AJ’s Angel by L.A. Witt
Samhain Publishing
Gay Contemporary
ISBN: 978-1-60928-464-0
Reviewed by Cassie




Sebastian Wakefield isn’t happy when his ex, Luke Emerson, shows up at his tattoo shop wanting a tattoo.  He’s even less happy when he finds out what it is: an angel memorial tattoo for someone named “A.J.”  He can’t really afford to turn down the business, however, so he agrees to do the tat.

Once he gets Luke in his tattoo chair, all his old feelings come rushing back.  He’s still attracted to Luke, and he has a lot of deep feelings for the man aside from the bitterness and anger over Luke’s cheating ways.  It’s obvious Luke shares his attraction, and pretty soon Seb’s wondering why they shouldn’t sleep together again—just sex, no emotions involved.  That shouldn’t be too hard…

A.J.’s Angel is a great mix of emotional and hot.  I really sympathized with Sebastian.  Even years after Luke’s betrayal, he’s still hurt.  He just doesn’t realize how much until Luke shows up wanting a tattoo.  He struggles with anger, jealousy over the mysterious “A.J.”, and an attraction he can’t shake.  The “I’ll sleep with him to get him out of my system” plot is not anything new, but it was well-done here.  Seb knows he’s playing with fire, and accepts the potential consequences even as he gives in to his desires.

Since Sebastian is the first-person narrator, Luke is less developed.  He really messed up the first time they were together, something he freely admits.  Most of the time I absolutely hate cheaters in books, but it’s clear that Luke understands how badly he hurt Seb and that he wants to make amends.  The scenes between Luke and Sebastian are both hot and emotional.  Sebastian goes through an emotional wringer in A.J.’s Angel, and thanks to his narration the reader gets to come along.  There’s not a lot of external action to be found here, but the emotional journey kept me interested enough that I didn’t care.  L.A. Witt is fast becoming one of my auto-buy authors, and A.J.’s Angel does not disappoint.  Contemporary fans, pick this one up!