Title: Mark Me
Author: K. S. Ellis
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Ebook
Source: ARC
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Mark Me by K. S. Ellis kicks off the Hawks Ink series—which revolves around a group of friends/club members.

Addictive, well-written, and with just enough loving to keep you glued to your seat!

When it comes to contemporary romance, nothing beats a good ol’ biker romance: Tatted-up bros, independent and yet soft women, and a band of firercely protective club members and old ladies that would literally kill for you.

Fellas, it does not get better than this.

This book follows Kayley, waitress at the Wild Hawks Club and former stripper, who has an altercation with a  pervy customer and circumstances have her living with and under (whoops!) the protection of Cockerel.

Cockerel, the male MC operates a tattoo parlor (the book title is “Mark me,” get it?) and after refusing to emboss the club’s crest on Kayley ends up having to take care of her and ensure her protection.

The altercation prompts the stakeholders of the club (whom she’s familiar with) to ensure her safety by placing a guard on her 24/7 and when Cockerel blatantly disregards their directions, she becomes his “fucking problem.”

Now, living together shouldn’t be hassle; except Cockerel finds himself undeniably attracted to her and Kayley cannot make sense of the animalistic nature of her reactions to him.

Soon enough, they’re “boning” and surprisingly, her friends and fellow club members aren’t as averse to the idea as she had thought they would be. 

Cockerel is entirely too sweet and I loved how in sync with each other they became as their relationship progressed.

They respect and care for each other, treating each other with tenderness and it was beautiful to read.

On a normal day, reading about a seemingly perfect character is off-putting but I loved that Cockerel’s perfection stemmed from his need to protect and cherish her.

Although at times it seems like Kayley is immature, I love that inside she has a resolve of steel  and does not let people into her relationship.

The author’s writing is simple, concise, and very easy to follow. This is a new-to-me author and needless to say, this won’t be the last book I read from her.

Luckily, this is the first in the Hawks Ink series and I can’t wait to see how the other characters’ stories play out.