*' SHE IS A BEACON OF LIGHT'*

I recieved this book for Free to Give My True & Honest Review
Then as soon as the great audio came out I was able to finish it.

But I hadn't finished reading the WHOLE of this brilliant deep hard hitting love story between Oliver & Luna who we saw more of in 'The First Taste'
But here it's so so Deep due to Ollie's drinking situation & what had happened to him due to his situation.
Beautifully written with lots of Deep emotions Not Just For Oliver but also Luna has Her Own Upheavals 😢😍😘

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

The comfiest comfort read, despite the heavy topic

Oliver and Luna are friends. In fact Oliver is Luna's best friends brother. Luna and Oliver have wicked chemistry. Oliver has demons. Luna needs a place to stay after having some problems are home. I love this authors stories and the Inked Love/Hearts world is a comforting one for me to fall into. The original series is where I found duet narration for the first time. Kai Kennicot and Wen Ross and a tour de force. Anytime is the right time for this series. I volunteered to leave an unbiased review of an early copy of this. All opinions are my own

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A Beautifully Heartfelt Story & Wonderful Listen🎧

Crystal Kaswell delivers another fabulous novel in her “Inked Love” series, a series of standalone novels of interconnected characters. This book is Oliver Flynn and Luna Locke’s story, Oliver is Luna’s best friend Daisy’s older brother. Daisy is in a relationship with Holden who happens to be Oliver’s best friend, their story was told in “The First Taste”. This book, like her others is well written and well told, the story grabs my attention right from the start and captivates it the entire time. Ms. Kaswell is a gifted author, I enjoy her writing style and her way with words, the dialogue and banter she creates is remarkable and mesmerizing. Her characters are realistic, easy to relate to and connect with. Each are broken in their own ways, Luna’s parents shared some heartbreaking news with her and she is devastated. She cannot deal them and needing a place to stay she goes to her best friend Daisy’s house, though Daisy is away at college she asked if she could stay there a few nights. Her brother Oliver was fine with that and gave her the guest room, it was practically her second home growing up anyway. Oliver is having his own struggles, battling inner demons and issues. The two wind up confiding in each other Oliver can relate to what she is going through. Both have been attracted to each other for a while but for the sake of Daisy a romantic relationship can not happen. Only that attraction grows even more and neither one wants to deny it, but it may be too complicated for them. I loved how everything plays out in this book, there is a lot of depth to the story and it is beautifully plotted. Crystal Kaswell does an amazing job covering heavy topics in this book, dealing with self worth issues, alcoholism, broken marriages, betrayal and trust issues and learning to overcome hurdles and obstacles life throws their way. Thank you for another wonderful story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧Kai Kennicott and Wen Ross are fabulous narrators and voice artists. They continue to bring these characters and their stories to life. They did an awesome job portraying the characters, taking each role and making it their own. Their duet performance enhances the story even more, you can hear how much heart they put into their work as they capture all fo the characters emotions as well as their chemistry which is reflected in their performance. They are entertaining storytellers and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another fabulous listen🎧

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A sweet slow burn...

I really felt for these characters... Luna has a lot going on and moves to her best friend, Daisy's house for a short while. Daisy isn't there but her brother Oliver is. Oliver has equally as much going on but is choosing to secretly face his demons... Cue a slow burn romance with a side order of angst.
I liked the character build and the incorporation of the secondary characters. An easy listen part to the series...
I enjoyed the narration but did feel something amiss. I can't put my finger on what didn't feel right.... I think it's because there were times where there is not a breaths space between one narrators last word and the others next. That said, they did good.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

The Rule Breaker

I love this series! This book is about Oliver and Luna. Oliver is Daisy's brother and Luna is Daisy's bestfriend. The forbidden romance with a bad boy that thinks he shouldn't deserve a girl like Luna makes for amazing chemistry. Wen and Kia do fabulous bringing these characters to life!

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

My Thoughts on The Rule Breaker

I really enjoy the way Crystal Kaswell writes about real people with real struggles. Because even if the people in question are rock stars, tattoo artists, or billionaires, she writes them dealing with real life struggles and she really taps into their emotions. That was shown really well in this story. She shows different sides of dealing with real life problems like addiction. And she doesn't glamorize them, but makes the people dealing with them relatable. The story had great characters and a great flow to it. And it was narrated by one of my favorite pairs Wen and Kai. I look forward to more books by both author and narrators.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Oliver & Luna!

Fall in love with Oliver and Luna! This forbidden romance is easy to get lost in. Luna goes to live with Oliver, her best friend Daisy's brother while attending college. She needs some space from her family and he needs a roommate. With Daisy gone, the two bond,and find themselves developing feelings. It's a bit of a slow burn..until it sizzles, and boy does it sizzle. But there are secrets. Ones that could pull them apart. And that's before anyone even knows they are a couple. Crystal Kaswell is one of my favorite authors. Not only does she write passion filled, romantic stories, but she adds relevant issues bringing that element of realism to them. The smoldering feelings, the witty banter and the sneaking around make Oliver and Luna's romance alluring and addictive. The twists add in some the elements of surprise and heartbreak. Their love isn't perfect, their journey is messy, but their love is real. With crossover characters from other books in the series, we have a sense of family. I loved this story and this series!Bringing all the heat and emotion to life is the fantastic narration team of Kai Kennicott and Wen Ross. These two are magic together, using inflections and nuances to create their characters. The duet narration is amazing.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Absolutely fantastic emotion

This book is absolutely brilliant. It’s written with so much emotion in it you can feel it in crystals words. It’s refreshing to see the male lead with issues that could make him seem weak however it’s written so well it only shows his strength. With an absolutely brilliant performance from both Wen and Kai this book is a winner.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Lazy writing, you can do so much better than this!

I really am a fan of Crystal Kaswell although you might not believe me by the end of this review. I have a tough job and enjoy an easy to read, steamy romance to break the tedium of real life. I also usually love all the musical references and alternative culture quotes that come up in her books. I relisten to a sinful serenade, dangerous noise or inked heart book at least once a week to give you an idea of my usual fandom. The more recent Inked love series however, has been full of daialogue and storylines, heavily recycled from previous books with only the names and musical references altered. I'm afraid the last two books in particular have lacked any originality and read like Crystal was as bored writing them as I was reading them. Even your narattors - who normally bring these books to life- sounded fed up by this book. When it has got to the stage where I have to listen to the audio book at double speed to stop myself from entirely giving up you know things have got bad. Crystal I know and believe you can do better. I have a few suggestions for you to consider before writing your next book. Firstly, is it possible to write a character who isn't obsessed with either tea, coffee or almond milk? You rely too heavily on this as a character quirk and it's got to the point of eye rolling predictability when one of your characters mentions their obsession with caffeine. Other beverages exist and your choice in drinks really isn't as defining a personality triat as you like to make out. Secondly, do all your female protagonists need to explain, alter and obsess over their hair style choices throughout the novel? I know most of your characters are late teens to early 20's and appearance is more of a preoccupation at this age, but again, choosing to have silver hair and your reasons why is at most half a chapter. Finally, I know this series is based around tattoo artists, but why is everyone so obsessed with Latin? This comes across to the reader more as your own personal obsession - with a dead language you presumably studied at college - than a realistic conversation for a tatoo artist and his love interest. Please move on from this as a plot point. In all honesty, I think it is time for you to move on from tatoo artists and barely legal college girls altogether and try creating a different universe to explore for the next book. Go back to musicians if you want, but please no more tatooists who only ever seem to go to the gym and drink coffee. If not, can I recommend to other readers that you limit yourself to a couple of novels from the earlier inked hearts series and give the more recent inked love ones a miss. Otherwise you will also find yourself wanting to hit the skip forward buttong on your phone, every time you hear the phrase "on display for his viewing pleasure" knowing the scene that follows will be almost identical to the every other one in this series. Sorry Crystal, but you need to move on.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful