Old Ink

Get Ink'd, Book 3

By: Ali Lyda

Narrated by: Connor Brown

Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

He’s way too young and he works for me...so why can’t I stay away?

Regan

I had no trouble saying no to Channing when he left for college two years ago. I’m two-and-a-half decades older than him, and he was just a kid.

But he’s all man now, and it’s hard to stay away. Especially when he takes a job at my tattoo shop for the summer. He’s got his whole life ahead of him. I can’t let him waste it on me.

Channing

I’m not letting Regan go this time.

I’m about to turn 21, but the only thing I want a drink of is Regan, the hot tattoo shop owner who’s my boss for the summer.

I can see desire in his eyes when I catch him looking at me. And I know my place is right beside him. Nothing has ever felt more right than sleeping in his arms.

But how can we make it work when I’m heading back to school once summer is over?

Old Ink is a M/M romance that gives you a scorching May/December romance between a young man figuring out his place in the world and a seasoned tattoo artist who knows a thing or two about love and heartbreak.

©2020 Special Fiction Books (P)2020 Special Fiction Books

Loved it

Channing and Regan wow what a story. You always think the more older guy should have his stuff together. This book just shows that sometimes that's not always the case. Channing was great and so wonderful and should have knocked Regan over the head a time or two. Connor did a great job with this story. I liked the way he brought the guys such great wonderful personalties.

Age-Gap Romance for Reagan and Channing

'Old Ink', the third book of Ali Lyda's 'Get Ink'd' romance series sees tattoo shop owner Reagan finally accept, and act on, his feelings toward much younger college student Channing. I requested and listened to a free review copy of this audiobook, but didn't listen to Book 2 beforehand. While these books are definitely connected and Reagan and Channing's story started in the previous book, I never felt like I was missing crucial details. The book stands alone well, in my opinion.

In this book, the reader is treated to a slow-burn, age-gap romance. At the start of the story, the older character, Reagan, is spending a lot of time with internal thoughts of how it's a terrible idea to start a relationship with someone so young. Channing has been in love with Reagan for over 3 years and feels it's time to show Reagan that he is now a mature and experienced adult capable of a grown-up relationship. Most of the first half of the book deals with Reagan's internal, cyclical thoughts about his skewed reasoning why a relationship with Channing can't happen. It seems a bit repetitive at times. This type of slow-burn is not my favorite way an author creates tension in a romance, and once the characters start to communicate their feelings, I began to enjoy it more. Overall, It's a solid, believable romantic story.

This is my first listen with Connor Brown as narrator. He does a nice job with exposition. His delivery of dialogue, however, at times seems stiff and rushed. Maybe this was a deliberate choice on his part, but it didn't always convey a natural flow of speech. These minor quibbles won't prevent me from listening to other performances of his.

The previous comments are a representation of my honest and voluntary opinion of 'Old Ink: Get Ink'd, Book 3'.

Recommended.

Age Don't Matter

I received an ARC of this audio for my honest review. This story is about Reagan and Channing. Channing has been in love with Reagan for over 3 years while Reagan keeps thinking of reasons, they shouldn’t be together the main reason being the age gap. Can they each overcome the issues that are keeping them apart? I’m glad that finally got their HEA. I thought Connor Brown did a great job narrating this storyline.

Overall: 4.5 Stars: good story w/great narration

This is the second audiobook I’ve listened to by this narrator. Both audiobooks are in this series. I really enjoy the way he can manipulate his voice to give each character their own sound. His voice is pleasant to the ears, and he did a great job bringing this book to life... it is because of this that I’m giving the audiobook a better ratings than the ebook, which I gave 4 stars.

***Original review:

I’m typically a big fan of the age gap storyline, but this one had a twist to it. Channing was the younger man in this dynamic, but he wasn’t the one with the biggest amount of immaturity. That would be Reagan. Due to poor choices, on his part, he had some major redemption to earn in this book, and I’m not entirely sure he did. That said, this was a good addition to the series, but it’s not my favorite. It is worth the read because it had a lot of redeemable moments in the story, and the heat level did not disappoint. Plus, we got to catch up with our favorite tattooed men. It was good to see how far Channing has come since he was first introduced. I was impressed with his character. I’m looking forward yo the next book in the series!

Channing & Regan

Finally! I have been waiting for the story of Channing and Regan and I was definitely not disappointed. Channing is finally coming back home after 3 years away and he's going to be working at the tattoo shop again with Regan. These two have been dancing around each other for years and their chemistry is absolutely explosive!! Will Regan continue to let the age difference get in his way or will he finally give in and claim Channing as his like they have both wanted for years!! The narrator did a great job and truly brought a whole new level of enjoyment to the story. I voluntarily reviewed a gifted copy of this audio book.

Great story; only ok narration

If you haven’t read this series, go and grab Book 1 and start reading because it’s great. No, you don’t need to read the books in order; they’re interconnected standalones, but the events are sequential, not concurrent so reading them in order makes sense and you’ll have a more complete reading experience. But whether you read this alone or in order, it doesn't matter - just read it.

This story follows Reagan and Channing’s relationship, which is engaging and a little bit unexpected. It’s an age gap romance (and a pretty big one at that with Channing just turning 21 at the beginning of the story and Reagan in his mid-40s), but turned on its head. It starts from the typical premise - Reagan holds back because he thinks he’s too old for Channing - but as the story progresses, it becomes apparent that age and maturity are not the same thing, and while Reagan is the “old ink” in this scenario, it’s young Channing who’s showing maturity well beyond his years. That twist is simultaneously intriguing and annoying, and maybe that’s the point. The story is well written and the characters are given dimension so, particularly for Reagan, we’re eager to see his actions and reactions and we can identify and empathize while still wanting to knock some sense into him.

Channing is the star in this book; he is indefatigable in his determination to go after what he wants no matter the challenge and notwithstanding his fears, and more importantly, in maintaining his self-respect and his self-worth. His relationship with Reagan is skillfully crafted and we see exactly how they physically and emotionally fit together. An added bonus in this book is the frequent appearances and interactions with Dane, from Book #2; not only is the relationship between Channing and his brother Christian heartwarming, but Channing’s bond with Dane is obvious and fulfilling. (It’s also fun to see our Book #2 couple post-HEA).

In terms of narration, Connor Brown does a good job. His diction is excellent and there’s appropriate pacing, although at times it may seem a little slow to some listeners. That’s not a big deal to me because you can adjust the speed in the playback. Where I think the narration was a bit lacking was in the emotional delivery and the lack of distinction between voices. On the former, his voice seemed too light and almost cheerful at times, which is a mismatch for what was happening in the book and the emotions the characters are feeling. On the latter, there was little distinction between the various characters’ voices. If I hadn’t been reading at the same time as listening, there were times where I would not have readily known who was speaking. The narration is fine but it’s more someone reading lines than bringing the characters to life.

Overall, I recommend the book and the series, although for this book, I don’t think the audio is necessary.

I adore Channing!

We are back in the Get Ink’d world with Channing and Reagan...

My heart broke for Channing at so many points in this book. I fell for his character in the last book and I was rooting for everything about him. He’s love for Reagan ran deep and he spent so much time working on himself. I love his relationship with Dane and Christian! They are such a cute family!

Reagan has his own moments. You find out about his back story and I feel for him. You see why he didn’t want to date Channing in the beginning, you see why it’s so hard for him to give himself to Channing.

Together they have a lot of fighting to do. In the beginning it’s Reagan fighting his feelings for Channing. Than Channing fighting parts of Reagan’s world. Finally, they get it right.

Connor Brown brings this series to life. For me I have to listen to it at least 1.2x speed. It was too slow for me at normal speed, but I had that same issue with the other books in this series. Speeding it up fixes the issue for me. I know that may only be beneficial to some listeners.

Ok

Reagan was a nasty character, while Channing was Sweet. I had way too many WTH moments with Reagan's treatment of Channing.
The narrator did a decent job with the voices, made the story worth listening to.

Enjoyable Low-Angst Age-Gap Romance with Some Heat

Hung up on their 20+ year age difference, tattoo artist and shop owner Regan won't allow himself to forge a romantic relationship with college student and former/current employee Channing despite their dripping-off-the-page mutual attraction. There is so much glorious longing and sexual tension between them early on in this story, but rather than being overly frustrating, it all creates a delicious build-up of anticipation that makes the payoff so worth it. The road to their HEA isn't without its challenges (mostly thanks to Regan - the man needs to get out of his own way!), but this is a fairly low-angst romance with some heat.

"Old Ink" works as a standalone - I didn't have have any trouble following along despite not having read/listened to the two previous books in the series (which I now plan to). Narrator Connor Brown has a pleasant and engaging voice and I enjoyed listening to his performance. I received this free review copy audio book by request and have left this honest review voluntarily.

Enjoyed!

Old Ink is a great addition to the Get Ink'd series. I love a good age gap story and this fits the bill. Channing and Reagan are the main characters in this May/December romance. Channing has pined over Reagan for years. Reagan has resisted, as he thinks he thought Channing was to young. Three years later the chemistry is still there. Can they each overcome the issues that are keeping them apart? I enjoyed watching the journey these two took to get their HEA!
I really enjoyed Connor Brown's narration.