Book Review – Sins and Needles (Artists Trilogy #1) – Karina Halle

“I’m not bad. The world is bad and I’m just trying to survive in it.”

Sometimes you see people everywhere praising a new book or a new author and you want to find out what the fuss is about. Sometimes I choose to avoid the hullabaloo and stick to my TBR order. This was one of the times I decided to avoid the fuss and boy do I regret it! I wanted something different. Something steamy, angsty but…. different. Opened up Sins and Needles and I have to say… wow!

We meet Ellie Watt, daughter of con-artists extraordinaire… and… you guessed it, a con artist. She’s been all over the country doing what she does best, grifting and pissing everyone off. Until she pisses off just one more person, and realizes its time to lay low. The best place to lay low is the small town she grew up in. There, everyone still knows her as Ellie Watt. And though they know about her and her parents, she figures it’s the last place anyone would come looking for her. Just one problem. Camden McQueen still lives there. Camden, her childhood bestfriend, her first kiss… her next target.

Camden is no longer the weird goth guy he was at school. He’s turned into a sexy as hell tattooed tattoo artist (get the many artists in this book?) 🙂 Camden is also clearly doing well moneywise. Ellie realizes that her meager amount is quickly dwindling and why not perform one last scam and make a life elsewhere… but Camden is done being used by Ellie Watt, is done being used period.

I’ve always been afraid of you, little Hellie. You’ve got something dark inside you, you always have. I don’ want to be around when it comes out.

What follows is the stuff movies are made off. Car chases, Mexican Cartels, Italian Druglords… you name it! I had wondered what kind of book this would be but never did I expect such a wonderful mix of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Especially the latter! Seriously hold-on-to-your-seats suspense! And the romance…. sigh…

“I hate you Ellie Watt,” he whispered, lips coming closer to mine, “because I still love you after all these years.”

Yes, bad Ellie broke sweet Camden’s heart years ago. And though he wishes that he’s hardened his heart, he hasn’t. It’s still soft and beating for Ellie. But can Ellie change? Can she stop hurting people? Can she stop hurting him?

We also get what is bound to become one of the best love triangles. At least I think so. See, one man from Ellie’s past is back. Her ex and head of a cartel, Javier Bernal. And he wants her back at all costs. God he was so sexy scary! And though I absolutely love Camden, I LOVED Javier’s intensity!