REVIEW: The Strongest Steel by Scarlett Cole

The Strongest Steel by Scarlett Cole: Four years ago Harper ran away from her home in order to escape the shadow her abusive ex-boyfriend after putting him in prison. But even in prison, he still has reach to the outside, making sure Harper knows he’s never going to leave her alone, especially now that he’s up for parole.
With her scarred back, she goes to the best tattoo artist around, Trent, the owner of Second Circle tattoo parlor, to hide the damage, if only she could stand being touched. But as he creates the perfect image to show how far she’s come, they fall madly for each other and finally she heals through his touch. If only messages from her ex weren’t appearing to ruin the peace she had worked for.

“How would you feel if I hugged you?’
Being touched by him didn’t seem as frightening as it had the night before, but what if she freaked out?
‘I’m not sure,’ Harper whispered.
He opened his arms to her. ‘Care to find out?’

As enjoyable The Strongest Steel was to read, I wanted more. Trent was absolutely wonderful. His passion for Harper was perfect, and he was a great mix of sweet and sexy (with a very cool Dante streak). Harper, too, was adorable, and although she definitely had her fears, I felt she was a strong character.
But they had no conflict. The only issue between the two ended up feeling very contrived since the author hadn’t been building it at all throughout the story. Rather, all throughout things were generally very happy, aside from the slightly rising tensions from Harper’s ex.
But I like my artists, and even though the abusive ex coming back into the heroine’s life is a trope I’m getting tired of, I enjoyed exploring both Harper and Trent as they fell for each other. For any reader looking for a pleasant ride and a passionate tattoo artist, I recommend The Strongest Steel.
 

Book Info:

 July 7, 2015 | St. Martin’s Paperbacks | Second Circle Tattoos #1

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.