Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
A savior lies in the heart of every good man, but sometimes only love can awaken the man inside the savior.
The world’s had it out for San Francisco firefighter Mace Crawford from the moment he was born. Rescued from a horrific home life and dragged through an uncaring foster system, he’s dedicated his life to saving people, including the men he calls his brothers. As second-in-command of their knitted-together clan, Mace guides his younger siblings, helps out at 415 Ink, the family tattoo shop, and most of all, makes sure the brothers don’t discover his darkest secrets.
It’s a lonely life with one big problem—he’s sworn off love, and Rob Claussen, one of 415 Ink’s tattoo artists, has gotten under his skin in the worst way possible.
Mace’s world is too tight, too controlled to let Rob into his life, much less his heart, but the brash Filipino inker is there every time Mace turns around. He can’t let Rob in without shaking the foundations of the life he’s built, but when an evil from his past resurfaces, Mace is forced to choose between protecting his lies and saving the man he’s too scared to love.
Savior is the second in the 415 Ink series, the Tattoo shop and its family this story and series is being built around. If I loved the first story, then I also completely fell in love with the broken men here as well. I can see they are all going to effect me that way. Rhys Ford’s men have a habit of doing that.
Mace Crawford was introduced to us in Rebel but it wasn’t really his story. That we get here and what a nightmare it was and still is because he remains firmly in the grips of what his past, his horror of a childhood and genetic family has done to him. It’s given him an emotional mindset that sends him running through the city in an endless game of tag because to remain still scares him, keeps him up and in search of comforting loud noises around him for silence haunts him, and leaves his family of brothers clueless as to the depths of pain and terror he has truly faced in his short lifetime because he fears to tell them. Complicated doesn’t even begin to cover it. Mace is a Rhys Ford character in spades and he’s amazing.
The man he can’t keep his eyes off of? That would be the one employed by his brothers at 415 Ink. Rob Claussen, a tattoo artist, with a lively endearing attitude hiding his own story of rejection and survival. Rob is the light to Mace’s darkness and Ford makes the pull of attraction between them visceral.
Mace fights his feelings for Rob even as Rob fights for Mace. Ford brings the monster at the heart of Mace’s past to shatter everything, something you expect from her stories but its still so shattering when it happens…every time.
There are so many wonderful other characters here. From the Chinese “Grandmother” Mace checks in on in his building to Rob’s best friend to of course, all the brothers…everyone here is someone you enjoy spending time with. Which is a great thing because they all reappear in each other’s stories to my joy. There is a great lump of a dog and a child that all are involved in raising, a house that is ever expanding/repairing/improving itself, and a cobbled together band of brothers you take to heart with their scars inside and out, wounded souls, and need for HEA.
I’m so happy we are only on the second story. I can’t wait for more. What a series this is turning out to be.
And yes I highly recommend it.
Cover Artist: Reece Notley. I like the cover. It brands the series but wish it was more Rob and less Mace tbh.
Pre Order Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon
Book Details:
ebook, 220 pages
Expected publication: September 18th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781640808614
Edition LanguageEnglish
Series 415 Ink :
Rebel
Savior
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 