Review: Sins & Needles by Karina Halle

Sins & Needles
Karina Halle
Series: The Artists Trilogy #1
Publication date: January 25th 2013 by Metal Blonde Books
Rating: 5 stars

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Ellie Watt is used to starting over. The daughter of a grifting team, Ellie spent her childhood being used as a pawn in her parents' latest scam. Now she’s much older, wiser and ready to give her con artist life a rest. But returning to the dry desert town of Palm Valley, California means one more temptation than she bargained for – Camden McQueen. Once known as the high school weirdo, Camden is bigger and badder than the boy he used to be and a talented tattoo artist with his own thriving business. Ellie’s counting on Camden still being in love with her but what she’s not counting on is how easily unrequited love can turn into obsession over time. When Camden discovers Ellie’s plan to con him, he makes her a deal she doesn’t dare refuse, but her freedom comes with a price and it’s one that takes both Ellie and Camden down a dangerous road.

I don't even know where to start.

Ellie is a grifter, just like her parents, and after one of her scams goes bad and she's short on money she decides to start her live over and go back to the only place she could call home - her Uncle Jim's house. There will be no more tricks. No more stealing money from people. No more grifting. She's done.

And then she meets one of her old high school friends - her only friend back then, really -, Camden. She's taken aback by how much he changed from the weird freaky kid he was back then to an incredibly attractive young man covered in tattoos, and owner of a successful tattoo parlor in town. Ellie can't pass the opportunity to make easy money, and Camden might just be what she needs to get her life together and get the hell out of that town. So she starts plotting, hoping to use Camden's trust in her to get to his money.

Only things not go as planned when Camden finds out about her plans to scam him and turns the tables on her in on hell of a plot twist. We find out he's not as sweet as we think he is, and he definitely doesn't forget things easily. Especially not Ellie.

This story comes together perfectly, keeping you on edge and guessing the entire time. It was such a refreshing read, with a whole lot different plot from what we're used to finding out there in Contemporary Romance books. The characters interacted and reacted in the most amazing ways to each other, and it all ended with a cliffhanger that left me wanting to punch something!