WOW! This book is hot and full of emotion. I loved both Knox and Eden. Poor Knox is so tortured by the loss of his father and more so the loss of his younger brother. Big, alpha heroes who need saving are my weak spot. Eden's been through a lot, raised by an alcoholic father and neglectful mother then being widowed barely into her 20s. Both fight hard to ignore their mutual attraction mainly because Eden's dead husband was Knox's brother. The implied incestuousness of them pursuing a relationship is a huge taboo to try to ignore. Add in the complications of Knox's misplaced guilt, a difficult family situation and Eden's conviction that she's alone in her attraction to Knox, oh and Eden works for Knox, and things get even more difficult. There's more but I've already spent too much time retelling their story. This books will definitely tear at your heartstrings repeatedly.

There's not much action or many new developments in the story. Mostly, it deals with Knox and Eden fighting their desires then trying to hide their relationship. We get a little insight into their lives outside of this situation but only a few glimpses.

The story is well-written, the characters full and interesting and the hard-won happily ever after is satisfying. And hot? Oh My! I enjoyed the book.

3. 5 stars

Knox and Eden Gordon share a tragedy... the death of Connor, the pair's brother and husband.

However, Knox has been madly in love with his now dead brother's wife since he set eyes on her.

So between survivors guilt and guilt over his feelings, Knox is suffering, badly.

When the story moves beyond these feelings there is a lot to enjoy but the thread of 'guilt' becomes a bit tiresome and could impact on the reader's enjoyment.

Having said that, I would not be put off reading more about the Gordon brothers.

Is this the beginning of a new series I wonder?

Holy smokes this is a one steamy read that I couldn't put down. Fabulous read from page one to the end. Sin and Ink is a beautifully written story with lots of emotional drama. The story is about a forbidden love. My heart hurt for the main characters, Knox and Eden. They had so many obstacles to over come. I would recommend this book.

I received this book from Netgallery in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this one! Sooo good.
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I have to say this book was so flipping erotic and dripping with sensuality. I don’t mean that in terms of action, but actually in terms of feeling and emotion. Even with that I am not sure if that’s the best description of what this book is.

It is lustful and oozing anticipation, page after page. It is so flipping intense and screaming hot. This writer killed it in terms of highly descriptive build up and every emotion that she could possibly conceive. It was a roller coaster of heat, lust, and ultimately love.

I have read books by her before and have always been blown away and this one is no different. Absolutely loved this book! Just the presence and heat wafting off of Knox is worth the read on its own. Damn!

Sin and Ink is my first book by author Naima Simone. I have to admit I picked it up firstly because of the cover. The synopsis wasn't available for the book when I requested it, but the cover just grabbed me (rightfully so). But, once I started reading the book, I really enjoyed it.
This is a is a forbidden, taboo and super hot story. I think my only gripe about it would be that I wish the ending would have been a little longer. I like to really get a good glimpse into the characters lives in the end.

I’m not typically into the MMA romances, but this was a sexy, gritty, and well-written story. It was a bit of a slow burn at first, and then went white-hot, particularly with the sex scenes. Overall, it’s a good story.

Minor continuity issue: On which floor does Eden live? When moving in, it’s the first floor; later on, she and Knox are going “upstairs” to her apartment.

As a die-hard Cubs fan, please note that it’s Wrigley Field, not Wrigley Stadium, and Kris Bryant plays for the Cubs, not Chris Bryant.

I received a free ARC via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

I’m a sucker for a forbidden romance so when I saw this book on Netgalley I knew I had to read it.
Without giving too much away this book follows the story of Knox and Eden. Eden is the widow of Knox’s younger brother Connor who died unexpectedly two years prior.
There were things I really liked about this story and some things I wished were different. I loved Knox. You really could feel his attraction and conflicting feelings for Eden. He was brooding, vulnerable, sexy, POV to read from. I loved the interactions we got with some side characters that I think could set up great for future books. Simon? Jude? V? Haksim? I would love to read more about these characters especially Simon!

Where I struggled a little bit was with the ending. It felt really really rushed. I would have loved to have a little bit more, even if it was just an epilogue. After investing all ur time and interest into a story I want to see how it plays out. What are Eden and Knox the couple like? What has happened since they have returned from Reno? Did his other brothers know? I have a lot of questions and wanted to see a little bit more. Overall this was a good book that felt like it should have one more chapter, but I would love to read more by the author. 3.5 Stars


** ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review **

Holy steamy lusty crazy craving yearning obsession. Knox is so full of years-long pent up desire for his brother's widow that there were times it seemed he might go insane with it. The craving only ratchets when Eden admits she's starting to feel it, too. Forget insta-love, or even insta-lust. This was insta-gaga.

Having grieved the loss of her husband Connor, Eden is slower to sense the pull between her and her ex-MMA champion, now-tattoo shop owner-boss, brother-in-law. She's grateful that Knox helped her deal with her grief and gave her a job managing his tattoo shop, but now she's waking up that she wants him, too.

"You’re intense, and that’s not a bad thing. I’ve always felt safe with you. Protected,” she murmurs. “I just doubted my ability to not lose my mind if you actually turned that intensity on me.”

Both Knox and Eden are hyper-aware that any kind of liaison could be seen as taboo or disrespectful to Connor; they both use the word incestuous. Both on top of that, Knox is slowly drowning under guilt for causing Connor's death compounded by his own mother's accusations of the same. There is no easy path for Knox to be with the woman he's desperately wanted since he first saw her.

There is so much guilt and pain and misunderstanding between Knox and Eden. In fact, the only place they can really be together is in bed. Oh boy, do they. Theirs is a conflagration of repressed lust and desperation. Because Knox not only wants Eden, he needs her:

The back and forth between Knox and Eden was hot, but at times, their inner monologues were very repetitive and exhausting. He feels guilty, then she feels guilty, rinse, repeat. I also wanted more from Knox's family when their relationship was revealed; it felt unfinished.

3.75 stars

First time reading anything by Naima Simone and I enjoyed it. Only thing I really have to point out is that it really didn't seem finished at the end and felt really rushed. Hoping there are more books if this becomes a series.

I really really loved this book. It was beautifully written, a little bit of a forbidden love between former MMA fighter turned tattoo shop owner Knox and his late brother's widow, Eden. He's loved her basically since the moment he laid eyes on her but she fell for his little brother.

There was angst and guilt and despair but this was also a story of redemption and hope and finding the strength and courage to move on after life has dealt you blow after blow. I've been a fan of this author for quite some time (her WAGS series is delightful) and this was definitely a bit more angst-ridden and way hotter than anything she's previously done. I loved the main characters, I hope Knox's two younger brothers get stories of their own and I'm excited to see what else this author has up her sleeves!

Good premise that got a little wordy in some places but an enjoyable quick read! The characters, Eden and Knox grab your attention right away and you find yourself rooting for them along the way.

DNF at 41%.

First off, let me say that this is my fault, I failed to see that this book was labelled as erotica (okay I just saw that gorgeous cover and hit the request button so hard I damaged my finger!).

Knox used to be a famous MMA fighter until the day his younger brother Connor died after a fight. Now he owns a tattoo parlour and employs his sister-in-law, Connor's widow, Eden as a receptionist. Eden is everything he isn't: clean; pure; perfect, and he has lusted after her since the first moment he saw her.

Eden loved Connor but he has been dead for a while now and she needs to move on with her life, she wants to start by moving out of her mother-in-law's house. She also has started to have lustful thoughts for her brother-in-law but the only time she even sort-of made a move he shut her down and leapt away as though he'd been scalded, but nevertheless he's been there for her.

This was typical NA/YA fare. Lots of plump lip biting, swearing, tattoos, angst-angst-angst etc. Also lots of push-me, pull-me back and forth between wanting each other and feeling inadequate.

Disir is someone whose reviews I trust (don't always necessarily agree with), she wrote a brilliant review here and I think it sums up my feelings far more eloquently than I can. Having read that the rest of the book was more of the same I decided to bail.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Can we take a moment to appreciate that cover? Gracious. Knox and Eden have insane chemistry, making for a very hot read. That is definitely the reason to read this one. However, I struggled with the emotional tone but this is likely because I don't find the central conflict to be taboo.

Eden was married to Knox's brother Connor, who died from a brain aneurism two years prior. But Knox has been in love with her since the moment he saw her five years ago--only Connnor met her first.

Here's the thing: I have no issue with someone being interested in their dead sibling’s spouse. I don't understand how anyone would find it taboo. Sure, both parties should make sure they have mourned their loss and they're not trying to essentially keep a ghost alive by starting a relationship. But there's nothing wrong with falling in love with your former in-law. And yet both Knox and Eden repeatedly tell themselves they're perverts and twisted and wrong for wanting each other and just generally beating themselves up for it. I wanted to give them a stern talking to and then yell, "you're free to love each other!"

There was a litany of unhealthy grief patterns and it hurt my former bereavement counselor heart. I really hoped ALL of the characters could learn to move forward and we do get to see this for most as they finally begin to integrate their loss. I had a huge issue with Knox's mother who was highly codependent and treated Knox in shameful ways. I was very ready for her to stop being enabled and I loved when it finally happened.

This was a fun, quick steamy read. I do wish the ending had been longer because we don't get much between the black moment and resolution and I would have liked to see more of Knox and Eden figuring things out together. But I'm pretty confident they'll be just fine.

Meh. That's about the most enthusiasm I can offer for Sin & Ink. While Knox is gorgeous and a tortured soul, his inability to see past things that are NOT his fault is bothersome. Eden is wishy-washy and needy. They're constant "we can't, but we will anyway" relationship leaves much to be desired. Only in the last chapters do these characters finally come into a strong place. There were several times I considered not finishing the book.

The writing is fine -- a bit wordy at times. The ancillary characters have stronger traits than the leads.

This is the first book I've read by N. Simone. I would consider reading another, but would enter cautiously.

Unrequited love is a favorite trope of mine, but normally it is the heroine that is secretly in love with the hero so it was a nice surprise that this one starts off as the opposite. This story is about Knox and his former sister-in-law Eden. He has been in love with her since the first time he saw her 5 years prior, before she even married his brother. Unfortunately Connor literally steps in front of him and claims Eden and that was that. It is now 2 years later, Connor has died and Eden is at an impasse, finally ready to try to move on. And there is Knox still by her side, still hiding his true feelings for her. Even if it pains him to be near her and not touch her, her presence gives him the sense of calm he has been craving for, but he is adamant that nothing can come from this. He does not feel he is worthy of her and it is heartbreaking to see this, especially since he’s been in love with her for so many years.

Knox was so much to so many; the big brother, fill-in dad, reliable brother-in-law, but ultimately he was a broken man. With feelings of guilt, regret and unworthiness, my heart was breaking for him throughout the book. Don’t get me wrong the chemistry between the two was scorching when the both of them were able to let go, but there was always so much regret and again more heartbreak as a result. As for Eden, my heart hurt for her too, she had a horrible childhood, parents not really caring for her, her leaving at 18 and then meeting Connor and finally finding a family, but then the death of her husband. She also finds out more about herself, she realizes she lost the sense of her identity except when she was with Knox.

Even though my heart hurt for quite a bit of the book, I had a sense of hope that things had to get better for the two. And it did, but I wanted more. Knox’s mother was good to Eden, she was the mother Eden never had, but I hated what she did to Knox. I felt so much was unresolved, don’t get me wrong there is a wonderful HEA for Knox and Eden. Normally whenever I read an epilogue it is always an added bonus, I really wished there was one in this story.

Thank you Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but this cover spoke to me. I was eager to read the story contained, even though angsty novels are generally not my thing. Sin and Ink is definitely an angst-filled, emotional tale with the slightest forbidden twist. I enjoyed reading the book as much as I enjoyed staring at its cover.

The premise of Knox and Eden's story is clear from the beginning; Eden is the young widower of Knox's younger brother. Knox, a tattoo artist and former MMA fighter, wants Eden and thinks his inappropriate attraction is one sided. Eden however, is equally fascinated with Knox. Both have a hard time with feelings of guilt, betrayal and frustration.

I liked how the author developed the characters in Sin and Ink. Eden especially gains maturity over the course of the novel. She has been through a lot in her young life, and I enjoyed watching her gain an understanding of self by the end of the book. I love that Eden or Knox never downplayed Eden's love for her first husband, Knox's brother, Conner. However, their romance did not feel like it was less, or Knox was second best at any time. I was always hopeful for a HEA for this pair, knowing if they did find a way to be together it would not be tainted by the past.

I was, at times, waiting for the pace of the story to move a little more quickly. The story demands time to develop all of the emotions, but I would have liked certain revelations to come a bit sooner, to allow the ending to be less rushed.

I look forward to future books in this series, as there are a few side characters that need their own story!

In “Sin and Ink” by Naima Simone we meet Knox and Eden. They have a history that is keeping them apart. But the pull that they feel towards each other keeps getting stronger and more impossible to resist. There are promises to be kept and the fear, guilt and regret are more than either can endure. Will either finally lead with their heart and risk losing everything or continue to play it safe?

I received a copy of this book through Net Galley for my honest review.

Sin & Ink is a forbidden, taboo and super hot story that I simply adored. It features a tortured, grumpy, man-bun wearing, bearded hero *cue swooning* and a sweet with a bit of bite heroine. I enjoyed their journey and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

A somewhat different story from Naima this go around. Past MMA fighter, turned tattoo shop owner who blames himself for his younger brothers death in the ring. Add to that he's nursed a serious long term thing for his brothers widow, who he now employs at his tattoo shop, along with his other brother as well. When his brother died, Knox left the world of MMA behind. Knox is guilty, if ever their were a man who loved self flagellation this man wins the prize. His guilt over breathing, he blames himself for his brothers death, his desire for his brothers widow and his list is endless. You can add to that him being unwelcome in his family home because his nut job of a mother blames him for his brother's death. She blames him for everything. Enough said. Eden is living with Connor's parents and is ready to move out and move on. She's ready to get on with her life. She's happy working at the tattoo shop and clearly there is a chemistry between the two of them. One that just burns off the pages. This story should have merrily skipped along, but it seemed to have some noticeable hiccups. The off and on of Knox and his self rant about Eden and how wrong it was to want her was repetitive and annoying after a point. Eden just felt rejected easy to understand. Knox beat himself up over his desire in large part because he felt it was wrong to want his dead brothers widow. That didn't work for me either, and the underscoring of he got to her first otherwise she would have been mine and I wouldn't be going through this... Oy! The largest part of the story that troubled me was the long stretches of minutae. Elaborated in the greatest of detail was unnecessary and distracted me from the story and almost made me want to skim, which I have never done in one of her books. The book has a great solid plot. That somehow gets lost and twisted in it's telling.

arc from NetGalley and Entangled for an honest review

I’ve discovered Naima Simone earlier this year and have come to expect alpha heroes with hearts of gold and strong heroines who courageously go after what they deserve.

Sin & Ink fits this bill and then some! Knox is a former MMA fighter and now business owner of a tattoo shop. Having fallen for Eden, the widow of his brother, for whose death he feels solely responsible, he is guilt-ridden to his core and battles his inner demons to stay away from her.

Eden, for me, is the ultimate star of the story. She’s the one managing the expanding tattoo shop. But, still in her early twenties, she finds herself without a college degree, being a widow and living with her in-laws. Thanks to Knox’s support and her own drive to live a full life after grieving, she’s re-discovering her true self, she’s exploring what it feels like not to be labeled by others and wants to break free of others expectations of her. Eden wants more from life and she’s going for what she wants - even though it might be hurtful, risky and requires more than just a bit of bravery. She no longer wants to be broken, and suppress her desires. It takes a bit of time to find out that she and Knox share feelings of mutual attraction, all different kinds of guilt, and care for each other. It partly takes that long because Knox shut himself up and out. He’s brooding, intense and sparse with words. And as much as I found that sometimes frustrating, it also lent the story a sense of darkness, fierceness, and passion.
It’s Eden though who’s leading them down the road of mutual exploration. It’s her taking a risk and asking for what she wants only to find out that Knox wants the same.
An involuntary ‘You go, girl!’ might have escaped my mouth!

I really appreciated the dual first person POV and think it works perfectly here as we get to discover both hers and his emotions, desires, reservations and motivations.

#SinAndInk is an empowering book about a #ForbiddenLove . There are complex and beautifully written diverse characters, angsty aspects, body-positive attitudes, and hot (and I mean hot) sexy times that will leave you wanting to explore Naima’s back catalogue of outstanding books.

PS: If you still need convincing, know that Knox is described as having an ‘Earth and Christmas scent’ and the cover picture depicts him just like he’s described in the book.

Disclosure: I’ve received a copy of this book in advance of the publication date via #NatGalley .