Under Her Skin (Blank Canvas, #1) by Adriana Anders

  Under Her Skin by Adriana Anders

Blurb:
 
Her Body is His Canvas
A darkly possessive relationship has left Uma alone and on the run. Beneath her drab clothing, she hides a terrible secret-proof of her abuse, tattooed onto her skin in a lurid reminder of everything she's survived.
Caught between a brutal past and an uncertain future, Uma's reluctant to bare herself to anyone...much less a rough ex-con whose rage drives him in ways she will never understand. But beneath his frightening exterior, Ivan is gentle. Warm. Compassionate. And just as determined to heal Uma's broken heart as he is to destroy the monster who left his mark scrawled across the delicate tapestry of her skin.


This book is really intense. It wasn't easy to read as Uma's former relationship really was a nightmare but I loved to see how she started to heal, how she got stronger and fought to get her life back.

Ivan and Uma are both very complex and very interesting characters who make me want to know what happened to them and what makes them tick.
Ivan`? Well, that's the rather rough and frightening looking guy living next door, an ex-con actually, who gets her and her fear and who helps her to get back on her feet and to feel good again.

"Feel good again"? Feeling good isn't easy when your *** of an ex left you with more than a simple broken relationship as a reminder of the time with him and to show what he is capable of. He got under her skin alright, literally. So it's not just a question of brushing him off but also of getting rid of every single reminder he left on her, of getting rid of her fear and also of getting her self-confidence back.
A long way to go but with someone like Ivan at her side, there might be a good chance for her to get there....

Sometimes I felt really sick when I read what had happened and there were times when I was a bit worried how things might turn out and...well, I really enjoyed reading this book and getting to know Uma, Ivan and all the other people around them.

★★★★