INKarnate

INKomplete #1

by Mara Malins

When Emily begins an apprenticeship at the renowned tattoo studio Inkomplete, she didn’t realise she was stepping into a world very different from her middle-class upbringing. But not everybody is happy about her dipping her toe into new waters. Famous tattoo artist, Matt Jones, knows she doesn’t belong. What's he got against her, and how far will he go to drive her away?

93 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 21, 2018

About the author

Mara Malins is an English writer who tackles all genres. She battles spreadsheets by day and drinks a lot of wine by night. She lives in Manchester with her menagerie of two cats, two turtles, a long term partner, and a disobedient garden. If you want to know when her next fiction is released, follow her at Twitter on @MaraMalins

Reviews

[Coco.V]

💝 FREE on Amazon today (12/22/2018)! 💝

Blurb:
When Emily begins an apprenticeship at the renowned tattoo studio Inkomplete, she didn’t realise she was stepping into a world very different from her middle-class upbringing. But not everybody is happy about her dipping her toe into new waters. Famous tattoo artist, Matt Jones, knows she doesn’t belong. What's he got against her, and how far will he go to drive her away?

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

INKarnate tells the story of Emily who needs a job and finds an ad about an apprenticeship working in a tattoo parlour. On appearances Emily looks nothing like a tattoo artist would, but it soon becomes apparent to all but one who works there that she’s a right fit for the place.

From the moment she walked in, Matt has taken an instant dislike to Emily. He’s been nothing but awful, treating her like she either doesn’t exist or that she’s something he just scraped off of his shoe.

Together, it would appear that they clash but it soon becomes apparent that instead of hatred, what they’re feeling is attraction. But Emily learns something about Matt that should turn her off, when all it does though is turn her on.

I must say, I really enjoyed this short story. It was filled with tension from the get go. The main characters had that chemistry I look for in a couple and the actual story was quite believable. I didn’t feel for the secondary character but this being a short story, I’m guessing they were just fillers for now. I believe they get their own story in the future. There was just enough sex. I’m glad the author didn’t fill it fill and actually had a storyline there otherwise it would have been too much, as it was I really enjoyed it.

Looking forward to the next one. Definitely recommend.

[Maria11 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nope

Not for me. Not what I thought it would be. Way too short and no character development at all. Goody two shoes goes to master of pain and kink. Really?!? I am expected to believe that. At least it was free or I really would be mad

[K.J. Harrowick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why I picked up this book:

This is another one of those books where I was strolling around Twitter and saw a shout out for ARC readers. Dark, sex and stabby things? Why yes… please sign me up right now. I received a free copy of this story from Pen and Kink Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

True rating: 4.75 Stars

This review may contain spoilers.

What I loved:

I honestly enjoyed the heck out of this short story. It’s a fast read, the pacing is strong, and from the first page I connected right to Emily’s plight. She’s a fish out of water in a strange, new world, but when survival’s on the line, you’ll do anything to keep going.

Matt’s character was wonderful! I’m a fan of brooding men, and he came right off the page as "I want you, don’t look at me". His strong, protective persona clashed perfectly with Emily’s sass, and I’d love to see another story of this world through his eyes.

Areas needing a touch of refinement:

The sex scene was fun and steamy, but it felt a tiny bit rushed. There’s some sporadic words missing here and there, and I didn’t get a lot of sensory detail from Emily. I would have loved to feel more of what the experience was like inside her body, how her mind moved through the space from good girl to "I need more" while Matt teased her with his touch. I wanted more fleshing out (pun!) and immersion into their intimacy.

Overall:

I read this story in a few hours and enjoyed the heck out of it. If you’re searching for a quick pick-me-up for the afternoon, or a nice palate cleanser book, this is definitely the one. It should be noted there’s some mild kink, so this is definitely for readers who don’t mind some dirty belting. As for me, I can’t wait to dig in to the rest of the series. 🙂

[Tee loves Kyle Jacobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off I have to say that this is one of those books you love to hate because there are a few things that happen and there seems to be no logic to it. Well at least as I was reading I got a different feel for the story and then when it came out to be something different I was a little surprised but I liked it and I hated it because the main character Matt is a total arse and he treats poor Emily like crap until we find out what he really wants from her and she is all game for it.

There were parts in the story I was yelling at my kindle like oh hell no he did not because Matt was such an arse and he was so alpha at times it really pissed me off because there was a better way for him to act but hell it is not my story to tell just read it and enjoy it or not. I did and can't wait to read the second book.

[Gina Burkart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a amazing start to this book. This book will take you on a startup of this story and will pull you in from the very beginning to the end.

[DMA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Really strong start to a new series. Loved how the characters personalities built quickly until you felt like you knew them in person.
There was a strong simmering sexual tension running through the story which was breath taking!
Loved the storyline and can't wait to read the next book!

[Andrea Berner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!!

Smooth, sultry, steamy and seductive all rolled into one. I adored the story of Matt & Emily. Problem for me I just wanted much more. It's not that much more can be written, I'm just greedy...lol.

[Magali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great intense story
Fabulous even if short story, with excellent characters, good rise of feelings's description. I loved how Emily discovered herself, while the first day, she admits to having no tattoos because she's afraid of the pain. Dialogues and tensions are excellent and the scenes very well written. Definitely a great story.
I will read again with pleasure, another books from this author.
Emily needs a job and she can draw so, she applies to a tatoo apprenticeship. Matt, one of the tattoo artist, rejects her, and she hesitates between attraction and rejection as well. But after a night in a club, she understands that, even if she looks like a teacher, she would like to discover a side of her sexuality that she never imagined, and that Matt could be the key ... Or not.

[Tango With Text · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always fun seeing how people come together in a story! Ms Malins does a fine job of bringing two opposites together in this short story. Matt, the broody tattooed badass and Emily, the prim and proper looking school teacher type. But appearance is not everything in this story of discovery.

Personally, I think Ms Malins should extend the story to a full length novel as I would love to read the back-stories and future antics of these two characters. Perhaps we will hear more of these two in the stories to come in this series.

Contains mature themes but is a great quick read.

[J. Ockenhouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Mara book and I'm in love. Emily and Matt take the whole "don't judge a book by it's cover" theme and prove it to be incredibly true for them. I wasn't fooled with them being "enemies", you could feel the heat coming off the reader when ever their names were near each other.

I love the vibe of the story and the other characters made you feel like you were in that tattoo shop with them.

Can't wait to get my hands on book 2 because I have a feeling this author is going to continue to blow my mind.

I received an ARC for an honest and voluntarily review.

[Debbie Caswell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful enemies to lovers story You can't find two people more different Emily is a prim well brought up middle class woman and Matt is a badass tattooed alpha and they hate one another on sight But things change between these two and they discover they aren't so opposite after all. This is a great short story that actually doesn't feel short and rushed when you read it.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[poppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good quick enemies to lovers romance and I really enjoyed it. It is the first book I have read from Mara but it won't be the last it was well written and pulled me right in I really liked both Matt and Emily and even though at the beginning they cannot stand each other they still had a huge attraction to each other I enjoyed this short read and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, it’s an emamies to lovers romance which tends to be rather a fun genre of romance because of the conflict which leads to some seriously fun good times. This is a short read but packed with good characters and great chemistry. Matt is the broody tattoo artist is tattooing a prim and proper Emily who is a school teacher. As we know appearances can be very deceiving.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nicoletta Tsalafaos · Rating 4 out of 5]

INKarnate (INKomplete Series Book 1) by Mara Malins is a New Adult, Contemporary, Short Erotic Romance.
Famous tattoo artist Matt Jones believes that good girl Emily doesn’t belong as an apprenticeship at the tattoo studio. This from enemies to lover romantic erotica got me hooked from the beginning. Can't wait for book two. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nicole Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book which is the start of a series we meet the shy Emily who’s looking for a job as a tattoo apprentice. Well lets just say that the interview process rattles her a little, but after getting the position Matt the reclusive artist seems to hate or despise her this stirs things up but in the end a relationship blossoms to find out how you’ll have to read the book. It’s short and sweet but covers all the things necessary to make the book enjoyable.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short sinfully delicious story that mixes tattoos and kink..... yes please!!! The chemistry between the characters Matt and Emily is instant even though they skirt around it. I look forward to reading the next book in this series

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lynette Hassall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story, the heroine is adorable, but with a good solid backbone, and I love the tattoo parlour and the tattoo artist. The story is is sexy and intense, and has a sweet ending. I thoroughly recommend this story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

She has decided she wants to be a tattoo artist and when she goes in to sort it. He is very unhappy about it and he will do anything he can to make her to back home. What has he got against her? Will she find out? See if she will

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short story by Mara Malins which was basically about not judging a book, or in this case, people, by their outside looks. It is what they are inside that truly matters, especially when opposites seemingly do attract one another. I also liked this short teasing look at BDSM or kinky sex habits. This is a voluntary review of an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Booksprout.

[Gladys · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short enemies to lovers romance. With a good balance between emotional connection and physical intimacy, along with a solid storyline and sizzling chemistry, creates a very enjoyable read. I'm posting a voluntary, honest review.

[Scarolet Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this short interesting story about enemies going to lovers. I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves a great story to read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author does a great job of bringing two opposites together in this short story. Matt, the broody tattooed badass and Emily, the prim and proper looking school teacher type. But appearance is not everything in this story of discovery. Great intense story! Can't wait for book 2! 💋

[Debbi Taylor]

I really enjoyed this book it had brilliant characters and a brilliantly written storyline that keeps you hooked from the beginning. I would definitely recommend this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book with its wonderful message. It had a great plotline and a wonderful cast of characters. The story was interesting, intriguing, and intense with some wonderful steamy scenes. I look forward to reading more.

[Kathleen Bradbury (Bulfon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written book with an interesting story line. The characters are strong and the story flows quickly and smoothly. I enjoyed reading this story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Pam Richmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved reading this book and I can't wait start the next book in this series. I would have preferred a little more closure at the end but overall it was a great story. Mara Malins did an excellent job keeping me captivated

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a good storyline that is captivating and entertaining. The characters are intriguing and well developed. I did like reading this book.