Sins & Needles (Artists Trilogy, #1)

by Karina Halle

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, Callifornia means one more temptation than she bargained for-Camden McQueen.

• ISBN10: 1455552194
• ISBN13: 9781455552191
• Publish Date: 26 August 2014 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Forever
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

I can definitely understand the hype when it comes to Sins & Needles. Like I said in my review for ,i>On Every Street, I knew nothing about this series. I was just being a follower and it certainly paid off! I never thought I was a crime and suspense kind of reader, but when it's paired with sexy people doing sexy things, I'm a fan! Ellie returns to her hometown after seven years with the intention of going legit, but that plan goes up in flames when she runs into Camden McQueen. He was once her only friend until she betrayed him, but now she's trying to get close again after learning that he's quite the successful tattoo artist. She hopes to rob him and get out quick, but those plans are also foiled when she gets caught. Camden has evidence that can get her sent to prison, at least if she doesn't use her conning skills to help him out of a sticky situation.

I actually really like the author's writing style. I'm a big fan of more conversational narratives, and Sins & Needles has that. Ellie does occasionally address the reader directly, but it's nothing major, so I don't think readers who hate breaking the fourth wall will be too bothered by it. I like that it allows us to get into her head more, rather than just getting a play by play of events. However, I really didn't like the sections about Ellie's past. They're in third person and Ellie is always referred to as "the girl." The girl did this, the girl did that, the girl, the girl, the girl. I hate this. It does become clear later on why the author chose this method, but I still found it extremely annoying. I did like learning more about her past that wasn't included in On Every Street, but I just wish it had been written differently.

So, I was already pretty impressed with Ellie's sex life after reading all about her sexcipades with Javier. Now I'm just jealous. Sins & Needles has some of the hottest sex scenes I have read outside of erotica. No joke. I thought Javier was sexy, but Camden is much more my type. Loser, geeky, goth teen turned into tattooed, rock star, sex god? Yes, please! On the lawn, by the fire, in the bed, on the car! Everywhere! They could not keep their hands or mouths to themselves! I needed a cold shower after all that. And I have the very strong urge to get another tattoo.

The plot of Sins & Needles was fast paced and always kept me engaged. Ellie and Camden have both pissed off the wrong people, including each other, so it's no easy task keeping their lives. They're on the run for a good chunk of the book, and I was quite entertained by their schemes to "clean" their money and float under the radar. It's not until the end though, where things really pick up, and everyone's pasts come back to bite them. There was one plot point that really made me roll my eyes though. I couldn't believe Ellie was that stupid, but then again I do kind of believe that she had that much misplaced faith in this certain person. Without her blunder there wouldn't be a second book though.

Clearly, I really enjoyed Sins & Needles. It's exciting and sexy! The con artist, tattoo artist, drug lord plot line was completely engaging and unlike anything I had read before. That's not to say that it's totally unique, but it was my first experience with it (and it won't be the last!). Ellie is in a lot of trouble, and I'm eager to see how she gets out of this one!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[kimbacaffeinate]

review to post soon :)

[littleread1]

Oh holy hell. This is one of those books, that had real life not gotten in the way (stupid work) I would have finished in one or two sittings. I say one or two, because sometimes I needed a break. It was INTENSE to say the least.

Ellie & Camden were friends in high school, then had a few falling outs. When Ellie comes back to town, who does she run into but the now sexy Camden McQueen? And sexy he is. As I sit here and type this, 24 hours after finishing the book, I am drooling just thinking about him. I don't know how Halle does it, but she writes her characters in such a way they become real. With real pasts, real feelings, real emotions. Which gives me real feelings of dread, stress, hope, fear, and love.

Sins & Needles made me feel things and imagine experiences I would never want to have in my own real life. It let me imagine being the bad girl, sleeping with the bad guys, living on the road, and having ties to nothing. There were times I felt like I was Ellie, or whatever name she was going by at the time, because of Halle's talent of writing in the first person. I lost myself in the story. Which is precisely the reason I had to put it down and do other, normal things, like laundry. I was sucked so far into the story that Ellie's pain was my own, and I am not afraid to say I am a giant wimp when it comes to pain.

If you read the same books I do, you have come across a description of a character, just before vomiting, or almost vomiting, that sounds something like this:

"My salivary glands were working overtime, and my mouth filled with the sickening-sweet taste ..."

Ok, obviously I am not a write, the description is horrible. But you know what I am talking about? I never got that, until the end of this book. So much happens, so quickly, (and remember, I was Ellie) that I thought I was going to be sick. It was unreal.

But I don't want you to think this whole book is about horrible things. There are some beautiful moments, and laugh-out loud moments too. Like the following:

I held it in my hands like it was a baby (and, just for reference, I hold babies like they are snakes).

ME TOO! I did a little, and very unattractive snort-laugh at that line. It was a really good thing I was home alone while reading (more about that in a minute). And Camden ... he is the eternal optomist. And I love him for it.

"...I have to live with my mistakes but I don't have to regret them. I regret my actions but I can't regret the consequences. We all make our own path in life. Everyone we meet, everything we do, it changes us. It makes us who we are. And, if we're lucky, we're given the chance to make things right again."

I *may* have choked up when I read that. Beautiful & true. It struck a chord with me I didn't even know I had.

And, as mentioned earlier, I read the majority of this book home alone. I do not suggest you do the same. I needed a hug and a hot shower when I put this down. I felt drained and dirty. ALL BECAUSE OF A BOOK.

Don't not read it because of how it made me feel. Read it because it made me feel those things so strongly.

[Ashley]

BookNook — Young Adult book reviews

So. This is more or less how Sins & Needles begins:

"Sergei, my future fake husband, wasn't short, but I had long arms and as I pushed aside his gut, I found his balls. With one swift movement, I made a tight, nails-first fist around them and tugged. Hard."

Well, that's a hell of a way to start a book, isn't it?? Sins & Needles completely starts off with a bang!

This book has a lot of really interesting characters, but I'll start with the obvious: Ellie. Honestly, Ellie wasn't always the most likeable character. She has a strong exterior and is a little badass, a little vulgar, and certainly rough around the edges. But she also has a tendency to make really stupid decisions, which I was constantly yelling at her for! She's a bit like a drug addict. I mean, she does have a little bit of an addition to anti-anxiety medication, but she also has an addiction to grifting. It's like she can't. stop. scamming. people. It's sad, it's frustrating, and will make you rage at her and bitch slap her.

And that's where Camden comes in.. He's hot, he's tortured, he's tattooed, and he's all kinds of delicious! But Ellie betrayed him once, so they have a very... awkward history, to say the least. The most heartbreaking part is that I was begging for Ellie and Camden to just start over fresh. Forget their histories, forget their betrayals, and just start over. But then Ellie plans to con him (see previous statement about her addiction), and that whole ideal goes straight out the window. Before he finds out, they have such a sweet reunion/relationship brewing. It broke my heart to think that Ellie was going to screw that all up!

Funny how a nice ass, firm pecs, and a great smile could thwart a woman's best plans.

But Camden is by far my favourite character. I almost don't quite 'get' him, but that's kind of why I love him so much. He's complicated as hell, and I love that I can't quite figure him out. It's like I'll never be sure of his motives!

He was like a caring, hulking, nerd. And I wanted him.

And then there's Javier... Do I love him? Hate him? I'm not really sure. He's a bit of a psychopath and a crazy gangster-type dude, but he also has a bit of a sweet romantic side. It's pretty damn fascinating!

As much as I enjoyed this book, it wasn't quite perfect. First, Ellie made some big mistakes with the whole disappearing act, but they're never addressed in the book as actually being mistakes. She's supposedly some sort of expert disappear-er, having conned so many people and running away so many times. But then when she puts a "run away and disappear" plan into motion in Sins & Needles she makes some stupid mistakes that I would have thought would be obvious:

1. She continues using her real name. If people are after you, wouldn't you immediately switch to using a different name? Especially if you're like Ellie and have a whole stash of IDs.


2. She keeps using her cell phone. I've seen enough movies to know that step 1 of disappearing is ditching your phone and your credit cards. Pay with cash and use a new burner phone (if you really need one).

The fact that she didn't follow those simple rules really makes me question how good of a grifter she really is. Then again, in the entire book we barely even see her good grifting skills. Instead, we witness her getting caught in the act at least twice!! Ellie never really has a chance to show us that she's actually a good grifter; instead she just comes across as a mediocre one.

The second thing was that I felt like this book was missing an epic twist. For me, the biggest twist was at the beginning of the book (which is a result of me not having read the blurb carefully enough—otherwise it's not much of a twist). It was awesome and I was SO EXCITED! But then there is no epic twist at the end of the book. It all fell into place rather 'obviously'. I mean, it wasn't bad, it just wasn't exciting and unexpected enough to rock my world.

Ultimately this book was really interesting, and there were some really hot, angsty moments! There were a few things that bugged me, and I did feel like the second half lost a little steam (or maybe my interest a bit, due to the lack of twist?), but I seem to be in the minority here, at this point. Even so, I would definitely recommend this book!