Freefall by Tess Oliver [Review]

Freefall (Custom Culture #1) by Tess Oliver
Format: ebook
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: March 5, 2015

Custom Culture
1. Freefall - Paperback | Kindle
2. Clutch
3. Dray
4. Rett
5. Nix & Scotlyn: The Wedding

Tess Oliver
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Synopsis (Goodreads):

After leaving high school, with a hard won diploma and the title of most likely to break hearts, Alexander "Nix" Pierce has left his wild, out of control years mostly behind him. A small inheritance from his grandfather has given him the funds to open up his tattoo shop, Freefall, and he has started to pull his life together. Aside from trying to keep his best friend, Dray, from killing himself in the fight ring, and his slight obsession with a pin-up model he's never met, Nix's life is going smoothly . . . until Scotlyn James, the object of his obsession, walks into his shop.

Ever since a tragic accident killed her family and left her alone in the world, Scotlyn James hasn't spoken one word. Up until now she didn't care that she had no way of talking to people. Her awful aunt would never have listened, and Lincoln Hammond the arrogant, selfish man who pulled her from the streets of Los Angeles wouldn't hear her words if she could speak. But when Lincoln insists she get a tattoo to cover up a scar on her side, Scotlyn meets the artist, Nix Pierce. And now she longs for her voice. Now she has found someone who will hear her.

Thoughts on Freefall: Just so I lay it all out here, I read book 2 before this one. So, yeah, I knew some of what Nix and Scotlyn had gone through to get to their happy place. BUT... Scotlyn's issues were only mentioned in book 2 (as they should be since book 2 wasn't Nix and Scotlyn's book!) and I became VERY curious about her and how she broke out of her silence.

So I went into this book with a fair amount of expectation brimming over their relationship. I can say I wasn't disappointed.

Scotlyn's life up until she and Nix cross paths is painful. Her isolation, her silence, all the things she'd had to go through to reach that point was hard to read at times. And her boyfriend's casual disregard for her made me ragey. Cutting her off from everyone and using her as he did made me wish very, VERY bad things upon him. Especially given Scotlyn had no voice and had been mentally beaten down so hard by life she thought she had nothing to offer and no way to survive other than sticking with him.

Nix becomes her haven. He listens to her despite her lack of speech. He sees something beautiful and perfect in her flaws. I really liked him for that. Heck, I just liked Nix in general. He's sweet and gentle and he does what he can for his ailing grandma (awwww!) and he and Scotlyn just worked for me.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that Nix and Scotlyn totally lived up to my expectations and I LOVED seeing the Clutch/Taylor thang from the beginning.