Ex-Olympic wrestler and reclusive billionaire artist Aristides Stavros has one mission–to rescue his sister, a popular tattoo artist from the old enemy who has kidnapped her. But at every turn, he is confronted by anthropologist Melissa Dermot. Is she just an innocent girl in over her head, or is she working for the international crime boss holding his sister? Only one thing is certain–when Ari … Ari holds the beautiful Asian-American in his arms, questions of guilt and innocence fade against an undeniable fiery attraction. But can their wild passionate love survive the tangled web of long-buried secrets, intentional deceit, and murderous revenge that lie just beneath the surface?
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4 stars
I received a free copy of The Skin Quartet Series book 1: Beneath the Skin by Zara West and this review was given freely.
Beneath the skin is a edgy romantic suspense filled with action and intrigue. It contains slang that might be typical for New York, a Millionaire and College student romance with a happy ending, a missing sister, and multiple plot twists. This full length novel contains some graphic violence and may not be for everyone.
Artfully written and a novel approach to romantic suspense…
A reminder to us all to look beyond our first visual impressions and to trust our own intuitive sensibilities as a better judge of character. Of course, first try to get to know someone by asking questions and not be led by your own biased assumptions. Both Ari and Melissa make some poor judgment calls despite their strong and enigmatic attraction towards each other. This is an intriguing story with very interesting characters that draw you into reading more as the drama unfolds. It is sexy, suspenseful and in many ways heart warming. I particularly loved the artistic aspects of it – from the descriptive detail of nature and one’s surroundings to the appreciation of the human form tastefully incorporated with same in composition on canvas and in love making.
I am not one to read a book for explicit sex. That being said, I found that the sexual exploits in this novel were very pertinent to each character and their development in the story – revealing their true nature.
Also (being an artist, as well), I cannot overlook the fact that Zara West’s love of art is very apparent in that she actually touches on three distinctly different art forms – fine art, graffiti and tattoos – and how each is more typically viewed in society. You needn’t be an artist to enjoy the mystery and adventure of these different art worlds.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and hope to discover a bit more of Ari and Melissa’s relationship while focusing on the other characters in her next of series.
Take a deep breath before you start reading this book, because you won’t be able to breathe once you’re in it. The world Zara creates is so compelling I had trouble putting the book down to feed people who rely on me for that kind of thing. 🙂
Reviewed by Amy W.
Book provided by Zara West
Review originally posted at Romancing the Book
From the beginning of Beneath the Skin, author Zara West drew me into the storyline by creating a backdrop of fascinating details.
Within the first few pages, the author introduced a key element with the disappearance of a tattoo artist. It was fascinating to watch the story unfold as Melissa tried to find clues. This was the first time I can remember reading about a character who is studying anthropology, so I found Melissa’s doctoral project to be quite interesting.
While Ari’s physical appearance may leave much to be desired, it’s clear that he has suffered greatly in the past. I found that his physical scars make him more relatable. I was pleased with the attraction between Ari and Melissa, but wanted to speed it up a bit when they were derailed by Theo Tuccio.
There’s definitely a lot going on in this story. Not only is there Bella’s disappearance, Ari’s art exhibit and Melissa’s doctoral project, but there’s also an effort to rescue abused women. A street gang known as T-Crew plays a big role, highlighting the use of street graffiti. Of course, my heart was won over by the cats in the story.
The criminal element kept me on my toes because I kept wondering who the real villain was. I was thrown off by the details that unfolded surrounding the death of Melissa’s sister. Needless to say, the author maintained by interest until the end.