Review & Giveaway: Shooting Scars (The Artist Trilogy #2) by Karina Halle

 

 

Shooting Scars (The Artist Trilogy #2) by Karina Halle

Expected Publication Date: August 20th 2013

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 

About the Book: Sometimes the right choice can be the deadliest.

When Ellie Watt made the ultimate sacrifice for Camden McQueen, she never thought it would be easy. But walking away with her ex-lover, Javier Bernal, in order to ensure Camden’s safety has brought a whole new set of dangers. With Javier’s plans for Ellie growing more secretive by the moment, Ellie must find a way to stay ahead of the game before her past swallows her whole.

Meanwhile, Camden’s new life is short-lived. Fueled by revenge and pursued by authorities, he teams up with an unlikely partner in order to save Ellie. But as Camden toes the line between love and retribution, he realizes that in order to get back the woman he loves, he may have to lose himself in the process. He might just turn into the very man he’s hunting.

Told in dual POV from Camden and Ellie.

My Thoughts:
I loved Sins & Needles and On Every Street so the bar was set pretty high when I picked up Shooting Scars. It did NOT disappoint!  Shooting Scars was just as riveting if not more so than the first books.  Karina Halle’s writing was brilliant and addictive.  Danger, simmering chemistry, twists and turns kept me glued to the pages.  I read it in one day!

Shooting Scars picks up right where Sins & Needles left off.  Camden and Ellie are on their own paths with the story in their alternating POVs. It was a treat to get into Camden’s complicated mind, as well this time.  Both Ellie and Camden face their own challenges and dangers with thoughts of each other always in the forefront.  Javier has plans for Ellie, but she has no idea what they are and the dread of what they might include has her nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs! She’s frightened and always playing figurative chess with Javier, trying to stay one step ahead of him.  Ellie’s one consolation is she knows in her heart she did the right thing (for once) for Camden by sacrificing herself so he could have a second chance with his family. 

Camden is back with his family but going after Ellie and rescuing her is never off the table.  He’s determined to get her back. 

 I was going to find Gus. And then I was going to find Ellie. And nothing, absolutely nothing would get in my way.*  

I absolutely love every twisted thing about Camden.  He has a passionate personality and feels everything intensely.  To be honest, he comes off a little unhinged at times in his pursuit of Ellie, and it’s shocking some of the lengths he goes to, to find her.  Let’s just put it this way, he will never be the poster child for sanity.  BUT he brings out the best in Ellie, and believes underneath all her lies and cons is a good person with a true heart. 

For all she’d done, for the heartless, cruel, selfish person she could be, there was an innocence deep inside—there was still a ten-year-old girl who’d lost everything, who never learned to love without repercussions, who never let her real self free. That was the Ellie I had seen all through high school.*

Even with their separation for much of the story, their chemistry is palpable with a clever use of flashbacks and dreams. Love the dreams!  Camden is one sexy, tattooed hottie!  FYI, the glasses just enhance the whole picture!

It’s no secret I’m not a fan of Javier (Team Javier fans, avert your eyes! Sorry, Arlene!) I think he possesses a magnetism and charisma that would charm the pants off of anyone, but I also think he’s a narcissistic egomaniac.  IMO, he can care for someone up to a point, but his lust for power and desire for revenge trump any supposed feelings he has for anyone else.  A chivalrous man he is NOT or he would never have put Ellie in the position he does.  You will see what I mean.

Dear Ellie,

*sigh* I feel for you, and yet I’d love to smack some sense into you! Yes, you did a very fine thing sacrificing yourself for Camden’s happiness, your intentions are good.  But have some resolve woman! Your weaknesses and self-doubt are hurting the ones that TRULY love you, and have the potential to ruin your chances at a happy future!! Put your BIG GIRL PANTIES ON and STICK to your convictions!! The ONLY reason I’m letting you off is because I can understand how you felt and thought at the time.  You know what I’m talking about….  

Love,

Rachel ♥

You’ve noticed I haven’t said much about the plot?  Well, it’s best to experience it knowing as little as possible beforehand.  I will say I was on pins and needles the entire read! Tension, suspense, and anticipation had me clicking through the pages eagerly.  As I said before, I read this in one day.  You’ll want to free up some time before starting.

 Shooting Scars was an amazing sequel, making this series one of my all-time favorites.  I can’t tell you how many times I’m stalking Karina or checking twitter each week just to see little tidbits or teasers. I guess Camden and I have a few personality traits in common, lol!  I never said I was the poster child of sanity either. ;)

5 Suns

 

 

 

 

 

 



A copy was provided by Grand Central Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

*Quotes taken from an uncorrected proof and may change in the final copy.

 

 

 

 

About the Author: The daugh­ter of a Nor­we­gian Viking and a Finnish Moomin, Karina Halle grew up in Van­cou­ver, Canada with trolls and eter­nal dark­ness on the brain. This soon turned into a love of all things that go bump in the night and a rather sadis­tic appre­ci­a­tion for freak­ing peo­ple out. Like many of the flawed char­ac­ters she writes, Karina never knew where to find her­self and has dab­bled in act­ing, make-up artistry, film pro­duc­tion, screen­writ­ing, pho­tog­ra­phy, travel writ­ing and music jour­nal­ism. She even­tu­ally found her­self in the pages of the very nov­els she wrote (if only she had looked there to begin with).
Karina holds a screen­writ­ing degree from Van­cou­ver Film School and a Bach­e­lor of Jour­nal­ism from TRU. Her travel writ­ing, music reviews/interviews and pho­tog­ra­phy has appeared in pub­li­ca­tions such as Con­se­quence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNo­mad Travel Guides. She cur­rently splits her time between her apart­ment in down­town Van­cou­ver and her sail­boat, where a book and a bot­tle of wine are always at hand.

Dark­house is her first novel and the first one in the Exper­i­ment in Ter­ror Series. Things only get bet­ter from here on in. She is also the author of The Artists Tril­ogy (Hatch­ette) and The Devil’s Metal.
Karina is rep­re­sented by Scott Wax­man of the Wax­man Leavell Lit­er­ary Agency

 

 

Follow Karina:

 

Website  |  Goodreads  |  FaceBook  |  Twitter

 

I'm giving away an e-Copy of Shooting Scars through US Amazon or US Barnes & Noble to one lucky reader.  The book doesn't release until August 20th and that's when the contest will end and the winner will be selected.  Just fill out the rafflecopter below for a chance to win.  Good luck and thanks for visiting Waves of Fiction!  

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

Giveaway Policy: No purchase necessary. Must be 18 years of age and older to enter. This giveaway is open only to those eligible for US Amazon or US Barnes & Noble purchases.  The value of the e-book is $2.99 USD.  The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Winners will be selected after August 20, 2013 randomly by Rafflecopter. Entries will be reviewed for accuracy. Waves of Fiction is not are not liable for lost items shipped/emailed. If the items are not claimed via email within 24 hours of receiving notification the item will be forfeited with no winner or an alternate winner may be selected at blog’s discretion with email verification by August 22, 2013. Waves of Fiction has the right to obtain and publicize the winner's name and likeness. Void where prohibited by law.