Review: Wonderful introduction to the characters
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 24, 2014
Tenley Page has just moved to Chicago from a small town outside Minneapolis to go to school for her Masters degree. She keeps to herself for the the most part, but it’s really because she doesn’t know anyone. The only person she is close to is her land lady, the owner of the used bookstore and antique shop she lives above. For some time she just spends her days going through the shop to it’s little cafe for coffee and snacks as well as looking out her window at Ink Armor, the tattoo shop near her apartment.During her people watching she’s become enthralled by one of the tattoo artists in the shop. He’s tall with dark hair and has more ink than should be possible to put on a human. She doesn’t know his name but she watches him every night without fail. The more she watches him the more she becomes enchanted by him, to the point that she starts dreaming about him.One day in the antique shop she learns that the guy she’s been watching is her land lady’s nephew named Hayden. At the same time Cassie, the land lady, offers Tenley a job. Days go by and every day Hayden comes into the shop when she’s working. She tries to stay clear of him because she’s intimidated by him, but only because of her deep attraction to him.Once Hayden knows Tenley exists, he cannot stop thinking about her. He is always trying to come up with excuses to see her, to go into the shop. One day while he’s chatting with his aunt he learns more about her, especially that she lives across the street from his own condo.Cupcakes and Ink may be a short novella but we learn so much about these characters. They both seem to have dark pasts but have overcome them, or are trying to overcome them. They seem like such broken people but I cannot wait to see them actually interact and come together as a couple in the first book.This novella does not need to be read before the first novel, but I’m just picky and wanted to. I cannot help but think how much this may give me more insight into the characters.