1.46k reviews for:

Skin of a Sinner

Avina St. Graves

3.52 AVERAGE

dark emotional

๐€๐‹๐‚ ๐‘๐ž๐ฏ๐ข๐ž๐ฐ

๐ŸŽง๐ƒ๐ฎ๐ž๐ญ ๐ง๐š๐ซ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง:
๐–ฉ๐–ฅ ๐–ง๐–บ๐—‹๐–ฝ๐—‚๐—‡๐—€ ๏ผ† ๐–ต๐—‚๐—๐—‚๐–พ๐—‡๐—‡๐–พ ๐–ซ๐–บ๐–ฑ๐—Ž๐–พ
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๐ŸŒน ๐‚๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ ๐›๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐๐ฌ
๐ŸŒน ๐Š๐ข๐๐ง๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ 
๐ŸŒน ๐’๐ž๐œ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐‚๐ก๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž
๐ŸŒน ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐š๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐š๐ฒ
๐ŸŒน ๐Œ๐Œ๐‚ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐š ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐œ๐ก๐จ ๐ ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ž๐ง ๐ซ๐ž๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ

โœจ๐’ฏ๐’ฝโ„ด๐“Š๐‘”๐’ฝ๐“‰๐“ˆโœจ
๐†๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐  up in the foster care system, Isabella and Roman faced countless challenges, but their bond was the one thing that kept them going. Their story seemed to be heading towards a happy ending until Roman finds himself in trouble and Bella believes he has abandoned her.

๐“๐ก๐ž๐ข๐ซ relationship was a lifeline for both of them, a connection that helped them survive the harsh realities of their upbringing. Roman was the embodiment of - "Don't touch her or I will destroy you." His protectiveness toward Bella was swoony yet a tad bit unsettling, while Bella found comfort and safety in his presence. It took sometime for to mature and start fighting her own battles. 

As they navigated the complexities of their past, both Bella and Roman were forced to confront their own demons. The duet narration by ๐‰๐… ๐‡๐š๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐  and ๐•๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐ง๐ž ๐‹๐š๐‘๐ฎ๐ž perfectly captured the essence of their relationship. 

๐Ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ, this audiobook offers an emotional childhood friends-to-lovers story filled with suspense. If you enjoy dual timelines and second chances, this is a great listen. Special thanks to the author and Must Love Audio for providing a copy of this audiobook. All thoughts shared here are my own.

๐‘๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ : ๐Ÿ’โญ๏ธ ๐’๐ฉ๐ข๐œ๐ž ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ฅ: ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ”ฅ ๐๐š๐ซ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: ๐Ÿ’.๐Ÿ๐Ÿ“๐ŸŽง
dark emotional tense medium-paced

(Changing my star system) Ermmm... Okay. Well this reminded me of Haunting Adeline w the rose and the stalking. And also the sleep and chained to bed scene. Also, why in the (excuse my language) hell is he saying 'shut up' to her?... Walking red flag. Like... Sure he's killed for her, but isn't the MMC supposed to be sweet and yeah obsessed, but not be RUDE to the FMC? Likeee.... What? If a guy ever told ME to 'shut up' I would genuinely slap him. And I have done that before. And if she's his 'little princess' WHY IS HE TELLING HER TO SHUT UP IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Skin of a Sinner by Avina St. Graves is a dark friends to lover's romance that I listened to on audio narrated by JF Harding and Vivienne LaRue. 

This is the second book of Avina's that I have read, and it won't be my last. I was pulled in from the very beginning and couldn't help but binge the book in one sitting. I loved the relationship between Roman and Isabella. It's extremely messy but you can't help but root for them. I really enjoyed getting both of their points of views throughout the book. It really brought the story to life. 

JF and Vivienne did an amazing job on the narration. They both really know how to bring a story to life. I look forward to listening to more of their work in the future. 

I would recommend this book if you're looking for a dark romance, friends to lover's romance, or a second chance romance. 

Almost dnf'd this book. I simply dont like when a couple already gets together at like half of the book. I also wouldnt nesecarily say that this was "dark romance" as many other people said roman carried this book and its 100% true. After 70% i just started reading only lines between ("") otherwise i wouldnt been able to finish it at all.

What would you do if the one person you loved, trusted, and depended on, ghosted you out of nowhere for three years, only to show up one night and unalive your foster brother and father? He says he's always been there, protecting you from all the evils of the world... Would you go with him to start a new life or would you run? Isa has a big decision to make. Is their history worth trusting him again or should she run as far away as possible?

I absolutely loved this book! Diving into the pasts of Isabella and Roman through their own perspectives, and watching them grow up, really brought depth to the story. I fell in love with Isa and Roman and couldn't help but root for them. The backstories of both are tragic and can be triggering, so check your warnings. If you want a book that will make you feel all of the feels, and drop you into the deep end of a harsh and different life experience, then this is the book to read.
challenging dark hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

This follows Isabella, who grew up in the foster system, just trying to survive while also dealing with bullies at school. But one boy, Roman, stepped in and protected her. They grew up together as best friends, and he always promised heโ€™d be there.
But now, itโ€™s been three yearsโ€”with no explanation. He left, just like everyone else. Will he ever come back? 

I loved this dark childhood best friends-to-lovers and second chance romance. It hit all the emotionsโ€”dark, intense, and deliciously spicy. Roman did everything he could to protect Isabella; she was his entire world. Every single day, he fought to find his way back to her, and Iโ€™m absolutely obsessed with him.

Isabella is incredibly strong after everything sheโ€™s been through. She wears her heart on her sleeve and always puts others first, which made me connect with her even more. I also really enjoyed the plot we got along the wayโ€”it added just the right touch of intrigue.

And the audiobook? The narrators were fantastic! I highly recommend picking it up in that format.

Genre/Type: Dark Adult Romance 18+
APK: Audiobook ALC
Audiobook Length: 11hrs 36mins
Narrators: JF Harding and Vivienne LaRue - Duet
Rating: ๐ŸŒŸ๐ŸŒŸ๐ŸŒŸ๐ŸŒŸ
Spice: ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ
Series or Standalone: Standalone 
Tropes or Themes: Second Chance, Childhood Best Friends, First Love, Past Memories, Past and Present, Mine, Possessive and Protective MMC, Taken Care Of, Asthma, Letters, Itโ€™s Always Been You, Intimate Tattoo, Touch Her And Die Vibes, Foster Family, Bullying, Kidnapping, Violence, Graphic Scenes, Blood, Gore, Death, Torture, Gun Violence, Sexual Content, Virgin, Dirty Talk, Praise, Primal Play, Bath Scene, Hand Necklace, Bondage and Squirting.
Mentions: Child Abuse, Abuse 
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Expand filter menu Content Warnings

DNF 69%. This book was a huge disappointment, Iโ€™ve been waiting for it and have heard so much about it but it had no depth to it and felt so rushed and completely all over the place. Had much higher hopes :(

Meh, el libro empezรณ bien pero sinceramente no tiene trama alguna y llega a aburrir

2.5 โญ๏ธ