The Tattoo - (Sarafin Perigord, # 2) - A.J. Scott-Ryder

Description

Twenty-something Amelia is used to thinking of herself as the immature dropout of the family, with zero love life and a failed attempt at a university degree behind her.
Complications force her to give up her job in a tattoo parlour but things look up as she starts work in an alternative bookshop in Bristol and begins the "great quest" that she set herself at her mother's deathbed.
This quest brings Amelia to France and to the man she is destined to love and from there to more danger. In the end she realises that the hardest thing to conquer is your own fear when everything about you is changing and you have left your comfort zone far behind you.
A story about love, courage and ultimately trust, told with insight and humour.

The Tattoo is the second story in the Sarafin Perigord series but the books can be enjoyed in any order as each is a stand-alone novel in its own right.
My Opinion

After reading from the descriptions that these books can be read as stand alone novels I was unsure as to what expect from the second instalment. I didn't know whether I would enjoy it as much as I thought that A.J. Scott-Ryder may have written Catherine and Tristan out of the book totally but I was glad this was not the case. The Tattoo hooked me straight away and I found it incredibly hard to put down. I was reading it, telling myself that I would stop at the end of the next chapter where as in reality it was about twelve chapters later and 2am before I finally admitted I needed sleep.

I really enjoyed the first book in the series but I loved this one even more. There was a darker side to it, which I loved but it also helped that I didn't find myself confused at all throughout the book. Even though these books can be read on their own I would seriously recommend reading the first instalment before picking up this one as it will help clear up a lot of the paranormal aspects.

During this book I found myself comparing Amelia to Catherine and I think I enjoyed Amelia's story more. For me she hard a harder and tougher appearance in the beginning which I enjoyed more as it meant there was more action than just the romance. Also the twists in this book also kept me in suspense. Seriously I did not expect what happens near the end and during certain parts of the book I found myself almost crying at certain character’s change in attitude. I really liked how A.J. Scott-Ryder used Emeric's character to soften Amelia's rough edges and gave balance to the book. Whether this was intentional or not I really enjoyed it.

Unlike with the first book I had no issues with understanding this book. Everything was easy to follow and the speech seemed to flow more naturally. The only thing I'm not so keen on is the covers to the series. I'm guilty of judging a book by the cover before reading the description and if I had not been contacted by the author then I doubt I would have been drawn to them as for me they look more like historical romances rather than paranormal book.

Overall though I am so glad I have had the chance to read these books and I will soon be starting the third book. I would highly recommend both the first and second book in this series to all paranormal romance lovers. They are fast paced, full of action and easy to connect with the characters. This book took me on an emotional roller-coaster which is unusual but I loved every second of it.

4.5