Title: Draw Me In
Author: Regina Cole
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: November 4, 2014
Add to: Goodreads
Synopsis
In
Regina Cole’s steamy novel of hot ink and delicious angst, two tortured artists
take a leap of faith—but the past threatens to tear them apart.
After her parents pull the plug
on her college fund to finance their nasty divorce, Hailey Jakes is desperate
to pay her own way and finish her degree in graphic design. She can hardly
believe her luck when the sexiest guy she’s ever seen hires her to be the
receptionist at his tattoo shop. With sea-blue eyes, jet-black hair, and full
sleeves of tattoos on his muscular arms, Neill Vanderhaven looks like the kind
of guy who wouldn’t give her the time of day. In fact, he’s mesmerized by
her—and it doesn’t hurt that she’s talented as hell.
But Hailey and Neill have more in
common than instant chemistry: They’re both carrying serious baggage. Hailey’s
parents split after years of blowout fights and sloppy affairs. Neill just got
out of something serious with a woman who loved her bad habits more than she
loved him. When they take the plunge on a new relationship, they’re both
breaking their own rules.
But then a terrible
misunderstanding brings Neill’s worst fears to life, and their connection
threatens to come crashing down. What they have is more than skin-deep, but now
Hailey and Neill need to decide whether the kind of love that lasts forever is
worth such exquisite pain.
My Review
Excerpt
Hailey Jakes is
your typical college student until one day she receives a phone call that
changes everything for her. Hailey is dealt a
huge blow to her personal life. Not only are her parents divorcing after years
of cheating and unhappiness. But with the looming
divorce there isn’t any money for her tuition. So not only is she dealt the news of her parents, she's now facing the idea of not getting her art degree.
Determined to not have to drop out
and return home in the midst of a divorce war she does what any other would do;
she gets a part time job.
Hailey happens to luck out big time,
after ponding the pavement with not one prospect in sight she pretty much
stumbles in and lands a receptionist job that will suit her needs perfectly.
Welcome to Sinful Skin.
Hailey is hired on the spot by one
mother of a tattooed god of hotness known as Neill Vanderhaven.
Hello sexy biker tatted hottie!
Just as her family life seems to be
falling apart there just might be a light at the end of the tunnel.
It turns
out that Hailey and her new boss, Neill have INSANE chemistry that just
radiates when they are together. I so enjoyed reading how these two tried in
vain to ignore and deny their connection.
As the story moves along I loved
watching the building of sexual tension and continued attempts at denial.
But denial and attempts at avoidance
can only last so long. Soon enough they are waving their white flags in defeat, giving into their incredible sexual attraction. What follows is some pretty hot and heavy scenes with the perfect touch of
sweetness to make you swoon.
“It felt right, having her close, touching her. My blood
pumped harder every time she entered the room. But actually being able to feel
her heat, smell her clean scent, rub against that silky skin? It was heaven.
And I was tired of living in hell.” -Nell
Of course everything can’t be perfect as both Neill and Hailey have a ton of issues that really do work against them, not allowing them to truly be happy. There are also a few surprises along the way that manage to come between these two and I found myself gasping at what could have happened.
But luckily for them its not really these outside sources standing in their way of fully committing to being together, its more them themselves and their issues allowing them to be hesitant to pursue a relationship. For Neill its a past relationship that has left him hurt and unable to trust and for Hailey its her parents divorce, as well a the pressure of school.
Thankfully for
us they eventually both realize that they deserve to be happy and decide that
they want to be happy together. As they finally admit that what they share is worth the fight and both allow the walls they've build to around them to crumble, we see them fight for each other and I loved it!
I really liked this story, but I do
have to say that I was left with some unanswered questions and I felt something
was missing plot wise, I feel so much more could have be done with certain plot
aspects, once they were introduced. I would have liked Neill to be a tad bit more alpha as that's what I first expected out of the tatted hottie once first introduced.
But overall Neill and Hailey were a fun fresh couple that I enjoyed
getting to know and Draw Me In is definetly worth a read.
★★☆ 3.5 Stars ☆★★
Reviewed By Gillian Grybas
Buy it
Read it
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Excerpt
I almost floated back to
campus. Even the fact that the dining hall had long since closed wasn’t enough
to dampen my spirits. My keys jingled in the lock of my dorm room.
“Jackie?” I called softly as I opened the door. An empty
room greeted me, my side partially organized with a haphazardly made bed and
random stacks of books and folded clothes, Jackie’s side a chaotic jumble with
zero semblance of order. The bathroom door stood open, our suitemate’s side
shut.
“Must be out,” I said to myself as I raided our small
fridge. A Snickers bar from the tiny freezer and a Diet Dr Pepper was a good
dinner, right? I dropped into my desk chair, unwrapping the candy bar and
grabbing a cold, sweet bite. With the chocolate melting in my mouth, I yanked
open the desk drawer. The rest of my room might be a mess, but my art supplies
were always painstakingly organized. With pencils and sketchpad in hand, and my
blood sugar happily spiking, I started drawing. A strong jawline shadowed with
beard growth. An aquiline nose. Dark, curling hair that laid playfully against
the collar of his tee. And the eyes. Those eyes were the hardest part. They
weren’t just eyes, they were more than that. Portals to another world or pools
of lust itself. The metaphor might be melodramatic, but dammit, they were
gorgeous.
I concentrated as I lined each lash, portrayed each tiny
beam of light, each dark fleck in those stormy blue eyes. When it was done, I
sank back into the chair.
Neill. Neill Vanderhaven. I was crushing hard on my new
boss.
The door to the room opened suddenly, and I jumped, slamming
the sketchbook shut, nearly upsetting the remnants of my soda in the process.
“Hey, Hales!” Lily, my suitemate and good friend, nearly
skipped into the room, her bright green earrings jingling softly; her dark eyes
were bright with excitement. “You really missed a good Frisbee game this
afternoon. Walt and Brian nearly killed each other. I didn’t know before today
that contact Frisbee existed. Whatcha working on?”
I clutched the sketchbook to my chest. “Just doodling.
Nothing, really.”
Lily flopped onto my bed, folding her long legs beneath her.
“I wanted to see if you could help quiz me. I’ve got a chemistry test tomorrow,
and some of these elements are tripping me up.” She shoved her bangs away from
her forehead, the silky hair flopping right back into its previous position the
moment her hand fell away.
“Sure,” I agreed, yanking open my desk drawer. “No problem.
Just let me put this away . . .”
“Oh, come on, let me see. You know I love your drawings,”
Lily cajoled as she reached for the sketchbook, fluttering her long lashes.
“You don’t have to be embarrassed.”
“I’m not.” I gripped the sketchbook tighter. The spiral
binding cut into my palm. “It’s
just . . .”
“Hey, you know I love
your art. When have I ever said anything mean about it?” Lily pouted, her
normally thin lips going impressively full when pooched out like a manipulative
kindergartener’s.
I sighed in defeat. “You haven’t.”
“Oh yeah, and you haven’t told me how the job search went
today!” Lily bounced on the bed. “So give me your drawing and tell me while I
ooh and aah over your talent.”
“Dammit, Lil,” I groaned, but passed the sketchbook anyway.
The chair legs scraped across the wooden floor as I turned the chair so I could
face Lily.
Lily flopped the book open to the silky red ribbon bookmark.
Her jaw went slack, almond eyes rounding as she took in the sketch. “Holy shit,
Hales. Who the hell is this?” Her voice was breathy, almost reverent.
“That,” I said with a weak smile, “is my new boss.”
“Holy shit,” Lily repeated in an awed whisper.
“You’ve got that right.”
About the Author
Regina Cole, lover of manly muscled arms, chest hair, and mini-marshmallows, has been reading romance since her early teens. While she loves a love story of any heat level, she’s been drawn to the erotic side, and is loving every minute.
When she’s not frantically pounding away at the keyboard, she can be found fishing with her family, playing with her dogs, trying out strange new recipes, or snuggling with her hubby.
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