t really think I’m good for anyone, so it’s probably better this way.”
He’s so tortured but he has the biggest heart and is so deserving to have all the love and happiness in the world.
Sarah will tug at your heartstrings. She’s doing her damndest to make the best of a not-so-ideal situation, but at times it all just gets the best of her.
“People like us always had to fight to feel worthy of the things we weren’t sure we deserved.”
.
Helena has written these characters so beautifully, she’s given them so much life and such heart. I was completely enthralled through this entire book- I was rooting for Chris and Sarah to work things out, to realize they were just what the other needed, to see that they both deserved to be happy, no matter what their pasts led them to believe. Fractures in Ink is full of so much pain and heartache, but it’s hopeful and beautiful, and just completely breathtaking.