The Strongest Steel by Scarlett Cole Review

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5 Smooches

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Synopsis

Harper Connelly never expected to find herself outside of a tattoo parlor at one in the morning, summoning the nerve to take back her past. She’s determined to forget her old life and is looking for an artist who can tattoo over the scars on her back.

Trent Andrews, local legend and owner of the Second Circle tattoo studio, has his own reasons for specializing in inking over scars. And in spite of her mysterious past and the difficult road ahead, he quickly realizes that Harper is funny, smart, and–under her ridiculously oversized clothing and SPF 100 sunscreen–totally hot. He’s happy to take on the challenge of designing a meaningful and deadly full-back tattoo for her.

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. Running was the only thing that saved her last time, but now that she’s started to put down roots in Miami, she’ll have to decide if she can finally fight back instead.

Review

So this review wasn’t supposed to happen. A good book friend of mine recommended this book to me and offered to see about getting me a review copy. My schedule is packed full right now so I told her that I could not accept a copy that I just didn’t have time to review right away. Instead this friend offered to gift me a copy and just asked if I would at least rate it when I had time to read it. Well as you can see I just could not help myself and I dove in right away intending to just rate it when I was done and move on. But then I met Trent and my love for him cannot go without mentioning. So here I am on a Sunday night ignoring my responsibilities and making sure you all know how wonderful The Strongest Steel is.

“I am seriously crushing on you, Harper Connelly.”

Mystery, passion and figuring out how to live a full life are the bare bones of The Strongest Steel, but there is so much more. SO much I want to talk about but would be doing you a disservice if I gave any of it away. Just know that Harper has been living a half life, letting the past control her future and she is finally ready to take the first step in taking control of her life. Trent has never had any intentions of settling down but from the moment that Harper walks into his studio late one night everything from that moment on for him changes.

“There had been a monumental shift. Maybe now she was running to something.”

The beauty in their relationship is that is was a slow build, patient and kind, Trent never takes more than Harlow is ready to give and a true friendship develops before anything else. Alpha in the sense that is is protective to the core and possessive when needed, Trent is deliciously sexy and his gentle heart makes him the best of kind of book boyfriend there is.

“You guys are like mac ‘n’ cheese. They both taste good on their own, you know. But together they are the best comfort food ever.”

The Strongest Steel is a book you can get lost in. Funny, suspenseful and a cast of characters you can’t hep but love. While I typically don’t love books writtenin third person this one was done so well I didn’t even notice most of the time. The worst part of this book is knowing that the next standalone in the series is not due out till I believer early 2016.

~miranda

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