Tattoo Thief

Title: Tattoo Thief (Tattoo Thief #1)

Author: Heidi Joy Tretheway

Genre: NA/Romance

Release Date: October 8, 2013

Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review

My Rating:
♥♥♥♡

22-year-old Beryl doesn't know why Gavin Slater trashed his penthouse, abandoned his dog and fled the country.  But as his house sitter, she must pick up the pieces for the front man of the white-hot rock band Tattoo Thief. 

 When ultra-responsible Beryl confronts the reckless rock star, she wants to know more than just what to do with his mess.  Why is he running?  What’s he searching for?  And is he responsible for the death of his muse? 

 New York newbie Beryl must find her footing in Gavin’s crazy world of the ultra-wealthy to discover her own direction and what can bring him back. 

Steamy, sassy and tender, Tattoo Thief is a story of breaking from a comfort zone to find a second chance.

~ Goodreads

♥A special thank you to Heidi for allowing me to read and review Tattoo Thief!

I was torn between 3.5 and 4 stars, so I settled at 3.75 stars.  
Tattoo Thief is gritty and refreshing, but slightly redundant.

Beryl has been living in Eugene, Oregon for most of her life.  Simple, routine, and mundane.  Inside, she's craving for an adventure, anything to urge her onto the road of Wonderful Careers and Fast-Paced Wonders.  That opportunity arises when a family friend offers Beryl a job she can't say no to.  But there's a catch - she has to leave Eugene and move to large and bustling New York.  Frantic and amazed, Beryl is just at the beginning of her story of mending broken hearts, seeing past false exteriors, and finding a love that was made for her.

Tattoo Thief is a sweet love story with a twist!  I loved the way Beryl and Gavin's relationship unfurled through texts and online chatting.  That's definitely a first for me in the NA world!  Most of the NA books I've read had the bad boy personally introduced into the story through some sort of physical interaction, so I loved that Tattoo Thief had sort of a pen-pal thing going on.  Although, I didn't really feel their chemistry through the online chatting, which would have added so much more to the story.  It just felt like Beryl was flirting with Gavin - sweet and innocent flirting.  Not falling head over heels in love with him.  That part came as a surprise because I thought there would be more development in their relationship.  I wish there had been more palpable chemistry between Beryl and Gavin.

Beryl setting out in a new city was refreshing and enjoyable, but I wanted more.  Her job as a house-sitter and all of the adventures that came along with it was fun to read about, but I wanted more.... more action, maybe?  Okay, not necessarily action, but something along the lines of it.  Like adventures?  I mean, Beryl had some adventures that involved partying and walking dogs and some unsettling men, but I felt like there was something lacking in the story.  There also could have been more of an oomph when it came to Gavin.  He actually wasn't that much of a bad boy, but I wouldn't go so far as to say he was a sweetie pie.  I thought he would be edgy and bad-ass, but he wasn't, unfortunately.  Although, he was lovable!

Tattoo Thief definitely started out slower than I would have liked, but once I got past the first 40%, I was cruising through.  I just wish that Gavin had come into the story earlier because to only have him in the last couple of chapters is plain torture!  In the beginning of Tattoo Thief, I kept asking myself "WHEN IS GAVIN COMING BACK?"  Seriously, I asked that over and over again, and when did I get him?  In the last 20%.  Such a downer.

Overall, I'm giving Tattoo Thief a 3.75/5 because it has great potential, but fell short in some areas.