Inked Armor by Helena Hunting

Inked Armor: Hayden Stryker and Tenley Page

Clipped Wings Series #2

Summary:

From Goodreads.com

In this follow-up to Clipped Wings, the emotional love story continues between Hayden and Tenley; two young people who desperately want to love and be loved but are afraid to completely let go of their pasts.

In the wake of losing Tenley Page, tattooist Hayden Stryker's tumultuous past is haunting him. Plagued by nightmares about the murder of his parents, Hayden reaches out again to Tenley. Having run from the man she doesn't believe she deserves, Tenley finally lays her guilt to rest. Despite their intense physical attraction, Hayden and Tenley struggle to repair their fragile emotional connection. As Hayden gets closer to the truth, he must find a way to reconcile his guilt over his parents' death in order to keep the woman who finally cracked his armor, and found her way into his heart.

Review:

Crap, I read this book well over a year ago and I still think about Tenley and Hayden from time to time. As a book couple they are quite memorable, this series is quite memorable and definitely makes an impact. It is one of my favorite series of all time. Tenley and Hayden take us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions.  These two are more than a little bit obsessive compulsive with each other. Their relationship should really be annoying, usually obsessive compulsive couples drive me nuts, but it works for these two. Together, they work, apart they are a mess. Their individual losses are devastating but they manage to provide each other with an amazing amount of emotional support, maybe because they each know what it means to lose someone. Besides their emotional support their physical chemistry is scorching. These two know how to tear up the sheets and they don’t hold anything back. So get ready for your heart strings to be pulled by their emotional journey and your pages to go up in flames from their chemistry.  

While the first book Tenley has to come to terms with her past and Hayden is there to help her with that, in this book it’s Hayden’s turn to take us through his emotional journey. When we end the first book it is on quite a cliffhanger, but it’s something Tenley has to do to move forward. Hayden does not take it well and his dark past comes to the forefront. His nightmares get worse, his temper is quick to flare and his OCD is off the charts. When Tenley comes back it is a second chance to make things work, they moved so fast in the first book that they are determined to slow things down and get it right this time. However, as the book progresses it becomes clear that their relationship is being threatened from outside forces as Hayden’s past isn’t as much in the past as he thought it was. It turns out his dark past is very much in his present.