NEW ADULT
Clipped Wings - Helena Hunting (2014)
Tattoo artist Hayden Stryker has his eye on new girl Tenley Page but she's still trying to come to terms with a tragedy that has turned her life upside down. When Hayden agrees to completing a tattoo for Tenley, it means spending a lot of time together at close quarters but before she even gets under the needle, things get intimate between them. Both Hayden and Tenley have secrets they would rather keep to themselves, but as they grow closer keeping these secrets hidden only threatens to tear them apart. With a significant focus on body art and expression, this story has a really niche and interesting setting and motif, exploring the stereotypes and expectations as well as debunking some of the negative images. Tenley and Hayden are complex characters and there's certainly a lot of contradiction in them, however the book never really gets to the bottom of either character's story and leaves a lot to be resolved in the sequel Inked Armor. I had trouble with some aspects of the novel, essentially the peripheral characters of Tenley's professor and Officer Cross and their roles, but by and large this is an intense and interesting New Adult novel with edge and sentiment. (JC)
