New Ink on Life

Thorn & Thistle, Book 1

By: Jennie Davids

Narrated by: Kate Zane, Carly Robins

Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's Summary

Quiet does not equal weak....

Leaving a dependable job to apprentice as a tattoo artist was a drastic step after surviving breast cancer, but Cassie Whiteaker is nearly five years cancer-free. Nearly. She’s not ready to go out on her own until she clears that all-important hurdle. Also off-limits are relationships and sex - something Cassie is sure she’ll never want again. 

Struggling tattoo shop owner MJ Flores doesn’t give a damn what people think, but losing Thorn & Thistle would mean losing everything. When her former mentor’s protégé arrives at her door, MJ hires her out of obligation...at first. Cross-stitching goody-goodies are not her type, but Cassie’s business background might just get the shop back on solid footing. They strike a bargain: Cassie will enact new marketing plans, and MJ will teach her to find her inner bitch. 

Only when clients request to see Cassie - having learned of the beautiful, compassionate tattoos she creates for survivors and their families - does MJ realize all Cassie has endured. And as Cassie’s fears fade, she finds it harder to keep her admiration for her bad-girl boss from reawakening all she’d feared was lost. 

This book is approximately 82,000 words.

Click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

©2019 Jennie Davids (P)2019 Harlequin Audio

This is not a fairy tail romance

This is not your everyday Romance. This is no fairy tale where you know the ending as soon as you start. Even though it is a Romance half the time I was convinced it would not work out. Not because of some made up plot twist or a main that even their mother would not love. Nope not that. It was because of the real impact of experiences on the two mains lives. It felt raw, believable and real. It was not making molehills into mountains but having to struggle with real issues both psychological, emotional and physical. Of how body image and self esteem can affect you. About even people who act like they don’t give a shit about anything and are too tough can have wounds, weakness, and flaws. And how some of those things shape you. About how you look affects perception even when it should not. And about how wrong it can be. About how hard it is to grind against those things every day. About how hard it is to struggle to be liked. About how betrayal can hurt. And how you can struggle to change and heal and work to get past those things. About the fight to get stronger and how having a good mentor can help that. This is not a fairytale. But is is about how two every day people who you could pick out on the street struggled together and fell in love. And it is all in their voice in their words, in how they think, react and grow. And how they find that being together makes them both stronger and better.

I Can’t..!

I do NOT understand the high ratings for this awful schlock; (I’m sorry Ms. Davids) but I don’t know what’s worse; the fake “tough dyke”voice that the narrator uses, or the lame, squeaky Cassie caricature. I find both of these voices and the limping story to be insulting and grating; I gritted my teeth through three chapters, but I’m done!
Wish I could get a refund of this wasted credit…

Different in a good way

This book wasn’t what I expected, and that’s a good thing! I really liked that it wasn’t a gimme, if that makes sense. I wasn’t really sure what was going to happen at every turn. I definitely appreciated that.
I thought the book was very well written. Thank you!
I struggled a little with the narration part. I didn’t love the MJ voice, but I did enjoy all others. I’m on the fence when it comes to dual narrators. Some things I like, some things I don’t.
Overall really good book (FYI, 2nd one (Inked with a kiss) is very good!). I would recommend this book without hesitation.

Liked It!

I enjoyed the story. Usually I'm not a fan of the dual narration. These two narrators did a really good job. best way to describe it is well done.

Suprising charming.

Loved the character exploration. Definitely not your typical lesbian romance novel. Well worth the listen.

A wonderful story!

I loved seeing the growth in the two protagonists, as they both began to open up and to trust again. They are each beautiful, and flawed, in their own ways, and seeing them wrestle with their fears as they each contemplate what it could mean to not have stand alone. Their rocky journey was both scary and inspiring to watch. The performances of the two narrators were perfect for their characters.

Excellent audio!

I loved New Ink on Life: Thorn and Thistle, Book 1. I had no expectations going into this book. It blew me away. I loved everything about it. MJ and Cassie are great main characters. A good reminder for all of us not to stereotype people solely on their appearance. Kate Zane and Carly Robins do an excellent job with the narration.

loved this book

I absolutely loved this book the story was believable the narrators were breathtaking excellent book.

Easy listening

Really enjoyed this love story flying the flag for multiple causes liked a different voice for different person

Enjoyable story

The book switches point of view between the two main characters, and this was the first audiobook I’ve listened to with two narrators. It took some getting use to as I was expecting each narrator to voice their own character throughout but they each did all the voices in their POV section.

Really enjoyed the story.