Blackballed from my job. Moved back to my hometown with my tail between my legs and family issues crushing my back. Slinging drinks in a dive bar. Yes, the past year has been hell. So when a man who’s temptation wrapped in golden skin and sin offers me one night of no-holds barred, dirty sex, I’m all in. I deserve it. But now those few unforgettable hours have me facing blackmail from my own … have me facing blackmail from my own father: He’ll pay for my mom’s medical bills, but only if I never again touch the man who has quickly become my obsession.
Because the man? My obsession?
He’s my stepbrother.
Each book in the Sweetest Taboo series is STANDALONE:
* Sin and Ink by Naima Simone
* Passion and Ink by Naima Simone
* The Scandalous Diary of Lily Layton by Stacy Reid
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This book is hot. Right away, the steam, chemistry, and sexual tension are palpable. I love Cypress. She’s sexy, driven, compassionate and so so strong. She’s endured A LOT in her life and I am in awe of the way she dealt with it all of it. Even when life kicks her when she’s down, she doesn’t give up. She’s a fighter and I’ve got a total crush on her.
Jude is SEXY. I’ve got such a soft spot for broody bad boys who are stoically harboring secret pain and OH MY GOD that is Jude. Plus, he’s just an all around smoke show.
This story is so good. I devoured it, and there were even parts that twisted up my heart and brought tears to my eyes. I’m so glad I read it!
This is the second book in the series, and unfortunately I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first one. Jude and Cypress meet at a bar, and have a one night stand. They run in to each other a little later only to discover that Jude is her stepbrother. That’s where I had to scratch my head a bit. It was hard for me to believe that their parents had been together for that long, but the step siblings haven’t seen each other in 10 years? Although the chemistry between these 2 was off the charts, it was hard for me to except an actual relationship between them. It just never felt solid to me. As for the secondary characters, I REALLY dislike the stepparents. I know that family dynamics are messy, but these are pretty horrible people. These characters do end up with their HEA, which I always enjoy seeing.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.
Cypress is back in town and working at a bar. She meets a hot, tatted, bad boy who offers her one night of steamy sex. After going home, she finds out the guy from the one night is none other than her stepbrother Jude. Her father blackmails her with her mother’s medical bills to get her to stay away from Jude. Jude is looking for a change in his life and he finds it with Cypress. These two were smoking hot and intense. A good taboo story that I enjoyed and recommend.
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley and am leaving a review.
Holy Moly! Get your fan ready. The author wasted zero time getting down to business. I was so wrapped up in Jude and Cypress that I totally forgot this was part of a “taboo” series. That revelation has the potential to rip the Gordon family to shreds. PASSION AND INK was so good that I never wanted to put it down.
4 out of 5 stars
What do you do after you have been blacked balled from your job , you move back home and start slinging drinks in a dive bar . Cypress Winters has been through a lot in the past year . So when she is offered a one night stand with the man who occupies her mind most of the time . I mean what would you do if Jude walked into your life . A man made for sinning she jumps at the chance for a night of dirty sex . But in the light of day she has to come to the conclusion that she has to stay away from him for so many reasons . Will they be able to stay away from each other or will the passion of that one night bring them together and will they be able to conquer all the obstacles in their way .
Wow these characters kind of blew me away, they are well written and complex . Cypress well she has been through the wringer . After being black balled from her job, she has kind of been beaten down and she is at a cross roads . She lost her job because she stood up for herself against a company . Now she is working hard to keep her mom safe . There are moments you just want to wrap her up and hug her tight and tell her that life will get better . She has a strong will but is also really scared that she just might not make it . Now Jude well he is is just sex on a stick and i will say he is an alpha , direct, very determined and so dominate and smoking hot . There is also a softer side to him when he is around Cypress he wants to protect her and keep her safe . He does have a laid back style that brings you in and keeps you safe . Alone these characters are awesome but holy when they are together they are explosive . Trust me on this one ladies .
I sat down one evening and couldn’t wait to dive into Jude’s story . I couldn’t wait to see where the author would take us concerning him . He is just such a big character and you just want to hug him and do naughty things to him . OK I will rein myself in here. Yes this is a step brother romance book , and yes there is lots of hot sexy sex and brooding men in this book and a heroine that is torn between the love she has and the obligation she has to her family . The author takes us on an emotional roller coaster ride . There are moments when you just want to slap each of them upside the head and then there are times you just want to hug them and tell them everything will be ok . Oh and then there are the moments where you will blush and fan yourself . You will love the story and the characters so much .You will get so invested with them . This is the second book in the series but you can read it as a stand alone . So if you want a hot read for a cold snowy night check it out , you will not be disappointed .
This is another wonderful book in this series. This can totally be read as a standalone read. However, in my opinion, you should read book one because of the strong ties between the two and honestly, Sin and Ink was incredible! There is a deep, powerful history that fuels the characters and the storyline and reading both books and in order will enrich your reading pleasure and give you more insight into the characters. This forbidden romance focuses on the romance between stepsiblings, Jude and Cypress. I myself truly didn’t get too much of a forbidden vibe from the story; except in the loosest sense. Although these two interacted a little bit when they were younger, they never really shared that familial bond or sentiment. The storyline is filled with seething emotions, tensions, turmoil and drama. The attraction between this couple is instantaneous and sizzling. Their scenes are scorching but always with a simmering underlayer of emotion underneath. Both these characters were wounded and yet strong. Stronger than they ever thought they were. I loved that Cypress could make Jude see that he wasn’t responsible for everyone else’s secrets and choices and it was heart melting to watch Jude convince Cypress that true love is not a weakness but a strength. A very beautiful romance with plenty of heart and heat.
***5 ‘You’re You’ Stars***
After finishing Sin & Ink I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the next book, so when Passion & Ink surfaced I immediately said “Gimme” and I wasn’t disappointed in any way. This book had it all for me. Sweet, swoon worthy moments that made my heart melt, smexy ones that had the panties dissolving and even a few growly ones that had me reaching for a spoon, but all of them kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next and has me jonesing for more.
Imma say it. Jude was kind of everything. He’s all kinds of alpha AF goodness – direct, determined and dominate. He’s also compassionate and has the kind of laid back charm that draws you in and makes you want more. Cypress is fiery. She has a lot of demons weighing on her, but she doesn’t allow them to totally drag her down. She’s sassy and has a heart so golden that even she doesn’t always see it.
Jude and Cypress’ journey definitely starts off with a bang and things definitely become a lot more interesting from there, but I really enjoyed watching as they became so much more to each other. While I tended to sway more towards #TeamJude, I got why Cypress thought the way she did and loved watching as she worked through her demons and became the woman she was always meant to be and see that she and Jude were perfect for each other.
This was a quick and enjoyable read for me. The writing was engaging, pacing was good and I enjoyed the dual first person POV’s. The one can be read as a stand-alone BUT I highly recommend that you read Sin & Ink first to truly understand the emotional undercurrents that are already in play at the start of this one. With that said, there are still characters I want to Gibbs smack and or gut with a spoon despite some issues being worked out. But outside of those characters, I loved catching up with Eden and Knox, cannot wait for Simon’s book and am hoping V gets one as well. There is another character who I wouldn’t mind having a book, but from what I saw, that won’t be happening lol!
~ Copy provided by the publisher & voluntarily reviewed ~
I am really liking this series. I liked Jude from the first book so I was glad that he was gettting his turn. And of course this is another super hot and sexy one. There is some mental health issues going on with this one, one top of all the family drama. But there’s a nice balance between the heavy and the sexy which was nice. I can’t wait to read more.
Well Naima Simone has surprised me again with a taboo storyline. Wasn’t sure what I was getting into with a step brother/ step sister story but dang! Because of how they met each other I was completely able to get into the whole taboo storyline. Because I mean seriously Jude sounds like a pretty sexy guy and Cypress was a hottie in her own right. These two just completely clicked right off the bat. It was instant chemistry but there was also just something about each other that they were able to talk to each other and like each other as a whole. The passion between Jude and Cypress was off the charts HOT!! Once I started this book I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. I loved Knox in this book too and really enjoyed the talks he had with Jude. It helped Jude get past the baggage he was carrying from his childhood. Cypress had her own childhood baggage that was tied up with Jude’s family but Jude was able to help her with moving past it, after a few bumps in the road of course. It was great seeing Jude get his HEA after the few peeks at him in the first book. If you read Knox’s book and loved it then you will definitely love Jude’s. I would definitely recommend this hot and sexy book!
Jude is a man who had way too much on his shoulders. He was having to stand strong for people who were selfish. He was suffering from anxiety because of the secrets he was being forced to keep. One day he decided that he just wants something for himself. He just wants a night where no one is trying to manipulate him. This is the night he meets Cypress.
Cyress is a woman who after doing the right thing, finds herself practically homeless and jobless. She has a job as a waitress and when she sees Jude she decides she also just needs a night of fun.
These two were explosive together. They both healed a part of the other that they either didn’t know needed healing or was too afraid to risk it.
The fact that they were step-siblings in my opinion had no bearing on the story. I know that it turns some people off but these two barely spent any time together and didn’t even recognize each other when they meet again.