It’s everything but business as usual.Emmie Elliot hadn’t expected to come back to Metlin, California. She definitely didn’t expect to stay. She returned to her childhood home with a mission: Sell the building that housed her grandmother’s book store and move on with her life.But life doesn’t always go according to plan.To reopen her grandmother’s book shop, Emmie will need a hook. She’ll need a … need a hook. She’ll need a strategy. She’ll need an… Ox?
Miles Oxford doesn’t have much interest in quiet bookstore owners. He’s a tattoo artist without a space to work, and the last thing he wants is to get involved with anyone after his last disaster of a relationship. Work and pleasure don’t mix for Ox, but since he doesn’t have any interest in the cute girl with the bold business proposal, he should be safe from any awkward complications, right?
She sells ink. He tattoos it. Unusual? Yes. But a book shop/tattoo studio might be the ticket for both Emmie and Ox to find success on their own terms. As long as they keep their attention focused on business.
Just on business.
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This was my first book by Elizabeth Hunter and I loved Emmie and Ox. I love how a author keeps you wanting to know what’s gonna happen next. Are they gonna make it or are they gonna crash and burn. I can’t wait to read the next book.
First the idea of a bookstore and tattoo parlor is such a unique and cute idea I loved it. This story follows Emmie and Ox, the first time Emmie sees Ox he is on Main Street fighting with his ex girlfriend. Eventually they come together and create an awesome bookstore/tattoo shop they agree no romance since they work together so their relationship is a slow burn but man when they do decide to get together it’s sweet and hot. Ox is my new favorite book boyfriend and it took him some time to figure out what he really wanted out of his life but when he did he went all in.
Fell in love with this book
I absolutely loved reading Elizabeth Hunter’s latest novel, ‘Ink: A Love Story on 7th and Main!’ The characters and storyline was wonderfully written. It was sexy, witty, and incredibly sweet. It combined my two loves; tattoos and books. Definitely another hit for Ms. Hunter!
I loved the premise of this book. Book store + tattoo shop = magic!
Having worked in a book store, I think that if I were ever going to go into business for myself, that’s exactly what I would want to do. And Emmie captured my exact feelings of, you’d have to carry self published authors because a) they’re awesome and b) more people should be reading their books!
But I digress. I really did enjoy this story. I loved watching the friendship grow between Emmie and Ox, as they tried to ignore the growing chemistry between them because of their partnership. But it wasn’t to be denied. I also loved that Ox was taking it slow to really get to know Emmie. And watching the moment they each realized they loved the other person….totally awwwwww inducing.
Yes, there were still some things that bugged me…namely how Ox said he was all in on the business but kept bailing. Yeah, I get that there were times he WAS needed at the ranch or with his family, but he also used it as an excuse and I just hated that it’s what put doubts in Emmie’s head.
This was a great first book in a new series, and I can’t wait to see more stories from 7th and Main!
When I read the blurb for Elizabeth Hunter’s Ink: A Love Story on 7th and Main I could not get my hands on this fast enough. I absolutely love tattoo parlor and opposite attract novels as there is something so refreshing about two different people coming together who may not (at first glance) have alot in common but through HOT chemistry, kindness and friendship they eventually get together. I loved Emmie and Ox. He was so sexy and refreshing. I loved the Old town feel of Metlin and could not get enough of Emmie, Ox and the entire cast of characters!
Emmie Elliot is back in her small hometown of Metlin, California and is about to make the drastic decision of keeping and re-opening her Grandmother’s bookstore and relocating her life. What she needs though is a hook for mass appeal. Enter Miles “Ox” Oxford – tattoo artist extraordinaire looking to run his own tattoo shop. But will Emmie be able to partner with this sexy AF mountain of a man without climbing him like a tree? Or will their business arrangement remain strictly platonic without any fun between the lines?
I really really loved this book. Any story about a diehard booklover with witty bookism t-shirts is a soul-sister at heart and my kind of heroine. Emmie was fun, sassy and full of hidden facets I loved discovering as we learned more about her. This story was the most perfect low-angst , compelling love story. I loved the slowburn-esque feel and the strong friendships and connections throughout the book. It was a great feel good romance and I am definitely invested in more love stories on 7th and Main in the future! Bravo! 4.5 stars! ~Ratula
Take one adorable bookworm, add one scorching hot tattoo artist, mix in a dash of fantastic friends, and you get the recipe for an amazing read called Ink: A Love Story on 7th and Main! This is one of those books that just wraps you up the minute you start reading. I dragged it around with me all day so I could pretend to be a responsible adult while I was actually hiding away with Emmie and Ox.
I knew the second Emmie said “Bow ties are cool.” I had found my book soul sister. Anyone who appreciates the Eleventh Doctor enough to slip that in to casual conversation can sit with me. Shy but not lacking in strength Emmie was someone I found easy to connect with. Her calm and sweet personality made her absolutely adorable, plus she had a T-shirt collection that I really want to steal. Needless to say, Emmie is epically cool.
The idea of combining her grandmother’s bookstore with Ox’s tattoo shop was not only brilliant, but something I want to see in real life. Every where. Someone with better business sense get on that, I’ll gladly buy all the books and ink. Ox was a great big sweetheart. Much more outgoing than Emmie, but with a heart so big he put everyone he cared about before himself. They were perfect together even before they were together. Seriously, the sparks were real between these two. It was delicious!
So, I’m a totally new reader of Elizabeth Hunter here and I have to say this book sucked me in! I could not put it down, I loved it so much! The ups and downs of a small community who back each other up, the sense of coming home and family had me falling in love with all of the characters. Ox and Emmie dance around each other from the moment they meet, but the chemistry between them is undeniable. The sexy and fun flirting, the INK and Book puns, and their friends’ comments had me laughing! The blossoming love and passion between Ox and Emmie had me swooning! A truly wonderful book!
INK is easily going on my favorites book list. I was to live here. INK is definitely a place I would hang out. You cannot beat books, tattoos, coffee and a hot guy all in one place. The story was written beautifully with just enough love and angst and humor. I loved it.
This was the first book by Elizabeth Hunter I’ve read and I can’t wait to read the next two books in this series especially Tayla’s. I absolutely loved all of these characters, even Ginger.
This was a first for me from this author. I was very pleased with the contemporary romance of Ox and and Emmie. It read like a slower burn. It was faster than a true slow burn, but the MCs didn’t give into lustfully heated escapades right out of the gate. It was more of a building of trust to gain each other’s respect. I would have loved for the angsty bit to be drawn out more in a fight for redemption, but it was a sweet fall into the moment none the less. I’m looking forward to reading the next two in the series. Especially Cary’s story.
Emmie is going to sell the bookstore her Grandmother left her but she walks in and can’t sell it. She moves back and starts to plan she needs something in the book store to make it interesting. Ox is a tattoo artist and he loses his job and he meets Emmie and they decide he can rent space in her book store. Can they just be friends and deny the chemistry? Amazing characters and storyline. Highly recommended. This is my first book by Author definitely not my last
Ox and Emmie…
two people you would just never think fit together, but this is why people should never judge a book by its cover, and that is true for both OX and Emmie, he is huge, muscly, and covered in tattoos but underneath is a heart of pure gold and a man who loves his family but still has enough to give the right woman… Emmie is truly buttoned up on the outside and adorable on the inside she just needs to surround herself with people she can truly be herself with and I think she has found that in coming home.
This story was sweet, sexy and sizzling everything I enjoy in a good romance.
“Of course. I’m the best me when I’m with you.”
“She needed far more new names. Romance ran bookstores. She’d have to get an updated selection and figure out how to buy from self-published authors who made up so many of the new writers these days. It was something she’d pushed for at Bay City, but the owners were complete snobs about self-publishing.”
I’m already interested in the side characters enough to see if the story ends up being a series. A thin young woman named Emmie, who for whatever reason won’t talk about the ink she has on her body, but is already interested in the man she asked to join her shop, Ox.
“He’d only gotten an impression of it. Leaves and the edge of a wing. A bird? The vivid red had been the first thing to catch his eye. He didn’t work in color much even though he’d been trained across all different styles—his specialty was black and grey.” Ox is already leaving his “we can never be involved” rule in the dust wanting to kiss the red ink on Emmie’s tattoo on her back. I just want to know what the tattoo is, and why Emmie seems almost ashamed of it.
“He smiled. “Anything for you, Buttons.” “You really need to stop.” “Never.” – I really expected Emmie to be the first to show she was falling for Ox, but he’s already thinking about it hard, talking to his friends and sister about her. It makes the book that much sweeter.
“Emmie’s first instinct had always been to run. Something not working? Cut ties and move on. And if you were really smart, you didn’t get tangled up to begin with, because the first time you gave someone influence over your life, they’d drop the ball or disappoint you or decide you were too much work.”
Will Emmie stay with Ox when things get tough? An amazingly sexy, slow burn, 5 delicious masterpiece of alpha men, and wicked smart women. Including books, and tattoos may have made it one of my favorites so far in 2020!!
I read this story via my ku subscription and I am leaving my review voluntarily.
**spoilers**
This was a new author for me and not the type of genre I usually read. It is a slow, “safe” (very little sex) romance with no obvious triggers. A solid 3 stars for the overall storyline (books and tattoos – Yes please ) there’s some initial drama with the H and his (soon to be ex), the h’s reluctance to be involved and to run when things get complicated, the misconceptions between the H and h. The “villian” turns out to be really nice. No real issues with the story that aren’t quickly resolved. Flirting, kissing, innuendo between the H and h before they have safe sex (finally at 78%) and the story ends at 93% where the author provides you with a few pages of book 2.
If you enjoy those little Harlequin romances, this story will work for you.
This book was a great read. Read it more than once. It was so romantic.
Awe this was such a unique, cute read.
Aww this story speaks to my inner book nerd I love stories of the non typical characters, the one where most judge buy the cover but than discover there’s more. Definitely starting the next story asap.
Blending novels and body art sounds farfetched at first, but with hard work, determination, and a little romance, Emmie and Ox will realize their dreams and find a satisfying love in the process. Definitely a novel for the HEA romance junkie!
I loved this book!!! The characters were so real and wonderful. They weren’t perfect or too over the top, they were simply a real group of people with real life problems that I really want to be my friends. As always with Elizabeth Hunter’s books the writing and details were amazing. I could not put the book down once I started it and was still not ready for it the be over when I finished. I cannot wait to ready the next one.