***Blog Tour Stop and Giveaway*** Nico (The Leaves Book 3) by J.B. Hartnett

Amazon

B&N: Will post when live

Blurb

When I was a boy, I met a girl.
She didn’t know it then, but…
She changed me.

Now…..I am a man.
A man who is broken by the stories of the women who come to me.
They are my birds with broken wings.
I help them heal, help them to make them strong, so they can fly free.
Lark changed me. Loved Me. Made Me Strong.
With her, I am free.

I write…
To the girl of the past.
To the girl of my present.
And, the girl of my future.
Dear Dish…

Teaser

We sat there trying to catch our breath, her small giggle echoing against the foothills when I heard, “You two mind keeping it down now? Son, you know I’m proud you’re a man who can please your woman, but I also have a wife – your mother – who is running around the place turning on every radio and television to full blast because she can’t find her damn headphones,” I heard him chuckle as he walked away, mocking me, “Fuckkkkk,” and laughing his ass off.

Sandy B's Review

I fell in love with J.B. Hartnett at first glance.  Or I should say when I saw the gorgeous and unique cover for Book #1 of the Leaves (Inky).  My thinking was if this book is half as good as this cover then it’s a score!  Inky was above and beyond what I expected.  The winning streak continued with Book #2 (Cole).  We meet Nico in Inky though we don’t get to know much about him.  Other than he has a heart of gold and selflessly gives emotionally and physically wounded women an outlet for their pain.  His shoulders to cry on, his arms to hold them and his art to memorialize the “event”.  Word of mouth is how his “birds” find him.  His tattoo then becomes part of their story. 

Nico acts like a jerk which is completely at odds with what he does.  It’s also at odds with his true self.  He is loving, kind, forgiving with a big soft center. It’s a defense mechanism in this case.  His head is so full of everything that he has heard over the years from his clients that he doesn’t know what to do with those feelings.  So he indulges in meaningless sex with an endless stream of women until even that temporary relief is no longer effective.  This is where we find Nico.  His life is empty and he is lonely.  Then a one night stand touches him – which is the last thing he’s expecting.  Yet it sends him on a quest to find the one that takes his breath away. 

This is not the kind of book that everyone will love.  At times it is difficult to read.  We are taken along this journey of self-discovery that takes Nico down some very dark roads.  We are also made part of the stories told by his clients.  Some may be difficult to read especially if you’ve had any of those kind of experiences.  Or some may feel that we should get to the point already.  I, however, didn’t feel that way.  I thought everything that came before he meets his love interest (Lark) was necessary.  It fully fleshed out the story so that it makes sense. It also made things real for me. I totally imagined Nico, in his living room, sitting in big chair, beer in hand, in the dark, thinking WTF?!  “Why the hell is this my life?!”

Lark is a woman who is obviously in a great deal of pain.  This beautiful creature, who takes his breath away is wounded.  Now the question becomes is she too far gone to be able to give Nico a chance.  There is no doubt, from the moment he sees her that Lark is everything that he needs and wants.  Now all he has to do is convince Lark.  

An entertaining cast of surrounding characters is one of J.B. Hartnett’s gifts.  Nico’s parents are so wonderful that I want them to adopt me.  I desire the kind of deep enduring love that they share. Tough love is the order of the day and Nico gets it in spades from them.  The other artists in the tattoo shop are priceless.  We have a dominatrix, porno twins and a shark attack (not kidding) in the mix just to keep things interesting.  I wish this series was a tv series or a movie. 

I laughed, I cried, I scoffed a few times cause poor Nico is accident prone, then I cried some more, before closing my Kindle with a smile on my face.  Despite some of the awful things that happened to Nico – we also see the good karma that always seems to find him.  Each “accident” was the catalyst that brought Nico a fresh insight or it brought some other kind of blessing into his life. In the most unexpected way! Like the universe was paying him back. 

I never give everything away in my reviews.  There are some things that the reader should discover for themselves as they go along. Like wonderful little nuggets of treasure. I hope you will find that in the pages of J.B. Hartnett’s latest.  Nico is a worthy addition to this great series.  If you haven’t read Inky and Cole yet – you are missing out.  

About the Author

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JBHartnett

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JulieHartnett

Website:  http://www.jbhartnett-author.com/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7160908.J_B_Hartnett

Julie is a Southern California native, a fan of a really good story (preferably romance with a happily ever after), really good pie (preferably pumpkin) and copious amounts of coffee (preferably Folgers).

She has always enjoyed writing and at one time thought she could be a singer songwriter...the 'writer' part is the one that stuck.

Julie is obsessed with pi...the equation(and the food). She's allergic to cats and cantaloupe and hates mushrooms...so if you ever want to give her a gift, those are out for sure.She currently lives with her own romance hero husband and two boys in Melbourne, Australia.

Reading Order:

Book1

Amazon only $.99: http://amzn.to/17f0FST

B&N: : http://tinyurl.com/n29aovl

iTunes: http://bit.ly/1fD8epn

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/inky-1

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18161148-inky?from_search=true

Blurb

Anika "Inky" Redding has it all: a great fiancé and a job that allows her to follow her passion of painting and considering her history, that's plenty. All is well until someone from her past sets events in motion that upend Inky's careful world. When a handsome customer comes to her rescue, will she take a risk with her whole heart?

Book 2

Amazon only $.99: http://amzn.to/1dKBo42

B&N: http://tinyurl.com/pgn5uzv

iTunes: http://bit.ly/LpJUw6

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/cole-1

Goodreads: http://tinyurl.com/ka2t6h4

Blurb

Cole Carlyle, successful hotelier, has lived his life on his own terms.

Burned by a gold digging ex-wife, he never expected to find his soul mate in Anika “Inky” Redding.

Anika Redding, talented artist, overcame her past to live her life free of shame.

Betrayed by people she thought she could trust, the last thing she expected was to find true love in Cole Carlyle.

Their love for each other has helped them overcome their demons before, but now faced with an unimaginable challenge, Cole must turn to the last person he wants involved in his life, and hope that those demons don’t once again try to swallow them whole.

Inky and Cole’s romance and passion ignite and in the sequel to “Inky” we follow their journey to overcome their pasts once and for all, while building their love into something everlasting.

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