Hellion

Loved this latest addition to 415 Ink by Rhys Ford, the best so far, I couldn’t put it down!

I was so excited for this book to come out. I was waiting on pins and needles from the moment I closed the cover on Savior*. I read Rebel and while I didn’t love that one as much as I loved Savior, it was still a great book and it didn’t lessen my desire for Hellion at all.

With all that anticipation and hype, you’d think the book HAD to disappoint, right? I almost hesitated to read it. I mean I thought it couldn’t possibly live up to this fantasy I’d built up in my head. No book could. It would have to clear up my shin splits, fix my back, re-fill my bank account, AND give the Bruins the cup in 2020.

Well, 2020 is still a way off. My bank account is still empty, though, my shin splints are still splinty, my back still hurts, and this book still got five martinis. That’s how good it was. And since this book is at least partially about expectations and not having them, there’s probably a lesson in that.

If you’ve been reading the 415 Ink series, you already know who Ivo is. Or, you think you do. He might even already be your favorite brother. (Mine is and always will be Mace, but I’m pretty fond of Ivo.) We get a lot of Ivo’s backstory here. I’m not going to talk about it, because it’s spoilery. Suffice it to say that Ivo is twice the badass you think he is, and ten times the guy you want to bring home, bake cookies for, and maybe wrap a blanket around.

His co-host for this ride is a cop. He’s not just any cop. He’s significantly older than Ivo and comes from a world that’s very different from the one Ivo has inhabited. He’s got some ideas about how men should present themselves, for their own safety, and he’s got those ideas for a reason.

It sounds terrible. It is terrible. I’m from Ruan’s generation. Matthew Shepard wasn’t just a name for us – he was killed during our lifetime. He wasn’t the only one. While his name wasn’t brought up during the book, the specter of his death and others like it hung over his perceptions and my interpretations of Ruan’s reactions to Ivo.

I’m not saying it’s right to conform to outdated ideas of presentation or gender because of fear and terrorism. Quite the opposite. I just remember what it was like in those days, so I tended to view Ruan’s reactions as more safety concerns than actual ideas about Ivo being somehow less masculine (whatever that’s supposed to mean.)

Some reviewers felt differently, and that’s okay. It’s a sensitive topic for a lot of us, and we’ll all view stories involving gender presentation and sexuality through the lens of our own experiences.

What we have with Hellion is two guys who are both dealing with a lot of damage finding a way to come together, support, and love each other. Hellion is about expectations, but it’s also about family (just like all of the other books in the 415 Ink series.) We should all be so lucky as to have a strong family around us, as Ivo does, and be able to draw on that strength to lift others up.

Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gofted my copy of this book.

This is book 3 in the 415 Ink series, but you don’t NEED to have read books one, Rebel, and two, Savior, before you read this one. You SHOULD though, because it will give you a better picture of this family group and how they work. Plus, they were both 5 star reads.

This one?? Not so much. And I cannot figure out why! Well I can, and I’ll try to explain in a bit.

Oh don’t get me wrong, its still a fabulous book, very well written form both Ivo and Ruan’s point of view. Its well told, its emotional, its sexy, its a good book!

It just doesn’t have that sledgehammer to the chest of such heartbreaking emotion that Gus and Mace’s story carry. It DOES have deep emotions, especially when Ivo is talking to Ruan about *that* day and how it led him to do what he did and what happened after, but I kept waiting for Ivo to slip back, for *something* to happen to tip him over the edge. Maybe I’m becoming very mean in my old age, and wanting characters to fall apart so badly cannot be a good thing, but thats how I felt here, and I’m all about the book feelings.

I loved how Ruan questioned Ivo about his clothes, his image, the way he is, NOT to make him change, but to understand Ivo better. Loved that Ivo gave Ruan the time to process everything.

Loved that all the brothers pop up, there is a little bit of overlap to Mace’s story. There is also a little bit that gives you Luke and his story. Now, when Ivo was at his tattoo thing, I saw this coming at me, what I did NOT see what how James and Luke knew each other and what happened then. I look forward to reading their story!

And Bear? Oh I have a feeling Ms Ford might have saved the best for last. Being the eldest brother in the family looks like he is the last to fall, and I cannot wait for his story!

So, I’m sorry Ivo wasn’t quite the a**hole I thought he was going to be, given how much trouble he caused Ms Ford, but I did enjoy his and Ruan’s tale, I just did not love it like I did Mace and Gus’

4 great, good stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**

I would rate this 3.75 stars.

This is the third book in the series featuring five brothers who own a tattoo shop together. The whole series has a strong theme of survival and friends as family, so they would have the best emotional impact if read in order, but there is so much recapping that it’s not necessary. This opposites attract story revolves around SFPD Detective Ruan Nicholls and tattoo artist Ivo Rogers. I have to admit I was looking forward to this pairing, so I enjoyed seeing how they first met. It’s not what happens plot wise that is the draw so much as exploring what happens when people put aside their learned behaviors of defense mechanisms and judgment.

While I like both of these characters, most of the words were spent re-weaving a world that was already built. A novel without a lot of plot could have really delved into getting to know Ruan’s partner Maite, or his friend and landlord Cranson, or his boss.
The prose is always beautiful and focused on observations: “There was a simple beauty in an older woman—a purity of the soul having settled down through life, a river-tumbled gemstone run smooth from its journey through the waters and over unforgiving rocks.” Yet, no one is explored with much depth, nor are any of the words used to layer in more information about the other brothers and move their story forward.

About 50% of the way in, it gets real as Ruan and Ivo connect, talking about their professions, which are their lives. Then it grabbed me by the throat and ripped my heart out. While this scene is powerfully emotional, it is a standout. Also, it is way too much, too early, for a couple barely dating who have seen each other a few times. It works because it’s what damaged people do: throw it all out there to see if the other person runs away. Ivo definitely gives Ruan one hell of a test when he shows up at the police station. My complaint is that Ruan doesn’t seem to lay himself bare as much as Ivo does, which means the reader doesn’t get to know him in the same way. Yes, the books are about the brotherhood, but the person each picks–their person–needs to be as fleshed out as they are. It gives you glimpses of Ivo’s and Ruan’s daily life and how they start to mesh them into one, but I didn’t live and breathe it.

To be fair, I have been really thinking hard about why I’m a little disappointed because I know fans of this series will love this. While I don’t like to compare books, it’s difficult when I just read Ramen Assasin by the same author and it’s just so much more entertaining. This gives a nice, romantic ending that I think will please everyone. There is a bit at the end dealing with James, so the audience knows whose romance is up next.

The cover art is by Reece Notley ([email protected]). The covers of the series are eye-catching with great models and have a unified look. This isn’t quite how I picture Ivo because of the hair.