Review: Zed by M.V. Ellis

Title: Zed(Rough Ink #1)
by: M.V. Ellis
Published: 7/29/19 by Hot Tree Publishing
Source: Book Sirens
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Secrets from his past have scarred his heart. Can he trust her enough to learn to love again?

In the eyes of the law, I’d atoned for the secrets of my past, but in my heart, I knew the debt I owed was too big to ever be repaid. I didn’t ask for forgiveness, because I knew I wasn’t worthy of it. Guilt weighed me down and scarred my heart.

If it wasn’t for my art, I’d probably be dead. The truth was, I had nothing else to live for. Or so I thought until Octavia Douglas came breezing unexpectedly into the picture.

Sexy, stubborn, and smart enough to know better than to throw her future away on a guy like me, Vivi made me question everything I thought I already knew. I suddenly craved the happy ever after I’d never dared dream of, and knew I didn’t deserve.

Thoughts On The Novel:

I requested this book on Book Sirens after the blurb caught my attention. This is the first novel I have read from this author and I was not disappointed. Have you ever started a book not knowing what to expect, but then found you couldn't put the thing down because you just HAD to finish it? That was this book for me! It kind of took me on a ride I wasn't quite used to. I had things thrown at me that I wasn't expecting, but in a good way. It was unique in it's own way; but so well written that I was hooked from the beginning.

“You’re not as humorless as I first thought, so I guess we’re each learning new things about the other person.” Why the fuck she had ever thought I was humorless was anyone’s guess.

“Awesome. Right now I’m learning that you still have way too many clothes on, and that you don’t have the ability to freeze time. So….”

Zed is one of those Alpha characters that I love in a novel. He's gruff; sarcastic; mysterious and has a past that he can't seem to shake. You know; the normal things that draw us readers in and make us want to get to know him and do what we do best - think of ways to save this wonderful man. The story really kicks off when Zed meets Xavier - then his so called babysitter.. I mean, attorney. Being thrown into the mix with the two of them; flipped Zed's life course into a whole new direction he wasn't ever expecting to go in.

Octavia - the said babysitter - was something else man. Something else so easily related to; that more than a few times, I saw myself in her. To me; that's one of the best ways to write a character; where other people can relate to them through the entire story. She is headstrong; determined; witty; she speaks her mind and she stands behind her beliefs and the direction she is going in. She was frustrating at times, but she was so well written. She has her hands full with Xavier - and for someone who has her life on course - she wasn't at all ready for the crash course with Zed.

“An underage, under-the-influence kid who should have been at school and under house arrest, on the loose in Brooklyn with a grumpy tattoo guy? What could possibly go wrong? As I paid the cab driver and approached the door of the place, I had a feeling I was about to find out.”

The chemistry between the two was instant fire. With the two of them being so very different; it was hard for either to believe that this could go anywhere. The one person who did see it; was the hard headed teenager in the mist of everything. Through the entire story; you see them battle with that. The one thing I didn't see coming would be Xavier becoming the glue that kind of kept everything in place.

Overall, for being the first novel I read from this author; I would pick up another one by her in a heartbeat. Even the secondary characters in this book were written into it effortlessly and everything flowed together in a way that kept me turning the pages wanting more. I loved that there was some level of mystery with this novel. It wasn't just one of those, "oh my gosh, I know what's going to happen 10 pages into the book," kind of novels. I would recommend this to anyone who loves romance; laughter; steamy pages and a great read.

Broken Soul Rating

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