Marked by Drew Elyse | ARC Review

Marked (Sailor's Grave #1) by Drew Elyse
Publisher: Self Published
Publication Date: May 15, 2018
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 262
Source: eARC from InkSlinger PR
Find on Goodreads

Goodreads Description

“MOVING ON” IS JUST ABOUT ACTING THE PART. 

I would never say as much to the people I love, but it’s the truth. 
They want to see me doing better. 
They want to see me living for more than just my son. 
So I let them. 
Every day is about putting on a face, 
pretending to get over the loss of my husband. 
And every day is a lie. 

UNTIL MOVING ON IS A TEMPTATION THAT CAN’T BE DENIED. 

I’m not about to claim I’m a genius, 
unless we’re talking with a tattoo gun or woman in my hands, 
but I’m smart enough to know the beauty serving up my cupcake fix is off limits. 
Really, I know. 
Too bad the lure of putting a real smile on Kate’s face is so strong. 
When she visits Sailor’s Grave Tattoo Parlor, 
I can’t help but want to leave my mark.

My Thoughts

Going into this book I was really interested in the concept. I love reading about characters that get a second chance at a one of a kind romance. Marked follows Kate and Liam. Kate lost her husband in a tragic accident 3 years before the start of the story and she hasn't gotten to the point where she is truly living agin. Liam is a tattoo artist in the town that Kate is currently living in with her son.


Honestly, I had some mixed opinions about this story. From the synopsis I knew a big part of this story was going to be Kate grieving and pretending to move on. Liam understands Kate isn't in the right place to start a romantic relationship. Even though he's interested in more Liam offers Kate friendship, or at the very least someone to talk to. The two start to grow closer when Liam starts working on Kate's tattoo. During the time they spend together Kate starts to realize she might be ready to move on.

One of my big worries while reading was this would be a situation where a new love/relationship cures everything Kate had been dealing with for the past 3 years. For a while it seemed like the story was going in that direction. Thankfully the author didn't take that route. Instead there was a focus on wanting to make a change for the right person. On another note I didn't care for the writing, mainly the use of flashbacks. They were overdone and at times made it hard to get a grasp on the movement of time.

While I didn't care for the writing I really enjoyed the journey this author took me on. Marked showed that people grieve in many different ways. Even though Kate spent 3 years just going through the motions for her son. she couldn't truly move on until she was ready. Being able to see the progression of Kate and Liam's relationship form the beginning to the end of this story was truly beautiful.