Under Your Skin by Lee McCormick

TITLE: ⟫ Under Your Skin

AUTHOR: ⟫ Lee McCormick

RATING: ⟫ 4.5/5

BLURB: ⟫ You’re the only one who can get under my skin.

Levi

Trapped in nightmares from my past, the only comfort I find is in gifts from the man who killed my mother’s killer—presents wrapped in a body bag and delivered to the morgue for me to examine.

From the first time I saw his mark, I knew I had to keep my Killer safe, had to keep his work a secret for me and me alone. Every body is a love letter, and I’m the only one who can read them.

Jonah

When I accidentally leave evidence behind during a kill, I have to go to the morgue to rectify my mistake. I didn’t expect to find a young mortician admiring my work.

Relishing in it. Studying it.

Covering it up.

I have no idea why someone would want to hide my crimes, but I’m determined to find out. What I discover is a man named Levi—a man obsessed with the idea of who he thinks I am.

A man who threatens to change my entire world.

~~~

Under Your Skin is a dark romance set in a world where a corrupt town lets a serial killer walk free, and a young mortician is determined to make sure it stays that way. Expect high heat, intense emotions, and two men who find their own way to define what love really means.

REVIEW: ⟫ This was a dark and delicious insight into the mind of a serial killer and a traumatised young man that was just the right side of unhinged.

Levi survived a trauma that no one should ever have to go through at such a young age – not only the loss of both parents but actually seeing his mother die whilst trying to save him. It’s no wonder that his adopted father represents such safety and that the young man has a few quirks. What I didn’t expect was for Levi to be the character who came across as the darkest one – the way in which he views the bodies he works on daily, his obsession with his Killer, his coping mechanisms – Levi could definitely be viewed as a sick puppy.

Jonah initially came across as a more standard psychopath but he had hidden depths. The way he watches Levi and how he thinks of him – it was both hot and disturbing, and yet I very much felt that Jonah was completely under Levi’s spell in more ways than he had ever thought possible.

The links that brought them together were twisting and fascinating, as was the way they moved around each other. This could almost be classed as slow-burn as they manoeuvred around each other. Levi’s integral understanding of Jonah – the ways in which he made Jonah admit things, show Levi his allegiance and his unwillingness to be seen as a damsel in distress – they were all incredibly sexy even whilst they could be viewed as disturbing.

The underlying story about the town that they lived in – the corruption of the local government and police force was really interesting. Everyone turning a blind eye to the things going on was bizarre to watch as I’ve never seen this play out with even our main characters being involved in hiding the seedy underbelly. Of course, Levi had ulterior motives but it was fascinating nevertheless.

I loved the way these two worked together and how they came together – psychos in love is definitely my catnip! But the thrill and suspense didn’t end with just Levi and Jonah – the other characters in the book had so much going on. This felt like I dived head-first into a murky river and was trying to find my way out whilst also wanting to see what was under the surface.

This is the third (fourth?) book I’ve read by Lee McCormick and I am definitely putting them on my insta-read because it was just as good as others I’ve read whilst being completely different. Lots of surprises, oodles of sexiness and a satisfying conclusion made this an excellent read for the Bank Holiday weekend and I heartily recommend this to anyone who likes their romance on the dark side. I received an ARC from GRR.