Shooting Scars (The Artists Trilogy #2)

4 1/2 Stars! I have to admit after waiting so long for this book I\’m not sure what to think about it. I was actually left reeling from many of the occurrences in this story which I will not divulge in fairness to those who have not yet read it. My emotions were all over the place while reading this and not in a good way. This book so deeply intertwines the lives of Ellie, Camden, and Javier in a way that is mind-boggling and shocking. Ellie is one confused girl; Javier I just can\’t decide whether to hate him or make excuses for him, but sometimes I do get glimpses into his pain. Camden on the other hand, oh he is hurting and rightly so, but he really comes into his own towards the end. Yeah, Camden! However, the ending kind of stunned me and left me wondering what is going to happen to Ellie and Camden, especially Camden (and yes Javier, too) and how am I possibly going to be able to wait until the next installment to find out? sigh

I feel like I have to start out with – You MUST read Sins & Needles before you read this book. It\’s not even a question. So please don\’t try reading Shooting Scars without reading Sins & Needles first! Also, don\’t read the rest of my review without reading S&N 🙂 Now, I\’m faced with the same issue that I always have when I write reviews for books I love – how do I do this book justice? I cannot say enough good things about this book. To say that I was excited to beta read this book for Ms. Halle is a huge understatement. Sins & Needles was amazing, so I\’ll admit that I was a bit nervous about Shooting Scars. How could it possibly live up to the first book? Many sequels end up being a disappointment, not being able to quite live up to the same amazingness of the first book. Not only did Shooting Scars live up to the pure freaking awesomeness of Sins & Needles, it surpassed it. Didn\’t think it was possible! But it happened… The flow was so smooth. I didn\’t find myself jarred out of a scene and having to flip back and wonder where something came from. The pace was FAST. Hold onto your book/Kindle tight! I have trouble getting into books that move too slowly or have lulls, but there was never a dull moment. Halle grabs your attention at the beginning and doesn\’t let go until you read the last word. It is rare for me to find myself engaged throughout the entire book – I couldn\’t put it down. Plus, talk about some scorching sex scenes! Holy crap! HOT! As usual, the characters are very well developed. They are all so complicated and real. You see them change throughout these books – from the beginning of S&N to the end of Shooting Scars. Ellie… I love Ellie. I really feel for her. She makes some poor decisions, but she\’s really trying. She\’s so confused. She had such a crappy childhood and her parents really screwed her up. I found myself really rooting for her in this book. Javier… I\’m SO not team Javier. I pretty much stuck with that thinking during this book. He did have some moments of redemption which had me questioning my feelings toward his character. That\’s what I love about Halle\’s writing. I feel like I could really understand Ellie\’s indecision when it came to Javier in this book. Camden… Oh, I LOVE me some Camden! He was pretty badass in this book. The poor guy gets sh*t on so many times. He keeps going and keeps fighting. I love him! Gus… Well, I love Gus too and his role in this book. Shooting Scars is a MUST read!!!!

3.5 stars Shooting Scars is book 2 in the Artists Trilogy series. So far this series is the most annoying and frustrating one I have ever read. The reason I say this is because I get so frustrated while reading the books that I\’m ready to dump them but then it sucks me back in and I can\’t put it down. These characters are so messed up I want to strangle them all. The first half of this book was so slow with Camden and Ellie going separate ways. Camden goes to maybe start a life with his ex-wife and son. I was shocked at what his ex-wife did and I would love to know why she hates him so much. Ellie is now with Javier and the moment they were together I just knew she would wind up back in his bed. Her feelings are so confused, I honestly don\’t understand how she could have done it. I know she loved him once but after every thing I felt like it was a terrible betrayal to Camden. Javier is still his sexy bad ass self who I honestly have no idea about. I know he has this lust for Ellie and was definitely jealous when she spoke about Camden but other than that he is always planning something and I just don\’t trust what his true intentions are. Like I said this series has a way of sucking you in, because by the 60% mark I couldn\’t put it down and I can\’t wait to start book 3.

I am quite speechless really, I wanted to throw my kindle out the window at around 68% mark but I\’m glad I didn\’t as this turned out to be a fantastic second installment. After leaving Camden at the roadside, Ellie is stuck with Javier and is forced to make choices in order to protect Camden, the only person who sees the good that\’s locked away in her. Once Camden realises that he isn\’t going to live happily ever after with his ex wife and son, he teams up with Gus to try and find Ellie, the only woman he ever truly loved. Javier certainly worked his charm and evil manipulation in this book, causing my heart to beat right out of my chest at several points in the book – I without a doubt Do Not Like Javier! It was a highly exciting story which is told in alternating POV\’s. Will Ellie do what is right and believe in herself as Camden does or will she succumb to darkness of Javiers\’ mind? As usual with Karina\’s books, the ending is spectacular and everything that you weren\’t expecting is exactly what happens, resulting in a fantastic explosion of words and feelings. I can\’t wait to read the conclusion to this trilogy, I know without a doubt that it will be the best thing Karina has written to date.

WARNING: This review will contain spoilers for BOOK #1 Hmmm… I\’ve given this 3.5 stars because of the ending. But, I have to say, the rest of the book would have gotten 3 stars, if I\’m honest. I really really struggled with this. Some times I felt like I was wading through treacle. I\’m huuuugely Team Camden. I feel like anyone who is Team Javier needs their head tested. I do not get him, at all!!! He absolutely repulses me. Makes my skin crawl. He\’s a dirty, slimy, sleezy, murdering, lying, heartless monster. I hate him. This book picks up right from where Sins & Needles drops us. Ellie is now in Javier\’s evil clutches and she has left Camden standing outside of his tattoo parlour, with his ex-wife and son. She\’s about to find out Javier\’s grande plan for her. And it all comes back to that one word that took over her life so many years ago, but that she learnt to let go of, to an extent; revenge! Javier has changed. He\’s meaner, darker and even more ruthless. Ellie is trapped. Javier threatens the things she loves the most, forcing her to do his dirty work. As he forces her back into a criminal life she was so desperate to flee from, with Camden, can she resist the charms of her sensual, manipulative ex-lover, or will he seduce her all over again? And will Camden be able to get to her before the inevitable happens? And does she even want to be saved?? Considering that for most of this book, Ellie and Camden were worlds apart, I really had trouble with it. This book was much less a romance and much more an action/thriller novel. Obviously, the romantic element was there, but nowhere near enough for my tastes. The chapters in this book alternate between Ellie and Camden\’s POVs. I really like that. I liked seeing things from Camden\’s perspective. I enjoyed his chapters more than I enjoyed Ellies. Ellie disappointed me hugely in this book. I found it a little unrealistic at times. I mean, seriously, some things are just unforgivable! For me, it didn\’t really hot up until about 70%. From then on, I enjoyed myself. Before that, I could take it or leave it. Usually, I can\’t stand putting my Kindle down to work/eat/shower/sleep/do normal things… with this book, I really wasn\’t bothered about picking it up. The only reason I did was because I wanted to get to the end and move on. It is fast paced and full of action, so if you like that kind of thing, go for it, but for me, I need to love my characters. And I just didn\’t in this book. Well, I loved Camden. My love for Camden is still standing strong. He has proved his worth, and some, in my opinion. If Ellie picks the wrong guy in book #3 I will go ballistic! I will definitely read the third book, because after the ending of the Shooting Scars, I think the next instalment will be a lot more compelling. And, despite finding this tough going, I do definitely want to know how this mad, crazy story ends for these three dysfunctional characters. I just can\’t imagine how this is book #3 is possibly going to end swimmingly. The ending of this book was totally insane and unexpected. I\’m really looking forward to seeing where Karine Halle takes this next, now that all the characters\’ paths have collided again like this. What worries me is that opinions are so totally split down the middle. I\’ve read as many `Team Javier\’ comments as I have `Team Camden\’… so Karine Halle can not possibly keep all of her readers happy… which means this could go either way. I\’m scared. But so very curious! Shooting Scars Statistics Steam Rating (out of 5): Ending: Cliffhanger Series: Reading Order: Book #0.25 – Untitled (The Artists Trilogy, #0.25) Book #0.5 – On Every Street (The Artists Trilogy, #0.5) Book #1 – Sins & Needles (The Artists Trilogy, #1) Book #2 – Shooting Scars (The Artists Trilogy, #2) Book #3 – Bold Tricks (The Artists Trilogy, #3) Release date: October 15th 2013 Can this be read as a standalone? No Themes: Crime Drugs Love Triangle Warning. This book includes… Sexual content. Lies. Murder. Drugs. Writing: Great Review by Smitten\’s Book Blog

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