Official Review: Ink by Amanda Anderson
Posted: 13 Apr 2016, 21:21
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Ink" by Amanda Anderson.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Sons of Anarchy was my first introduction into the world of MCs, otherwise known as motorcycle clubs. From my experience watching every episode of the show, an MC is basically like a family and a club in one - prospects have to prove their way to becoming full members, and members are like brothers, watching each other's backs and helping out when possible with everything from business to personal matters. There's a strong bond there despite the fact that they're capable of murder, theft and all types of illegal activities, and it makes an interesting combination having men (and the women who are part of the life!) be so tough but still show their humanity. This experience with Sons of Anarchy led easily into Amanda Anderson's Ink, which is the 9th book in the Defenders MC series. In fact, while the characters and situation are unique to Ink, if you have any experience with SoA you already know whether you're interested in this book or not. Finally worth mentioning, I haven't read any of the other books in the series, or any of the 30+ stories/books written by Amanda Anderson, but I only occasionally felt confused by the story.
Ink focuses on a man named Ink and his wife, Angel, who is 4 months pregnant. Their life together is going smoothly, but there are secrets they're both hiding from one another that are about to surface. Ink is a member of the Defenders MC and something in his past with one of the club girls is resurfacing, leading to a major betrayal. Without spoiling anything, the book has plenty of surprises, action and some adult content. I feel like the surprises and the bonds between the characters would have been far more interesting had I read the other Defenders MC stories, but I was still intrigued by what would happen next the entire time. The book manages quite a bit in so few pages, clocking in at around 90 total, although the last 15% are actually a sample from another book she's written.
I really enjoyed that the book managed to be a bit brutal and pulled off a few sex scenes, but then could still be funny and heartfelt as well. Ink, the title character, has a pretty cool name - he's a tattoo artist with ink black hair, and the woman from his past even got an ink blotch tattoo from him to symbolize their relationship. I also couldn't even count 5 grammatical errors in the book, which was definitely a plus.
On the down side, the brevity of the book meant there wasn't as huge of a payoff at the end of the book as there could have been, although it was enjoyable anyway. I felt the villain (who I can't even name without spoiling things) could have been a lot more satisfying and maybe even worthy of cheering for if a bit more of his history was in this book, but again, I'm quite certain more of him exists in other books in the series. My least favorite thing, by far, was one particular dialogue portion spoken by the villain - I realize it was said to make him seem even more repugnant, despicable and depraved, but the line (without the blunt crudeness) was basically that he wanted to have sex with a particular woman while she was breastfeeding their child. I'm probably being picky here, but it crossed a line for me, and I feel there are countless things he could have said that would have made the point without crossing it.
As I said, it's pretty easy to know if you're interested in this book if you have any familiarity with Sons of Anarchy. Like the show? You'll definitely enjoy the book. Didn't like it? You probably won't like this either. As a fan of the show, Ink was a short, enjoyable book and I'd also recommend it for folks unfamiliar with the show who enjoy light suspense and action, but only for those 18+ as there are a few sex scenes. The book is a solid 3 out of 4 stars for those who haven't read the series, but I believe it would be the same for those who have as well.
******
Ink
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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3 out of 4 stars
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Sons of Anarchy was my first introduction into the world of MCs, otherwise known as motorcycle clubs. From my experience watching every episode of the show, an MC is basically like a family and a club in one - prospects have to prove their way to becoming full members, and members are like brothers, watching each other's backs and helping out when possible with everything from business to personal matters. There's a strong bond there despite the fact that they're capable of murder, theft and all types of illegal activities, and it makes an interesting combination having men (and the women who are part of the life!) be so tough but still show their humanity. This experience with Sons of Anarchy led easily into Amanda Anderson's Ink, which is the 9th book in the Defenders MC series. In fact, while the characters and situation are unique to Ink, if you have any experience with SoA you already know whether you're interested in this book or not. Finally worth mentioning, I haven't read any of the other books in the series, or any of the 30+ stories/books written by Amanda Anderson, but I only occasionally felt confused by the story.
Ink focuses on a man named Ink and his wife, Angel, who is 4 months pregnant. Their life together is going smoothly, but there are secrets they're both hiding from one another that are about to surface. Ink is a member of the Defenders MC and something in his past with one of the club girls is resurfacing, leading to a major betrayal. Without spoiling anything, the book has plenty of surprises, action and some adult content. I feel like the surprises and the bonds between the characters would have been far more interesting had I read the other Defenders MC stories, but I was still intrigued by what would happen next the entire time. The book manages quite a bit in so few pages, clocking in at around 90 total, although the last 15% are actually a sample from another book she's written.
I really enjoyed that the book managed to be a bit brutal and pulled off a few sex scenes, but then could still be funny and heartfelt as well. Ink, the title character, has a pretty cool name - he's a tattoo artist with ink black hair, and the woman from his past even got an ink blotch tattoo from him to symbolize their relationship. I also couldn't even count 5 grammatical errors in the book, which was definitely a plus.
On the down side, the brevity of the book meant there wasn't as huge of a payoff at the end of the book as there could have been, although it was enjoyable anyway. I felt the villain (who I can't even name without spoiling things) could have been a lot more satisfying and maybe even worthy of cheering for if a bit more of his history was in this book, but again, I'm quite certain more of him exists in other books in the series. My least favorite thing, by far, was one particular dialogue portion spoken by the villain - I realize it was said to make him seem even more repugnant, despicable and depraved, but the line (without the blunt crudeness) was basically that he wanted to have sex with a particular woman while she was breastfeeding their child. I'm probably being picky here, but it crossed a line for me, and I feel there are countless things he could have said that would have made the point without crossing it.
As I said, it's pretty easy to know if you're interested in this book if you have any familiarity with Sons of Anarchy. Like the show? You'll definitely enjoy the book. Didn't like it? You probably won't like this either. As a fan of the show, Ink was a short, enjoyable book and I'd also recommend it for folks unfamiliar with the show who enjoy light suspense and action, but only for those 18+ as there are a few sex scenes. The book is a solid 3 out of 4 stars for those who haven't read the series, but I believe it would be the same for those who have as well.
******
Ink
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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