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City Life #1
Inked In Darkness
This is Everlee Sloan’s story.
He called me his little firefly, but I felt more like a moth to a flame. Ready to burn to ashes after an incompressible spark ignited us.
A chance encounter. A single moment. He had the potential to change the orbit that my entire world spun upon. He became my warrior, battling the darkness that lived deep within my desolate soul. He vowed to pull me to the surface, to protect me from the demons in my mind.
But at what cost? Would his love for me be my salvation or would I drag us both into the depths of my self created abyss?
Intended for +18 readers.
He called me his little firefly, but I felt more like a moth to a flame. Ready to burn to ashes after an incompressible spark ignited us.
A chance encounter. A single moment. He had the potential to change the orbit that my entire world spun upon. He became my warrior, battling the darkness that lived deep within my desolate soul. He vowed to pull me to the surface, to protect me from the demons in my mind.
But at what cost? Would his love for me be my salvation or would I drag us both into the depths of my self created abyss?
Intended for +18 readers.
349 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 16, 2024
4 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Mak Makenzie
6 books60 followersI have been writing for most of my life. When I was young it was a punishment. Thanks Mom! (insert eye roll here) As I got older it became an escape. A way to understand the uncontrollable world I was living in. I continued to journal all the way through college. When I graduated, I burned them all in a very dramatic fashion to protect the not so innocent. You’re welcome!
Now with a little more life experience tucked away in my back pocket, I am happily writing again. I hope you enjoy reading my work as much as I loved creating it.
Love,
Mak Makenzie
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 5, 2024
I was so excited to be asked to be apart of this ARC team. I’ve been following Mak on IG for a while, so it has been a honor to read this novel!
I really liked “Inked in Darkness”. I will be honest that it took me a while to get into it. That isn’t new for me. Whenever I start a new story, it takes me a minute to get into it (which is why I think I love series….its not a fresh start!) But, once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down. (Also, for the record - I did go back and read the first few chapters again and it read much easier.)
When we meet Everlee, her friend Harlow is encouraging her to live a little and get outside of her comfort zone. With some liquid encouragement, she finds herself at a tattoo parlor where she meets Ryan. A tattoo and phone number later, our story takes off.
Everlee struggles with her mental health, to the point she has tried self-harm. Ryan is just the most cinnamon roll/knight in shining armor there is. Instead of writing her off, he joins beside her to support her and be the person she needs. I loved that while they both had darkness inside of themselves, together they were able to make the most beautiful light.
My favorite takeaways from this book:
🩷 he calls her firefly
🩷 it’s a Chicago based story
🩷 the connection to music
🩷 steamy scenes
🩷 friends that love you regardless of where you are at
📖: arc team read
I really liked “Inked in Darkness”. I will be honest that it took me a while to get into it. That isn’t new for me. Whenever I start a new story, it takes me a minute to get into it (which is why I think I love series….its not a fresh start!) But, once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down. (Also, for the record - I did go back and read the first few chapters again and it read much easier.)
When we meet Everlee, her friend Harlow is encouraging her to live a little and get outside of her comfort zone. With some liquid encouragement, she finds herself at a tattoo parlor where she meets Ryan. A tattoo and phone number later, our story takes off.
Everlee struggles with her mental health, to the point she has tried self-harm. Ryan is just the most cinnamon roll/knight in shining armor there is. Instead of writing her off, he joins beside her to support her and be the person she needs. I loved that while they both had darkness inside of themselves, together they were able to make the most beautiful light.
My favorite takeaways from this book:
🩷 he calls her firefly
🩷 it’s a Chicago based story
🩷 the connection to music
🩷 steamy scenes
🩷 friends that love you regardless of where you are at
📖: arc team read
July 26, 2024
This was a fantastic read for me, from a new-to-me author. Mak's story of Everlee and Ryan had me laughing and crying within the first few chapters. Mak's passion for these two and their complicated histories is evident from the first paragraph.
TW: self-harm (off-page), suicidal ideation, brief physical assault
As a brilliant student finishing a corporate law degree, Everlee has fought through mental health challenges since childhood. Unsupported by her parents and brother, she feels undeserving of anything good, including love, working hard to focus on school. Her lifelong BFF Harlow decides it's time to shake up Everlee's world through a tattoo, and they walk into Ryan's shop on a whim.
Ryan is a cinnamon roll tatted-up shop owner with a complicated past, fighting his own battles. He and Everlee connect almost at first sight. He sees her for what she is, scars and all, and pursues friendship that evolves into more, through a shared love of music.
Building a relationship alongside the realities of mental health challenges is no easy task, and these two lay out the bare bones of it all. Kudos to the author for tackling some very challenging topics in a beautifully-written book that is relatable and raw.
I am grateful to have been provided an ARC of Inked in Darkness and provide this honest review of my free will.
TW: self-harm (off-page), suicidal ideation, brief physical assault
As a brilliant student finishing a corporate law degree, Everlee has fought through mental health challenges since childhood. Unsupported by her parents and brother, she feels undeserving of anything good, including love, working hard to focus on school. Her lifelong BFF Harlow decides it's time to shake up Everlee's world through a tattoo, and they walk into Ryan's shop on a whim.
Ryan is a cinnamon roll tatted-up shop owner with a complicated past, fighting his own battles. He and Everlee connect almost at first sight. He sees her for what she is, scars and all, and pursues friendship that evolves into more, through a shared love of music.
Building a relationship alongside the realities of mental health challenges is no easy task, and these two lay out the bare bones of it all. Kudos to the author for tackling some very challenging topics in a beautifully-written book that is relatable and raw.
I am grateful to have been provided an ARC of Inked in Darkness and provide this honest review of my free will.
April 19, 2025
4.5⭐️
“She was like capturing a firefly. Almost impossible to catch but once you did? Magic.”
If you enjoy a troubled soul meets a cinnamon roll combo then Mak Makenzie’s first book in the CityLife series is an essential read. Ugh, my heart!💔
Stepping out of her comfort zone with some friendly encouragement, Everlee finds herself in a tattoo parlour making moves she typically would not. Charmed by resident tattoo artist Ryan, numbers are exchanged and a nurturing relationship evolves. Bonding over music and secrets shared their combined darkness becomes the most meaningful kind of light as open minds and hearts offer the kind of support a struggling Everlee needs.
Profoundly raw and beautifully written, this author navigates the effects of one's mental health on a personal and relational level.
“Eyes seemingly hardened by the world, as if those dark pupils told me about a life that hadn’t been easy for him. I felt myself perplexingly drawn to that darkness as if ours were calling out to one another in despair.”
Please be mindful of triggers about low self-worth, references to childhood trauma, off-the-page self-harm and SA.
“She was like capturing a firefly. Almost impossible to catch but once you did? Magic.”
If you enjoy a troubled soul meets a cinnamon roll combo then Mak Makenzie’s first book in the CityLife series is an essential read. Ugh, my heart!💔
Stepping out of her comfort zone with some friendly encouragement, Everlee finds herself in a tattoo parlour making moves she typically would not. Charmed by resident tattoo artist Ryan, numbers are exchanged and a nurturing relationship evolves. Bonding over music and secrets shared their combined darkness becomes the most meaningful kind of light as open minds and hearts offer the kind of support a struggling Everlee needs.
Profoundly raw and beautifully written, this author navigates the effects of one's mental health on a personal and relational level.
“Eyes seemingly hardened by the world, as if those dark pupils told me about a life that hadn’t been easy for him. I felt myself perplexingly drawn to that darkness as if ours were calling out to one another in despair.”
Please be mindful of triggers about low self-worth, references to childhood trauma, off-the-page self-harm and SA.
July 14, 2024
Everlee takes a chance and gets a tattoo, which leads to meeting Ryan. Their friendship begins, and they can connect and commiserate on many things. Ryan is very supportive and listens to Everlee as she voices how her life has been with her parents and school—much as played a role in her mental health. Ryan, though, sees her and accepts her for who she is.
Part of loving her is understanding and being part of her mental health, but in doing sends him into a tailspin at times. I appreciate how the author dives into his character and how he perceives things and shows how he goes into panic mode when Everlee is going through things.
”Inked in Darkness” is slow to start, as there is a lot of character development and relationship-building between Everlee and Ryan. It does pick up at the halfway point, and I felt things build up at this point. Overall, I was entertained.
Part of loving her is understanding and being part of her mental health, but in doing sends him into a tailspin at times. I appreciate how the author dives into his character and how he perceives things and shows how he goes into panic mode when Everlee is going through things.
”Inked in Darkness” is slow to start, as there is a lot of character development and relationship-building between Everlee and Ryan. It does pick up at the halfway point, and I felt things build up at this point. Overall, I was entertained.
July 20, 2024
An enjoyable read. It took me a little while to get into but once I did I was invested in the characters and their struggles. I was rooting for them to have a HEA.
I felt like some parts were a bit skimmed over while others seemed to have more time than necessary spent on them. I also found the use of the characters names in conversations happened a bit too frequently which made it feel unnatural and which took me out of the story occasionally but I’m well aware that’s likely just a personal preference.
It was awesome to see mental health challenges represented and the impact they can have both on the individual and those who love them depicted. Particularly the effect that unsupportive family can have.
Overall an enjoyable read and an author I’ll happily read more from in the future.
I felt like some parts were a bit skimmed over while others seemed to have more time than necessary spent on them. I also found the use of the characters names in conversations happened a bit too frequently which made it feel unnatural and which took me out of the story occasionally but I’m well aware that’s likely just a personal preference.
It was awesome to see mental health challenges represented and the impact they can have both on the individual and those who love them depicted. Particularly the effect that unsupportive family can have.
Overall an enjoyable read and an author I’ll happily read more from in the future.
July 31, 2024
🌟 Love at First Sight
🌟 Mental Health
🌟 Childhood Traumas
🌟 Dual Pov
🌟 Opposites Attract
I decided to sign up to be an ARC for this book because it mentioned mental health representation. It’s vital that we continue discussing Mental Health to challenge the stigmas. Thank you, Mak, for bringing this important topic to the light.
In the meantime, be sure to check the trigger warnings before reading this book.
Everlee (FMC) who studies law and loves music 🎵, struggles with her mental health. While she receives some support from her best friend, Harlow, it’s not always the most helpful. Harlow pushes her to live her life by going out and getting a meaningful tattoo.
Ryan (MMC), the tattoo artist who runs his own shop, has his own struggles with childhood trauma. When Harlow brings Everlee to his shop…Everlee and Ryan feel an instant connection after making eye contact as if they understand each other. Ryan feels an instant desire to have her in his life and decides to ask to become friends and get to know each other better through a game of 20 questions via texting 💬
“Eyes seemingly hardened by the world, as if those dark pupils told me about a life that hadn’t been easy for him. I felt myself perplexingly drawn to that darkness, as if ours were calling our to one another in despair.”
As time goes by, with support, patience, and understanding, their friendship has built into something deeper. Throughout the book, Ryan helps Everlee discover hope she hasn’t felt in a long time. This is heartwarming.
“Seriously baby, you deserve someone who treats you like a f queen”
“She was like capturing a firefly. Almost impossible to catch but once you did? Magic.”
This was a heavy read, but it’s relatable, reminding us that we are not alone.
🌟 Mental Health
🌟 Childhood Traumas
🌟 Dual Pov
🌟 Opposites Attract
I decided to sign up to be an ARC for this book because it mentioned mental health representation. It’s vital that we continue discussing Mental Health to challenge the stigmas. Thank you, Mak, for bringing this important topic to the light.
In the meantime, be sure to check the trigger warnings before reading this book.
Everlee (FMC) who studies law and loves music 🎵, struggles with her mental health. While she receives some support from her best friend, Harlow, it’s not always the most helpful. Harlow pushes her to live her life by going out and getting a meaningful tattoo.
Ryan (MMC), the tattoo artist who runs his own shop, has his own struggles with childhood trauma. When Harlow brings Everlee to his shop…Everlee and Ryan feel an instant connection after making eye contact as if they understand each other. Ryan feels an instant desire to have her in his life and decides to ask to become friends and get to know each other better through a game of 20 questions via texting 💬
“Eyes seemingly hardened by the world, as if those dark pupils told me about a life that hadn’t been easy for him. I felt myself perplexingly drawn to that darkness, as if ours were calling our to one another in despair.”
As time goes by, with support, patience, and understanding, their friendship has built into something deeper. Throughout the book, Ryan helps Everlee discover hope she hasn’t felt in a long time. This is heartwarming.
“Seriously baby, you deserve someone who treats you like a f queen”
“She was like capturing a firefly. Almost impossible to catch but once you did? Magic.”
This was a heavy read, but it’s relatable, reminding us that we are not alone.
January 16, 2025
4.5⭐|4🌶|9%🌶 frequency
This book was recently free on Amazon and you all (possibly) know I love freebies 😁
The whole series was already on my KU TBR, so I would have read it anyway, but so I could read it earlier 🤩
I don't read a lot of books with mental health reps. Don't really know why, maybe it's just because there aren't that many? Or because I'm too struck with other books? 🤷♀️ I really don't know.
This book was an adventure. It was different from other books I read. And yes, I love that books aren't all the same.
Why was it different? For once, as I said, I don't read a lot of books with this topic. But the most important part was, that this book is more written in the thoughts of the MCs. Sure they talk, but they don't talk a lot 🙈
It's mostly Everlee's thoughts. She is the one who struggles the most. She lives in the dark, and she meets Ryan, she isn't sure if she can burden him with her problems.
Everlee isn't the only one with demons. Ryan has them too. And that's one of the reasons why he is so overprotective 🩷 I loved him.
It was so satisfying to read Everlee's development. It's not always rosy, she still had dark moments. And sometimes I felt as if it was me in these situations, not Everlee.
There were a few moments I wasn't sure what to think about Harlow, Everlee's best friend. But she always supported her. Even though she sometimes is a bit of a bad influence 🤣 and I'm looking forward to reading her book. As well as Maddie's. I love Rays' little sister and I'm excited to read more about her demons.
Follow me on IG for more
https://www.instagram.com/minnie.love...
This book was recently free on Amazon and you all (possibly) know I love freebies 😁
The whole series was already on my KU TBR, so I would have read it anyway, but so I could read it earlier 🤩
I don't read a lot of books with mental health reps. Don't really know why, maybe it's just because there aren't that many? Or because I'm too struck with other books? 🤷♀️ I really don't know.
This book was an adventure. It was different from other books I read. And yes, I love that books aren't all the same.
Why was it different? For once, as I said, I don't read a lot of books with this topic. But the most important part was, that this book is more written in the thoughts of the MCs. Sure they talk, but they don't talk a lot 🙈
It's mostly Everlee's thoughts. She is the one who struggles the most. She lives in the dark, and she meets Ryan, she isn't sure if she can burden him with her problems.
Everlee isn't the only one with demons. Ryan has them too. And that's one of the reasons why he is so overprotective 🩷 I loved him.
It was so satisfying to read Everlee's development. It's not always rosy, she still had dark moments. And sometimes I felt as if it was me in these situations, not Everlee.
There were a few moments I wasn't sure what to think about Harlow, Everlee's best friend. But she always supported her. Even though she sometimes is a bit of a bad influence 🤣 and I'm looking forward to reading her book. As well as Maddie's. I love Rays' little sister and I'm excited to read more about her demons.
Follow me on IG for more
https://www.instagram.com/minnie.love...
July 25, 2024
I was fortunate enough to be selected to read „Inked In Darkness“ by Mak Makenzie as an ARC in exchange for an honest review so let me start by saying that I finished this book only two days ago even though it released on July 16th. Why? You may ask. Here is my answer: Inked In Darkness touched me so deeply that I had to savor every page and did not want it to end!
So what made this book so special to me?
🎆 The representation of depression - it was done incredibly well and relatable! (Content Warming for depressive episode on page)
🎆 The realistic depiction of love being real and valid no matter how long the couple has known each other.
🎆The found family / friendship the female main character experiences
🎆 The romantic dynamic between the main characters and the way he supports her - it is beautifully romantic but realistic at the same time, which I truly appreciate.
🎆The dynamic between the male main character and his sister
I could go on and on about all the things I loved in this story but I don’t want to spoil anything because it was the most amazing feeling to go in mostly blind and just let the waves of the story carry me. Also if you really want to understand what this book has to offer you will have to read it because this review can not do it justice no matter how hard I try.
So I‘ll leave you with a 5 star rating for this book! Swipe this post to see some of my favorite quotes as well.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC I LOVED every freaking page!
So what made this book so special to me?
🎆 The representation of depression - it was done incredibly well and relatable! (Content Warming for depressive episode on page)
🎆 The realistic depiction of love being real and valid no matter how long the couple has known each other.
🎆The found family / friendship the female main character experiences
🎆 The romantic dynamic between the main characters and the way he supports her - it is beautifully romantic but realistic at the same time, which I truly appreciate.
🎆The dynamic between the male main character and his sister
I could go on and on about all the things I loved in this story but I don’t want to spoil anything because it was the most amazing feeling to go in mostly blind and just let the waves of the story carry me. Also if you really want to understand what this book has to offer you will have to read it because this review can not do it justice no matter how hard I try.
So I‘ll leave you with a 5 star rating for this book! Swipe this post to see some of my favorite quotes as well.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC I LOVED every freaking page!
July 16, 2024
This story seemed to call to me from the moment that I first read the blurb, but after the first few chapters, I wasn't sure that I was going to like it. The storyline includes a trope that I'm not the biggest fan of and that I wasn't expecting, but I was still intrigued to see where the story was headed, so I kept reading. I'm glad that I did.
Everlee keeps her head down and studies hard, not letting herself get off course to really enjoy life, for fear that her mind will drag her back into a dark place. She's been there before. When she meets Ryan, she can't explain their connection, but he makes her want more. He seems to truly see her, but doesn't he deserve better?
This book deals with some tough and possibly triggering subjects, but it does so in an honest and respectful light. While the connection between Everlee and Ryan could be described as love at first sight, it's really deeper than that, and as someone who had an instant connection with the man who saved me some 30+ years ago, I could relate to their immediate bond.
Although this story deals with heavy topics, I didn't find the story to be dark. There is a decent amount of steam, and I was relieved that the direction that I first thought that the story was headed didn't take over. At its core, this is a story of resilience, survival and hope, and I really liked it.
Everlee keeps her head down and studies hard, not letting herself get off course to really enjoy life, for fear that her mind will drag her back into a dark place. She's been there before. When she meets Ryan, she can't explain their connection, but he makes her want more. He seems to truly see her, but doesn't he deserve better?
This book deals with some tough and possibly triggering subjects, but it does so in an honest and respectful light. While the connection between Everlee and Ryan could be described as love at first sight, it's really deeper than that, and as someone who had an instant connection with the man who saved me some 30+ years ago, I could relate to their immediate bond.
Although this story deals with heavy topics, I didn't find the story to be dark. There is a decent amount of steam, and I was relieved that the direction that I first thought that the story was headed didn't take over. At its core, this is a story of resilience, survival and hope, and I really liked it.
July 30, 2024
As someone who has battled depression, this was a bit of a hard read for me, in that I had to take my time reading it. It’s very realistically depicted, so if you don’t have much experience with depression, you’ll definitely get a pretty clear understanding of what it’s like. But that’s not to say that there aren’t ‘light’ moments to balance the ‘darker’ aspects of the story, because there are, and I have to say that my favorite character was MMC, Ryan, which isn’t something that happens to me often. The FMC, Everlee, had all of my empathy and compassion, but Ryan … he had me smiling. A good debut!
January 17, 2025
this book…this book was amazing! i had all the feels in this book! laughter and tears mainly but this book felt personal to me. i connected with evy and im so glad i picked this book up! i’ve been there and to read the words and know the feelings is just a different experience in a book. i can’t gush enough about how amazing this book was. i highly recommend!
evy was on another adventure with harlow when they end up in front of ryan’s shop…and fate has never been more beautiful! ryan has been taking care of his sister and keeping his career moving and as soon as he laid eyes on evy he realized he needed more! this is an amazing story and i can’t wait to jump into the next book.
evy was on another adventure with harlow when they end up in front of ryan’s shop…and fate has never been more beautiful! ryan has been taking care of his sister and keeping his career moving and as soon as he laid eyes on evy he realized he needed more! this is an amazing story and i can’t wait to jump into the next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2025
4.5
Book 1 in the CityLife series, interconnected standalones that can be read in any order.
Evrerlee and Ryan - I don't even know where to begin with their devastatingly beautiful love story. There's so much raw emotion and honest truths in this book and I loved every chapter. You have a troubled soul meets cinnamon roll wrapped up in a bow and served in this gripping emotional roller-coaster.
"She was like capturing a firefly. Almost impossible to catch but once you did? Magic."
And the tattoos?! My heart 🥹
Trope Me Up 👇🏻
~Insta Love
~Soulmates
~Mental Health Rep
~Tattoo Artist
~Possessive MMC
⚠️ Please check the trigger warnings before picking this up.
Book 1 in the CityLife series, interconnected standalones that can be read in any order.
Evrerlee and Ryan - I don't even know where to begin with their devastatingly beautiful love story. There's so much raw emotion and honest truths in this book and I loved every chapter. You have a troubled soul meets cinnamon roll wrapped up in a bow and served in this gripping emotional roller-coaster.
"She was like capturing a firefly. Almost impossible to catch but once you did? Magic."
And the tattoos?! My heart 🥹
Trope Me Up 👇🏻
~Insta Love
~Soulmates
~Mental Health Rep
~Tattoo Artist
~Possessive MMC
⚠️ Please check the trigger warnings before picking this up.
July 18, 2024
This story was so emotional. I definitely resonated with some depression aspects from the fmc.
Some parts were hard to read because I battle with depression myself but I’m so glad I pushed through and finished the story.
Some parts were hard to read because I battle with depression myself but I’m so glad I pushed through and finished the story.
August 6, 2024
LOVED!
This was SO lovely! I love the mental health representation and Firefly? SO CUTE. I love a pet name! 10/10 would recommend!
This was SO lovely! I love the mental health representation and Firefly? SO CUTE. I love a pet name! 10/10 would recommend!
January 9, 2025
Inked In Darkness is so good!
I really had a hard time putting this book down! It is such a great read and can be relatable to some readers. I really think the author did a fantastic job writing this book. It draws you in from page one. The FMC has a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the book I would recommend adding this book to your TBR.
Please read the Trigger warning for this book! It may be a hard for some readers.
I really had a hard time putting this book down! It is such a great read and can be relatable to some readers. I really think the author did a fantastic job writing this book. It draws you in from page one. The FMC has a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the book I would recommend adding this book to your TBR.
Please read the Trigger warning for this book! It may be a hard for some readers.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews