Skin

Royal Exiles #1

by Bernadette Gardner

Her body is his canvas.When Makena Brady walks into SkIntense Body Art, she expects nothing more than a little prick, and a small tattoo to satisfy her quest for independence from her "good girl" lifestyle. What she gets instead is a sensual awakening.Darq Stone is an artist and Makena's body is the perfect canvas. He works his magic on her, bringing her to the edge of reason with a temporary tattoo airbrushed on her inner thigh.Enthralled by the excitement of lying nearly naked while he paints on her, Makena yearns for more, but can she handle the real thing? Darq is much more than he seems and once he brands her with a permanent mark, she'll be drawn into his world forever.

Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Erotica, Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, Dragons, Erotic Romance

99 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Drawn to spicy tales of adventure from an early age, Bernadette Gardner made the leap from writing hard science fiction to writing erotic romance in 2005 and has never looked back.

Now multipublished, Bernadette also writes paranormal, fantasy and contemporary titles under the name Jennifer Colgan. When not exploring distant galaxies or alternate universes, Bernadette can be found at home with her husband of fifteen years, two children and one slightly neurotic Dalmatian. She spends her spare time reading, quilting and haunting the local craft stores and looks forward to bringing steamy stories to her fans for decades to come.

Reviews

[~*~Princess Nya Vasiliev~*~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a bit surprising. Going into this one you get the impression you know where it's heading. Though some aspects of this story may feel quite familiar, in a zippy & unexpected twist, you find you're getting something more, something a little different. That upon first view, it may feel out of place but it quickly changes your mind.

Darq Stone Love this name btw. But I love the guy even more. You'll see ;)

Makena I really liked her. No games & no unnecessary angst with her. Very refreshing.

This one ends with no cliffhanger but it does end with the tone of "What's gonna happen to them? What lies ahead?" I for one am definitely curious about the make up of Darq & where the future will lead. So hopefully another novel will answer these questions.
*hint hint*

I can't give the 5 star I wanted cos of one fact... There was always this promise of more from Darq. He would always allude to giving Makena more or holding back cos he feared/knew she couldn't handle his "brand" of passion. While his "brand" was definitely on point & hot, it wasn't any different from what any other man with a high sex drive & who was extremely generous, could give to her.

So I felt a bit let down with the erotically possessive, passionate, all new experience we were promised, but was never delivered.

I will say this was a great read with an interesting paranormal twist. I would recommend this read.

[SaturNalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh this was a sweet and spicy novella. Makena wants a tattoo and Darq Stone (best name ever?!) wants to give her one. They meet and sparks fly. Tattoo's are not my thing but they were handle well here and I didn't mind. Scenes between Makena and Darq were sooo steamy, not explicit, but sensual. Very enjoyable.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is another short story that I enjoyed so much that I completed the story in a ½ hour. I fell in love with Darq immediately. He had all the qualities of a bad boy with a paranormal twist. The book is about a woman who has decided to take her own ambitions back after a messy breakup. She always craved getting a tattoo but was too scared to get one because she was worried about what others would think of her if she did. Steadfast in her resolve she finally goes into tattoo parlor thinking she was going to come out with a tattoo, but in the end she gets more than what she bargained for. I heart this book. The reason why I didn’t give the book five stars was because I wanted some action. I love the romance but I like some action with it too. I would have loved to see the guardians throw down to protect their keepers.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short novella it was spicy and sexy I liked the concept of the story the added paranormal to it. I actually didn't mind that it was short I don't know if it was because I wasnt able to read it in one sitting that I felt it was longer. anyway the chemistry between darq (love this name) and makena is off the charts their insta connection is deep. The description of the tats and the meaning to them is really cool I'm also glad we got to meet the other hot part owner heath since the second book its his story and I know its a little longer I'm hoping their will be more details and maybe hear from darq and mak. Overall good story likeable characters hot sex and badass tats!! happy reading :)

[Marika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book!the story between Makena and Darq is so intense and sensual.
She just want a tattoo, instead when she walks in Skintense tattoo shop she ends up with a temporary one, a dragon, and a sexy man. Their tattoos match and after a night together Makena has to decide if she wants him forever or walk away. If she is going to follow him and belong to him she has to get a permanent tattoo, a guardian dragon to match his.The story mix erotica and paranormal. Love to learn more about their story!

[Pixie · Rating 1 out of 5]

So let me start with the fact I don’t read sci-fi really & I have the attention span of a gnat (apparently I’ve been spelling this wrong, previously as knat thank God for twitter), possibly one with sever ADHD. Once my mind latched on to the fact this story was about something other than what was on the surface I absolutely could not pay attention to anything that went on unless I knew what the fuck the sci-fi/paranormal thing was. Ended up skimming & then just saying screw it.

[Sans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than a "meh", but it could have been really good if the story was spun out a bit more. I'd have liked to see Makena and Darq's "getting to know you" story, maybe find out what happens after they decide to stay together, but it doesn't look like the author has continued writing this could-be-a-series. Still. Tats! That's always a plus. Magic tats are even better.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was not what I was expecting but it was unique and that is something I enjoy. I would recommend this to someone that is more into paranormal but there is romance which is the base for the story. I did feel like it was a little rushed though. I don't think I would read it again but I am glad I read it at least once.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually read Slither first, even though it is supposed to be second. But Im glad I read them out of order because otherwise there is a lot I feel like I would be feeling a little in the dark about. Both good books, would like to see more from these characters.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good short read. It was Ok for the $1.49 price - but I would have been upset if I had to pay more because it only took a couple of hours to read. I felt like the author was pretty abrupt with the ending as well. It left lot of unanswered questions about the main characters future.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"'If you were truly worried about someone else's opinion, you wouldn't be here. You want something that speaks to you and you alone.'"

"She'd come here looking for absolution - to indulge the need to free herself from the expectations of others who didn't know her soul."

[Angie Klug · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this story...but I found myself wondering if there was a book BEFORE this one??!! Seemed like there were more "paranormal" details dropped on me as the story progressed that I felt I should have had some prior knowledge of to really understand how the pieces were fitting together.

[♥Trish♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I stated - this was a mistake purchase @ Amazon. What a nice mistake it was!! I loved it! Can't wait to read the second book. I'm hoping for a price drop.
A hot, sexy paranormal that is so worth the couple hours it takes to read.
Will look for more from this author.

[Michelle Polaris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely sensuous book with lovely fantasy elements teasing a reader to completion.

[Paris (kerbytejas) · Rating 4 out of 5]

another very enjoyable short story from Bernadette Gardner. The plot held until the stories end.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting storyline, and made for a quick read for me.

[**Angel** · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could've gone into story plot more, ended to short! Interesting idea on another world and the guardian tattoos that came to life though! Good story, hot scenes,, just wanted more of it !!

[Melisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good. I guess I just always have issues getting into paranormal stuff.

[C.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abrupt ending but loved the story. Would definitely be better with an epilogue. Loved how the tattoos were incorporated and ended up being as sensual as any other aspect in the story.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good quick read.

[Talltree]

Couldn't get past sample

[Laci · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not a review. I didn't read the whole book.