Blank Canvas

Very good - loved Niko and Sam. I wish we got more
Of their romance.

There felt like a lot of side plots with the friend group (who I love!) but it took away from Niko and Sam as a couple.

Good disability rep, and the emotions that come with it plus adoption hearings, court etc. obviously no two people are the same but it felt authentic

Similar to the previous book, lot of heavy issues and trauma. This one revolves around Sam, who is paralyzed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair for mobility, and Niko, who played in the NHL for just minutes before an injury ended his career. But the big issue in this book is that Sam is trying to gain custody of the daughter he's cared for over the previous three years, when The System is trying to prevent a disabled man from doing so. As such, a lot of discrimination here (against disabled people, as well as gay people). It's also very open-door, and focuses a lot on sex when one partner is disabled, and all that comes with Sam's specific paralysis.

I still enjoyed reading this, but there was next to nothing about the tattoo parlor, which is one of the things I liked about the previous book. Probably done with this series for now, it's much more serious than I prefer my romance.

TW: custody issues, child abandonment (past), discrimination against disabled folks, homophobia

3.5 stars. Okay, I get it now. This series is the M/M equivalent of Women's Fiction. It features romances, but the plots are broader than that, and they're all wrapped up in the found family of tattoo artists at Irons and Works. I was disappointed in the first book, [b:Free Hand 44752509 Free Hand (Irons and Works, #1) E.M. Lindsey https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554153249l/44752509.SX50.jpg 69385197], because the two MCs barely interacted until well into the story. In this one, Sam and Niko do spend more time together but there's so much additional drama swirling around them that it overshadowed their growing affection for each other. In fact, there's a scene in which Niko and his gym buddy (and future MC) Silas deepen their friendship that gave me more feels than any of Niko or Sam's professions of love. However, I have come to care about these guys and their issues. I wanted Niko to find a fulfilling life after his short-lived hockey career and I definitely wanted Sam to prevail in his efforts to formally adopt the 3 year old girl who was placed in his care. Reading about a group of men (and a few women) who are facing challenges but are always there for each other is comforting, and as long as the series remains available through Kindle Unlimited there's little risk in continuing to read it.