Book Review: Bane - LJ Shen

Title Bane
Author LJ Shen
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Sinner of Saint, Book 4
Release Date: May 10, 2018




Bane
Naked surfer. Habitual pothead. A con, a liar, a thief and a fraud.
Last I heard, he was extorting the rich and screwing their wives for a living.
Which is why I’m more than a little surprised to find him at my threshold, looking for my friendship, my services, and most puzzling of all—looking humbled.
Thing is, I’m on a boycott. Literally—I cut boys from my life. Permanently.
Problem is, Bane is not a boy, he is all man, and I’m falling, crashing, drowning in his sweet, perfect lies.
Jesse Carter
Hot as hell, cold as ice.
I wasn’t aware of her existence until a fat, juicy deal landed in my lap.
She’s a part of it, a little plaything to kill some time.
She is collateral, a means to an end, and a side-bonus for striking a deal with her be
tycoon stepdad.
More than anything, Jesse Carter is a tough nut to crack.
Little does she know, I have the f** teeth for it.

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Bane is the fifth and I think last book for the Sinners of Saint series, and what a way to end it. Good job LJ Shen!

I've always loved my romance story to be bumpy and heartbreaking. For some reasons, I just enjoy it more than the happily ever after all the time. Maybe because I am a realist that I like it a little closer to reality. I loved the twist and how the bomb was dropped. The pace was good. Not too fast, but not draggy either. It also just the right amount of smut too. I also liked the fact that she didn't let the riches win. At least at one point, it showed that not every time that a rich kid get to get away with it. It gives me hope.

I've always adored BBFs who become a better person when they start to fall in love with their muse. And Bane is exactly that. I think Bane is my favorite Sinner. He is persistent with a heart. He lets Jesse bloom on her own and fight her own Battles. He doesn't feed her bullshit too. Jesse on the other hand is one though chick. Because of what happened to her, it takes a helluva lot of courage to stand up and take action.

Overall, I'm giving​ this a 5. Because, why not?

Book Review: Ruckus - LJ Shen

Title: Ruckus
Series: Sinners of Saint #2
Author: L.J. Shen
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 26, 2017




Rosie

They say that life is a beautiful lie and death a painful truth. They're right.
No one has ever made me feel more alive than the guy who serves as a constant reminder that my clock is ticking.
He is my forbidden, shiny apple.
The striking fallacy to my blunt, raw, truth.
He is also my sister's ex-boyfriend.
One thing you should know before you judge me;
I saw him first. I craved him first. I loved him first.
Eleven years later, he waltzed into my life, demanding a second chance.
Dean Cole wants to be my bronze horseman. My white knight has finally arrived. Hopefully, he isn’t too late.

 

Dean

 
They say the brightest stars burn out the fastest. They’re right.
She sets my mind on fire.
All smart mouth, snarky attitude and a huge heart.
In a world where everything is dull, she shines like fucking Sirius.
Eleven years ago, fate tore us apart.
This time, I fucking dare it to try.
Getting to her is a battlefield, but man, that’s why they call me Ruckus.
Rosie LeBlanc is about to find out how hard I can fight.
And conquering her will be the sweetest victory.




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LJ Shen did it again. Ruckus has been sitting on my Kindle for a few days before I got the chance to devour Dean. And it was as good as it can get.

Out of all the HotHoles I’ve read so far, I think I love Dean’s story the most. I kind of predicted the twist at some point along the way but the big reveal was unexpected. I love the kind of stories that almost gives you whiplash because of its element of surprise. Something that’ll make you back pedal and question what you just read. I also liked how the timing and storyline was predictable and surprising at the same time. This almost made me miss my sleep. Almost. And that is just rare these days. The snippets of astronomical analogy added a flare of entertainment, at least for me, too.

Rosie and Millie’s relationship reminds me of my relationship with my sister. She is the Rosie to my Emilia. So it kind of spark something in me too. Add the fact that she’s sassy and feisty if she wanted to. And despite her weak physique, she is strong willed and a fighter. She stands up for what she wants. Dean is a different story altogether. His will power is something to admire. And his determination to win over the person he loved the most despite all the odds makes him all the more tempting. He would run havoc into your life and ironically, you’d gladly want him too. The darkness that seeps through his light makes him whole. Dean and Rosie also complemented each other. They’d been to hell and back, making them one of those #CoupleGoals. HotHoles appearances here and there didn’t hurt either.

I’d give this a 4.5 stars. I could’ve given it a 5 if it made me up all night to finish it in one sitting. But my eyelids still won at some point.

Book Review: Defy - LJ Shen

Defy is the second book of LJ Shen that I’ve read. A prequel to Vicious. If you haven’t read it yet, you can check my review here.  I was excited to read the prequel of the said book since I did enjoyed reading Vicious and Shen’s writing.

Defy is a lot shorter and fast-paced than Vicious. And since I read Vicious first, I kind of know where they’d end up in. I’m actually cool with that. I love witnessing how something will play out even if I know what the out come will be.

I loved how Jamie was portrayed in the story. A lot of “awwwww” moments. He may be just a boy, but at least he acts more like a man. He knows exactly what to say at the right time. On the other hand, Melody is just plain for me. Nothing really special about her. She seems to be a bit bland to me. Not really my type of heroine. Aside from her looks, I didn’t really see what’s attractive of her. there were things that actually happened to her that may have been hard to overcome, but I didn’t quite actually feel her “presence”.

The story was fun to read, but it could’ve been better. Although I had many “aww moment” with Jamie, I kind of feel that something is missing in the plot. Apart from one scene that actually showed them getting to know each other, I didn’t quite feel their “feelings” building up. One moment they were nothing more than prey and predator, the next they were madly in love with each other. But I liked what Jamie did for Melody. Something a book boyfriend would’ve done.

Overall I’d give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. I would’ve enjoyed it more if it detailed their love story more. Maybe I just wanted more of Jaime.

Cover Reveal: Defy - LJ Shen

Title: Defy
Series: Sinners of Saints #0.5
Author: L.J Shen
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: February 3, 2017

My name is Melody Greene, and I have a confession to make.

I slept with my student, a senior in high school.

Multiple times.

I had multiple orgasms.

In multiple positions.

I slept with my student and I enjoyed it.

I slept with my student and I’d do it all over again if I could turn back time.

My name is Melody Greene, and I got kicked out of my position as a teacher and did my walk of shame a la Cersei Lannister from the principal’s office, minutes after said principal threatened to call the cops on me.

My name is Melody Greene, and I did something bad because it made me feel good.

Here is why it was totally worth it.

Defy is a smutty, insta-love, insta-lust short novella. Defy is a prequel to Vicious (Sinners of Saint #1). It is recommended, but unnecessary, to read Defy before reading Vicious.

L.J. Shen resides in sunny California with her husband, son, chubby cat and wild, wild dreams.

Her passion is to write badass stories, sushi, UFC and her awesome family and friends (not in this order, though. Obviously, sushi comes before writing. Oh, and also the family part.)

She spend the first half of her twenties traveling the world and is now paying all the fun with extra shifts in front of her MacBook. Feel free to contact her on her Facebook page. She loves to hear from her readers.

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