Hellion

Hmm. I wonder if I was so eager for this book that I ruined it for myself... Certainly it WAS the 415 Ink book I was most anticipating, and I admit I do feel...let down. Don't get me wrong, I did genuinely enjoy this - I read through it in one, engrossed go, and I have given it four stars.
(Some mild spoilers ahead:)
The story follows the birth of the relationship between Ivo and Ruan. Ivo is a gender stereotype subverting tattoo artist, and Ruan is a cop - their worlds, according to the blurb, collide.
However, I felt their worlds didn't really collide - Ivo fits pretty seamlessly into Ruan's world. Most of the 'conflict' is in Ruan's introspection, as he has to bring his mentality from hiding his sexuality (or at least not flaunting it) to being an open, 'proud' queer man, or at least to be comfortable in dating someone as confidently queer as Ivo. I felt...ripped off?...certainly a bit let down to get less of Ivo than I was hoping for. He somehow felt like a secondary character in his own story, as I felt most of angst and story centered on Ruan.
It was genuinely good to get some backstory and insight to Ivo, but perhaps I just felt like much of it had already been canvassed in the previous two books (or I was just so obsessed with him that I really noticed his bits in the previous two books?).
This really is just a tale of two men falling in love, with little other conflict - I was a little bored in places, and felt myself getting frustrated with yet another omnipotent, long lecture from Ruan's landlord, an old sailor with regrets on his own closeted lifestyle. Ford doesn't usually club you over the head with a theme/information, but I felt this one did get repetitive. There were also some editing errors that made me wince, which is unusual for Ford's generally slick style and fast past novels - overall this book felt like it had been difficult to write, and that found its way into the final version.
I am really looking forward to Luke and Bear's stories - Hellion ended with an intriguing snippet leading into Luke's book, so I'm hoping for something a little more conflict driven.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review - Rhys has been very generous in her ARC distributions, and I want to say an enormous thank you to her for that!

Reviewed by Erin for Diverse Reader

It seems like I’ve been waiting forever for Hellion, book 3 in Rhys Ford’s fantastic 415 Ink Series. It hasn’t REALLY been forever, but Ivo Rogers is a character I’ve been dying to get to know more about, and boy did I ever! He’s every bit as charismatic, complicated, and fabulous as I hoped he would be…and then some. Throw in a detective with some major misconceptions about the world around him, and I knew we were going to be in for a fascinating and emotional story.
Ivo Rogers has had a difficult life so far. In and out of foster care until he was finally home with Bear, Gus, Luke, and Mason when he was a teenager, his family both by blood and found. He loves them all fiercely, almost as much as he loves art and tattooing. Brash and confident, it has taken Ivo a long time to be comfortable in his own skin, whether that means wearing a pair of sky-high red stilettos with a kilt or jeans and combat boots. His brothers love him and protect him, sometimes too much for his liking, and when he and Ruan Nichols cross paths, though they briefly met years ago, it seems like Ivo might have found someone who might understand the real him. If Ruan can manage to get out of his own way that is.
I really appreciated the way Rhys wrote Ruan’s character. He’s older than Ivo, by a bit, and he’s set in his ways. He might live in San Francisco, might be gay, but that doesn’t mean that he understands what drives Ivo, what makes him want to dress in heels and wear makeup. Ruan’s education, for lack of a better word, is slow and sometimes it’s a one step forward two steps back process, which I found very authentic and realistic. He’s attracted to Ivo, there’s no doubt about that, but he struggles with the whys and how’s and I really enjoyed that, especially Ivo’s patience (when at first glance he might appear to not have much of that) and willingness to talk to Ruan about what his hang-ups are, while staying true to himself.
There isn’t a whole lot of conflict in Hellion, but instead it’s a rather hopeful and dare I say (because this is Rhys Ford we’re talking about here!) light book. There’s romance and plenty of emotion, some inner turmoil too, but at the heart this is a book about growth and love. Ivo is amazing, one of my favorites, but I’m so looking forward to the rest of the series and finding out more about Luke and Bear. If you haven’t checked out the 415 Ink series yet, you’re missing out and in for an awesome treat!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
Finally! Ivo’s book! And it was definitely worth the wait. I’ve loved this series from the start, but it has always been the beautiful, heel wearing youngest brother who has properly had my heart. And Ivo is just as heartbreakingly fabulous in his own book as I always expected he would be.

This book starts with a teenage Ivo defending himself against a would-be rapist while wearing sparkly heels and dressed like a naughty schoolgirl. This first scene is a torturous read but it introduces us to a terrified but defiant Ivo and introduces us readers to Ruan as a beautiful and kind policeman who takes care of the bloodied teenager. I can’t imagine a more perfect first scene and I’d dare anyone not to shed a few tears over these first few pages. Ivo and Ruan’s relationship is a decade in the making but their first encounter is really beautiful.

As with the first two books, much of this story focuses on Ivo growing into himself and coming to terms with his horrific childhood. Readers will remember many of Ivo’s early experiences from Gus’ book but because Ivo is so much younger than Gus, his memories are more fragmented and his experiences in the system are quite different. And while Ruan seems to be older and have himself together, his loneliness is awful and his experiences as a closeted cop are heartbreaking and thought provoking.

Almost surprisingly, this isn’t a depressing read. Ivo’s passion for his art is joyful and Ruan’s enormous cat is delightful. I love catching up with the brothers’ expanding family and I love the way the family is expanding across the series.

As a foster carer myself, this series has hit me in the heart from the start. The brothers’ experiences feel real to me and I recognise many of my own kids in the boys. There is a powerful passage in this book where Ivo tries to explain foster care to Ruan as being similar to trying to teach a dog to live in a tree. It’s a beautifully written passage that explores a brutally uncomfortable truth. I cried through this book as I have through the others – but I also love that this is a hopeful series and the brothers are survivors who create a beautiful family for themselves. This story won’t stand alone – readers will need to start at the beginning of the series – but I can’t recommend this series highly enough.

Sarah received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.

7 years ago, Ruan Nicholls was a uniformed patrolman with the SFPD. One night he had a chance encounter with a teenager by the name of Ivo Rogers, who had snuck out of the house to go to a dance club. Officer Nicholls escorted the young man home and left him safe with his big brother. Neither Ivo nor Ruan ever forgot that night.

Today Ruan Nicholls is a now a homicide detective, still with the SFPD. He serves proudly – if you were to cut him he’d probably bleed cop blue. If only he was as proud and loud about his sexuality. He knows he’s gay, and isn’t ashamed of it, but he’s always been afraid to come out, especially on the force. Ruan knows upper leadership would have his back, after all his commanding officer is Captain Donal Morgan – a man who is well known for both his dedication to the badge and his heart of gold. But there are things still holding him back.

Ivo Rogers, the youngest of the 415 Ink family, is now 24 years old. He’s Bear’s cousin and Gus’ little brother. He’s emotionally damaged, just like the others, but he’s maybe better at living in spite of it than the others. Ivo is a free spirit, a level-headed businessman, and an amazing tattoo artist. He lives his life the way he wants to live it, and if that means jeans and a leather jacket one day followed by shorts and high heels the next, so be it.

For those of you who read “Savior” (the 2nd book in the 415 Ink series) you know that Mace’s useless ex-con father was found murdered at the end of that book. It falls to Ruan to make the death notification to Mace. Guess who Ruan also happens to meet that day? That’s right – it’s that fearless teen that Ruan dropped off at this same address all those years ago. Remember how I said that neither Ivo nor Ruan had ever forgotten that night?

This particular book was primarily about Ivo and Ruan, but it was also just as much about family and what that means. We learn more about makes the Fab 5 tick as a group, and we are reminded that even today being considered “different” (race, gender identity, sexuality, ethnicity, country of origin, etc. etc. etc.) is ALWAYS makes life harder than it needs to be.

This book was WAY easier on the heartstrings than either of the first two 415 Ink books -- Thank-you Rhys!!! What the absence of the angst leaves is two men who are trying to find their way through life and at the same time working their way towards each other. They both know that it won’t be easy, but they also both feel that if they can make it work it will be well worth it.

Bottom line for me – 4 stars out of 5.
I liked a LOT that this was an emotionally-easier read than it’s predecessors, but I also found myself somehow missing some of that complexity and depth that we’re so used to seeing in Rhys Ford’s plot lines.
For those who are die-hard Rhys fans (and you’ll know what I’m talking about) – I counted 4 subtle Easter Eggs and 3 outright appearances of or references to characters/locations from Rhys’s previous books. If catch more on a re-read I’ll update this review.

I loved Hellion. Period. It was so good. I just wanted to keep reading about Ivo and Ruan (which I will through Luke’s and Bear’s story). The cat in the story reminded me of a family cat. My cousin had a huge orange cat, could fit under those big coffee tables from the 70s, his name was Charlie, but we called him Chawlie. He was awesome, not unlike Spot. And I finally know how to say Maite’s name. I see it on Rhys Ford’s FB posts all the time. I was totally saying it wrong. Now I’m not.
I really loved how Ivo and Ruan’s story built and no stupid miscommunication, really all the opposite from those romances that always spin on miscommunication. None of that here, but really communication and understanding were such a huge part of their story. I loved that about it. The story was sexy and interesting and I loved all the secondary characters that are part of Ivo and Ruan’s life.
I love 415 Ink series, I kind of think maybe the most favourite Rhys Ford series. There’s just something so great about books about characters more than any other thing. It’s what makes me love romance, and this series hits the spot. I absolutely recommend this book and the series. I can’t wait until Luke’s and then Bear’s stories come out. I know I’ll be stalking and waiting for them.