Review ~ Pinked by J.C.Mells

Title: Pinked

Author: J.C.Mells

Series: Pierced #2

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal

Published: September 1^st 2013

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.

After reading Pierced, the first book in this series, I was super keen to continue the story to see how Pierce has adapted to the changes. Her whole world has flipped upsidedown and she has been through so much that I wanted to know more. Part I of Pinked is (mostly) Lucas’ POV from the first book. It kind of skims over the first book and recaps most of the important parts that occurred. Part II is all new material and the POV’s change between Pierce and Lucas.

Pierce is still as strange as ever!! I think that is why I like her; she is not a normal kind of girl. She has been through so much but is still down to earth. Some of her mannerisms are a bit quirky, but other things that she does are exactly what a person would do under stress!! She still loves to cook, which I still don’t get, but she is level headed enough to try to bring her group together. The voices in her head have settled a little, which I think is a good thing. Pierce seems to attract trouble, and when she is off helping someone, she lands in some serious hot water.

I liked being in Lucas’ head! He is an unusual man, but has his reasons as to why he puts so much distance between himself and others. We learn more of his background in this book and it makes it easier to understand him. He is struggling with what he did at the end of Pierced but is slowly learning to accept it. He cares deeply for those around him and will do anything to protect them.

Even though the first part of the book was a recap, I still enjoyed the whole story. I like reading the same situations from different POV’s, it’s interesting to see how the other character perceives the same circumstances. The plot of this book takes a little bit of a turn from Vampires to Shifters and I quite enjoyed this twist. I liked the way that J.C. Mells wove the story; she is able to blend paranormal creatures into a plot that has a serious edge with a touch of humour. I was more captivated by the storyline of Pinked and I thought that the story flowed better too. The characters are likeable and easy to connect with as they are far from perfect. Again, the ending is a killer and I am looking forward to see where things go now.

I received a copy of this book from the Author in exchange for an honest review.