Passion and Ink

Naima Simone

Feb 2019 · Sweetest Taboo Book 2 · Sold by Entangled: Scorched

About this ebook

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 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

Ratings and reviews

3.75 stars—PASSION AND INK is the second instalment in Naima Simone’s contemporary, adult SWEETEST TABOO erotic romance series. This is twenty-seven year old,tattoo artist Jude Gordon, and twenty-six year old, waitress /accountant Cypress Winters. PASSION AND INK can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary. Told from dual first person perspectives (Jude and Cypress) PASSION AND INK follows the forbidden or ‘taboo’ relationship between step-siblings twenty-seven year, tattoo artist Jude Gordon, and twenty - six year old, waitress / accountant Cypress Winters. Tattoo artist Jude Gordon struggles with his direction in life; an ex-girlfriend who won’t let go; and the secrets and memories he is must keep to himself. Meeting the beautiful waitress who calls herself Ro, is the perfect foil for a man who battles between in the here and now. But a family dinner reveals Jude’s one-night stand is none-other than the step-sister he hasn’t seen for close to ten years, a woman who now consumes his fantasies and dreams. Enter Cypress ‘Ro’ Winters-Keller, and the woman with whom Jude will fall in love. What ensues is the building but secret relationship between Cypress and Jude, and the potential fall-out as Cypress and Jude’s time together comes with an unexpected expiry date. Cypress Winters left California amid a work place controversy, and her mother’s inability to thrive on her own. Returning to Chicago meant starting over but never did she think she would have to face the man who all but destroyed her family and her mother’s life. Jude Gordon struggles with memories of the past, a time long ago where a thirteen year old boy became the adult to his mother’s spiral out of control. A gifted tattoo artist, our hero finds himself in direct competition with his more ‘successful ‘ brother Knox. The relationship between Jude and Cypress is a step-sibling, taboo romance. Cypress’ father makes our heroine an offer she is unable to refuse but in doing so, places her relationship with Jude towards a path with only heart break but no future. The $ex scenes are passionate, vibrant and intense. The colorful secondary and supporting characters include Cypress’ broken mother Brenda Keller, her father Dan Keller, and Jude’s mother Katherine.We are reintroduced to Jude’s brother and fellow tattoo artist Knox Gordon (Sin and Ink #1), and his girlfriend Eden, as well as several fellow tattoo artists at Hard Knox Ink, and Jude’s ex-girlfriend Annalise. The world building continues to focus on the forbidden, the relationships deemed taboo by society but relationships where two people find love and their happily ever after. PASSION AND INK is a story of family, betrayal, loss and love. The premise is captivating; the romance is seductive; the characters are broken, determined and lost.

Holy Mother of Hotness! This book! Forget the cold shower and just jump into a tub of ice, this kindle scorching book was off the hook. Passion my arce, this was outright down and dirty. Jude and Cypress are probably one of the hottest couples out there today. These two meet at the bar where she is currently working, licking her wounds after leaving a job that has left her doubting herself, untrusting of others, broke, and wounded. Trying to get herself together while also tending to her needy and dependent mother; can you say dysfunctional ? Speaking of dysfunctional we meet Jude who is another Gordon brother, we met brother Knox in book one. Jude is truly and artist works at the tattoo shop and has plans for his future, all the while carrying the burden of a family secret. He's got his share of baggage as well. Between the two of them, think more than a matching set. His family is beyond screwed up, the more we see in these books after their father and mother, the sicker they become. Enough said. So when the ever elusive Cypress comes to Sunday dinner after a wicked night with Jude, there's one jaw dropping moment after another during the family meal. She's there to ask her father, who, oh just say it, happens to be Jude's father as well. Dad Dan is a real piece of work, and agrees to help Cypress with conditions. The story unfolds after that with Cypress and Jude doing their dirty level best to maintain those, while trying the work through their nut load of issues. I love Naima and am a huge fan. She writes fantastic stories, woven together with such tension and depth of character while wreaking of steam and currents of love. I tend to expect her to level up with every book she writes. But for me this series has been tough. I find it hard to relate to the characters because the balance between them and the family threads of hear no evil, speak no evil.... you get my gist, the dysfunction freaking distracts me and takes away from the best part of the story... the two main characters. Sigh. This book should get a 5 just for whatever out of the world steam she was writing, however the storyline was weak and derailed the body of work. I'm giving it 3.5 because I love her work and effort. arc from NetGalley and Entangled for an honest review

This romance is a gripping tale of one young woman’s life struggle and the temptation presented her by the man wrapped in golden skin and sin who turns out to be her stepbrother. Jude and Cypress have some seriously electrical chemistry going on throughout this romance as they struggle against a whole host of taboo and emotional issues. These strong, compelling characters are full of life and readers find themselves wanting to be a part of their story as they overcome adversity and reach for their happily ever after with a sinfully delicious relationship full of passion. The story is fast paced and the suspense builds throughout as Cypress and Jude struggle with the obstacles that life keeps throwing their way and a family issues that include blackmail. Jude may be Cypress’s obsession but he has her wanting to sin in all kinds of ways in this red hot and passionate romance that has readers unable to put this story and has them wanting some of that deliciousness as well. The author has brought a difficult but real situation to life that is steamy, gritty and extremely satisfying.

About the author

Naima Simone's love of romance was first stirred by Johanna Lindsey, Sandra Brown, and Linda Howard many years ago. Well, not that many. She is only eighteen...ish. Though her first attempt at a romance novel starring Ralph Tresvant from New Edition never saw the light of day, her love of romance, reading, and writing has endured. Published since 2009, she spends her days—and nights—creating stories of unique men and women who experience the first bites of desire, the dizzying heights of passion, and the tender, healing heat of love.

She is wife to Superman, or his non-Kryptonian, less bulletproof equivalent, and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They all live in perfect, sometimes domestically challenged bliss in the southern United States.

Come visit Naima at www.naimasimone.com.