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renaereads93's review
4.0
*** I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book ***
Unholy Temptation is a great slow-burn romance between a youth pastor and the object of his affections Aiden. Aiden is Jed's older brother's best friend whom he has loved for over 20 years.
Unholy Temptation is the unexpected romance between Jed, a youth pastor who has hidden his feelings for Aiden for almost 20 years, and his life becomes upended with Aiden's reentry into his life after his divorce.
Another great aspect of this story is the instant friendship that is heightened due to their forced proximity at living in the same apartment building across the hall from one another, which led to many funny awkward moments.
This story also touched on many complex and complicated aspects between sexuality and religion and I found this story found a great balance while remaining compassionate throughout.
I loved this story and the sweet romance between Jed and Aiden and looking forward to the next one.
Unholy Temptation is a great slow-burn romance between a youth pastor and the object of his affections Aiden. Aiden is Jed's older brother's best friend whom he has loved for over 20 years.
Unholy Temptation is the unexpected romance between Jed, a youth pastor who has hidden his feelings for Aiden for almost 20 years, and his life becomes upended with Aiden's reentry into his life after his divorce.
Another great aspect of this story is the instant friendship that is heightened due to their forced proximity at living in the same apartment building across the hall from one another, which led to many funny awkward moments.
This story also touched on many complex and complicated aspects between sexuality and religion and I found this story found a great balance while remaining compassionate throughout.
I loved this story and the sweet romance between Jed and Aiden and looking forward to the next one.
ofbooksandromance's review
4.0
4.5 “You’re the other half of the puzzle piece of my life” stars
Put everything I love in a book into a box and you pretty much get this book. God did I enjoy reading this book, so much.
“Since the age of fourteen, I’ve known you were it for me. I just never thought I’d have the chance to experience the life I’ve always longed for.”
Brief summary
When Jed was 14, he realized that he was attracted to his brother’s best friend, Aiden. But they lost track of each other and during that time Jed became a pastor. Aiden comes back into Jed’s life after 16 years and it turns out that they fall in love.
I have read every book in this series so far but this one is by far my favourite. This book just grabbed me from the first page and never let me go, I just fell in love with this book more and more over each page.
I spent most of the time I was reading this book either crying because I felt for the main character or with the biggest smile on my face due to how sweet Aiden's and Jed's interactions were, most of the time I did both at the same time and that made for a lovely reading experience for me.
I just loved the romance in this one. I loved how much passion there was in this book. I could feel their love for each other and their want to be near the other through each and every page of this book. And I loved how they spent a lot of time getting to know each other and slowly falling in love with each other. And I just adored how they did everything to be together.
Also, there is a sexual exploration in this book and I just adored how it was done, it was just so damn lovely to read about. And also, the sex scenes in this book were very good and a perfect complement to the story.
I just loved everything about Aiden and Jed together. I loved how they were both attracted to each other and didn’t really know what to do about it but they knew that they wanted each other and that was all that mattered. I just loved all of the time they spent bounding together and how easy it was for them to spend time with each other. All of their interactions were just so sweet and so full of love and I loved all of them.
Also, I just adored their banter and the easy way they just bounded through humour. That part of the book just really worked for me. Also, I just adored all of the Stars Wars related humour in this book.
“Get your cute ass in my bed where you belong.”
“For how long?” […]
“A solid seven and a half inches.” […]
“For however long you’ll have me,” […] “That’d be for eternity”
Jed is a pastor, so this book talks a lot about religion and how it affects him. I really loved all of the talks of religion and this one and how it was integrated into the story. I loved how all of the religious angst came from the characters and their lives and how their religious beliefs coloured their every thought and that it was what made them struggle. I really love this kind of religious conflict, where you can see how much the characters believe but they want something different than what they’re getting. and I adored how it was done in this book.
I just enjoyed reading this book so much. I loved the pacing of this book, I loved the events of this book and how everything unravelled. This book truly just hit all of my buttons and I loved every second of it.
I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.
Put everything I love in a book into a box and you pretty much get this book. God did I enjoy reading this book, so much.
“Since the age of fourteen, I’ve known you were it for me. I just never thought I’d have the chance to experience the life I’ve always longed for.”
Brief summary
When Jed was 14, he realized that he was attracted to his brother’s best friend, Aiden. But they lost track of each other and during that time Jed became a pastor. Aiden comes back into Jed’s life after 16 years and it turns out that they fall in love.
I have read every book in this series so far but this one is by far my favourite. This book just grabbed me from the first page and never let me go, I just fell in love with this book more and more over each page.
I spent most of the time I was reading this book either crying because I felt for the main character or with the biggest smile on my face due to how sweet Aiden's and Jed's interactions were, most of the time I did both at the same time and that made for a lovely reading experience for me.
I just loved the romance in this one. I loved how much passion there was in this book. I could feel their love for each other and their want to be near the other through each and every page of this book. And I loved how they spent a lot of time getting to know each other and slowly falling in love with each other. And I just adored how they did everything to be together.
Also, there is a sexual exploration in this book and I just adored how it was done, it was just so damn lovely to read about. And also, the sex scenes in this book were very good and a perfect complement to the story.
I just loved everything about Aiden and Jed together. I loved how they were both attracted to each other and didn’t really know what to do about it but they knew that they wanted each other and that was all that mattered. I just loved all of the time they spent bounding together and how easy it was for them to spend time with each other. All of their interactions were just so sweet and so full of love and I loved all of them.
Also, I just adored their banter and the easy way they just bounded through humour. That part of the book just really worked for me. Also, I just adored all of the Stars Wars related humour in this book.
“Get your cute ass in my bed where you belong.”
“For how long?” […]
“A solid seven and a half inches.” […]
“For however long you’ll have me,” […] “That’d be for eternity”
Jed is a pastor, so this book talks a lot about religion and how it affects him. I really loved all of the talks of religion and this one and how it was integrated into the story. I loved how all of the religious angst came from the characters and their lives and how their religious beliefs coloured their every thought and that it was what made them struggle. I really love this kind of religious conflict, where you can see how much the characters believe but they want something different than what they’re getting. and I adored how it was done in this book.
I just enjoyed reading this book so much. I loved the pacing of this book, I loved the events of this book and how everything unravelled. This book truly just hit all of my buttons and I loved every second of it.
I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.
jrv45's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
tenaw's review
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
jamies_bookreads's review
5.0
This book shows what it means to accept and love yourself, just as much as you want others to accept and love you for being you. The emotions are pure and honest. Teasing hot Friends-to-Lovers story….With ALL The Feels!
I have wanted to know more about Jed since his appearance in Unholy Yearnings. He has always shown compassion to those that others labeled as sinful. We learn his true temptation comes from his one and only crush, Aiden McNellis. Aiden was his brother's childhood best friend, who has moved back next door. Jed has lived his life as he felt he needed to instead of how he would have wanted to. Now that temptation is back, that thought is hitting him harder. Aiden is also dealing with a past that still haunts his spirit, leaving him apprehensive of the feelings that he is having.
This Sinful Natures series by Lynn Burke is one of my favorite MM reads, truly a must read series to me. I love them all and look forward to reading more from this world in the future. 18+
I have wanted to know more about Jed since his appearance in Unholy Yearnings. He has always shown compassion to those that others labeled as sinful. We learn his true temptation comes from his one and only crush, Aiden McNellis. Aiden was his brother's childhood best friend, who has moved back next door. Jed has lived his life as he felt he needed to instead of how he would have wanted to. Now that temptation is back, that thought is hitting him harder. Aiden is also dealing with a past that still haunts his spirit, leaving him apprehensive of the feelings that he is having.
This Sinful Natures series by Lynn Burke is one of my favorite MM reads, truly a must read series to me. I love them all and look forward to reading more from this world in the future. 18+
lilibetbombshell's review
4.0
This may be my favorite installment of the Sinful Natures series since the first book, but I truly believe that just comes down to my preferences as a reader in regards to spicy content, because every Sinful Natures book is excellent.
We got a hint that Pastor Jed may be struggling with the same demons as (now formerly) Pastor Ezra in the last book, Unholy Desire, but in this book we get to know Jed more, and also to get to know his… preferences more. We also get to see more of his identity and the lifelong love he has held for Aiden, who was his older brother’s best friend when they were growing up.
This is a brother’s best friend/best friend’s little brother romance trope, but there’s not a whole lot of the usual push-pull relationship movement surrounding this trope. I didn’t miss the angst that usually comes with the trope, because often I feel like that particular shade of angst is rather put-on and condescending to the brothers in question. The angst concerning Jed’s older brother (and, therefore, Aiden’s best friend) stems more from the religious conflict central to the book’s (and the series as a whole) plot than anything else, really.
I do appreciate that Aiden leaned into his own journey of self-discovery, because it doesn’t seem like something that might be strange for a newly-divorced man to do when confronted with the fact he may appreciate men more than he had ever let himself think before. I had a slight feeling of uneasiness at how he teased Jed, because I thought it was obvious Jed had some issues going on and priorities to attend to, but the moments when Aiden went snooping were some of the hottest in the book. And can we just talk about the fuzzy socks?
All in all, this book was an excellent romance with that scathing dose of insulting evangelization we’ve come to know and love from Lynn in this series. It ended a bit abruptly for my taste, but otherwise it was very well-rounded.
We got a hint that Pastor Jed may be struggling with the same demons as (now formerly) Pastor Ezra in the last book, Unholy Desire, but in this book we get to know Jed more, and also to get to know his… preferences more. We also get to see more of his identity and the lifelong love he has held for Aiden, who was his older brother’s best friend when they were growing up.
This is a brother’s best friend/best friend’s little brother romance trope, but there’s not a whole lot of the usual push-pull relationship movement surrounding this trope. I didn’t miss the angst that usually comes with the trope, because often I feel like that particular shade of angst is rather put-on and condescending to the brothers in question. The angst concerning Jed’s older brother (and, therefore, Aiden’s best friend) stems more from the religious conflict central to the book’s (and the series as a whole) plot than anything else, really.
I do appreciate that Aiden leaned into his own journey of self-discovery, because it doesn’t seem like something that might be strange for a newly-divorced man to do when confronted with the fact he may appreciate men more than he had ever let himself think before. I had a slight feeling of uneasiness at how he teased Jed, because I thought it was obvious Jed had some issues going on and priorities to attend to, but the moments when Aiden went snooping were some of the hottest in the book. And can we just talk about the fuzzy socks?
All in all, this book was an excellent romance with that scathing dose of insulting evangelization we’ve come to know and love from Lynn in this series. It ended a bit abruptly for my taste, but otherwise it was very well-rounded.