~REVIEW~ Bold Tricks (The Artists Trilogy #3) by Karina Halle

Title: Bold Tricks (The Artists Trilogy #3)
Author: Karine Halle
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Suspense
PURCHASE LINKS: AMAZON ~ B&N


Synopsis

With more lives at stake and games in motion, Ellie, Camden and Javier form an uneasy alliance that will take them from the treacherous streets of inner-city Mexico to the wilds of the Honduran jungles in order to find their freedom. But with liberty just on the horizon, the cost might come at their own redemption.

~MY REVIEW~

“My real nature, my real self, wanted that person to believe in me, to see the good, ignore the bad, and make me feel like I had a future.”

As we start off Bold Tricks we are in the midst of the storm that was unleashed in Shooting Scars. Javier, Ellie and Camden are all on the run from Travis's henchmen. But Ellie and Camden need to save Gus and Javier needs to keep his sister safe.

In the conclusion to this thrilling series Ellie and Camden are finally together. But all is not well between them. Ellie was weak and Camden cannot forgive her for succumbing to Javier's mind games. So throughout their mission both learn to find their way back to each other, all the while fighting off the evil that surrounds them. 

“When I saw you I fell in love,” he said to me as I lay back against the bed and he crawled on top of me on all fours. “And you smiled because you knew.”

Ellie loves Camden and there is nothing that stops her from showing him how much. She has grown throughout the series and she finally learns to let go of her past. But with Gus and her mother in the hands of Travis she knows her only chance to get to them is with the help of Javier. So, while she is put through hell in this last installment, she shows us just how fierce Ellie Watt can be. And gets the awakening of a lifetime when she realizes that its time for her to fight for herself and for her future.

“That man would kill for me. He would die for me. And he would fuck me to death if I asked him.
I was tempted. What a way to go.”

Then there is our darling Camden. *sigh* If you read Shooting Scars and thought "damn this man is a badass" then you are in for quite the ride. His fierce protectiveness for those he loves is what empowers him to be the man he becomes throughout Bold Tricks. A man that has everything to lose but so much more to gain. He would do anything to keep Ellie, Gus and Ben safe. Even kill without a second thought. He isn't the sweet innocent man we meet in Sins & Needles. He is a man scorned by love and hardened by "war". But what never wavers his is unfailing belief in Ellie and her goodness.

“Ellie, he doesn’t have a very big heart.” He gave me a pointed look. “But I’m sure in his fucked-up mind, he was being noble. I’m at least grateful for that.”

Which leads us to Javier. In every story comes a Villain. My goodness what can I say about this man that hasn't been said before? Javier does his own growing in this series...not in a good way. He grows from little time VILLAIN to a big time MONSTER. He takes everything you liked about him and smashes it up in little bitty pieces. He is a man on a mission and he does not take any prisoners. What Bold Tricks did that no other book in this series did was make me understand where he is coming from. A little. His love for Ellie was so great and so rich that he wanted to hold onto that. But in the end, to him, POWER is so much greater than LOVE.


This is the last chapter in this threesome's adventure. Lives are lost, loved ones are betrayed, traps are set, new allies are made and LOVE will be the one thing that leads them through this storm. I will dearly miss this series and its characters. So much so that at the end I felt empty knowing that their journey had ended. :-(


I do look forward to reading more from Karina Halle and will continue to recommend this series to those who haven't had the luck to read it.


Buckle up for the last adventure with Jose and the gang! :)

HAPPY READING!

~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~

Karina is represented by Scott Waxman of the Waxman Leavell Literary Agency

The daughter of a Norwegian Viking and a Finnish Moomin, Karina Halle grew up in Vancouver, Canada with trolls and eternal darkness on the brain. This soon turned into a love of all things that go bump in the night and a rather sadistic appreciation for freaking people out. Like many of the flawed characters she writes, Karina never knew where to find herself and has dabbled in acting, make-up artistry, film production, screenwriting, photography, travel writing and music journalism. She eventually found herself in the pages of the very novels she wrote (if only she had looked there to begin with).

Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently lives on an island on the coast of British Columbia where she's preparing for the zombie apocalypse with her fiance and rescue pup. 

Connect with Karina: Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Website

REVIEW: Shooting Scars (The Artist Trilogy #2) by Karina Halle

Book Information:
Sometimes the right choice can be the deadliest.

When Ellie Watt made the ultimate sacrifice for Camden McQueen, she never thought it would be easy. But walking away with her ex-lover, Javier Bernal, in order to ensure Camden’s safety has brought a whole new set of dangers. With Javier’s plans for Ellie growing more secretive by the moment, Ellie must find a way to stay ahead of the game before her past swallows her whole.

Meanwhile, Camden’s new life is short-lived. Fueled by revenge and pursued by authorities, he teams up with an unlikely partner in order to save Ellie. But as Camden toes the line between love and retribution, he realizes that in order to get back the woman he loves, he may have to lose himself in the process. He might just turn into the very man he’s hunting.

Told in dual POV from Camden and Ellie.

MY REVIEW

Do you know that book that keeps you up all night and forces you to keep your eyes opened just a little bit longer? The one that gives you the rare book hangover?

No? Well then try reading The Artist Trilogy!

Yes? Well you know how I felt while reading Shooting Scars.

Shooting Scars starts off where Sins & Needles ended. Ellie has traded herself in to Javier in order to save Camden and his family. The ultimate sacrifice for a girl that wants nothing more then to be GOOD. But when you are being held hostage by the devil that you once loved, being good is not an easy feat.

Ellie becomes a pawn in Javier's game of revenge and she is alone. With no news on Camden and no one around but Javier and his minions she is drowned with doubts. She hates Javier and tries over and over again cause him pain for the hurt he caused her. What she quickly learns is that sometimes love and hate are hand in hand. And eventually she realizes that they both destroy. Because Javier shows her over and over again that he isn't the man she once loved. He is now handing her to his greatest adversary on a silver platter. And because Ellie does want her revenge and does doubt that she could be good, and does want to protect Camden she throws herself to the wolves. And in the process loses herself a little to Javier's evil.

Now, Javier Bernal is not the same man that Ellie met many years ago. He's bigger, badder and now the head of an elite cartel. But most of all he's out for revenge. Revenge on the man that turned his back on him. The very man that Ellie wants punished. So when he has Ellie in his possession he uses HER and her "skills" to extract revenge.But he is also set on getting what's his back. Ellie is his and he does everything to show her that they are alike. Evil and ruthless. But Camden McQueen stands in his way.

Which brings me to Camden. My goodness Camden. Let me just start off with saying that I LOVE Karina for giving us his POV in this book. It just wouldn't have worked without it. I enjoyed being in his head and loved to see his yummy self become a total bad-ass. He is put through the runner in Shooting Scars and throughout the pages you are screaming at him to MAN UP! And my goodness does he do it. You guys have met the sweet Camden but you guys have no idea whats in store for you when "Connor" or Camden 2.0, as I like to call him, comes out to play! to save the women he loves Camden teams up with Gus and together they set out in search of Ellie.

And when they do find her all hell breaks loss! This whole book is chuck full of action at every corner! From thrilling car chases to cream bombs(you have to read to find out what I mean!) Shooting Scars will set you on an intense but thrilling adventure! If you thought Sins & Needles was dark, thrilling and action packed, you have no idea! PICK THIS UP!!

Read this series because you are missing out!

HAPPY READING!

REVIEW: Sins & Needles by Karina Halle

Book Description:

Ellie Watt is used to starting over. The daughter of a grifting team, Ellie spent her childhood being used as a pawn in her parents' latest scam. Now she’s much older, wiser and ready to give her con artist life a rest. But returning to the dry desert town of Palm Valley, California means one more temptation than she bargained for – Camden McQueen. Once known as the high school weirdo, Camden is bigger and badder than the boy he used to be and a talented tattoo artist with his own thriving business. Ellie’s counting on Camden still being in love with her but what she’s not counting on is how easily unrequited love can turn into obsession over time. When Camden discovers Ellie’s plan to con him, he makes her a deal she doesn’t dare refuse, but her freedom comes with a price and it’s one that takes both Ellie and Camden down a dangerous road.

***The Artists Trilogy is a dark and sexy contemporary ride about three flawed individuals caught in a world where it's so easy to justify the bad things we do. This is a pure adult read (Not YA or NA).

My Review

OMG!! Where the hell is book 2? Karina I need it Now!!
what a fucking cliffhanger that was!!

----
Post freakout...

"Everyone we meet, everything we do, it changes us. It makes us who we are. And, if we’re lucky, we’re given the chance to make things right again.”

Ellie is done with grifting. After her last stint she is ready to go legit. So she goes home. Back to where she is just plain ole Ellie Watt. But when she meets Camden McQueen she remembers the life left behind. And when temptation is too much she sets up a con on the one man that was once her best friend.

Camden remembers Ellie quite well. He remembers her sadness, her pains, her scars, her beauty but most of all her betrayal. When she walks back into his life he sets up his own revenge. He will capture your heart and never let go. He will show you his sweetness, loving heart, sadness and his own scars. And he is lovely all the same.

What ensues between these two is a love/hate relationship. One where old wounds are reopened, feelings are hurt, cruel words are spoken and hearts will break. A journey in which deep scars finally begin to heal for these two. Through their sins and needles the two find their middle ground.

"I wish he’d made his mark everywhere. I wished everyone could see how much he’d imprinted himself on my heart."

Sins & Needles is dark, intense, passionate and REAL. It starts off slowly. Showing us the past and present, but will quickly turn into an action packed read. Emotions will run high and an explosive cliffhanger will have you anxiously awaiting book 2.

Buy it. Read it. Love it.

Buy at: Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Happy Reading!

REVIEW: On Every Street by Karina Halle

Book Description:

When young con artist Ellie Watt decides to call herself Eden White and go after the drug lord who ruined her as a child, she never expects to fall for one of his henchmen. But Javier Bernal is no ordinary man. Subtly dangerous and overwhelmingly seductive, Eden finds herself passionately in love with Javier, the very person she's set-up to betray. With her body and heart in a heated battle against her deep need for revenge, no one will walk away from this con a winner.

This 50K word (100+ pages) novella takes place six years before Sins & Needles. It can be read before or after Sins & Needles and may also be read as a standalone.

  MY REVIEW

"We all have our first loves. They come and they go. Just because he’s your first love doesn’t mean he’ll be your last. Take it from me, the human heart is much more capable than we give it credit for. Being able to love again is a choice.”

Ellie Watt used to be a pretty happy child until the dreadful day that left he with scars. Scars that ran deeper than skin. So years later, Eden White, is ready to extract the revenge on the man who ruined her life. Full of anger, vengeance and selfishness. She doesn't care about the others involved as long as she can finally feel peace. But when Javier is introduced Eden finds out that revenge is not for the weak heart. Once the heart is involved, control is lost.

Javier Bernal is hot, exotic, charming and lethal. He falls for Eden and succumbs to her innocence and her heart. He embeds himself in Edens heart and marks his territory. He is possessive and acts very much like a member of a cartel. Hot. Cold. Lethal.

Their story will have you smiling, terrified, and tearing up throughout this novella. They have an intense and passionate relationship. Which boarders on an obsessive love. A beautiful song that has you feeling every emotion possible. But a love built on lies can never survive.

Eden learns a hard lesson. One I was happy she learned. Edens life with Javier was a train wreck waiting to happen and when the trains collided all hell broke loose.

It was great to read this novella before Sins & Needles because it gave me the story of Javier. With that said I have to prepare you for the greatness you will read in book 1. Sins & Needles will introduce you to a whole new Eden/Ellie and a new kind of love!
Buy it. Read it. Enjoy it.

HAPPY READING!!