jamiesagerhall

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!!!!