Beneath This Ink (Beneath, #2)

by Meghan March

[Cocktails and Books]

When we were introduced to Con in BENEATH THIS MASK, I didn't realize how complex this man was. But let me tell you, Meghan March took a man I was on the fence about and made me really, really like him.

Constantine Leahy is a guy who appears to be the epitome of a bad boy. But there is so much more to Con. A foster kid who never felt like he belonged after being adopted into a loving family, he carries a fairly large chip on his shoulder. But he's also determined to avenge his adopted parents even if that means it could get him in serious trouble.

Vanessa Frost knew Con from high school, but they didn't run in the same circles. Vanessa has her own chip on her shoulder, trying to prove her worth in running the family foundation. When she's forced to go to Con for a favor, she didn't know getting entangled with Con would change the course of her life.

I really enjoyed Con and Vanessa together, when they dropped those chips of their shoulders. Their insecurities about being worthy or good enough for each other tended to cause them to jump to conclusions and potentially stop whatever forward momentum they had in their relationship. But once they started talking, opening up about themselves, they figured out how to make their relationship work. Even at the end, when they were both in a pretty bad place, it took one conversation for them to discover what they wanted was each other and that was it.

A great second book by Meghan March. She managed to take two characters I wasn't 100% sold on from the first book and make me like them. My only wish was that we saw Charlie and Simon a bit more, considering how close Charlie and Con are.