Single Sundays: The Mad Tatter by JM Darhower

Single Sundays: While this blog may be focused on reviewing book series as a whole, we can’t forget about the good ole’ standalone novel! On Sundays, I will review a novel that is considered to be a standalone novel. Here is this week’s offering:

Synopsis for The Mad Tatter (from Goodreads):
Reece Hatfield has just one rule when it comes to falling in love: don’t fucking do it. There’s no room in his life for another person. He can barely keep a handle on things as it is. A shadow of the man he used to be, Reece spends his days tattooing, the artist inside of him longing for the chance to do something different.

Avery Moore is all dance, all the time. Ballet is all she’s ever known, and she’s damn good at it. Her body is her art, a living canvas that captivates Reece the first time he lays his eyes on her.

He yearns to leave his mark on her body… in more ways than one.

The tattooed degenerate with a shady past. The beautiful ballerina with a bright future. They live in different worlds, yet somehow, they fit. But just because they fit doesn’t mean they belong together. Cracks sometimes form. Two pieces don’t always make a whole. The course of love never did run smoothly. Things get messy.

And Reece doesn’t do messy.

Not anymore.

Author: J M Darhower
Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Heat Rating: really warm
Point of View: First Person, Single *Male POV*
Publication Date: April 12, 2015
Source & Format: Own–Kindle

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

Well, just look at the cover for one. Then look at the title (I love plays on words). And then I looked at the price ($1) and thought, why not?

I was looking forward to a book that had seemingly opposite people attract and fall in love. Tattooed bad boy meets a ballerina? Yes please!

The Plot:

I definitely thought this book was going to be more erotica based but I’m really happy that it wasn’t. Actually, the plot in this book really wasn’t anything I expected. The romance was more of a slow burn and the focus was mostly on Reese coming to terms with who he is.

Which was actually very refreshing for me to read. I enjoyed watching Reese grow as a character and man. I loved watching him interact with Avery. It was a very sweet story to watch unfold even if it wasn’t packed with action or a whole lot of drama.

The Characters:

Because it wasn’t told from Avery’s POV at all it was really cool to read and subsequently understand Reese more than you normally would if Avery was the one telling the POV or it was an alternating POV. I really enjoy male-only POV romances–they keep things interesting if you ask me. And what I really liked is that Reese is a genuinely nice guy. He isn’t some crude, alpha male who describes women like objects or simply wants to possess Avery because he can. You really fall in love with him and root for him to succeed.

I also really liked Avery. Even though she doesn’t get her own POV, I still feel like I had a good grasp on her character. And I actually appreciated the fact that she does take a bit of a back-seat to Reese’s development. She was a great leading lady!

The Romance:

Like I said earlier, it was definitely a slow-burn romance–which I really liked! It was great watching these two form a sincere connection with each other. They weren’t banging each other on every available surface or falling too fast. It was a great balance and they were a fantastic match, so I was rooting for them the whole way!

My Rating: 4/5

I’m glad this book wasn’t what I thought it was going to be! It was a great slow burn, male POV romance. Don’t judge the book by it’s cover! There is so much more to The Mad Tatter than meets the eye!

Read if You Like: slow burn romances, tattooed leads, artist leads, male POVs
Avoid if You: want more “romance”, want more drama