Lust and Skin

Title & buy link: Lust and Skin
Author: Jamie Lowe
Cover Artist: BSClay
Publisher: Torquere Press
Genre: M/M contemporary
Length: Short story (29 pages)
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

A flash review by Leslie S

Review summary: Short, superficial, but still fun.

Blurb
Jeremy is no stranger to piercings, but the world of tattoos is all new to him. When sexy tattoo artist Dennis offers to give him his first ink, Jeremy can’t decide is his lust is for the tattoo or for the guy willing to give it to him. Jeremy has to decide whether he trusts Dennis enough to let the man have a shot at leaving a permanent mark on his heart as well as on his skin.

Review
Jeremy loves adorning his body with piercings, especially when they’re the work of his best friend, Chase, who works at Skyline Steel and Ink. He’s getting a nipple piercing when one of Chase’s colleagues, tattoo artist Dennis, wanders in and tells Jeremy that real men get tattoos. While Jeremy isn’t that easily swayed, Dennis is pretty hot—and once the idea is in his head, Jeremy keeps thinking about it.

A chance meeting on the bus with a girl whose own tattoo tells a story convinces Jeremy that he wants to get some ink. Dennis is ready with the needles, but will their flirtation last longer than it takes to map out a tat?

A short, undemanding read that touches on the permanency and meaning of tattoos through the slightly befuddled eyes of an ink virgin. As someone who spent years waiting for the right designs to find me before I went under the needle, I’m a bit leery of how fast Jeremy settled on his tat, but he did put some thought into it; and although he was definitely thinking with his other head, it didn’t completely overwhelm his decision. He skates on the edge of clueless, but it’s endearing more than anything. Dennis has some good banter and I also liked Chase. The metaphor of tattoo/love is stretched rather thinly here, but overall it’s a fun little read.