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Hard Ink

Get Ink'd, Book 4

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Hard Ink

By: Ali Lyda
Narrated by: Connor Brown
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Summary

I don’t have the best history with older men.

When Mateo saw my last relationship implode, he was there to help. He saved me. Hopefully, self-defense lessons will keep me from getting hit again.

I can’t ask for more of my friend. Even dreaming of keeping him is wrong. But when my ex makes things difficult, Mateo steps up again.

I don’t want a protector, but maybe, it’s time to accept a little help. For the first time in my life, I want something real.

What will it cost to keep the man I’m falling for?

Bryan needs a protector. Those rich old guys that chase after him aren’t the answer. All I want is to keep him safe.

I want to watch him grow into the strong man I know he can be. Falling for him wasn’t the plan. But now that I’ve had a taste, I can’t let him go.

Sparks and ink fly in Hard Ink, a 60,000-word stand-alone m/m workplace romance between a tattoo artist and teacher Mateo and his student and co-worker Bryan.

©2020 Special Fiction Books (P)2020 Special Fiction Books Contemporary Contemporary Romance Romance Romantic Suspense Suspense
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Hard Ink is the fourth book in the Get Ink’d series, and although it could stand on it’s own, I suggest reading the series in order to get the full backstory on the plot.

Hard Ink focuses on Mateo, one of the tattoo artists at the shop, and Bryan, one of the young men that finds a second chance working at the shop. Bryan is young, but he’s experienced a lot of the uglier side of life and has done his time in juvenile detention. This has left a mark on Bryan who believes he needs a rich man to support and help him—something that completely backfires on him. Enter Mateo; strong, protective Mateo who won’t let Bryan struggle by himself. While both men have to face the consequences of previous bad decisions, they do so together and it really enhances the relationship and romance.

I enjoyed this book and really liked how the characters grew and developed. The romance was sweet and steamy, and the connection between the two men was intense. There were a lot of obstacles and stressful moments that both men had to face, both individually and together, but these hard moments only made them stronger and better.

The audiobook was narrated by Connor Brown, who did a fantastic job. I really like Connor’s voice and how he narrated all the characters. The audiobook performance was fun and easy to listen to and the audiobook production was well done.

Hard Moments, Sweet Love

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I liked this story as an audio better than the Kindle version, but it still wasn't a home run for me. I've read the other books in this series, so I already knew a lot about both Bryan and Mateo. I'm tempted to say this book shouldn't be read as a standalone, but I think if you can get over the abrupt-feeling start you'll be able to catch up on what's going on pretty quickly. For the most part, I loved the age-gap dynamic in this book. Sometimes I feel a little weird about the uneven power dynamics in books like this, but Bryan and Mateo were so obviously on equal footing in this relationship. At times, Mateo stepped up to fill the protector role, but he ceded to Bryan and let himself be supported just as often. That being said, I really hated the childish temper tantrum these two engaged in towards the end of the book. Everything up until that point had led me to believe that they were communicating clearly and trusting each other completely, so to have their relationship be tested by something like that didn't sit right with me. I understand that Mateo had so much more to deal with than just his and Bryan's new relationship, but it felt ridiculous that over eight days went by without these two even touching base with each other. In a story where I saw Mateo and Bryan building each other up and exploring their love so deeply, it did annoy me to go through such a rollercoaster at the very end. Putting that conflict aside, I have no complaints about the rest of this story. Bryan and Mateo both know what it's like to be betrayed by the ones who are supposed to love you, so it was all the more satisfying to see them find a lasting, unconditional love with each other.

**I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions. 

Enjoyable romance, minus the temper tantrum

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Listener received this title free

I enjoyed listening to this book following Bryan and Mateo as sort out their relationship and deal with some hurdles.

Enjoyed

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Listener received this title free

This is another great instalment with exciting plot, stimulating characters and amusing banter throughout. Ali lyda does a fantastic job writing this series and I’m looking forward to the next in the audiobook series.

Connor brown has Dane a fantastic just with this audio. He is really nice to listen to and not at all hard to follow. He had a smooth delivery, perfect lengthed pauses and great pacing to his speech. Looking forward to more!

Another great Inked story

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I have been looking forward to this book coming out on audiobook after the tease at the end of Old Ink. I wanted to know what happened between Mateo and Bryan. This book definitely did not disappoint. Their relationship slowly came together despite obstacles, communication issues and unwanted attention from Bryan’s not so distant past. Connor Brown’s narration has a lovely tone of voice and his characterisation was great.

Perfect match

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