Moonbeams over Atlanta welcomes Rhys Ford and the beginning of a new series: 415 Ink with the first book Rebel. It released on December 29th 2017 by Dreamspinner Press, and is approximately 220 pages. Stay tuned tomorrow for a review of Savior, the second book in the series. 🙂
The Review:
Rhys provided the story to me for an honest review.
5 Stars
When I got the opportunity to receive the ARC for Savior and decide to attempt a release-day review (I try, but sometimes I fall behind), I realized that I hadn’t read and reviewed Rebel’s ARC either. I ultimately bought it and then forgot to do that review. Real Life got in the way and it’s been a helluva year. I’m sure some readers can agree.
So, I think, “Great! I’m a series completionist. I’ll try out this new series of Rhys and get that elusive release-day review in too.” Two birds with one stone, and all that. (The blurb for Rebel did help tip me over to have a goal of one day in 2018 getting my first tattoo.)
It’s a good thing Rhys sent it early August for Savior so it gave me time to get both of them read. 😀 I just need to work on the scheduling reviews earlier part… and now, on to the review.
We meet Rey Montenegro, firefighter extraordinaire in San Francisco, California and former flame for tattoo artist Gus Scott, who returned to his family’s tattoo shop at 415 Ink to work on his personal demons and issues. One of those demons was how the relationship ended with Rey. In the midst of Rey and Gus circling each other to actually talk about the past, they find that family is key and it’s the family you make that heal your heart. There’s angst as only Rhys does, a romance that is slow to rekindle, and a new world and characters to learn about. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about all of the “brothers” and how they banded together to create the family Gus returns to and Rey becomes a part of. I love how Gus and Rey get together: How Rey helps out Gus with Chris, Gus’s son, with no expectation of returning to the relationship that Rey ended suddenly three years prior. It’s a slow revival of trust as Gus and Rey open themselves to finally allow their relationship to be what they need it to be. It’s not explosive. It’s not sudden. Rey has to earn Gus’s trust again. It’s a great story to set the stage for the rest of the 415 Ink family: Ivo, Bear, Mace, and Luke. I was glad I could run right to the next book in the series to continue the story that gripped my imagination with it’s realism. This is definitely a great world to read about and the romance is hot too. 😉
Overall, I give Rebel 5 out of 5 stars.
Note: As of this blog posting, Rebel is on sale for $1.99 at all retailers. I would snatch it up while you can. I don’t know when the sale will end, so go quick.
Eloreen Moon
Book Links:
Dreamspinner | Amazon | B&N | Google Play | Kobo | Goodreads | iTunes
About the Author:
Rhys Ford is an award-winning author with several long-running LGBT+ mystery, thriller, paranormal, and urban fantasy series, including Murder and Mayhem, a 2016 LAMBDA finalist. She is published by Dreamspinner Press and DSP Publications.
She’s also quite skeptical about bios without a dash of something personal and really, who doesn’t mention their cats, dog and cars in a bio? She shares the house with Yoshi, a grumpy tuxedo cat and Tam, a diabetic black pygmy panther, as well as a ginger cairn terrorist named Gus. Rhys is also enslaved to the upkeep a 1979 Pontiac Firebird and enjoys murdering make-believe people.
Rhys’ Blog: www.rhysford.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rhys.ford.author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rhys_Ford
Rhys Ford’s books can found at Dreamspinner Press (http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com), DSP Publications (https://www.dsppublications.com/) and all major online book stores.