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

Title: Shooting Scars (The Artist Trilogy #2)
Author: Karina Halle
Release Date: August 20, 2013 by Grand Central Publishing


Rating:  5 Stars *****


***NOTE: Be sure to enter the rafflecopter at the end of the post for your chance to win a signed paperback copy of both Sins & Needles and On Every Street by Karina Halle. These are out of print and not available for purchase at this time.*** 


Blurb: 

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 Review:

We pick up right where we left off in Sins & Needles. Ellie is in the backseat with Javier driving away to hell having sacrificed herself to ensure Camden and Ben were given a second chance at safety and happiness. Camden immediately freaks out that Javi has her and he is hurt and confused as to why she would leave with him.  After being betrayed once again by his so-called family, and ending up on the run again, Camden goes after our girl. Of course he needs a little help in this new world of stealing, murder, running from the law, running from drug lords… damn that girl really turned his life upside down… so he turns to the only person Ellie trusts, Gus. Oh my God Gus!!! Could I love him any more? Old and Ornery and Badass and just freaking adorable. He has some secrets of his own but he loves Ellie with an unconditional, unbreakable love. He knows her better than she knows herself and he doesn’t care who or what she does he will always have her back. Hmmmm I wonder why that is? Don’t you???  Camden really shines in this book. He proves himself to be a mighty and fearless man… but can he be as forgiving this time around?

Let’s talk about Javi for a minute. Javi, Javi, Javi.  What the hell is his deal? He obviously has deep feeling for Ellie but doesn’t bat an eye at betraying her, using her for his benefit, even whoring her out if the situation calls for it… yet he rages with jealousy over Camden or any other man eyeballing her. Does he love her? God he infuriates me!!!! Every time I think I see a little human decency in him he RUINS it and you all know that I was quite a Javi fan… Ugh I just want to punch him… again… and again… and again. I really think he loves Ellie the only way he know how to love anyone. His love and hunger for power & revenge simply overrides everything else in his life. It always will.

Ellie… she is a trooper in this book. As strong a female character that has ever been written. Her parents have used and abandoned her. Travis hurt and scarred her. The kids at school tortured her. Javier cheated on her and used her.  Uncle Jim betrayed her. She lost Camden. She is beat down over and over. She is a survivor. Javier tries the old proven method of abusive domestic mind control by telling her repeatedly that she is a bad person and that they deserve each other. That they are destined for each other. He takes her off to Mexico after Travis and he plays on her own need for vengeance. How much can one girl take before she is too broken to ever recover? Before she starts to believe what she is being fed? She truly doesn’t care what happens to her anymore as long as she knows that Cam is safe and happy that’s all that matters. *Sigh* I love the selfless side we get to see of Ellie. She has grown up thinking she was rotten to core and that no one could love her but it’s pretty evident that the only person that has a hard time loving Ellie IS Ellie.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! LOVED IT! It was a wild, crazy, heartbreaking, scary, sexy, ride. It keeps you on the edge of your seat from page one. If you thought you had your mind made up about who’s team you were on you are going to change your mind a few times. Who will come out on top… Camden the tattooed dark knight in shining muscles or Javier the gorgeous silver tongued snake in shiny shoes? Your guess is as good as mine!!!

Favorite Quotes:

"Why do you think we work so well together? A soul needs it's other half to truly live."

"I don't have a soul," he said sofly. "you make me feel like I do."

"I guess she did have a choice, though both of them were shitty ones. Her sacrifice didn't help us much in the end. It was all for nothing."

"...but some tiny part of me hoped for his redemption, that I somehow held the key to his soul."

Links:  

Add to your TBR:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17230559-shooting-scars?ac=1

Find the author on FB:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Karina-Halle/140649372629593 

Buy Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Shooting-Scars-Artists-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00DG8ZY7W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377106761&sr=8-1&keywords=shooting+scars 

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway