Atlas

Hel's Ink: Extended, Book 2

By: DJ Krimmer

Narrated by: Angelina Rocca, Joe Arden

"I said, marry me.”

Atlas

Lauren Locklear.

She has no idea that I would do anything for her. She doesn’t understand the mountains I would climb just to keep her safe.

That’s okay though, I’ll make sure she does.

She thinks she’s weak, and given the lack of love and support from those closest to her, I can understand why. That changes now, I will make her see the strong woman I see when I look at her.

I’ve pined for her in secret, wanting nothing more than to show her what she could have. But with my past still haunting me, I knew it would be best to stay back.

That is, until she needs access to health insurance and I see a solution to both her problem and my dilemma. All she has to do is say yes.

Ren

I’ve done something stupid.

Something reckless.

Something everyone will judge me for and I’m risking everything.

My family. My career. Myself.

I’m always too much to handle and the men I’ve allowed into my life have always reminded me of my shortcomings, even when it’s their fists doing the reminding.

No one has ever truly cared for me, loved me.

And then Atlas Hart asks me to marry him in order to save my life.

This isn’t love. It’s barely a friendship, or so I thought. But as the days go by and I see what he so selflessly risks for me, I cannot help but think that maybe… this could be more.

©2024 DJ Krimmer (P)2024 DJ Krimmer

Wow just wow

I know I just finished this book, but I want to reread it. It was so good. I cried. I laughed. I cried some more, but it was absolutely very, very good book.

This book is AMAZING!

I love these books! The witty banter and internal monologue from Atlas is hilarious. The writing is great! The performers were the best!

Atlas

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
5🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️
3🌶️🌶️🌶️

💀Plus Size FMC
💀He Fall First
💀Marriage of Convenience

Atlas is book two in Hel’s Ink OG series. Atlas is the happy jokester at Hel’s Ink. Ren or Lauren is the sexy plus size lawyer. Atlas has been obsessed with Ren since the first time she came into the shop. Ren was in an abusive relationship with one of her fellow coworkers. One night Atlas sees the bruises on Ren and loses it. He beats up her abusive boyfriend and goes to jail. Ren gets fired from her job and is worried how she will pay for her medication without her insurance. Atlas sees this as his only opportunity to take care of. He offers to marry her. Even though their relationship started out as a marriage of convenience, it quickly turns steamy. I love that DJ makes the female leads so relatable with flaws and disabilities that they learn to embrace. I can’t wait for the next book in this series.

Angelina Rocca and Joe Arden did a fantastic job narrating this book in duet style narration.

I’ve read this book 6 times already cried every single time 

I loved this book so much narration was 10 out of 10 story was great.

I just love the fact that that this author wanted to explore various disabilities with her characters I think it’s just great I love it

Joe Arden you’ve made me laugh and cry all at the same time. how do you do it? I don’t know. 

my favorite hel’s ink man come to life

this performance is amazing. absolutely love the story but hearing the audio takes it to another level. will listen again… full review of atlas below

Atlas, the ever charming and bright tattoo artist who we got to know a bit in the first book Fox, really captured my heart in this book. He and Ren were always end game and their story was everything I hoped for and so much more.

Qᴜɪᴄᴋ ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: ᴀᴛʟᴀꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇɴ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴄɪʀᴄʟᴇᴅ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ꜰᴏʀ ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ, ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴀ ꜱᴛʀᴀɪɴᴇᴅ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱʜɪᴘ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʀᴇɴ ɴᴇᴇᴅꜱ ɪɴꜱᴜʀᴀɴᴄᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ʜᴇʀ ᴛ1ᴅ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ʟᴏꜱɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ ᴊᴏʙ, ᴀᴛʟᴀꜱ ᴅᴏᴇꜱɴ'ᴛ ʜᴇꜱɪᴛᴀᴛᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀʀʀʏ ʜᴇʀ. ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ʟᴇᴀʀɴ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ɢʀᴏᴡ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʙᴜʀɪᴇᴅ ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴄᴀɴ ᴏɴʟʏ ꜱᴛᴀʏ ʙᴜʀɪᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ꜱᴏ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ꜰᴀᴋᴇ ᴍᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛꜱ ᴛᴏ ꜰᴇᴇʟ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟ...

I absolutely loved both of their arcs. As a woman who has struggled with their own body, Ren's insecurities are depicted so well. Atlas helps Ren not only love herself but also accept love in return. It's truly beautiful.

Atlas also has his own journey, always masking his pain with a smile. I really loved that he not only allowed Ren to hold his hand through but his support from Fox, Janie and the others from Hel's Ink made my heart just melt.

This is also super sexy - might be a little bit of a slow burn but once you get to the spice, it is so good. There's such great banter that I also found myself laughing out loud, sometimes during the same scenes that were turning me on.

I just love this series so much and cannot wait for Ash's book that is coming up next!

Tropes & Elements:
💍 Marriage of Convenience
☀️ Reverse Grumpy x Sunshine
🫶 Cinnamon Roll MMC
❤️ Curvy FMC
💉 T1D Rep
🍆 Pierced MMC
🏡 Forced Proximity
🩷 Found Family
😂 Great Banter

Atlas is A+ Book Husband Material.

This is the second book in the series, it's the first book I've read from this author and I had no issues at all following the story and characters. I *will* be be going back and listening to book 1 at some point soon.

I loved this story. It grabbed me from the very start and I could not stop listening. I connected with Ren's inner self consciousness as a bigger gal, I felt the realness of the little moments that were woven into the story. I was emotionally invested in this couple. They both came from emotionally unstable situations and found strength. Atlas falls so hard for Ren he will do anything to make her happy and even though he messes up along the way, he recovers every single time.

The journey these two went on together was just beautiful. And I think everyone deserves an Atlas in their life. He heard stuff that wasn't directed at him, he listened to what was going on and then retained that information to use someday to make Ren's dreams come true. That fictional man is utter perfection.

The audiobook was performed in duet by Angelina Rocca and Joe Arden. They were so beautifully cast for these performances. I wanted to jump into the book and make things better when they both showed their vulnerability in confronting demons from their past. The intensity I felt in the emotional peaks left me wanting to hug both the characters and the narrators.

I requested and was provided with an advanced copy of the audiobook. These are my honest opinions.

I melted

The narrator’s chemistry really brought the book to life. The story was well written, it definitely drew you in and the spice was top notch.

Riviting

This novel blew my mind, I laughed and cried and ugly cried. Both narrators blew this novel out of the park. The amount of emotion poured into the reading left me stunned, happy, and also heart broken. An absolute must read!

Sunflower Soulmates 🩵🌻🩵

This story does contain some TWs, so please check in with those before you listen. My thanks to Blue Nose Audio for this ALC.

Atlas is book two in the Hel’s Ink series, featuring all things Atlas Hart and a marriage of mutually beneficial convenience. When I eyeballed this book, I heard nothing but Joe’s voice for this golden retriever, cinnamon roll of a man. Atlas compensates for the trauma in his life by being the fun-loving, got your back kind of guy. When you listen you will immediately see why Joe’s voice is so pivotal as Atlas — Joe has an easygoing style that is playful, a low tone and a raspy whisper that is easy on the earbuds, and has emotional range that makes you feel the pain Atlas is dealing with internally — all while presenting himself to his world as the happy-go-lucky guy. The opening scene shows Atlas’s darker side, and if you’ve listened to Joe before, you know he carries the mental and physical intensity of action and anger with controlled and measured timing.

Enter Ren. She’s been going to Hel’s Ink for years and has been immune to Atlas’s charm…or so she thinks. This is where Angelina Rocca shines. She encapsulates Ren’s softness, and also her strength. I’ve listened to plenty of Angelina, and no other character has felt more comfortable to me in Angelina’s voice than Ren does. You can feel Ren’s overall fatigue and acceptance of the way her family treats her; all of this comes through in Angelina’s performance. Not to mention, Ren lives a full life as a Type 1 diabetic and at times has such terrible highs and lows that she becomes hospitalized. The tired and sad ache in Angelina’s performance makes you want to swoop in and take care of Ren, just as Atlas tries to.

This story would not be complete without its secondary characters. Joe and Angelina equally and iconically give voice to the male and females of the Hel’s Ink universe. Joe’s best is Derek, hands down, and Angelina has a gorgeous voice for Sunday. Once again, Angelina effortlessly gives a combination of soft, sure strength to a female who has had to find her grit. Additionally, Joe makes you despise her “boyfriend” Andrew and Ren’s father, while Angelina gives Ren’s mother a cold and distant feel that is sensed on the page.

I’ve saved Howard for last. The impression Howard will leave on your very heart and soul is indescribable. You will find out how Atlas and Howard forge their relationship, and it is nothing short of endearing and touching. Joe gives Howard an aged, witty, and longing voice as a man who has lived his 90 years through good and sad times.

Fantastic Performance!

This is one of my favorite series. I've read and own every version (yes I have a problem) and this extended edition is somehow even better than the OG. And the narration? Chef's kiss. The way Atlas and Lauren's emotions just poured out through the voice actors... amazing. If anyone needs me, I'll be very busy with the next book in the series. Again. ❤️