Heathens Ink Books in Order

Heathens Ink is where Neuhold’s love of tattoos, trauma recovery, and found family first come together. The series is set around Heathens Ink, a tattoo studio whose artists and clients are all carrying scars of one kind or another. Some are visible, some are not, and most of the books are about learning to live with both.

The opening story, Rescue Me, begins with a nightclub attack and the marine who refuses to leave a stranger for dead. What follows is less about the violence itself and more about the long, messy work of healing. Later books tackle unrequited love for a “straight” best friend, long term grief after a sibling’s suicide, survivor’s guilt, domestic abuse, and the aftermath of being kicked out as a teenager for being trans.

Despite those heavy topics, the overall feel of the series is hopeful rather than bleak. The artists at Heathens Ink may be covered in ink and attitude, but they are also soft with each other. Friends become roommates, coworkers, and eventually lovers, and every new partner is absorbed into the studio’s loud, supportive extended family.

Romances range from traditional MM pairings to MMM poly relationships and long established couples rediscovering each other. In every case, communication and consent are front and center. Therapy, support groups, and chosen family are treated as normal parts of life. The books also carve out space for kink and queerness that is joyful, whether that is lingerie loving tattoo artists or a photographer discovering that love really can be multiplied rather than divided.

If you are drawn to stories where hurt characters are allowed to be messy on the way to their happy endings, Heathens Ink is a rich place to start. The tattoo shop keeps everyone tied together, so recurring cameos and overlapping timelines make the world feel lived in and interconnected, especially if you continue on into the Inked spin off.