The Purest Hook by Scarlett Cole

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Title: The Purest Hook
Author: Scarlett Cole
Series: Second Circle Tattoos #3
Published by: Swerve
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Format: Kindle Book
Pages: 273
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Potential Triggers: View Spoiler »sexual abuse, drug abuse, physical abuse, neglect... « Hide Spoiler
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge, Lenoreo's COYER Quarantine Edition
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My rating:

Blurb:

Can a love built on secrets survive?

Rugged, hot, and rock hard, Dred Zander is exactly the type of man that normally sends Pixie running. Not dreaming about running her hands down his washboard abs...and lower. The lead singer and guitarist for the band Preload embodies trouble behind his quick smile and guarded eyes, and Pixie left trouble behind her years ago along with the name Sarah Jane Travers and the pathetic trailer her mom called home. With her abusive past in her past, she has a new life, a new family at Second Circle, and a dream of opening her own business. She needs capital and time. What she doesn't need is a tempting long-haired rocker or the paparazzi that follow him around.

But Dred has other ideas. Pixie's sweet hazel eyes, purple hair and kaleidoscopic tattoo of exotic flowers that swirl up her arm haunt his dreams, and he knows she wants him too. He just has to convince her. But as a juicy exposé threatens to expose their pasts, and a blackmailer terrorizes their present, Pixie and Dred have to decide what really matters and fight like hell to keep it.

My Review:

4 stars — I don’t know, this one just worked for me.  I really loved that even though Dred and Pixie were seriously SO DIFFERENT, there was an undeniable connection and attraction between them that they couldn’t help exploring.

This book definitely suffered from moments where I was like “OMG, investigate that!  Doesn’t that seem crazy??”  Or “get some backup!”  Or other logical thoughts for the things they were going through.  Which is, somewhat frustrating.  It’s probably what’s keeping this a 4 instead of a 4.5 star.  Basically it was one of those books where to a reader there were obvious answers that the characters just kept not seeing.

Dred was a strange mix of hard and soft.  I mean, he’s the lead singer in a metal band for goodness sake.  But I loved the way he respected Pixie’s boundaries, how he fell in love with Petal so easily, and the relationship he had with his brothers.  You could honestly feel the bond those boys had with one another, and I loved it.

Pixie was pretty fun and adorable.  I ached for what she went through in her past, and it’s so hard to see how child abuse can shape a person’s perspective — particularly how she still thought people would be upset with her instead of being horrified with her situation.  I LOVED that when she had setbacks, even though it took her some time, she inevitably relied upon the friends and support systems she had set up for herself.  It gave me a sense of goodness in the world.

They were pretty steamy together as well.  I loved the way they navigated that, because it could have been really tricky.  But I feel like they didn’t compromise who they were, while still respecting one another enough to get through any tricky spots.  Basically, consent is fucking hot when done right.

Loved seeing the Second Circle Tattoo folks again, and it’s making me think I really need to go back and finally finish the series by reading Cujo’s book.  I really appreciated the made family that was showcased there.

And the main reason I read this book is that I want to finally read the whole Preload series, but I remember wishing I had read Dred’s book first when I read Jordan Reclaimed a few years ago, so I thought I would do it in the right order this time.  Those boys break my heart, but inevitably put it back together.

These stories tend to showcase how people with crazy circumstances in their pasts can truly find their way to a HEA, and I love that.  I actually probably would enjoy these stories even more without the added suspense element added in…there’s enough of their journey towards happiness, I don’t need the bad guy stuff.  But either way, this was a definite winner for me.