Review/Excerpt/Giveaway ~ Tyler and Stella: Tattoo Thief 2 by Heidi Joy Tretheway

Title: Tyler & Stella

Author: Heidi Joy Tretheway

Series: Tattoo Thief #2

Genre: NA Contemporary Romance

Published: February 20th 2014

Stella Ramsey always says bad boys can’t break your heart. They don’t call, don’t cuddle and don’t send flowers—but what do you expect? For Stella, no strings means no regrets.

When the biggest story of her fledgling career as a music journalist nearly ruins her relationship with her best friend, Stella has one chance to redeem herself. Tyler Walsh could be that chance.

Stella promises the bassist for the rock band Tattoo Thief anything in exchange for behind-the-scenes access. But Tyler doesn’t want anything. He wants everything—and that’s more than Stella is prepared to give.

When Tyler’s explosive secret thrusts Stella into the media spotlight, she must choose between the selling the story and telling the truth—and exposing the truth about herself as well.

Tyler & Stella (Tattoo Thief #2) is a sizzling story of lust, lies, and sacrifice, revealing how much love can forgive.

What a fantastic sequel to Tattoo Thief (Gavin & Beryl)!! I thought I loved the first book, but this book was just as good, if not better!! There is a slight overlap with the first book and I loved seeing both sides to the story. But in Tyler & Stella’s book the sexual tension is high, almost from the beginning and has both characters conflicted! It was a sizzling and electrifying read and I cannot wait for more in this series!!

Stella betrayed Beryl in the previous book and I enjoyed seeing Stella's perspective to the incident. She regretted a lot of her decisions about how it all unfolded. But she is willing to work hard to mend those bridges with Beryl and earn some respect from the band, Tattoo Thief. To do so Stella spends time with Tyler, trying to work a new angle and get redemption for what she has done. She tries to act on the growing chemistry between herself and Tyler, but he is full of mixed signals.

Stella, I was a bit annoyed with after the first book, but after getting her point of view, I was able to warm up to her quickly. She had her share of heartache early in life and has re-evaluated her life once before. She has had a passion for music since she was younger and now she reports about it. She is having a rough time in New York and hoped Tattoo Thief would get her out of her slump.

Tyler is a really sweet guy; he comes across as a bad boy, but he is more the opposite. He sees the good in most people and he keeps the band together. But his secret keeps Stella at arms length. You can see that he cares for her and will be her knight in shining armour when needed, but something is holding him back. Because of the secrets that each character has, they find it hard to trust and open up to each other and they fight a war of emotions that neither of them knows what to do with.

This book was a lot saucier than the first book and there is a lot of sexual tension between Tyler & Stella. There are a number of sizzling scenes that had me squirming. Who would think a piece of ice could be so erotic *wink*

Again, I enjoyed Heidi’s writing style and how each book is so different. Beryl was more chirpy and confident, where Stella is a bit more reserved and you can see that in her writing. I liked getting to know the band members better as well in Stella’s book, because they weren't in the first book until late. I am really looking forward to the next book in the series, Jayce and Violet – The playboy looks like he will settle down… Annnnd I have insider knowledge… The cover is HAWT!! *fist pump*

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

Setup: Stella and Tyler’s first encounter ended badly, but they see each other again at a concert and Tyler must rescue Stella from the crush of the crowd. A kiss on the Brooklyn Bridge as they walk home leads to an even closer encounter at Tyler’s loft. But Stella’s still confused by why Tyler would kiss her so passionately and then pull away.

I put my half-empty carton of chow mein on the coffee table and hesitate, but the question pounding in my head needs to be asked. “You kissed me—”

Tyler nods his head seriously but a smile plays on his lips. “I did. I had a beautiful woman in my arms on a perfect summer night under the fireworks. Who could resist?”

He called me beautiful. This derails my train of thought but I force myself to focus. “Why’d you stop?”

He shakes his head and runs his hands through his hair. I’m beginning to recognize this nervous gesture. “I wish I didn’t have to.”

I scoot closer to him on the couch, emboldened by his smile, by the beautiful he saw when I was at my absolute worst. “You didn’t have to stop.”

I nuzzle closer to him and his hand glides up the back of my neck into my damp hair. He fists my hair and tips my face upward, bringing my mouth inches from his.

“I didn’t want to stop,” Tyler whispers, his breath on my lips. “I wanted you.” He presses his lips to mine and pulls me against his chest. I answer every question in that kiss with yes, and ask him for more with my tongue.

I want him like air, like water, like sleep and sunshine. I want him to break free of whatever’s holding him back, to just live this moment with abandon.

But Tyler breaks off our kiss and shakes his head, still holding me tightly against him. “I want you, Stella, but we have to stop this. Now. I can’t have a relationship with you.”

I’m stunned, maybe more because he said the R word when we barely know each other, than because he’s rejecting me. Again.

Rejection. Another R word I hate.

I’m too fearful to ask why, so instead I try to rationalize this. (Another R word! Fuck!) “You don’t have to have a relationship with me. Have you considered the possibility that maybe I’m not gunning for a relationship, either?”

Tyler looks confused and I trace my fingers along his ink-stained bicep, making my meaning clear. I shift closer to him, trying to fit our bodies together the way they interlocked so perfectly on the bridge.

“You don’t have to give me roses and promises, Tyler. This can just be about us, our chemistry, the way we connect. I can feel the way your body reacts to mine.”

I’m going for broke, but sometimes a little daring works better than a lot of patience. I trail my hands across his chest, feeling his nipple piercings beneath his shirt. I’ve never touched a man with pierced nipples before but I’ve heard it’s an erotic stimulus, so I imagine Tyler can’t be too hesitant to jump in the sack.

I feel Tyler’s energy shift and his mouth leans down to cover mine again. I lean into the kiss, but it’s not the raw desire I tasted just a minute ago. It’s sweet and soft and pleading. He breaks away before I’m ready.

“Stella, listen to me. I can’t have a relationship with you right now. I can’t, and you have to respect that.”

I blink, tears stinging my eyes from the rejection and the implication that boldly taking the lead was somehow disrespecting his choices.

“You can’t have a relationship, or you can’t have sex?” I’m angry and I’m lashing out at him and Tyler looks horrified. “Which is it, Tyler? Because I’m sick of this little mindfuck, the kissing and touching and then pushing me away.”

“Seriously, Stella?” Tyler’s hoarse with surprised anger. “You never just kissed someone to kiss them? Because they smelled good and tasted good and felt amazing in your arms? You never just kissed without expectation?”

I freeze, knowing Tyler is right. I can’t remember the last time I kissed someone just because I wanted to, without expecting to get laid within the hour. It’s a painful truth and it makes me feel easy. Trashy. Cheap.

Tyler doesn’t know he’s already won our argument so he fires another shot, and this one’s fatal. “Or is kissing just an item to check off your foreplay list?”

“Enough.” I push away from Tyler and stand. I’m all out of words and all out of tears. “I’ve heard enough. I’m going home.”

I shove my feet in my shoes and pick up my bag from the kitchen bar. Tyler waits for me at the door, his phone in his hand, a war of emotions on his face as if I rejected him. “I didn’t want our night to end like this,” he says quietly.

Our night. I don’t respond. I let him open the door and I walk down the stairs, his soft tread echoing behind me. We get to the bottom landing and he shoves the stubborn lock open.

“I called you a cab. It should be here soon.” Tyler takes my hand and turns it palm-up before I can pull away. He drops a fortune cookie inside.

I close my fingers over the cookie. “Thank you.” My eyes won’t leave the floor. There’s nothing more he can say and he finally releases me, opening the door into the cool night. I hear the distant crackle of fireworks, but even the ones that burn bright eventually become ash.

Heidi Joy lives in Happy Valley off Sunnyside Road. She swears she did not make that up.

Heidi’s obsessed with storytelling. Her career includes marketing, journalism, and a delicious few years as a food columnist. Media passes took her backstage with several rock bands, where she learned that sometimes a wardrobe malfunction is exactly what the rock star intends.

You’ll most often find Heidi Joy with her husband and two small kids cooking, fishing, exploring the Northwest, and building epic forts in their living room.

She loves to hear from readers via messages at facebook.com/author.heidi.

Blog l Twitter l Facebook

 Author Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Other reviews in the Tattoo Thief series

Tattoo Thief #1