Marked by Drew Elyse

Pages: 263
Publish date: May 15, 2018
Publisher: –
ASIN: B07D3HW6R4
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Amazon CA

Marked:

I received Marked by Drew Elyse for review from Inkslinger PR as part of a blog tour in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book. 

I really didn’t know what to expect when I started reading Marked, I hadn’t even heard about it until I read the synopsis and I was totally intrigued. A tattoo artist falls for a single mother. Did I tell you there is also a motorcycle club involved? I didn’t know there was a whole series before this one, but I never felt out of place or lost, this was Kate’s and Liam’s story. 

Marked follows Kate as she tries to move past the death of her husband and father of her child. It’s been a couple of years since her husband’s death, but Kate still doesn’t know what to do with her life. She knows that she has to move on, but she doesn’t know how. She is swept up in the grief and trying to raise her son that it’s taking a toll. Liam has liked Kate for some time, he goes to work to see her and is swept up in her beauty. But he knows that she is not ready, that she needs time. But when Kate goes into his tattoo parlour for a piece, well he doesn’t just want to leave a mark on her skin.  

I really enjoyed Kate as a character. She’s full of grief but strives to be the best mother that she can be. She is struggling but trying to push through her life. I loved her voice and I enjoyed that it was raw and very real. The reader is able to see that is trying to find a place in the world without her husband, even though it’s been a couple of years. And when she gets to know Liam, sparks fly.

Liam was beautiful. He was caring and just warmed my heart, plus he is a tattoo artist. Liam has been through his own bout of grief and really understands Kate. He sees that she is struggling and just wants to help. Liam understands that he can’t be with Kate at first, so he just wants to be her friend. I really enjoyed that aspect of him. 

One of the things that I really loved about Marked was how Liam and Kate connected, it was so clever. Getting a tattoo isn’t something that is comfortable. You are in pain, you are sitting/laying for a long time, and there is someone sticking a needle into your sick for hours on end. It’s an intimate moment and I loved how Drew Elyse explores that in the book. Also, I really wish I could see the tattoo.  I enjoyed that they use this tattoo as a connection to one another and the start of their friendship. 

Another thing that is done so well is Liam’s relationship with Kate’s son. This little boy has just his father and still doesn’t understand what is really going on. But Liam takes him under his wing and gosh it was great to see. I loved that Liam shared his love for drawing and the arts with him. And broke the stereotype that boys can’t like art.  

Marked explores what it means to be family and gosh it was done so beautifully. Kate has such a supportive family with her brother-in-law and his wife, plus the motorcycle club and it was done so great. The reader is able to see how scared Kate is about moving on, but they are there for her and gosh it melted my heart. Now Liam’s family, oh lord they were amazing. His mum is so caring and just adds something really nice. Plus his brother – the way that Liam talks about him again melts my heart. 

Overall, Marked by Drew Elyse is a very emotional read. It explores grief, family and moving on. It’s about finding yourself when you thought you lost everything. Kate and Liam were so great together. I loved that their relationship started off slow and move into something more. It was great seeing such supportive families and friendship circles around them both. I cannot wait to read more in this series. If you are looking for a beautiful read that will both melt and tear out your heart, then Marked is for you. 

 

 

Drew Elyse spends her days trying to convince the world that she is, in fact, a
Disney Princess, and her nights writing tear-jerking and sexy romance novels.
When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found analyzing every line of a book,
binge watching shows on Netflix, doing strange vocal warm-ups before singing in
a variety of musical styles, or screaming at the TV during Chicago Blackhawks
games.

A graduate of Loyola University Chicago, she still lives outside Chicago, IL,
where she was born and raised, with her boyfriend and her fur babies Lola and
Duncan.

 

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