Title: Sins & Needles
Author: Karina Halle
First published January 1, 2013
438 pages, Paperback
ISBN: 9781479359080 (ISBN10: 1479359084)
Rating: 3.94
Overview
After years of being a con artist, Ellie Watt is finally ready for a fresh start. Returning to Palm Valley, California, her hometown, Ellie is determined to leave her past behind.
But when she reunites with her former flame, Camden McQueen, things take an unexpected turn. Camden, now a successful tattoo artist, is not the same boy Ellie used to know.
And when he discovers Ellie’s true intentions, he offers her a deal she can’t refuse, leading them both down a dangerous path. As their pasts and present collide, Ellie and Camden must navigate their complicated relationship while avoiding the dangerous consequences of their actions.
Editoral Review
Karina Halle’s “Sins & Needles” is a thrilling novel that explores the complexities of love, loyalty, and revenge in a world of tattoo artists and con artists. Halle is a renowned author in the contemporary romance and suspense genres, and this 2013 publication is a gem in her collection.
The novel follows the story of Ellie Watt, a former con artist who rises from the ashes to start a new life as a tattoo artist in Palm Springs. Ellie’s past catches up with her when a face from her youth, Camden McQueen, walks into her studio.
Ellie and Camden share a complicated history, and their reconnecting sets off a chain of events that leaves Ellie questioning everything she knows about herself. Halle’s writing style is gripping and fast-paced, easily engaging readers from the first page.
She crafts her settings well, and readers can easily visualize the deserts and cities that Ellie and Camden inhabit. Halle’s use of flashbacks provides the necessary background information for readers to understand Ellie’s motivations and frame of mind.
Ellie is a well-crafted, intricate protagonist with a troubled past. The juxtaposition between her criminal past and current artistic pursuits is a compelling aspect of the novel.
Her dynamic with Camden, the sharp, mysterious love interest, gives the book an extra layer of tension and heat. The novel’s main themes revolve around the struggles of moving on from past mistakes and finding redemption in the present.
Halle does an excellent job of exploring these themes without getting too preachy or heavy-handed. One of the novel’s only shortcomings is that some of the secondary characters and subplots feel underdeveloped.
However, these minor flaws do not detract from the overall quality of the novel. Overall, “Sins & Needles” is an excellent read for anyone who enjoys suspenseful, character-driven contemporary romance.
Halle’s writing is impressive, and her storytelling skills make this novel a page-turner. I highly recommend this book to fans of authors like Tarryn Fisher and Colleen Hoover.
Rating: 4/5. “Sins & Needles” is an exceptional novel that will keep you hooked until the very end.
