“I know what you’re up to,” she said.
“And what would that be?” he asked with a devious smirk.
“You know.”
“Is it working?”
She looked over her shoulder to where he was still reclining against the wall, watching her patiently. All the reasons she’d vowed to stay alone, to remain uninvolved, fled as he grinned at her.
“Maybe.”
In Scarlett Cole’s The Strongest Steel, Harper Connelly never expected … her.
“Maybe.”
In Scarlett Cole’s The Strongest Steel, Harper Connelly never expected to find herself outside of a tattoo parlor at one in the morning. The scars that decorate her back are just one more reminder of things she’d rather forget, the past she wants to leave far behind her, but before she can move on, she needs him.
Trent Andrews has his own reasons for specializing in inking over scars. And there’s no way in hell he’s going to turn Harper away. Not when a swirling mix of tenderness and desire slams into him every time her sees her. Being with Harper is like going ten rounds in the ring–exhilarating, powerful, and dangerous. She stirs feelings in him he thought were long gone… if he can only get past her carefully constructed defenses.
Running was the only thing that saved Harper last time, but each session at Second Circle Tattoos brings her closer and closer to Trent. His lingering touches seduce her, making her believe in a life without fear, where she can be happy, whole, in love. But when cryptic messages start appearing on Harper’s phone, strange deliveries arrive at her door, and Second Circle is vandalized, Harper is convinced that her ex-boyfriend has tracked her down, and worse, that he knows about Trent. She ran from her past once before; this time will she have the strength to fight back?
“An incredible story about healing, pain, and trust…you don’t want to miss this one!” –New York Times bestselling author Jen McLaughlin
“This book gave me so many feels! Angst, passion, and love all set in Miami, my favorite city. I can’t wait for more from this author and I can’t recommend this book enough.” – Sidney Halston, USA Today bestselling author of Against the Cage
more
Just awesome.
The life Harper was living was not the one she should. She had been through so much and it was still living the hell every day. Harper couldn’t get away from the nightmare she had been through. Until she decided to make a big change in her life she was fed up of living in fear of everything. She just didn’t know that the biggest change in her life was goin to be Trent Andrews.
Trent’s life was pretty good he had his own Tattoo shop Second Circle and it was doing brilliant. Trent was the best in Miami everyone wanted his work on the bodies. He had woman wanting him so ye life was good. Until he met Harper Connelly was where his life would change he could see pain and fear he wanted to take the away he didn’t where these feelings were coming from were coming from but he wasn’t prepared for what was coming.
I should of read this book sooner. I don’t know why I didn’t but I should of it was just brilliant luvd everything about it. The story was so good I couldn’t get enough of it. Harper’s character was brilliant my heart went out her she didn’t deserve to go through the hell she had. She was a great woman no was strong she just needed help to find that again. Trent is smoking hot big tattooed sexy he was a great man and so caring just what Harper needed but would Trent be what Harper needed.
I would highly recommend this book is was brilliant from start to finish. I could see where stories were forming and it’s just made me want to read more from this series. I can’t wait to know more.
I got hooked when I first read the Blurb. The story was personal and sensitive. It slowly had taking my emotion and deep sympathy toward Harper. Her journey to find the courage to be strong and happiness.
I love Trent Andrews for his patient and what a total gentleman. The strongest steel was a story of survivor and how to overcome your worst fear and to find love.
First book by this author. Although the characters are as different from me as night and day, I loved this book. The author is intelligent, her plots and characters have depth and the romance is real.
Love this book!
This is my 3rd time reading this book, and I just bought the paperback as well because I love it so much. Just gets better each time!
Loved this book!
I loved this!! I started reading The Preload series written by this author but wanted to go right back to the beginning as it is a spin off from The Second Circle Tattoos series. OMG I’m so pleased I did!! Although the Preload boys are only a mention in this book, I would have been gutted to have missed out on Harper and Trent’s story. This is a fabulous read that will have you feeling every emotion possible. Loved it!!
The Strongest Steel is a beautifully written love story. And more than that, it’s a story of a woman coming to terms with atrocities committed against her, and becoming stronger and more self-confident in their aftermath. I absolutely loved Harper and Trent’s relationship. They were sweet, loving and passionate together and equally beautiful characters separately.
I honestly cannot remember the last time I have loved a hero as much as I love Trent. He was so gentle and loving with Harper, helping her to overcome her fear and mistrust of being touched, through his inking over her scars. And Harper, that woman is just amazing! Her journey, with Trent’s help, was emotional and so satisfying. Through it all, she just became stronger and stronger.
But Harper and Trent were not the only amazing characters in The Strongest Steel. I fell in love with Cujo, Drea, Dred and Pixie, too, and cannot wait to read all their stories.
Strength to move forward, strength to leave the past behind, strength to become all that she can be – that is what Harper Connelly determines to do when she goes in to request a tattoo to cover scars on her back.
Ability to see beauty in ugliness, ability to see strength behind fear, ability to see the woman Harper can become – that is what Trent brings to the story. He also brings hotness, creative skills, tenderness and oh so much more!
In addition to the story of Harper and Trent there are a number of great characters that show up just waiting for their stories to be told in future books in the Second Circle Tattoos series. I recommend this book to those looking for an amazing, entertaining, enjoyable book to read this summer…or any time at all!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for gifting me this copy through NetGalley for an honest review.
3,5 stars
‘The strongest steel’ is the first book of the ‘Second Circle Tattoos’ series. This was the first book that I read from Scarlett Cole and I enjoyed it. When the writer is totally new to you, you don’t really know what to expect from the story. From the blurb I got the impression that the story wouldn’t be all sweet and flowery. And it wasn’t but it wasn’t as dark as I had thought too. Yes, the story had some sensitive themes in it but the writer wrote about it in a way that had the perfect balance between light and dark. I really liked that!
I liked the connection between Harper and Trent. How Trent convinced Harper to trust him after everything she had gone through. The gentle way he was with her but still he knew when to push her to do more. Although Harper was very afraid, I still found her a very strong character. Both characters were very likeable, The story is told in both POV’s. ‘The strongest steel’ is an easy read. The second characters, Trent’s colleagues/friends and Harper’s friends were great too. They were loyal and very interesting. I’m already looking forward to reading their story.
‘The strongest steel’ is a good story and the writer certainly convinced me to try more of her books.
This must be one of the strongest character arcs I’ve ever read. When we meet Harper, she is broken and scarred. Downtrodden, barely getting by but with a heart that still beats bravely. That brave and courageous heart leads her to the patient and gentle Trent, a locally famous tattoo artist who specializes in covering scars. Immediately intrigued by each other, Harper and Trent begin the journey of healing. The long process of creating and implementing the stunning tattoo takes months, months in which Harper and Trent learn to trust each other and eventually fall in love. There is delicious suspense to this book as the ghosts from Harper’s past threaten to swallow her whole. It’s present from the first page to the last chapter as we watch Harper go from a shadow to a finely trained fighter. A fascinating journey that I loved every minute of!
The strongest steel is forged in the hottest fire
Thanks to the wonderful Carly Phillips – who raved about Scarlett Cole and her second series “Preload” – I knew I had to give this author a try. And when her first series – Second Circle Tattoos – was on special as a boxset of the first four books, I snapped it up as an early birthday present and have now finally got around to starting it. And let me say, I was absolutely blown away by Scarlett’s phenomenal writing talent. Her story writing skills are incredible – especially as this her debut novel – and I could barely put The Strongest Steel down.
“He had spoken to her. Trent Andrews. To her. The tall, shaggy-haired tattoo god had called out to her, and she’d scuttled off like a church mouse.”
Trent Andrews is an incredible tattoo artist with a heart of gold. I fell in love with him from his first scene and that love only grew the further into the story we got. And couple him with the lovely Harper Connelly, and this book had it all. Harper has a past, one that leads her to Trent’s tattoo studio “Second Circle Tattoos”, and from the moment they meet, you can tell that these two characters have an undeniable connection and an off-the-charts chemistry.
I don’t want to spoil any of the story line, so instead will concentrate on Scarlett’s ability to not only create two fabulous lead characters, but a cast of incredibly supporting characters. I absolutely love Cujo and Drea and can’t wait to read their story next – their banter is comical, sexy and a whole lot of fun. And all of Trent’s friends and employees are portrayed with such authenticity and realness that I am looking forward to discovering more about them.
Harper and Trent’s story is full of twists and turns, drama and action, steamy scenes and plenty of romance. And not an ounce of it feels out of place. The whole story is well paced, the characters well developed and I was left feeling satisfied with Trent and Harper while clearly wanting more from the rest of the Second Circle crew – so I’m glad I’ve got the next three books to keep reading straightaway. Scarlett Cole is one of my must-buy, one-click authors and I’m looking forward to reading all that she has to offer.
This was a very impressive debut from Ms. Cole, her writing style lead me to believe she was a well seasoned author, with a number of books under her belt! I was so enamored with this book that I immediately went to Amazon to purchase more of her books only to find that this was her debut novel! She has definitely found herself a place on my “Must Read Author” list.
This is a story full of raw emotions, intensity, and passion, and it immediately pulled me in and didn’t let go until the last page was turned. I liked the premise of the story and dynamic between the characters Harper and Trent. They had this innocent instant chemistry, and their relationship starts off as sort of a business-like relationship, but with each new encounter they begin to see more in each other, and build trust in one another, and it slowly starts to build into something more. It was a beautiful thing to watch Harper discover her new path in life, and see her find strength in herself, and become more confident with each passing day. This story had a very realistic feel to it, and was beautifully executed, definitely one of the best debuts I have read this year!
I highly encourage you to read this book, you will not be disappointed, it is a beautifully written story of redemption and self discovery!