Rating: 3.75 stars
Buy Links:  Amazon | All Romance
Length: Novella

Jacob Lee has loved Donathon for three years and knows their love will last a lifetime. There is almost nothing he wouldn’t do for his lover if Donathon asked. Except one thing: get a tattoo. Donathon is covered in tats, clouds, tigers…his body a veritable canvas of color and design. His lover would love to see Jacob inked as well but Jacob is afraid of needles. As Donathon’s birthday approaches, Jacob works up the courage to finally give his lover the one present he wants. A formidable task, a twist of fate, and a forever love unite to give Jacob just the inspiration he needs to give Donathon the best birthday present of his life and a symbol of their love.

This is a very sweet, angst free love story from Willa Okati. At 60 pages in length, it flies by quickly. I have to admit the name Donathon threw me as my mind kept wanting to insert Jonathan everytime it saw the word on the page, a tad distracting. I do like all the detailed knowledge the author displays of tattoo shops and the characters she created for Hummingbird Studio West, the tattoo parlor where half of the scenes take place. These people are interesting and intriguing in their own right. I would have loved to have seen more of each of them in this story or perhaps their own as part of a series. Jacob Lee (said together repeatedly) and Donathon are sweet together and their initial meeting is relayed to the reader as a remembrance in an endearing moment in the story.

One element I especially appreciated was the old drawings found in books in the basement. That was a lovely touch and the mystery behind them made me want to know more about those men and their past. It was the needed component to keep this story from being overly saccharine with its hint of sadness and inevitability. But this story truly belongs to Jacob Lee and Donathon. Their love story is appealing, and the ending satisfactory. No one would ever question that this is a HEA just as they deserve.

In the mood for a quick happy read? Pick this up and enjoy a light, sweet tale of love.

Cover art by BSClay is lovely but not the happy, cloud covered character that is Donathon.

Note: This story was originally published in the Spiked Anthology from Torquere Press in 2008