I’m a bit sad right now. Because… I didn’t really enjoy Shooting Scars as much as I wish I did.

I fell in love with Ellie and Camden in Sins & Needles, and after finishing that book, I was still going crazy for their story, pretty much still high off their story. Because that book is intense. Seriously, I had no idea of the wild ride that was Sins & Needles, but let me tell you, it was incredible. Edge-of-your-seat intense. Sexy. Dark. Angsty. All of which I LOVE. And did I mention I was Team Camden? Because I was SO Team Camden, even though Javier was one sexy mofo. He’s just too bad and unredeemable for me, unfortunately.

So by the time I’d finished Sins & Needles, I wanted Shooting Scars IMMEDIATELY. I wanted more Camden, more Ellie, hell, even more Javier. I had to satisfy myself with On Every Street though, which was brilliant! I applaud Karina Halle for writing the best novella I’ve ever read. And so after all this waiting, after all the teasers, when I finally got Shooting Scars in my hands (well, on my iPad in my hands), you can be sure I totally squealed. I read it as soon as I could, (which was pretty much the day after the book was released), but… I ended up disappointed. I didn’t not like it; it just wasn’t as good as the first book. Shooting Scars didn’t live up to my expectations, and I had such high expectations for it. I loved all the characters in Sins & Needles, and to see them fall flat in Shooting Scars was disheartening.

Everything felt too rushed for me. It seemed as if the book was just too fast and easy to read, even though I did take two days to read it. I wanted to get caught up in the craziness and angst, fall in love with the characters all over again, but the plot just zoomed by, and I couldn’t immerse myself into the story, even when I wanted to. Shooting Scars just didn’t have the same oomph, the same intensity, as Sins & Needles, and try as I might to love it, I didn’t.

I was so excited to be reading both Ellie and Camden’s POVs, and I was especially giddy for Camden’s, of course. But when I actually got to reading his POVs, he’d changed. Camden is entirely fueled by revenge, and I just could get a clear sense of his love for Ellie anymore, which was unfortunate. And Ellie didn’t seem as badass as she was in Sins & Needles. Yes, she’s stuck with Javier, but I felt that she could have done more to protect herself and others. Javier is his usually arrogant, mysterious, sexy self, and he’s so very intriguing. You wonder if he’s still in love with Ellie after all these years, and then you have to backtrack and wonder if he even knows what love is, if he’s capable of it. And that, he, was the best part of the book. Because if there’s one thing you can count on, it’s Javier being unpredictable.

Shooting Scars does have intense moments, as everyone is now in Mexico. Travis appears in the flesh, and of course things get hectic when you have evil drug lords. You won’t be disappointed with the scenes of action and suspense!

Even though Shooting Scars was a let down for me, I’m definitely looking forward to the third and final book in The Artists Trilogy. I honestly LOVED Sins & Needles, and even On Every Street, and I’m hoping I’ll love Bold Tricks just as much.

3 hearts

Look at the pretty cover for Bold Tricks!

Reading Order: The Artists Trilogy

#0.5 ~ On Every Street: Ebook • Goodreads
#1 ~ Sins & Needles: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Shooting Scars: Ebook • Goodreads
#3 ~ Bold Tricks: Ebook • Goodreads