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Grief, Identity, and Found family
Inked Into Your Soul follows a spirited, passionate woman whose life is shattered by tragedy and slowly rebuilt through love, art, family, and hidden heritage. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Diedra and Locran’s story started revealing itself during the first book. There’s a moment when Locran sees her through the tattoo shop window, and something just clicks. That one glance stayed with me… it was magnetic. At first, I hesitated to go deeper because I didn’t want her to feel like a “diversity token.” I wasn’t sure I knew enough about the cultural heritage she represented, and I wasn’t willing to do it halfway. But their story wouldn’t leave me alone. It kept unfolding in my mind. It was/is steamy, complicated, beautiful, and I knew I had to honour it. I wanted their connection to be more than just physical or magical. I wanted it to feel real. Their issues, their struggles, their love… they’re rooted in the kind of emotional truth that makes characters feel like they’ve lived a life before the first chapter.
Your characters go on a deeply emotional and transformative journey in your novel. Is this intentional or incidental to the story you want to tell?
Very intentional. I’m obsessed with character growth, especially messy, non-linear growth. Life rarely gives us clean arcs, and I wanted my characters to reflect that. They cry, they rage, they screw up, they love too hard, and through it all, they transform. Not because life hands them answers, but because they dig through the pain and choose to evolve. That was the heartbeat of the story for me. Plus, if you have been betrayed by someone whom you loved, you know that it is very hard to come back from that. So, Diedra might come off as dramatic at times, but her heart is fighting with logic… and that can be chaotic.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Grief. Identity. Found family. The fear of being too much and the ache of not being enough. This book is about surviving the fire and realising that sometimes the version of you that rises from the ashes is the most powerful one. It’s also about how love, romantic or otherwise, doesn’t save you, but it can be the thing that reminds you you’re worth saving.
Where do you see your characters after the book ends?
I see them still healing, but thriving. Dee doesn’t just survive her past; she reclaims it and uses it as fuel. She and Locran have this fiery, chaotic love, but they’re learning how to soften with each other too. The rest of the characters? Let’s just say their stories are far from over. There are bonds still forming, and secrets waiting to be unearthed. So yes, Inked Into Your Soul ends, but the journey is still unfolding.
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Meet Diedra, a tattoo artist with a rare gift hidden beneath her ink, and Locran, a high-profile lawyer with a shadowed past. Their worlds intertwine in an unexpected dance of fate, where ancient legacies blend with the city’s futuristic pulse.
As secrets unravel and emotions intensify, they find themselves at the heart of a mystery that defies time and logic. Will the enigmatic forces that drew them together become their salvation or their undoing?
In a world where technology meets mysticism, “Inked into Your Soul” weaves a tale of passion, mystery, and the unbreakable bonds that form when two souls are destined to collide.
Inked Into Your Soul (Book 2 of the Whispers of Destiny series)
Inked Into Your Soul is book two in the Whispers of Destiny debut series by author Ava Rogue. Inked Into Your Soul is a bold and genre-blending dive into romance, trauma, identity, and mysticism. Set across vibrant backdrops like Cuba and London, the story follows Diedra, a spirited, passionate woman whose life is shattered by tragedy and slowly rebuilt through love, art, family, and hidden heritage. Told from multiple perspectives, primarily Diedra and Locran, the brooding Irish law student, the novel weaves erotica with ancestral spirituality, exploring Santería, grief, sexuality, and soul connections in a deeply intimate way. It’s part romance, part coming-of-age, part spiritual revelation, with plenty of fire.
Rouge doesn’t hold back in this second book in the Whispers of Destiny series. Whether it’s a sex scene, a panic attack, or a mystical vision, the emotions hit hard and fast. Some moments felt downright cinematic, vivid, and aching. I admired how the sensual scenes didn’t just feel like shock value; they were often layered with tenderness, vulnerability, or power. Some chapters soared while others took their time as it meandered through the weight of its own emotional intensity. The dialogue occasionally slipped into melodrama, and while the characters were distinct and layered. I found myself swept up in Diedra’s journey and rooting for her, flaws and all.
What I appreciated most, though, were the themes Rouge tackled head-on. This wasn’t just about love or lust. It was about healing intergenerational wounds, reclaiming spiritual heritage, and standing firm in one’s power. The Santería elements weren’t tokenized; they felt personal, reverent, and textured. I didn’t expect a story that started with beachside sex to also make me think about cultural erasure, ancestral responsibility, and the complexity of grief. There’s something gutsy about that. I also liked how Locran’s own trauma mirrored Diedra’s. They were two souls shaped by loss and pulled together by something they couldn’t quite explain.
Inked Into Your Soul is messy, passionate, and unfiltered. And that’s its strength. It’s not a story that tries to be neat. It just tries to be true. I’d recommend this book to readers who love steamy romance but also want depth, character-driven stories, and a touch of the mystical.
Pages: 335 | ASIN : B0CTYLC6CK
LIORA Lost In Heaven’s Touch ( Book 1 of the Whispers of Destiny series)
Liora: Lost In Heaven’s Touch is book one in the Whispers of Destiny debut series by author Ava Rogue. Liora: Lost In Heaven’s Touch is a futuristic fantasy-romance set in a reborn London of 2100, where technology and nature harmonize and healing is not just physical, but emotional and spiritual. The story follows Liora, a mysterious young woman who wakes up with no memory in a lush sanctuary called NexaGreen. As she navigates a world she doesn’t recognize and grapples with an identity she can’t recall, she forms powerful connections with three complex men: Yasim, a gentle scientist; Locran, a warm-hearted flirt; and Kairos, a closed-off surgeon with a painful past. Through this web of relationships, Liora embarks on a journey of rediscovery, love, trauma, and choice, all wrapped in a rich blend of futuristic wonder and deeply human emotion.
What struck me most was Ava Rouge’s writing style. It’s lush, sensual, and emotional, but never overwrought. She has a way of turning even a simple scene like drinking coffee or running through a city into something vivid and intimate. Her dialogue feels real, and her characters are wonderfully flawed. Liora is tender and vulnerable, yet quietly fierce. The alternating points of view, especially Kairos’s chapters, dig deep into the emotional walls people build to protect themselves. And when those walls start to crack, Rouge doesn’t hold back. The story’s pacing is slow in a deliberate way, inviting the reader to soak in every look, touch, and unsaid word. That said, there were moments where I felt the book lingered in introspection, especially from Kairos.
It’s not just a love story. It’s about trauma, memory, and the push-pull between safety and desire. I found myself rooting not just for Liora, but for all the characters to find peace in their own way. Kairos, in particular, frustrated me and broke my heart all at once. Rouge isn’t afraid to make her characters unlikable at times, and that makes them feel more real. The setting added a whole other layer; NexaGreen and London 2100 aren’t just backdrops, they’re reflections of the characters themselves. Rebuilt, beautiful, and haunted. There’s a rich world hinted at, glowing lynxes, projection symbols, AI enhancements, that begs to be explored further.
Liora is a love letter to the lost and the longing. If you’ve ever felt like you don’t belong, or carried trauma like it was stitched to your skin, this book will probably speak to you. It’s a slow-burning romance about healing, identity, and the complicated ways we love. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy character-driven sci-fi romance with poetic prose, emotional depth, and a heavy focus on relationships. If you’re a fan of soft sci-fi, found families, and angsty, brooding love interests, this one’s for you.
Pages: 377 | ASIN : B0CLLB9BGP
LITERARY TITAN 