INKED

In this paranormal romance series starter, a tattoo artist finds love and deadly danger in the dark world of the fae.

A red-eyed serpent is loose in the Flourish and Dots Tattoo Parlor in Miami, and it looks remarkably like a design that tattoo artist Talia Kestenbaum just etched on the rear end of her last customer: “I had just witnessed a man get attacked by his own butt cobra.” Could the special ink she had used, which belonged to her sexy, enigmatic employer Zayn, have anything to do with it? In this lively novel, her investigation yields a cascade of revelations that will forever alter what Talia thought she knew of reality. After learning that Zayn is actually a mythological creature known as an incubus, he accompanies her through the treacherous shidden supernatural realm of the fae. However, he struggles to protect Talia, who turns out be a magnet for banshees, vampires, skin-melting plants, and a one-eyed giant, among other beings. When the time comes, will Talia be able to overcome her fears to save Zayn, whom she’s come to love? Rener, whose past fantasy works include The Lightning Conjurer series and The Girl Who Talks to Ashes (2020), delivers the first book in her four-volume Gilded Blood series. Readers can expect ambitious and entertaining worldbuilding, which successfully melds aspects of present-day American life with tattoos that are runes of power, blood types that correspond to types of magic, decidedly unfriendly creatures from folk tales and horror stories, and a mystery that involves a ruthless fae king. Feisty protagonist Talia is a familiar character type, but the references to her Jewish heritage give the story added dimension, and her relationship with her family is complex. Her mother’s phone calls at inopportune times are consistently humorous, which helps to balance the darker elements of the plot; so does the author’s colorful rendering of Zayn’s parrot familiar as an evolving personality with hidden depths. A surprise twist and unfinished fae business provide an effective setup for the next volume, Jinxed (2022).

An engaging, sexy love story with chills, humor, and supernatural intrigue.