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October 31, 2013

Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway ~ The Devil's Tattoo by Nicole R. Taylor


Hey guys! Welcome to my stop on the Devil's Tattoo Blog Tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours. Click here to follow along with the full blog tour schedule. :D


Title: The Devil's Tattoo
Author: Nicole R. Taylor
Publication date: September 1st 2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance 18+
Source: Review Copy 
Blog Tour organized by: Xpresso Book Tours


~ Synopsis ~ 

Zoe Granger picked up her first guitar the day her heart was smashed into a billion pieces. It was a way to keep her mind off her inevitable downward spiral, but music soon became her escape. She's been burned too many times to tell and is just happy to coast through life, never putting herself out there. That's until her best friend Dee suggests they start a band and suddenly she finds herself not just a part of it, but fronting the whole outfit. 

They call themselves The Devil's Tattoo and when they release their debut EP, it rockets to the top of the charts and it's like an overnight fairytale. Contracts, photo shoots, royalties and interviews are heaped onto the shy Zoe and it's like she's finally found her place. Then comes the phone call that changes everything. They've been asked to co-headline a tour with one of the hottest bands of the moment, The Stabs, and Zoe will never be the same again.

Will Strickland is one fourth of the hottest indie rock band to ever grace the airwaves. He's the bass player in The Stabs, hot as hell and could have his pick of any girl that flings herself at him. But he's only got eyes for Zoe, and she has no idea why he'd bother. She's got one hell of a trust issue and an attitude to boot and Will seems to be the one who wants to tame her, but is he game enough? 

The Devil's Tattoo and The Stabs go on the road and it's either going to be a highway to hell or a stairway to heaven. Only time will tell who will come out on top and Zoe's determined to do it without getting her heart broken...again.

~ My Thoughts ~ 

My Rating: 4 / 5 

The Devil's Tattoo had Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's song Beat the Devil's Tattoo stuck in my head the entire time I was reading the book. I love that song! The title of this book is what drew me to read the synopsis - obviously this book is named from the song. :) Plus I love tattoos (working on getting three quarter sleeves done), so anything that says "tattoo" will instantly catch my attention. 

This book was a whirlwind through the formation and evolution of the band The Devil's Tattoo - the brainchild of Zoe's best friend, Dee. Frank and Chris, friends of Zoe and Dee, round out the band members. Time races forward from the moment the four of them begin practicing together, to their first gig at a small venue, to touring with a big band like The Stab. Zoe had concerns about being in the spotlight as the frontwoman, but she didn't have too much time to worry. She finds out that she's in her element performing music, transforming into a confident woman on stage plus she wrote The Devil's Tattoo's first and instantly popular song Walls. 

This book to me is a love letter to music - many of the bands mentioned in the book are real and are some of my favorite bands. I really loved reading about Zoe and Dee's band touring even if I did find it a bit unbelievable that they would become so huge so quickly, basically overnight. 

Zoe and Will's romance was a whirlwind. They were obviously attracted to one another, yet just when I thought things were going to progress, Zoe usually would freak out and pull back. I was definitely curious as to what happened to her with her past relationship to make her so afraid of moving into a new relationship. The scar on her arm that she kept touching (covered up with a tattoo) had me guessing there had been physical abuse. She said everyone turned against her at the end of that relationship and started saying nasty things to her, and I couldn't imagine what kind of friends she must have had to turn on her like that or why they would. 

Zoe and Will were a bit frustrating to watch. Will's reputation as a womanizer precedes him and makes it a problem for him to let Zoe know he's interested in her as more than just a one night stand. Zoe's past keeps her from being able to move forward without the fear of being hurt. Will was kind of annoying to me, not enough to make me dislike him but just enough to make me wish Zoe wasn't hung up on him. I really love Zoe, and I think I might just be super protective of her! Plus, time moved forward so fast it was a challenge for my brain to keep up. 

Overall, I really liked The Devil's Tattoo - I think the pacing was fast, but due to the story it probably wouldn't have worked out any other way. The dialogue was AMAZING, and the writing took my breath away at times. I could clearly hear in my head the characters' Australian accents, and I learned some Australian slang words that I want to use, too! The Devil's Tattoo is a book I'd like to read again just for the dialogue and overall writing - it's THAT good.


 ~ Purchase Links ~ 
Amazon | B&N


~ Click here for the Book Trailer ~ 


~ About the Author: Nicole R. Taylor ~ 


Nicole R. Taylor is an Australian born paranormal, fantasy and contemporary fiction author. She is a graduate of the University of Ballarat Professional Writing and Editing programme and is a former music memorabilia sales person and grocery merchandiser. 

She currently lives in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia with a two year old rescue cat named Burger. She enjoys reading, writing (of course!), traveling and a little too much chocolate. One day she hopes to sky dive, but has to work up the courage first. 

The first in her new paranormal fantasy series, The Witch Hunter Saga is available in e-edition and print from March 20th 2013.

~ Social Links ~ 


~ Giveaway ~ 




6 comments:

  1. I love how much music seems to have a say in this novel! And it sounds very character oriented as well which is a must for me and contemporaries. So happy you liked it! Great review!

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    1. The music was my favorite part! I think you can tell, lol. I'm pretty much deaf now after all the concerts I've gone to at all different types of venues not to mention turning up my music to "11." I absolutely adore Zoe. I related to her with my shyness and desire to retreat from the world. Thanks so much Giselle! :D

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  2. Thanks for such a great review! Glad you liked it.

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    1. You're welcome, Nicole! Your writing is ah-mazing. The dialogue is so real and natural, plus funny as hell. I laughed at the good natured way Zoe and her bandmates joked around with each other. It was really cool how much Dee had her back, and it proves my opinion that a guy and girl can be just friends without having a relationship.

      Beat the Devil's Tattoo has been on my Spotify playlist for months now, and it was so cool to read this book with their song as inspiration. Plus I loved it when the characters talked about bands they love - most of them I love, too. I just went to the Austin City Limits Music Fest earlier this month, and the BRMC is a band I'd love to see there next year!!

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  3. Yay! I'm so glad you liked this one too! I'm gonna admit that while I knew there were lots of music references in the book, I do NOT know all those bands you listed. Does that mean I'm old?!? LOL I'm gonna have to look them up! Great review, Jennifer!

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    1. No, definitely not, Brandee, lol. Many of the bands (with the exception of some of the punk bands that have been around for a long time) I have only recently discovered mostly through playing SongPop. One of my friends from high school plays Indie and Indie 2000s every time against me, so I had to learn the names of the bands and songs or else face up to the fact that I was getting my ass kicked. A LOT. lol

      I ended up liking a lot of the songs and started listening to them on Spotify, and then when I went to the ACL Fest, Passion Pit played, which is one of the groups I started listening to after playing SongPop. I love them! It's almost painful but in a good pain kind of way because I wish I was back there jumping around while I got to see them play live. They put on a damn good show. I have an entire wishlist of bands I'd love to see there next year.

      And Muse is mentioned in this book, although I wasn't 100% sure if the characters like the group or not. I first saw Muse way back in 2000 when they opened for the Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters. They played the first night at ACL, and it was such an awesome performance. I felt like I remembered what it's like to truly LIVE again, like live vibrantly. Haha, now I sound like a dork. :D

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