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Reviews for Skin Deep
Dark Diva Reviews
Lily’s Review:
Emily suffers from Morphea, a condition that leaves blotches that resemble bruises all over her body, and in her mind the
only way to feel normal again is to get a tattoo that will cover all of the marks, no matter what the risk may be. When Rick
first meets Emily he knows there is an instant attraction, but he carries his own set of scars. These two damaged souls have
to learn that perfection can be found within their imperfections. 
Skin Deep is an emotional journey that brought tears to my eyes and made me itch to get another tattoo. While
the story does revolve around Emily’s journey of self discovery, it is also a wonderful window into the world of body
art and body modification. The love scenes are extremely well written and Layla Hunter has a way of getting
into the character’s heads that makes you want to read more. Even the secondary characters were well written and increased
the depth the story that many miss. I truly enjoyed reading this and will read Skin Deep again in the future!
Rated 4.5 Delightful Divas by Lily!
http://www.darkdivasreviews.com/?p=4029
Manic Readers Review
MR Review Rating:
4 Stars
Reviewer:
Patrizia Murray
Emily
suffers from a life threatening skin condition called Morphea, which leaves bruise-like splotches on her body. Her fiancé
was turned off by them so he left her. Now she is too traumatized to have a relationship, fearing the same loathing looks
she got from her fiancé. Her solution is to get a large tattoo which would cover much of her body with trailing vines and
flowers, which could incorporate the purple splotches so they are not so disfiguring.
She
goes to a well known tattoo artist, Rick Sutton, with her idea and he agrees. Until he does some research and ends up offering
to do a temporary air brush tattoo, so she can see if it improves her self-image and if she actually likes the result. He
finds himself falling for this little wounded bird, although he as a few secrets of his own.
The
pure sensuality of the soft brushes and paint flowing over Emily's skin is enough to arouse her incredibly and she and Rick
make love. When he stands her up for dinner, she is convinced it is because he is repulsed by her body. Once she finds out
his reasons, they reconcile and secrets fade away.
I
had to Google Morphea to find out that it is a localized form of Scleroderma, another type of auto-immune disease, with no
specific cause or cure. It can be mild or severe. The reasoning against tattooing is that it may cause more flare-ups, or
lead to the more serious Scleroderma.
I
thought the disease and its aftermath were gently treated by the author of Skin Deep. The sensuality and sensitivity
shown by our hero make for a lively sexual encounter plus a lovely love story.
Disclosure: Manic
Readers receives books from authors, publishers, and publicists which are given to reviewers in exchange for their honest
opinion. Each review represents the opinion of the reviewer which may or may not have been influenced by receiving the book
at no cost.
http://www.manicreaders.com/index.cfm?disp=reviews&bookid=10957
Book Wenches Review
03/14/11
Reviewed by: Bobby D Whitney
When Emily Monroe developed the skin disorder Morphea, her fiancé left
her standing at the alter. Now three years later, her condition is in remission, leaving dark blotches on her skin that Emily
considers to be disfiguring. And her self-confidence remains in the tatters that her ex- fiancé left it.
Now Emily dreams of having a beautiful tattoo on her back to cover
the hideous spots. She believes that if she disguises the marks, she’ll feel better about herself. She’ll be able
to put the pain of rejection behind her and perhaps even start dating again. With this in mind and against her doctor’s
orders, she visits the best tattoo artist in the city, Rick Sutton of Skin Deep Tattoo.
The attraction between Rick and Emily is instantaneous and deep. Rick
doesn’t believe that the marks on her back dim her beauty whatsoever, and he’s more than willing to prove that
to her. Can she help him deal with his own painful issues as well?
********
Perhaps my own affinity for body art makes me biased, but I’m
always happy to find a story that features tattooing or tattoo artists. This is definitely the reason that I picked up Skin
Deep by Layla Hunter. This novella is about self-esteem and body image, and it features a woman who must learn to love
her body again after having her confidence shattered by a selfish, shallow man and an unfortunate skin condition. She believes
that a camouflaging tattoo will remedy her situation and also give her something that therapy never did; however, she finds
out that what she actually needs may be something different.
Ms. Hunter has created Emily to be a believable character overall,
especially her stubbornness and her knee-jerk reaction to others “forbidding” her to get a tattoo. Her desperate
need to feel better about herself makes her willing to put her health at risk, and while that is perhaps not a particularly
commendable trait, it is quite understandable. I believe that a lot of readers can relate to someone who is dealing with body
image issues, even though Emily’s situation is unique, and that makes Rick’s response to her all the sweeter.
He’s not interested in perfection and thinks she is beautiful the way she is. Don’t we all want a man like that?
There is something about tattoos that is innately erotic. Perhaps it
is because the skin is used as artist’s canvas, or perhaps because a tattoo is usually such a personal expression –
or should be, anyway. Skin Deep takes advantage of this fact. It contains a couple of love (well, okay, sex) scenes
that are quite intense, and the fact that one of these scenes entails Rick turning Emily’s back into a living work of
art just intensifies the heat in my mind. And have I mentioned that I want Emily’s tattoo? I do, indeed.
On the whole, I found Skin Deep appealing for both its message
and its ink. It is a quick and enjoyable read, and it made me want to check out what else Ms. Hunter has written.
http://www.bookwenches.com/march11reviews.htm#714451283
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Reviews for Winter Rose
"This is a sweet, deeply intense tale of young love striving to grow and
growing to learn. It’ll warm your heart. I look forward to reading longer works by Ms Hunter."
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