Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
PLEASE CHECK THE TRIGGER WARNINGS⚠️
I definitely liked the plot twists and turns in this one a lot more than The Ritual...BUT....I just couldn't connect with the story as much.
I am not a big fan of Sin. Don't get me wrong, the guy 100% loved Elli and did what he thought was right to protect her. He just could've done a lot of things differently. Always mad about Elli coping with her emotions the only way she knew how but he was the cause of a lot of it.
Elli on the other hand...I just wanted to rip her out of the book, give her a giant hug and tell her that she isn't worthless. That she matters. All the trauma she went through was absolutely horrible. And although it did cause her to have unhealthy coping mechanisms, the fact that she was strong enough to keep going says it all.
All in all, loved this and can't wait to read the rest of the series!
I definitely liked the plot twists and turns in this one a lot more than The Ritual...BUT....I just couldn't connect with the story as much.
I am not a big fan of Sin. Don't get me wrong, the guy 100% loved Elli and did what he thought was right to protect her. He just could've done a lot of things differently. Always mad about Elli coping with her emotions the only way she knew how but he was the cause of a lot of it.
Elli on the other hand...I just wanted to rip her out of the book, give her a giant hug and tell her that she isn't worthless. That she matters. All the trauma she went through was absolutely horrible. And although it did cause her to have unhealthy coping mechanisms, the fact that she was strong enough to keep going says it all.
All in all, loved this and can't wait to read the rest of the series!
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
DEAR LORD.... this book was absolutely incredible!!! towards the end its broke me, I cried ugly tears!!! the plot twist are out of this world, and the SPPICEEEE phew!! definatly read your TW it is DARK! i devoured it and it is a 5start and 5 Chills for me!
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“I want toxic. I want madness. I want someone who makes me question my sanity.”
I'm going to start this review off by saying that I genuinely think that I read this book at a bad time. I was thoroughly invested in both the plot and the character relationships (including the side characters!) but something about the way I was feeling & the book itself just didn't mesh well. I'm sure if I come back to do a re-read of the series that this particular book may be rated a bit higher.
With that being said, I think Shantel Tessier handles the hard shit with incredible grace. When I can relate to a character even in trauma I just know they're incredibly well written. Writing a book that tackles something as hard as CSA is already very difficult; but doing it in a way that sheds light on how it happens in the real world and how often powerful people get away with horrendous acts is an even harder goal to achieve but that is EXACTLY what Tessier did with The Sinner.
“If life has taught me anything, it’s that it doesn’t stop when you need rest. You swallow your cries and you lift your chin. Because life doesn’t give a fuck about you. You either take it, or you let it kill you.”
The Sinner runs parallel with The Ritual and I adored the little snippets we got of Ryat, Blakely & some of the side characters from the first book. It was also super neat to get to see some of Ryat's interactions from the first book from a completely different perspective. And MY GOD, the little crumbs of Tyson we get have me absolutely foaming at the mouth ready for his book.
Ellington has my entire soul in the palm of her hand. I literally do not care how feral she gets, imma stand by her. Getting to watch her progress over the course of this book was DELICIOUS, I still think she has a tremendous amount of healing to do & as much as I relate to hiding behind sex, drugs, and anger to relieve what's happening on the inside, it's not at all a healthy coping situation. However, seeing her go from an ashamed sex addict to someone with passion, rage, and an affinity for bullying men had me absolutely SAT. She needed that push to finally let out all that anger she'd been holding back, & Sin gave her a safe space to do it. I do wish that in the end, she'd been the one to set shit on fire & get her revenge against the sick fucks that hurt her, but I also understand on a deep level how much healing it takes to come back from what she went through.
MY LORDDD, speaking of Sin. Easton Bradley Sinnet the fucking man that you are. There's just something about a vicious, powerful man being brought to his knees by his love for his wife. Sin is very likely to be the most morally grey man in this series (and definitely more so than a lot of dark romance MMCs). If stalking, fun houses, ropes, chains, & a whole lot of punishment are your idea of a good time; then Sin is the man for you. I don't think I've ever met an MMC that knows 70 ways to kill a man & 750 ways to make his wife come until Easton came into the picture. He's obsessive, possessive, and I gotta tell you this man heard "praise kink" and learned exactly how to make Ellington (and me) willing to crawl for him. It says something about me that a man being proud of his wife for knifing someone is soooo beyond sexy. On top of having a great dick, phenomenal finger skills, and a multitude of funtime tools, Sin is also incredibly vulnerable at times. Sure he's an asshole, but the instances where he truly opened up (ESP that letter iykyk) were simultaneously heartwarming & crushing.
“If I can’t have her, no one will. But I also would never want to survive in a world where she doesn’t exist. Death would be heaven compared to a life without her being mine.”
As much as I loved Ellington & Sin both separately and as a couple, the book still had it's flaws. And once again me & this damn pregnancy trope are at war but this time it got me a little harder. Elli had already been through entirely too much, on top of her being college age I genuinely do not think that she was ready for a child and it seemed forced upon her. The only reason she even considered having a baby as a good thing was as an out from her abusive soon to be husband, and adding in a child that wasn't even hers?? No ma'am. At most it took off half a star rating, but it still gives me the ick.
Overall, The Sinner is a decent book that tackles incredibly hard topics. Remember to check your trigger warnings! It has it's flaws and it's assets as every book does, but reading it at a bad time put me off a little bit. There's plenty of spicy gymnastics for the smut loving babes, and a good bit of plot to keep the story going while you finish up in the sheets 🤭
“But always remember, Elli, that I love you. And no man on this earth will ever come close to feeling what I feel for you. And if he thinks he does, I’ll rip his fucking heart out.”
Tropes/What to Expect
🔪Dark College Romance
🔪Forbidden Love
🔪Secret Society
🔪Touch Her & Die
🔪BD$M & Kinks (praise & degradation, water bondage, choking, impact play, edging, multiple Os)
I'm going to start this review off by saying that I genuinely think that I read this book at a bad time. I was thoroughly invested in both the plot and the character relationships (including the side characters!) but something about the way I was feeling & the book itself just didn't mesh well. I'm sure if I come back to do a re-read of the series that this particular book may be rated a bit higher.
With that being said, I think Shantel Tessier handles the hard shit with incredible grace. When I can relate to a character even in trauma I just know they're incredibly well written. Writing a book that tackles something as hard as CSA is already very difficult; but doing it in a way that sheds light on how it happens in the real world and how often powerful people get away with horrendous acts is an even harder goal to achieve but that is EXACTLY what Tessier did with The Sinner.
“If life has taught me anything, it’s that it doesn’t stop when you need rest. You swallow your cries and you lift your chin. Because life doesn’t give a fuck about you. You either take it, or you let it kill you.”
The Sinner runs parallel with The Ritual and I adored the little snippets we got of Ryat, Blakely & some of the side characters from the first book. It was also super neat to get to see some of Ryat's interactions from the first book from a completely different perspective. And MY GOD, the little crumbs of Tyson we get have me absolutely foaming at the mouth ready for his book.
Ellington has my entire soul in the palm of her hand. I literally do not care how feral she gets, imma stand by her. Getting to watch her progress over the course of this book was DELICIOUS, I still think she has a tremendous amount of healing to do & as much as I relate to hiding behind sex, drugs, and anger to relieve what's happening on the inside, it's not at all a healthy coping situation. However, seeing her go from an ashamed sex addict to someone with passion, rage, and an affinity for bullying men had me absolutely SAT. She needed that push to finally let out all that anger she'd been holding back, & Sin gave her a safe space to do it. I do wish that in the end, she'd been the one to set shit on fire & get her revenge against the sick fucks that hurt her, but I also understand on a deep level how much healing it takes to come back from what she went through.
MY LORDDD, speaking of Sin. Easton Bradley Sinnet the fucking man that you are. There's just something about a vicious, powerful man being brought to his knees by his love for his wife. Sin is very likely to be the most morally grey man in this series (and definitely more so than a lot of dark romance MMCs). If stalking, fun houses, ropes, chains, & a whole lot of punishment are your idea of a good time; then Sin is the man for you. I don't think I've ever met an MMC that knows 70 ways to kill a man & 750 ways to make his wife come until Easton came into the picture. He's obsessive, possessive, and I gotta tell you this man heard "praise kink" and learned exactly how to make Ellington (and me) willing to crawl for him. It says something about me that a man being proud of his wife for knifing someone is soooo beyond sexy. On top of having a great dick, phenomenal finger skills, and a multitude of funtime tools, Sin is also incredibly vulnerable at times. Sure he's an asshole, but the instances where he truly opened up (ESP that letter iykyk) were simultaneously heartwarming & crushing.
“If I can’t have her, no one will. But I also would never want to survive in a world where she doesn’t exist. Death would be heaven compared to a life without her being mine.”
As much as I loved Ellington & Sin both separately and as a couple, the book still had it's flaws. And once again me & this damn pregnancy trope are at war but this time it got me a little harder. Elli had already been through entirely too much, on top of her being college age I genuinely do not think that she was ready for a child and it seemed forced upon her. The only reason she even considered having a baby as a good thing was as an out from her abusive soon to be husband, and adding in a child that wasn't even hers?? No ma'am. At most it took off half a star rating, but it still gives me the ick.
Overall, The Sinner is a decent book that tackles incredibly hard topics. Remember to check your trigger warnings! It has it's flaws and it's assets as every book does, but reading it at a bad time put me off a little bit. There's plenty of spicy gymnastics for the smut loving babes, and a good bit of plot to keep the story going while you finish up in the sheets 🤭
“But always remember, Elli, that I love you. And no man on this earth will ever come close to feeling what I feel for you. And if he thinks he does, I’ll rip his fucking heart out.”
Tropes/What to Expect
🔪Dark College Romance
🔪Forbidden Love
🔪Secret Society
🔪Touch Her & Die
🔪BD$M & Kinks (praise & degradation, water bondage, choking, impact play, edging, multiple Os)
dark
tense
fast-paced
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes