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when this one came across my radar in the form of the audio book I was going to turn it down. I said 'Oh, I'll take 'Off the Beaten Path' please and thank you' and a little voice came along and whispered in my ear (and by whispered I mean e-mailed me) 'Pins and Needles' is really good too' they said...so I went  back to audible.com and listened to the sample again and said yeah this could be good...what the he!!? Why not and that's how I got to be here writing this review...because you were dying to know, right? I know I'm babbling but hey work with me on this. I've been known to be entertaining.

Ok first off there's a lot of legalese here but for me that was actually a good thing because this story is based on a legal case one that starts when petroleum engineer, Sean Wilkinson is hurt...we're talking lost one leg and nearly lost the other as a result of a work related accident, but because Hawk, the man who's been Sean's father for the past 10 years looks like a tattooed biker most lawyers are just walking away that is until Nate Delany walks into his hospital room and as luck would have it Nate looks more like a GQ model than a lawyer.

Essentially everything that happens in this story from Nate and Sean's relationship is linked to Sean's case even Nate's relationship with his father which is tenuous at best becomes linked to Sean's case and there's a whole string of events in between that ultimately tie back into Sean's case. So truly I loved all the legalese...would I want it in every book no but it worked well with what was going on in this one. 

The secondary characters in this story were an interesting collection. Let's start with Nate's family. Nate has two brothers...Steve and Matt or Matthew...one's cool, one's not, in that order. Nate's parents...while I won't necessarily say that they're bad people neither would I say that they're anyone I'd like to know. Did I agree with their choices? No. Was it something that I would have done if faced with the same situation? No, but we all have to make our own choices and live with the consequences of them, so to each their own.

Given the already strained relationship between Nate and his father it really came as no surprise when the quality of Nate's work as well as his work ethic are called into question at his father's law firm leading Nate to make the choice to walk away and set up his how law office and resulting in his first meeting with Hawk and a only somewhat conscious Sean.

Sean's family is a little more complicated. Sean's life hasn't been easy. He's been abandoned, abused, past from foster home to foster home and yet somehow he's managed to rise above things and along the way he's found both a friend and a substitute father in Hawk as well as a valued friend in Tanya the other artist at Hawk's Tattoo Studio. Sean's doesn't let a lot of people into his life and to be honest he's not been given a lot of reason's to trust, so Nate's really got his work cut out for him if he's going to get past Sean's considerable defenses.

Sean's not only incredibly intelligent but he's also very artistically gifted and while he may appear as nothing more than a simple tattooed thug...I think that's basically what Nate's father called him, he's not. Sean is so, so much more and thankfully Nate is really quick to see this.

Both the author A.J. Thomas and the narrator, Jason Riley are new to me and I'm really glad that I listened to that little birdy who whispered in my ear that this one was good because she was right and I'm definitely going to be checking out more by this author but also more by this narrator. His voices brought this story to life and added richness to the characters and an overall depth that impressed me. Definitely a narrator that I'm interested in hearing more from.  

With everything that's going on in this story don't expect any flash, bangs in the smexy times department because they're not going to happen the relationship between Sean and Nate is definitely a slow burn and with Sean's past anything different just wouldn't have seemed right to me. But having said that when things do finally burn...they were scorching hot between these two...after all there was that time in the tattoo parlor...and...sorry, you'll just have to read the book to find out or listen to the audio...cause that works too, right?

While the ending for Sean's case seemed a little bit over the top I can't truthfully say that I was bothered by it. What intrigued me the most other than Sean and Nate because I really, really liked this pairing...was what was beginning to happen between Nate and his dad at the end. I could so be persuaded to hang around for more of Nate and Sean and to see what's going to happen with Nate and his dad...another book would be nice but I could be happy with a nice long story...I'm not greedy, really I'm not...much. 

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An audiobook of 'Pins and Needles' was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is only my 2nd book by this author. The title is apt - I was on pins and needles for most of the time while reading this excellent story of suspense, intrigue, and romance among the ruins. 

Okay, so that latter part is a bit hyperbole - there are no actual ruins, per se. What is in ruins however is a promising career, a father/son relationship, and an invention that could revolutionize a part of the oil industry.

But I'm getting ahead of myself...

This is a complex story, and it would behoove the reader to read slowly and carefully, much in line with the slow progression of the story. As it is so often the case, all is not what it seems, and it takes some time to untangle the many threads that make up this particular plot.

The book begins by introducing us to Nate Delany, a young lawyer working for his father's well-known company, who is basically the do-boy for another lawyer, and whose briefs, as eloquent and well-researched as they are, are not getting credited to him, but the "supervising" attorney. Nate is frustrated, especially as his father doesn't seem to realize that the brilliant briefs "written by" the supervising attorney are actually his son's work and believes that Nate is just a slacker, unable to run the company himself. At the end of his rope, Nate quits. 

On his way out, his assistant gives him the name and number of a man who had an appointment with the supervising attorney, but who was apparently deemed too rough, with too many tattoos, to warrant the jerk's time. 

Nate makes a call. Nate makes a visit to the hospital where he meets Sean Wilkinson, whose former foster father Hawk was the man rejected by Nate's father's lawyer. As Nate hears what happened to Sean, he can't help but be intrigued by the young man who after a terrible accident lost not only his leg, but also his livelihood and his career as a petroleum engineer.

Hounded by his employer's lawyers to agree to a ridiculous settlement after the accident, Sean needs someone in his corner to help him navigate these new rough waters. And Nate is just the guy to do that.

Both MCs have their own personal struggles and rather different personality-wise. 

Sean, with his difficult early life and rough upbringing, isn't quick to trust anyone and plays his cards rather close to his chest. He's not only a brilliant engineer, but also a fantastic tattoo artist, who learned the craft in his foster father's shop. Hawk is perhaps the closest thing to a real father Sean has, and their relationship is very close and supportive. He doesn't have any close friends; in fact even the people with whom he spent months at sea don't really know him at all, including his boss, with whom Sean has had an affair since he interned with the company at 19. 

Nate, on the other hand, had a rather normal, if affluent, childhood and appears to most people as someone who had everything handed to him - with his last name being so well-known and the assumptions which come with that. His personal struggles aren't as obvious, but they're just as real. Nate has to prove himself repeatedly at his father's company, more so really than any other newly minted attorney would have to, because he's his father's son. In addition, his parents have more or less forsaken him because their older son is a bigot and doesn't want his children or his wife anywhere near Nate. Since, you know, homosexuality clearly rubs off and we must think of the children. For years, Nate hasn't been able to spend holidayrs or any quality time with his family; it's as if he's been erased. No photographs of Nate are displayed at their house - it's as if he doesn't even exist. His name isn't ever mentioned around the older son, and his brother's kids have zero relationship with him. 

Taking on Sean as his first client after quitting his father's firm seems like a great idea at the time, even if it's just fighting for Sean to get the biggest possible settlement for the accident that cost him one of his legs, but there's a lot more to their case than just that. See, Sean invented something that's been used on the ship, and the case now also involves intellectual property rights. 

And someone may be out to kill Sean to silence him.

The romance that develops between Nate and Sean is by design a super slow burn. Not only is Sean seriously injured and still recovering from the accident, but he's also Nate's client, and there are a bunch of ethical issues to consider before the two of them can be together. As an added detriment, when Nate tries to find another law firm to represent Sean and remove the ethics issue, he finds that many firms will not even consider taking him on, because of who Nate's father is. No matter how brightly the attraction burns between them, Nate must first and foremost consider that any romantic relationship they might have could adversely impact Sean's day in court. 

Underneath all the suspense and intrigue, the point this book drives home time and again is that of family. Not necessarily the one you're born into, but the one you choose, the one you make for yourself. And for that, Sean had a great example in Hawk, his mother's ex-boyfriend, who took him in, no questions asked, when Sean was kicked out at home for being gay. A man who never asked for anything but was there time and again when Sean needed him. A man who not only gave him a home but also a way of paying the bills, when he taught him the fine art of tattooing. Nate has an example too, really - that of how NOT to treat your family. While I believe his parents loved him, they never even considered how hurtful their behavior was when they excluded Nate to appease their older son's homophobia and bigotry. 

My only niggle came toward the end of the book, during the big reveal as to who was behind all the bad things that happened. It felt a little over the top, and the villain really came out of left field, to be honest. Sure, the explanation made sense, but the way it all went down was a little... too much, I guess. 

Still, this was definitely an enjoyable read, with a satisfying HFN, and I would recommend you give this book a try. I don't think you'll be disappointed.


** I received a free copy of this book from its publisher. A positive review was not promised in return. **

The truth is rarely seen on the surface, and getting to it might mean digging deep…. After a devastating accident and a long stay in the hospital, the last thing petroleum engineer Sean Wilkinson wants to deal with is the settlement the oil company tries to force on him. He’ll never be able to work in his field again, his education is all but useless, and his surgeons are pessimistic about whether he’ll ever walk again. He needs someone in his corner, but most lawyers take one look at his tattoo-covered foster father and turn their backs. It’s just Sean’s luck that the one attorney willing to give him a chance is also the hottest guy he’s ever seen. As a trial lawyer, Nate Delany has a lot to prove—to his father, the world, and himself. Sean intrigues Nate, and he struggles to reconcile the gifted tattoo artist he can’t stop fantasizing about with the quiet, brilliant engineer. His investigation reveals facts left out of the accident report—including an illicit affair, greedy coworkers, and a vicious corporation that will do anything to protect its bottom line. When Sean’s life is threatened, winning Sean’s case, and his heart, becomes a lot more dangerous.

Review:

Dear AJ Thomas,

I never read your work, but I vaguely remembered book friends liking some stories that you wrote in the past. Maybe this was a reason why I decided to give your book a try even though blurb stated that one of the characters was a trial lawyer. I swore off the m/m books about lawyers’ long time ago. I don’t like badly researched books on any topic, but it is true that when one ultimately familiar with the topic, it is that much harder to swallow a lazy writing.

Sean and Nate meet when Sean’s father comes to Nate’s father law firm where Nate works as well, trying to find a lawyer to represent Sean in the case where he is suing the company he worked for after horrific accident he suffered. Actually Nate and Sean meet a little bit later in the hospital because Sean’s injuries were still keeping him there. Even though the partner in the law firm turned Sean’s father away, Nate decides to take the case especially since he just decided to leave the firm and strike on his own.

I was pleasantly surprised that the legal side of things was very well researched and came as close to being realistic as I ever saw in m/m book. Okay sure, I can nitpick, but when I read Nate telling Sean that the lawsuit may last from one to three years instead of “boom”, there is one court room date where everything is resolved I was so happy. I suspect that the life of the case like the one described in the book may last even longer based on many factors and depending on how many times it will be adjourned, but I don’t want to nitpick. And we learn that documents exchange would have to be done (what is called discovery) and this takes a lot of time as well. We even briefly hear about depositions. In other words I was mostly a very happy reader in that regard. I think legal profession was not shortchanged in this book, as much as it is possible to do in the romance book anyway.

One thing that raised my eyebrows was that I didn’t think that Nate could have had time to do all the leg work on such case without at least hiring an investigator – depositions AND court appearances AND going to interview witnesses in the informal setting, but this was small thing in comparison to how well everything else was done.

I do not think I will reveal a spoiler if I tell you that Nate and Sean end up being together and sleeping together – and Nate still was his lawyer at the time. Would I have preferred that they would have waited till the case was over? Yes of course, but those readers who read my reviews know how much I dislike “unprofessional professionals” and I actually thought that ethical issues (and of course there are huge ethical issues with that) of lawyer sleeping with his client were addressed and also addressed much better than the issues of unprofessionalism of all kind were addressed in many other m/m books I have read before.

I think that here I will actually be revealing spoilers if I describe in details how the ethics played into decisions Nate made, so I will leave it up to you to find out, but I will say at least that he tried hard to bring another neutral lawyer to work on Sean’s case to prevent the appearance of bias. If you decide to read the book, I will be curious to hear whether you liked how ethical issues were resolved.

I liked Sean and Nate so much. Sean, a brilliant young man who is both a gifted tattoo artist and brilliant engineer whose career on the oil brig came to a screeching halt when it barely began because of the accident and because of the serious injuries he suffered . I am indifferent to the books about tattoo artists, but there was also so much detail about this art that even though I know nothing about it, I suspect that the author researched it a lot. And indifferent or not, Sean’s passion for it certainly came through.

Nate is a talented lawyer who wants to prove that he is capable to his father, but instead decides that he would be better off on his own. By the way I was also pleasantly surprised that Nate’ conflict with his parents went a bit off the beaten path as well.

These guys were just so good together and we actually got to see why they fell in love, because the writer showed it to us. Oh they are attracted to each other when they meet for the first time, but this is developing into something much bigger through the most of the story and I really liked that.

The story also has elements of suspense and mystery because while Sean’ lawsuit is moving along, somebody starts trying to kill him and they have to figure out who was it. I have to say that amongst limited number of suspects the writer still managed to surprise me a little bit. I mean main villains were obvious, but the addition of another one and the motive for one of them surprised me.

Grade:B/B+