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Ink Illusions
As a gay man, Aaron never dreamed he'd end up in Houston, Texas, helping a female friend raise her child. Then he learns that the child's father has just been released from prison. Will Travis threaten Aaron's new family? To find out, Aaron conceals his identity and meets Travis during the chaotic splendor of Mardi Gras, when no one is what he seems.
Travis is ruthless when it comes to locating his child. Otherwise, he's not the criminal Aaron expected. Aloof and intuitive, Travis works as a tattoo artist. The intricate tattoos on his body celebrate his commitment to Asatru, a Norse pagan religion. Meanwhile, Aaron is his polar opposite, a talkative Jewish sales rep from Las Vegas, who never misses a chance to have fun.
What they have in common is neither man can turn down a fight. Neither can resist their affair, which turns into an intensely erotic struggle as each seeks to master the other. As their lust deepens to love, Aaron knows he must tell Travis the true reason they came to meet. Meanwhile, he fears that the darkness inside Travis's soul may lead the man to break the law and end up back in prison...
Travis is ruthless when it comes to locating his child. Otherwise, he's not the criminal Aaron expected. Aloof and intuitive, Travis works as a tattoo artist. The intricate tattoos on his body celebrate his commitment to Asatru, a Norse pagan religion. Meanwhile, Aaron is his polar opposite, a talkative Jewish sales rep from Las Vegas, who never misses a chance to have fun.
What they have in common is neither man can turn down a fight. Neither can resist their affair, which turns into an intensely erotic struggle as each seeks to master the other. As their lust deepens to love, Aaron knows he must tell Travis the true reason they came to meet. Meanwhile, he fears that the darkness inside Travis's soul may lead the man to break the law and end up back in prison...
131 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 24, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 11, 2011
4.5 stars
I really loved this one! It was very sweet and cute. I loved both Aaron and Travis.
Travis was just adorable with how he'd get shy, especially since he's this big, bad-looking tattooed guy, and Aaron was a treat with his boldness. I loved the kid, Belinda, and the way she wanted to learn and used all these Yiddish words. It was extremely funny when she'd get upset and just start throwing out Yiddish bad words. I loved it.
I enjoyed the plot a lot although I wished there had been more to it I loved the way Aaron and Travis met but I would have liked there to be more depth to their relationship and the months that passed by. It was a fast-paced kind of story, so it felt a little bit rushed but I enjoyed nonetheless.
All in all, I really liked the story and I hope there's more of Travis and Aaron to come because I'd love to know more about them and what happens in the future. Definitely recommended!
I really loved this one! It was very sweet and cute. I loved both Aaron and Travis.
Travis was just adorable with how he'd get shy, especially since he's this big, bad-looking tattooed guy, and Aaron was a treat with his boldness. I loved the kid, Belinda, and the way she wanted to learn and used all these Yiddish words. It was extremely funny when she'd get upset and just start throwing out Yiddish bad words. I loved it.
I enjoyed the plot a lot although I wished there had been more to it I loved the way Aaron and Travis met but I would have liked there to be more depth to their relationship and the months that passed by. It was a fast-paced kind of story, so it felt a little bit rushed but I enjoyed nonetheless.
All in all, I really liked the story and I hope there's more of Travis and Aaron to come because I'd love to know more about them and what happens in the future. Definitely recommended!
July 22, 2011
3 1/2 stars
Aaron, who is openly gay, is sharing a home with his good friend Rosemary and helping to raise her young daughter Belinda who he has grown to love like his own. Belinda doesn’t know her real dad, Travis, who has been in prison for most of her young life and Rosemary intends to keep it that way. Travis has just been released from prison and Rosemary fears he will search them out and/or kidnap Belinda. When Rosemary is invited to a Mardi Gras masked event thrown by Travis’s parents she sends Aaron with instructions to ferret out any information.
Aaron attends the event but finds himself smitten with Travis, who is also gay, or possibly bi, and a surprisingly nice guy. The two share some intense chemistry but complications, many complications, ensue that force them to take things much slower than either anticipated. This slow burn fuels their lust and allows them to get to know each as friends before hopping into bed. This part of the story worked best for me. I love me a slow burn that pays off. Aaron’s relationship with Belinda also rang true and was very sweet. The big problem character for me was Rosemary. Her refusal to visit Travis in prison and her continued insistence that Travis would kidnap Belinda just didn’t seem to be based on anything but her own fears and that bothered me and made it difficult for me to sympathize with her. I guess I needed to see more reasons for her intense fear for it to ring true besides the one comment about her mom being a good for nothing junkie who died in prison. There is also a plot twist that occurs later in the story that was extremely frustrating and disappointing to me. I enjoy complicated and slightly impulsive characters but some of the choices made here just didn’t sit right.
With that said, I enjoyed the lovely relationship between Travis and Aaron, I adored cousin Karl and hope he finds a love to frolick with in that big water bed of his. The descriptive prose, especially during the Mardi Gras party, was wonderful. I would’ve rated this one higher if it weren’t quite so over-stuffed with its many different issues or had been long enough to fully flesh everything out.
Aaron, who is openly gay, is sharing a home with his good friend Rosemary and helping to raise her young daughter Belinda who he has grown to love like his own. Belinda doesn’t know her real dad, Travis, who has been in prison for most of her young life and Rosemary intends to keep it that way. Travis has just been released from prison and Rosemary fears he will search them out and/or kidnap Belinda. When Rosemary is invited to a Mardi Gras masked event thrown by Travis’s parents she sends Aaron with instructions to ferret out any information.
Aaron attends the event but finds himself smitten with Travis, who is also gay, or possibly bi, and a surprisingly nice guy. The two share some intense chemistry but complications, many complications, ensue that force them to take things much slower than either anticipated. This slow burn fuels their lust and allows them to get to know each as friends before hopping into bed. This part of the story worked best for me. I love me a slow burn that pays off. Aaron’s relationship with Belinda also rang true and was very sweet. The big problem character for me was Rosemary. Her refusal to visit Travis in prison and her continued insistence that Travis would kidnap Belinda just didn’t seem to be based on anything but her own fears and that bothered me and made it difficult for me to sympathize with her. I guess I needed to see more reasons for her intense fear for it to ring true besides the one comment about her mom being a good for nothing junkie who died in prison. There is also a plot twist that occurs later in the story that was extremely frustrating and disappointing to me. I enjoy complicated and slightly impulsive characters but some of the choices made here just didn’t sit right.
With that said, I enjoyed the lovely relationship between Travis and Aaron, I adored cousin Karl and hope he finds a love to frolick with in that big water bed of his. The descriptive prose, especially during the Mardi Gras party, was wonderful. I would’ve rated this one higher if it weren’t quite so over-stuffed with its many different issues or had been long enough to fully flesh everything out.
April 28, 2011
This is not your normal romance storyline. That's one of the things that made me really enjoy it. The characters were flawed in a totally believable way. So believable that at times I wanted to shake some sense into one or more of the trio. There is a non-sexual female main character that seriously needs to learn to make better judgments for herself and for her daughter. An ex-con who makes snap decisions without weighing long-term consequences. And then there is Aaron, a pharmaceutical rep, who could have prevented lots of stuff by opening his mouth and sharing with others. :)
Val's writing is talented and engaging. I will definitely watch for more from this author!
oh! and there are tons of Viking imagery and mythology. I want that back tattoo!
Val's writing is talented and engaging. I will definitely watch for more from this author!
oh! and there are tons of Viking imagery and mythology. I want that back tattoo!
October 26, 2012
A promising story, but the short length made it feel rushed to me
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 6/10
PROS:
- The story has a quiet, understated sense of humor that is just right for the subdued tone of the subject matter. I never laughed out loud, but I smiled a lot at comments like this: “he wondered what a kid had to do to feel cool and rebellious when both his parents were tattooed pagans.”
- There’s quite a bit of detail about a segment of society I’m completely unfamiliar with (I’d never even heard the word “krewe,” and I certainly didn’t know anything about them) and which I found wonderful and entertaining.
- Kovalin does a good job of capturing the festive flair of Galveston during Mardi Gras. The descriptions of certain things, like the party decorations and people’s costumes, are rich and vivid.
CONS:
- I didn’t quite believe in the strength of the guys’ connection after their first meeting because the scene is so brief and we don’t really get to see them interacting all that much. Then the story skips ahead by 8 weeks, and I felt like that was a pretty important stretch of time that I didn’t get to see in the guys’ relationship. That scene is also brief, and just when I was starting to get a glimpse of the men’s growing connection, the story jumps ahead again, this time by a month. Much of the story is jumpy like this.
- The conversations move quickly with very little exposition woven in with the dialogue to give the reader an idea as to the characters’ reactions to each other. As a result, sometimes I had the feeling that something important had happened or had been said but I hadn’t caught the full effect of it. Similarly, many of the dramatic occurrences of the story are described so quickly that they have much less dramatic punch than they could have if the story had slowed down a bit.
Overall comments: There’s a good story here, but the whole thing struck me as jumpy. Descriptions and dialogue sometimes detract from each other rather than flowing seamlessly together, and I found the gaps in the story’s timeline frustrating. Kovalin has promise as a writer, but I’d like to see what she does with something longer; there’s just too much going on in this short story for any of it to be developed very well.
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 6/10
PROS:
- The story has a quiet, understated sense of humor that is just right for the subdued tone of the subject matter. I never laughed out loud, but I smiled a lot at comments like this: “he wondered what a kid had to do to feel cool and rebellious when both his parents were tattooed pagans.”
- There’s quite a bit of detail about a segment of society I’m completely unfamiliar with (I’d never even heard the word “krewe,” and I certainly didn’t know anything about them) and which I found wonderful and entertaining.
- Kovalin does a good job of capturing the festive flair of Galveston during Mardi Gras. The descriptions of certain things, like the party decorations and people’s costumes, are rich and vivid.
CONS:
- I didn’t quite believe in the strength of the guys’ connection after their first meeting because the scene is so brief and we don’t really get to see them interacting all that much. Then the story skips ahead by 8 weeks, and I felt like that was a pretty important stretch of time that I didn’t get to see in the guys’ relationship. That scene is also brief, and just when I was starting to get a glimpse of the men’s growing connection, the story jumps ahead again, this time by a month. Much of the story is jumpy like this.
- The conversations move quickly with very little exposition woven in with the dialogue to give the reader an idea as to the characters’ reactions to each other. As a result, sometimes I had the feeling that something important had happened or had been said but I hadn’t caught the full effect of it. Similarly, many of the dramatic occurrences of the story are described so quickly that they have much less dramatic punch than they could have if the story had slowed down a bit.
Overall comments: There’s a good story here, but the whole thing struck me as jumpy. Descriptions and dialogue sometimes detract from each other rather than flowing seamlessly together, and I found the gaps in the story’s timeline frustrating. Kovalin has promise as a writer, but I’d like to see what she does with something longer; there’s just too much going on in this short story for any of it to be developed very well.
June 11, 2011
4.25 stars
Ink Illusions is the first book by Val Kovalin I've read - but it won't be the last. I enjoyed Ink Illusions from beginning to end. The two main protagonists, Aaron and Travis burned up the pages with their romance, making them a favorite couple of mine in this genre. Plus, the storyline was realistic and compelling. Aaron falls for his roommate's ex-boyfriend, an ex-con just released from prison. The crux of the story is that Travis is also the father of the roommate's child, and the mother doesn't want Travis in the picture. Enter Aaron who is supposed to spy on Travis, but winds up falling for the guy. Aaron decides not to tell his new lover he knows where his daughter is, making for a knock-down drag-out climax when the truth finally does come out.
I liked the fact all the characters were flawed, some more so than others, but each characterization felt real and in a world of perfect main characters, this book instead drew from real life and how humans can lie and evade, hurting others in the process, but in the end forgiveness and love win out. Ink Illusions is one of those stories that stays with you after you've finished it. With the original plot and characterizations (Aaron is Jewish and Travis pagan), this novel hit all my angst and romance buttons. Recommended.
Ink Illusions is the first book by Val Kovalin I've read - but it won't be the last. I enjoyed Ink Illusions from beginning to end. The two main protagonists, Aaron and Travis burned up the pages with their romance, making them a favorite couple of mine in this genre. Plus, the storyline was realistic and compelling. Aaron falls for his roommate's ex-boyfriend, an ex-con just released from prison. The crux of the story is that Travis is also the father of the roommate's child, and the mother doesn't want Travis in the picture. Enter Aaron who is supposed to spy on Travis, but winds up falling for the guy. Aaron decides not to tell his new lover he knows where his daughter is, making for a knock-down drag-out climax when the truth finally does come out.
I liked the fact all the characters were flawed, some more so than others, but each characterization felt real and in a world of perfect main characters, this book instead drew from real life and how humans can lie and evade, hurting others in the process, but in the end forgiveness and love win out. Ink Illusions is one of those stories that stays with you after you've finished it. With the original plot and characterizations (Aaron is Jewish and Travis pagan), this novel hit all my angst and romance buttons. Recommended.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2011
If I have one word to describe this book, it will be "choppy". I think what throws me off is the pacing. It feels like it jumps from one situation to another very quick. It's Aaron meeting Travis, then suddenly it's eight weeks later, then it's one month later, then it's July, then it's October ... and it's hard for me to develop emotional attachment to the guys that way. On top of that, when Aaron and Travis are together, I feel like they're talking more about tattoos or Norse myth, so again, I don't get how their relationship develops. I also don't understand Rosemary's fear of Travis when he never really shows the possibility of being a kidnapper ... and if it's because Travis is bi, or whatever, Rosemary seems to put a lot of faith in Aaron who IS openly gay.
I do like Belinda, though ... the kid :). There is something fun in reading a kid who learns to speak Yiddish *grin*
It's just a so-so read for me, it's not bad but easily forgettable.
I do like Belinda, though ... the kid :). There is something fun in reading a kid who learns to speak Yiddish *grin*
It's just a so-so read for me, it's not bad but easily forgettable.
March 23, 2012
3.5 stars. This is the second Val Kovalin book I've read. I wish this book had been longer, but I really liked the characters. I really felt for Travis and Aaron and I would have liked to see more of their growing relationship. The story has some fairly large gaps in time that I would have liked to see covered more fully.
I was really disappointed in Rosemary because it really seemed like Chad was manipulative and controlling from the get-go. I guess because she was so desperate for a relationship to find "love," she was willing to settle for him and frankly, he seemed like a user/loser. She was the one character that I thought seemed a bit more two-dimensional in the story.
I would really like to see more of the story after the ending of this story.
I was really disappointed in Rosemary because it really seemed like Chad was manipulative and controlling from the get-go. I guess because she was so desperate for a relationship to find "love," she was willing to settle for him and frankly, he seemed like a user/loser. She was the one character that I thought seemed a bit more two-dimensional in the story.
I would really like to see more of the story after the ending of this story.
May 13, 2011
I loved this. The whole idea behind the impossible situation was great. Loved the characters.
May 11, 2011
The central philosophy of Asatru is the interconnectedness of all things, all life, Travis tells Aaron, and the connection between them is strong, immediate, and while it takes a while to play out, it directs their lives from the moment they meet.
Travis is newly out of prison, where he'd spent most of his daughter's life. Belinda's seven years old, a darling little tomboy with a passion for Yiddish words that she uses with devastating effect. Travis doesn't know his daughter at all; her mother, Rosemary, has broken contact with Travis and his family. Rosemary and Belinda live with Aaron, provider of Yiddish words, male parenting presence, and home, which is a mutual benefit arrangement, not romantic, because Aaron is gay.
Rosemary is the pivot point of all this interconnectedness, and her refusal to be reasonable brings Travis and Aaron together. Instead of making some rational visitation arrangements, she assumes the absolute worst of a man who went to prison for protecting her, and eventually pushes him into doing what she fears the most. Rosemary redeems herself by the end of the book, but not before needing to be slapped six or eight times.
Aaron and Travis meet at Mardi Gras, where Aaron has gone to suss out Travis on Rosemary's behalf -- they head nearly straight to bed, which gets derailed because of some of the choices Travis had to make while in prison. They back off and take it slowly, getting to know one another before another romp in the sack, although Aaron's role in Rosemary and Belinda's lives doesn't come to the surface for a while. But it's a situation that could work to everyone's benefit with some goodwill from all. Getting to that goodwill is the challenge.
I loved Aaron -- he's caught between a rock and a hard place when he falls for his best friend's hated and feared ex, trying to broker an agreement that will work for everyone, using his salesman's wiles and a mean right hook. Travis is the conflicted one, trying to reconcile protecting himself and his family with the things he has to do to accomplish that. He knows he's done wrong things for good causes, and fears that they will cost him Aaron's love.
This story is tied more tightly to the calendar than anything non-historical I've ever read, we know day, year, and day of the week for major milestones, but it isn't clear why; weeks and months pass without action, until Travis does what he's been repeatedly warned not to do, out of the blue. The pacing bothered me -- when things were happening, the story perked right along, but there were close to five months where absolutely nothing happened, except possibly an offstage unmentioned romance between Rosemary and the loathsome Chad, and the primary romance shouldn't suffer for trying to grow plausibility for a secondary couple. Fortunately that time was heavily condensed, but it didn't seem necessary for Travis and Aaron.
I enjoyed the second half of the story greatly, when some secrets came out, the relationship between Travis and Aaron had to change and grow, and Rosemary got her head out. It's a 3.5, but the ending makes me happy to round up here.
Travis is newly out of prison, where he'd spent most of his daughter's life. Belinda's seven years old, a darling little tomboy with a passion for Yiddish words that she uses with devastating effect. Travis doesn't know his daughter at all; her mother, Rosemary, has broken contact with Travis and his family. Rosemary and Belinda live with Aaron, provider of Yiddish words, male parenting presence, and home, which is a mutual benefit arrangement, not romantic, because Aaron is gay.
Rosemary is the pivot point of all this interconnectedness, and her refusal to be reasonable brings Travis and Aaron together. Instead of making some rational visitation arrangements, she assumes the absolute worst of a man who went to prison for protecting her, and eventually pushes him into doing what she fears the most. Rosemary redeems herself by the end of the book, but not before needing to be slapped six or eight times.
Aaron and Travis meet at Mardi Gras, where Aaron has gone to suss out Travis on Rosemary's behalf -- they head nearly straight to bed, which gets derailed because of some of the choices Travis had to make while in prison. They back off and take it slowly, getting to know one another before another romp in the sack, although Aaron's role in Rosemary and Belinda's lives doesn't come to the surface for a while. But it's a situation that could work to everyone's benefit with some goodwill from all. Getting to that goodwill is the challenge.
I loved Aaron -- he's caught between a rock and a hard place when he falls for his best friend's hated and feared ex, trying to broker an agreement that will work for everyone, using his salesman's wiles and a mean right hook. Travis is the conflicted one, trying to reconcile protecting himself and his family with the things he has to do to accomplish that. He knows he's done wrong things for good causes, and fears that they will cost him Aaron's love.
This story is tied more tightly to the calendar than anything non-historical I've ever read, we know day, year, and day of the week for major milestones, but it isn't clear why; weeks and months pass without action, until Travis does what he's been repeatedly warned not to do, out of the blue. The pacing bothered me -- when things were happening, the story perked right along, but there were close to five months where absolutely nothing happened, except possibly an offstage unmentioned romance between Rosemary and the loathsome Chad, and the primary romance shouldn't suffer for trying to grow plausibility for a secondary couple. Fortunately that time was heavily condensed, but it didn't seem necessary for Travis and Aaron.
I enjoyed the second half of the story greatly, when some secrets came out, the relationship between Travis and Aaron had to change and grow, and Rosemary got her head out. It's a 3.5, but the ending makes me happy to round up here.
May 14, 2011
This was a great read. The story touched many difficult topics, handling all of them with sensitivity and respect. The pairing of a Norse Pagean with a Jew is fascinating and unusual. I loved the hints at Travis's religion and Aaron's backstory which never turned into infodump but were worked seamlessly into the narrative flow. Characterization is one of this author's fortes, and thus I wasn't surprised that both Travis and Aaron were likeable, realistic persons, down to Travis's anger issues. I liked it that they took their time to let their relationship grow and didn't jump each other's bones right away. If anything, Aaron was almost too good to be real, though saved by his inner insecurities and the moments he lost control.
I loved Rosemary and Belinda, and I particularly loved the way the author used a child's worldview to get her message of tolerance across without hammering anything in. A wonderful, heartwarming read, backed by wide knowledge, with an intelligent plot and a flowing narrative voice. And it doesn't hurt that it contains some seriously hot eroticism.
Highly recommended.
I loved Rosemary and Belinda, and I particularly loved the way the author used a child's worldview to get her message of tolerance across without hammering anything in. A wonderful, heartwarming read, backed by wide knowledge, with an intelligent plot and a flowing narrative voice. And it doesn't hurt that it contains some seriously hot eroticism.
Highly recommended.
September 29, 2012
This was a good book. It had an unusual plot that was interesting and exciting, the characters were well written, and the scenery was amazing. I loved reading all about the Mardi Gras and pagan details. I learned a lot of interesting things along with enjoying the story. My only complaint is that the story ended kind of abruptly for me. It had more of a HFN ending then a HEA. I'd love to read more about Aaron and Travis to see how they overcome some of the unresolved issues in this book.
May 31, 2011
Maybe more of a 2.5 rating, with extra points for being unique.
I liked the non-traditional characters and quirky sensibility of the story, but it was choppy reading. Felt like I had to infer a lot of things to give the story any sort of flow. Maybe needed more to full flesh out the story.
I liked the non-traditional characters and quirky sensibility of the story, but it was choppy reading. Felt like I had to infer a lot of things to give the story any sort of flow. Maybe needed more to full flesh out the story.
April 29, 2011
Chaotic characters in an unbelieveable story plot but I enjoy Val's style of writing making Ink a fun weekend reading.
May 5, 2011
Strange story, Mm... And main plot was just unrealistic and to soft. Just blah... This is NOT a story to be recommended...
May 9, 2011
3.5 stars. Good m/m romance about a gay man helping a female friend raise her daughter. Then the daughter's father gets out of prison and things get complicated.
August 12, 2012
I liked the beginning of this book but then everything started happening too fast. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was longer.
April 2, 2013
3.5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews