Pinked by J.C. Mells.

Release Date: September 1, 2013
Publisher: Self through Amazon.
Rating:

The Summary:
While Pierce tries to deal with the aftereffects of her new and “unpierced” self, Lucas relives the week leading up to that fateful night when he was forced into doing the one thing he vowed he never would – inflict his disease on another human being.

As if he didn’t hate himself enough already.

As she attempts to come to terms with the new her – the Pierce that is stronger, faster and less reliant on her former “dependencies” – she begins to settle into an unfamiliar, yet longed for, “normal” life with her new found circle of family and friends.

Pierce is finally able to do what her maker never was – embrace, accept and thrive from what she has become.

It is tricky negotiating the relentless pull of the mate bond between them when one is still traumatized by memories of childhood sexual abuse and the other point blank refuses to acknowledge (out loud at least) that there is a mate bond at all.

With Pierce’s not-so-subtle help, Lucas comes face to face with the fact that maybe it’s time for him to start coming to terms with this “affliction” too.

But it is not going to be easy.

Especially when they come into contact with another pack for the first time.

The Review:
I didn’t think it possible for me to like a book this year more than Pierced. Seriously, that book didn’t just hit all my buttons, it did this:

I swear that is probably the last time I’ll use a gif in a review, but don’t hold your breath.

Pinked..Pinked did something for me that blew me away. Lucas is a strong narrator, and I didn’t mind the rehashing of the last few chapters of Pierced. It was neat to get a different perspective, especially his, considering everything that happened. This book goes even further than Pierced did, and introduces the world of the wolves properly. I like J.C. Mells’ take on the werewolves, and their culture, especially when it comes to female wolves. It’s something that I hadn’t seen before, and it again, just pushed a button for me that lit up a happy spot in my reading brain.

The tone of this book is a little different than Pierced and Escaped. With Pinked, you get to see Pierce really come into being around people. Growing to not only accept the wolf that’s inside of her, but the people around her, and the fact that she likes the sense of normalcy. Her world has expanded from just her and Mia to encompass Lucas and the others. There is beautiful, subtle character development. She changes in ways that she didn’t think were possible, and while there are bumps along the way–she grows, and I might even dare to say she’s healing. And it is a beautiful thing. I like her relationship with Lucas; I like the slow build, the way that it’s tentative and flawed like she is. I love that it evolves with the two characters. These two learn the horrible things that life and fate dealt them, and yet they don’t give up on each other.

I like the introduction of the new characters, and I love the shades of grey that a couple characters have. Mells’ cast is well rounded, diverse– both in ethnicity and sexuality, but also in the range that the characters carry. There were some impressive plot bombs dropped in this book, and one thing that I do like about Pierced and Pinked is that while most of the threads get wrapped up, there’s a little piece left that creates interest in the next chapter in this story. I’m eagerly anticipating the next release in this series. Seriously, the last paragraph of this book made me gape open mouthed at my kindle while the dog whined at me, concerned.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and this series has filled a hole in my reading world that I didn’t know existed. It’s a series I think everyone should read, but it does deal with some seriously heavy issues, so I understand that not everyone can read it.

My Thoughts on Pierced and Escaped Pierced Escaped

Goodreads: Pinked
Purchase Pinked: Amazon