Singe
Men of Inked: Heatwave #8
By Chelle Bliss
Reading Order Timeline for the three Men of Inked Series:
Men of Inked (original)
Men of Inked: Southside (Chicago)
Men of Inked: Heatwave (the second generation)
*Can be read as a standalone*
TheStory
Carmello has been through a string of one night stands after his girlfriend passed away in a tragic car accident. Now he is ready for his cousin Lily to help him prepare for a long term relationship. Lily sets him up with her friend Arlo - who Carmello has met before - so she can teach him all the ways of a long term relationship.
Both Carmello and Arlo know that they are not each other's types. She’s a closed off bookworm and he is a womanizer who has no idea how to stick with one woman. But when she tries to reform this serial dater into a commitment man, their fake relationship takes a turn. Can they work through their own inner issues and embrace the relationship forming between them?
TheReview
Honestly, this book was not anything special. It was a fake dating relationship with a small twist. But there wasn’t really anything happening. It’s most definitely a slow burn with very little spiciness.
Mello and Arlo are both a little weird, both a little quirky, but still cute together.
The whole book (except the epilogue) is told only from Carmello’s perspective. Thus far, it’s the only book in the entire Men of Inked world told from only one perspective. I loved that. It gave an air of mystery to Arlo and left a little something to the imagination.
There is very little drama throughout the book. Even the love story was a little meh for me. It was a decent read and the two of them were cute but overall, it’s boring. Especially in comparison to all the other books prior to this one. It’s definitely not one of the best but Arlo was a dynamic character, so she was my favorite part of an otherwise dull read.
TheRating
Storyline: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
World Building: N/A
Writing: 3/5
Overall: 📘📘📘
Spice: 🌶️🌶️