Our
story is a lie, a relationship built on fake promises and hopeful dreams.
He’s my bully.
I crave revenge.
At least that’s what I keep telling myself for my plan to succeed.
I need Korbin freaking Rose to be consumed by me.
So I can crush his black heart, leave him broken and bleeding.
Except now, with each kiss and touch, my plan shifts.
There really is a thin line between love and hate.
From author Quinn Riley comes Love/Hate, an angsty, second chance,
gay (MM) romance that will have readers gripped.
Book
1
Buy Links
Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon Au ~ Amazon Ca
~ Also Available with
KindleUnlimited ~
I pull into a space on Main Street, smirking as I jump out, seeing the old gothic sign above the entrance. Black tattoo font spelling out Marked. Making it stand out amongst the historic stone buildings and tree-lined walkways. Hints of weed mix with blue spruce, filling the air.
Old classic rock music hits me as I push the door. “There’s our boy,” Ruby greets me, her bright blue eyes laughing as she flicks her multicolored hair over her shoulder.
“Hey, girl,”
“Have you eaten?” Not waiting for my answer, she pulls a snack bar out of her drawer filled with junk food, and hands it over. The woman has one hell of a sweet tooth. “You look too skinny.”
I tear the wrapper open, taking a bite, knowing it makes her happy. She leans against the dark receptionist’s desk, giving me a view of my favorite tattoo. It’s a black cat with fur rumpled on its head. Underneath the words “bad pussy,” and it makes my lips curve whenever I see it.
Zane, the owner, steps out of the back area. I swallow my uneasiness as the snack bar gets stuck in my throat. It’s tough seeing Zane, he looks so much like his younger half-brother, Korbin.
Five years older, Zane didn’t come from the elite circle of Hill View but from the same trailer park I live in.
He stops a foot away from us, and the skull on his hand seems to grin as he itches his scruff. “Hey, didn’t expect you in. It’s graduation in an hour.”
“Never been my scene.” I lift one shoulder, feeling my defenses rise.
Today, I should be walking across the stage for my graduation. The school could damn well send it to me in the mail because you’d have more luck shoving a porcupine up my ass than getting me back there.
It had been daily torture to walk down those corridors. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’d planned something for when I got my diploma.
The jokes on them, I’m done being the focus of their cruel entertainment.
In March, I received my acceptance letter. Come fall, I’m off to one of the best art universities—USC. I have a calendar in my room, which I’m marking with big black crosses until I get to say fuck you to Hill View and never look back.
After a beat, Zane lifts his chin. “I Promised Korbin I’d be there. I want you to sketch a butterfly. Let’s see what you’re made of.” Tapping his knuckles on the reception desk, silver rings click against the surface before he walks out.
I turn to Ruby. “Is he serious?”
“Better get a move on,” she winks before answering a call.
Zane has gone retro with the interior, using Jerry the sailor as inspiration. The back wall is black with a partition making it into two workspaces. Both have blood-red beds. The first station has a pin-up sitting in a martini glass on the wall, her legs in a sexy pose, with garters, playing cards surrounding the stem with dice and a bottle of whiskey. A massive scroll underneath has the words “Man’s Ruin” written on it. On the other side are two large cherries. The way Zane has painted them, it seems like someone has taken a bite out of one, and the juice is dripping. Green stalks connect them with the words “Bite Me”.
I go to the back area, which holds two rooms, one for drawing and the other for “Ruby’s Piercing Palace”, as she calls it. I drop my backpack and see Zane jumping in his truck.
“You’re not good enough.”, “Everyone hates you,” hammers in my skull. I try to shake it off and start moving the pencil across the paper, watching as harsh lines appear. It’s where my mind goes numb. A creativeness comes alive and rushes through my veins. My hands move as if someone else is guiding them, transforming the lines as they turn into something beautiful.
Shannan
– ☆☆☆☆
Lyric is from the wrong side of town and if it wasn't for his mother’s money,
he wouldn't ever be in the high school he is. He doesn't fit in, he's gay and
he's poor. For high schoolers, it makes the perfect storm to be bullied. Lyric
was bullied so badly he now suffers with anxiety and OCD. When graduation day
comes, it couldn't be soon enough. He's been working at Marked, a tattoo shop
owned by the richest family in town's illegitimate son, Zane. The only problem
is Zane's brother is Korbin, Lyric's bully.
When an unexpected drunken kiss has Korbin questioning what he has tried to
keep buried, it has Lyric devising a plan to get revenge. Make Korbin fall for
him, then crush him. But Lyric doesn't see the flaw in his plan – when he
starts to get to know the real Korbin and he catches feelings. Can he still get
his revenge? Does he even want to anymore?
Ugh, these two had me up all night finishing this book. I had to know what
happened. Their love was hot and explosive and would burn them if they weren't
careful... they weren't careful. I was so invested and hoped they would get the
happily ever after they both deserved.
AND to say I am excited to see what will happen with Zane and Maddox is an
understatement. There is so much history there to explore.
I enjoyed the darker side of how this story played out. Lyric's anxiety and his
fight to find himself were just so well done. I can't wait for more!!
Avid
Reader – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars
M/M Enemies to Lovers
Korbin hates Lyric. But he doesn't really. Korbin hates himself. And knowing
teenagers like we do, sometimes those emotions make teens do stupid, hurtful,
mean, and dangerous things.
Lyric has lived his life in the shadows. He loves his dad and knows that his
life could be different if he could just get away.
When school's out and the teens are set to disperse, it will take everything
Korbin has to entertain his feelings and everything Lyric has to exact his
revenge. But when things become more, both of these boys will need to grow up
and do it fast.
This story takes place over several years and while it is fun to see how they
grow and change, it's even more satisfying to see how they change and grow for
the better. Friends are family you choose and these two have created their own
families alongside their true family members.
I enjoyed watching these two grow and learn. Their friends are fantastic and I
truly can't wait for the next book. So, while this one didn't super wow me, it
kept me entertained enough to want to see them again, hopefully, in book two.
QUINN RILEY is a multi-genre M/M
Romance writer.
A collection of books from short stories to novels.
Her books range from dark to light, steamy to sweet.
After all, love knows no limits.
Connect with
Quinn Riley
Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Goodreads
Facebook
Group: Quinn Riley’s Reader Group
Hosted by
Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided
a free copy of Love/Hate (Sealed with Ink #1) by Quinn Riley to read and
review.
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