I’ve really enjoyed the Skin Deep Inc. series with it’s mix of hot men, tattoos, navy service and general sexiness, and this is no exception. We met both Nate and Lucas in Pounding Skin, where Nate’s marriage imploded and the prospect of a future attraction were hinted at. You don’t need to have read Pounding Skin to enjoy this, but it will help give a little more background to everything.

However, as with the other books in this series, there is a slight problem: there’s not enough plot to cover the story. In fact, of the three, this has the least plot of the lot. Nate’s marriage already imploded in the last book, so we don’t even have that drama to kick it all off. Instead Nate’s starting divorce proceedings, drinking a lot and is generally in a very unhappy place, while ignoring as many of his feelings as possible. Lucas is suffering from a lack of confidence in his tattooing, has a minor bad sex curse and… that’s it really.

Apart from the sex. There’s lots of sex, so if you like your M/M romances with lots of sex and aren’t too worried about plot, go for it.

Otherwise, this book gently bumbles along with Nate and Lucas falling into a relationship without either one of them wanting to acknowledge it. Lucas works really hard, Nate is trying to sell his house, they have sex, they enjoy each other’s company. It’s readable and enjoyable, but I couldn’t help waiting for something, anything to happen.

There is conflict, of course, but it skimmed the surface rather than delving particularly deep. It also gets resolved way too quickly. I would also have liked to have seen more of Lucas dealing with his confidence issue, because that fades out without much fanfare and I felt a bit cheated on not seeing him truly overcome it.

So, while I did enjoy it, it was a case of like rather than love. I like this setting, I like these characters and I do enjoy their stories – it was particularly nice to see the previous couples in their HEA – but I do sometimes find myself wanting a little more action, drama, tattoos, something, anything. Except for the sex, because there’s plenty of that. But if you’re looking for an easy, sexy read, and you enjoyed the other books in this series, then you’ll probably like this one as well.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ FOUR-STAR ✩ REVIEW ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

> > Judging a Book by it's Cover < <
A well-built male, fully clothed and displaying tattoos on one arm and under the shirt, is the only item on the cover. Adding to the starkness is a solid white background. Bold scrolling title font. Strong author name size and placement. Overall, a good cover and interesting synopsis. I've been looking forward to reading this book!

> > Looking Deeper < <
POV ~> Third person.

Naval RIO, Nate, goes to Skin Deep with his pilot Jon to see the apprentice who's supposed to be the holy grail of cover-up artists and Nate wants the tattoo that he shares with his soon-to-be ex-husband off him. But Lucas is fresh off a botched tattoo and suffering from a severe case of lack-of-confidence.
Lucas has been married and divorced twice by the time he's reached 27 & recognizes all the signs of denial and distraction. Luckily, he's not looking for anything serious, and neither is Nate. Some fun - no strings attached. But someone didn't get the memo.
This series has been on a yo-yo for me. I loved Back Piece but was not as enamored with Pounding Skin. Then comes Cover Up and I LOVE the couple, enjoyed catching up with previous couples, and enjoyed the chemistry and compatibility of Nate and Lucas. The ONLY downfall, for me, was that Nate was still in the PROCESS OF divorcing when he and Lucas started hooking up. I know for most, that's not an issue but they all kept referring to Caleb as the ex-husband and that he was recently divorced when the final process was not yet done. I want to put that out there for anyone that may think this crosses the line into cheating at a literal level.
The dialogue and interaction were entertaining as well as emotional. All the bases were covered in this one. The plot flowed smoothly. While it was not highly dynamic nor contained much conflict other than internal, emotional baggage, it was well-written and kept me interested. There was very little predictability; likewise, there were no fun surprises. The conclusion was enjoyable, providing an implied HEA for the current couple; whereas a previous couple had a spotlight moment in the epilogue.
Overall, I really do like the premise of the series and the world LA Witt has created here. Navy Men and Tattoo Artists. I am hoping the series extends beyond these three. I would recommend this to fans of Contemporary Gay Romance with a minor military and tattoo element.
.
Rating: [R] ~ Score: 4.275 ~ Stars: 4
==========================
⭐ ⭐ **** Disclosure of Material: I received a copy of this book from the Author/Publisher with the hope that I would voluntarily leave unbiased and unsolicited feedback. I was not asked, encouraged, or required to leave a review - nor was I compensated in any way. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising". ***** ⭐ ⭐

I liked this book. It's fun to visit the characters from the previous novels and I was interested in the story. I liked that there was a bit of angst, though I think I would have preferred if it was drawn out a bit, just for full emotional impact. That's just a personal preference though, and not one that everyone shares. Overall I enjoyed it and would recommend you give it a read.

I loved this book, Nate and Lucas were wonderful to follow in there journey to find a real love together. My heart hurt for Lucas at his realisation that he was Nate’s distraction and it took real courage to do what he did, I’m so glad they found there way back to each other.

So so good! Nate and Lucas are awesome! I felt so bad for Nate at the beginning but I'm so glad he found Lucas! They are so good together! It took time for everything to come about but it was so worth it! I loved this so much! I think I loved this more than the first book! I seriously can't wait for more!

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. Nate is in the process of getting a divorce after catching Caleb in bed with another man. Previously they had gotten matching tattoos and Nate was wanting it covered and at an ink shop meets Lucas who he starts to gave just sex with. Eventually they both fall hard for each other. The story is about the ups and downs of trying to adjust to life while going thru a divorce. It is a good read and I enjoyed the story.

Cover Up
By: L.A. Witt

📚💕⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐💕📚

This book, oh my so many intense and honest and heartbreaking words page after page. This beautifully written m/m book will take you on a roller coaster ride. It has new beginnings, self doubt, cheating ex's, understanding, kindness, loyalty, laughter, sorrow and ultimately love and acceptance.

Take the journey and read this intense and sexually captivating book. Lucas a tattoo artist afraid to trust himself , he's struggling not only financially but how with his confidence as well. And. Nate a Marine RIO of over twelve years and openly gay. HIS husband of 10 years was caught cheating on him in their bed six months ago and he's numb and just wants to feel again. Deciding it's time to remove the matching tattoo on his arm his friend Jon's boyfriend whose is a tattoo artists suggests he tries to do a cover up and recommends Lucas. And there is instant chemistry. This book will give you amazing and hot sex, you'll get to watch as two men discover who they can be together and the sacrifices they will make for each other.

For this reader my only complaint would be I want more of Jon and Matt. That to me is a sign of a well written book. This author hits some very sensitive topics. She was considerate with the topics yet they are so incredibly well told. If I could give more stars I would have!!!

Written in Dual POV my personal favorite!!

This book was provided by Netgally for an honest review!!!

This series just keeps getting better and better. I am very invested in these characters and their lives! My heart broke for Nate - how anyone could cheat on him, I will never ever get that, but this was probably my favorite of the series thus far.

This one was good, but not nearly as good as Book 2. It seemed to have gone back to the typical L.A. Witt style of 'nothing but sex and little substance' for this book, unfortunately. That being said, I'd give this 3.5 stars because the sex was incredibly hot, the guys were really cute and there wasn't too much drama.

It was repetitive and we kept hearing about Lucas' 3 jobs and Nate's divorce after 10 years of marriage. Sure, they're key parts of their lives, but it took the focus off the relationship of Nate & Lucas. Speaking of that, there wasn't a whole lot of 'relationship building' going on in this book, just a lot of sex with feelings thrown into the mix. I really wish they had gone on dates (around others) and done more couple-y things instead of just hooking up after work all the time. It just didn't seem that believable that they could last when we didn't see them outside of the bedroom very often.

And at the end of the book, Lucas was still not out of his apprenticeship just yet, what's up with that? Yes, it was coming to an end, but some more of a resolution would have been nice given the big deal it was made into throughout the book.

It wasn't a bad book and I enjoyed myself, but around the halfway point I went from eagerly wanting to continue to read, to taking several more days to finish the book and get into it again.

This book is by far the most emotional of the trilogy and I think it is the best because of it. The previous books don’t have an epilogue but this one does and gives a heartwarming HEA ending to all the couples. This is the story of the serial monogamist Nate that just went through the end of a 10 year marriage because his husband cheated on him. He thinks serial monogamy won’t work for him anymore so he wants to play the field and decides to purse the apprentice tattoo Lucas. Does he care that he basically jumped into a rebound relationship? Nope, and neither does Lucas, at first. The emotions in the story focus around their realization that a rebound relationship isn’t healthy for either of them and how they come to terms with that.

The emotions are just as rewarding as the hot sex that manages to be both passionate and erotic. Although that is true for the entire series. Also true of the whole series is the lack of external conflict. Almost all of the conflict is internal and that really allows the author to delve into all the nuances of the couples’ relationship. This series is a must read for any fan of military romance or tattoo artist heroes. The books are funny without being comedies, emotional without being melodramas and high heat without being erotica. Cover Up stands out among the series for tying up loose ends and is the amazing conclusion that this series deserved.

I requested this because m/m romance is not something that I have read much of. I am not certain that this was the best one to start with. The idea is that Nate is supposed to be having his rebound fling, one with great sex, with Lucas, and in fact they do have lots and lots of sex. Despite this, I didn't really feel the sexual tension that I love, because there was really never any question, they start the day they meet and then hook up for weeks. There's no build up because they are already there. At some point about 2/3 of the way through, they both think they are in love, but there's no build to that either. While I think the structure of the plot has a lot of promise, this books didn't ultimately pan out as romantic at all, but just a long string of hooking up.

Ce troisième tome de la série que L.A Witt consacre à des couples de tatoueurs et militaires est ... ennuyeux et répétitif à souhait. Une vraie déception en ce qui me concerne, parce que dans le tome 2, le personnage de Lucas me semblait prometteur. Or là, j'ai trouvé qu'on le découvrait pas suffisamment, en dehors du fait que l'auteur nous rabâche qu'il avait divorcé deux fois, qu'il avait des dettes liées à ses prêts d'étudiants et qu'il avait 3 boulots pour pouvoir subvenir à ses besoins.

Le livre est bourré de répétitions, les scènes se succèdent et se ressemblent, et au final j'ai trouvé ma lecture vraiment poussive. Et il y a bien trop peu de scènes de tatouage (une, très courte) pour rattraper un peu le truc.

Après, c'est une romance chaude, l'histoire de deux hommes qui se reconstruisent par l'intermédiaire de cette relation, même si Nate sort d'un mariage qui a duré 10 ans et qui s'est mal terminé. Mais hormis l'accumulation de scènes de sexe, il ne se passe presque rien et puisque à chaque scène on a l'impression que la précédente se répète, le roman donne l'impression de tourner à vide.

Décevant donc ..

What a nice surprise! This book was just. . .1. super HOT and 2. an emotional treat! I felt connected to both Nate and Lucas. They were both a little damaged and found wholeness in each other (more Nate).

I read an average of 5 books a week. This was a quick 1.5-day read. . .over too fast. I may need to read it again. I read M/F, M/M, M/F/M, and M/M/F on a regular basis. Cover Up is a great M/M HEA story. I realized after I started it was book 3 in a series. I've already purchased book 1 and look forward to reading about where it began.

This is my first book by Ms. Witt, but will not be my last!

I really enjoyed this book. We got a fairly in depth look into the characters backgrounds and I felt like I knew what stage of life they were in. It was good to see their relationship evolve and you could feel the love between them. Well written and sensitive I would definitely recommend.

4.25 stars

Nate Chandler is getting divorced after 10 years of marriage. He has a tattoo that matches one on his soon to be ex-husband, but wants to get it covered over or removed rather than look at it everyday as a remembrance of Caleb cheating on him. Jon, the pilot he flies with in the Navy suggests a new tattoo artist at Skin Deep, Lucas Brandt who is really good at covering tattoos with new ones.

Lucas is bisexual and in a bit of a slump, professionally and personally. He's younger than Nate, but twice divorced. Lately, his sexual encounters have seemed cursed. He's working three jobs and his last tattoo cover up went badly. His confidence is shaky at best.

The attraction for these two was immediate and through the roof hot. Nate hasn't felt any attraction to anyone nor even wanted sex since he caught Caleb cheating. He's shocked when he's so strongly attracted to Lucas, but takes a chance. They have a hot night together and figure that hooking up isn't going to hurt anyone when they have such amazing chemistry.

I felt for Nate. He didn't see the end of his marriage coming. He's hurting and not really sure how to move forward. I was happy to see Lucas kick Nate in the butt and get him thinking about what he was doing, even though it hurt them both in the short term. I was happy to see Nate start sorting things out and make some good decisions. It was nice to see Lucas regain his confidence and move his career forward as well. These two were great together, and I was very happy to see them work things out.

Nate was in Pounding Skin (Skin Deep Inc., #2) briefly, but this book can be read as a standalone.

I was extremely interested in Nate after the last book. I wanted him to have an HEA...well, another HEA after his husband of 10 years decides to toss him to the curb. Nate is a good guy, and I loved him and the relationship he had with Jon in Pounding Skin.

This book centers around his relationship with Lucas, the young,hot new apprentice at Skin Deep Inc. Lucas is bi-sexual, and is twice divorced. At this time in his life, he just wants a "no strings attached" kinda relationship, and while Nate would like to think he is capable of that, he just simply is not built that way...no matter how hard he tries, he falls fast and hard for Lucas, and the feeling is mutual.

The two of them are full steam ahead when they meet for the first time, and let me tell you....WHOA. I loved the chemistry between these two men, both in and out of the bedroom.

All in all, this is another great installment in this series and a must read!

I have read the first book in this series, but I skipped the second. I will go back to read that one, If you are like me and don't mind reading books out of order, no worries, cause this one can be read as a stand alone ;)

Nate's marriage of 10 years has ended, because his husband cheated on him. Now he wants the tattoo, that reminds him of his ex, to be covered.

This is where Lucas comes in....tattoo apprentice at Skin Deep Inc. Lucas is quite a bit younger than Nate, and he himself has been through more than one divorce already. He understands how Nate is feeling.

Since they are both extremely attracted to each other, and neither is looking for a relationship, they decide to go the "friends with benefits" route.

Of course there are these things called "feelings" ... and they can't help but falling for one another. But Nate is not quite over his ex just yet....

I enjoyed this book, and the sexscenes were extremely HOT. It just didn't blow me away. I guess I wanted something more... more story, maybe a bit more angst...

My reviews are posted on Dirty Books Obsession

I enjoyed reading Cover up. Nate, a military man and Lucas, a tattoo apprentice are great character and I enjoyed their dynamics and strength of the character, I would definitely recommend this book and series!

I absolutely loved this story, this whole series is so good but Cover up was pure, unadulterated fun laced with depth and emotion. I really enjoyed the unspoken feelings they had towards each other, those shared moments were tangible and my favourite.
Splendid, passionate, sexy .... I would recommend this book to anyone who loves romance and second chances.

This book is part of the “Skin Deep Inc.” series but can be read as a standalone.
It featured 2 MCs that were briefly introduced in the previous book: Nate, a military man, freshly separated from his husband after 10 years of marriage and Lucas, a tattoo apprentice, ten years younger but with already 2 divorces on his belt.

Lucas is a wonderful hero who is struggling to regain his feet after two divorces and starting his tattooing career. Nate is in the process of getting a divorce. I like how this book goes over the process Nate goes through in his divorce process and how he finds love agian.

I really like seeing the men from previous stories, it makes me feel like I'm getting a little extra to the whole series.
All in all a fantastic story and I can't wait for the next installment!