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zaza_bdp's review against another edition
4.0
J'ai bien aimé ce nouveau roman de L.J Shen, même si j'ai mis quelques jours pour le lire. C'est un tome qui n'a, pour moi, rien à voir avec les trois premiers tomes de la série 'Sinners of Saint'. Plus d'histoire amour-haine ici, mais plutôt une histoire complexe entre une petite frappe qui se dissimule derrière ses tatouages et sa barbe, et une jeune fille fragile qui va sortir de sa coquille et reprendre en main sa propre vie.
Bane est donc une sorte de petite frappe de la ville californienne de Todos Santos. Il a la mainmise sur une partie de la ville, et vend ses services auprès des riches habitantes du coin. Passionné de surf, il passe beaucoup de temps sur sa planche, comme on a pu le voir dans le tome précédent. Au début du roman, il accepte, contre la rondelette somme de six millions de dollars, de s'occuper de Jesse, la belle-fille d'un riche homme d'affaires local. Charge à lui de faire sortir de sa coquille cette jeune fille de cinq ans sa cadette, repliée sur elle-même après l'horrible agression dont elle a été victime trois ans plus tôt. Seulement, dans tout contrat, il y a des clauses à respecter ... Et l'une des clauses les plus importantes est que Bane ne doit en aucun cas embrasser Jesse, encore moins avoir une relation sexuelle voire amoureuse avec elle.
À partir de là, la trame romantique du livre se laisse aisément deviner, mais j’ai trouvé que l’auteur réussissait bien à sortir du cliché et à installer une vraie belle relation entre les deux personnages, et à jouer assez finement avec les divers sentiments ressentis par Bane. Ce héros n’est pas aussi ‘méchant’ que pouvaient l’être Vicious, Ruckus & Trent, il m’a paru plus sensible, plus humain, plus attachant en fait. C’est un personnage qui a de la profondeur, je pense que de tous les personnages masculins de cette série, c’est celui que j’ai préféré.
En fait, ce que j’ai préféré dans ce livre, c’est le personnage de Jesse. Son évolution tout au long du livre est remarquable, Bane l’aide à relever la tête, à ré-apprivoiser le contact avec les autres, et le monde qui l’entoure. Il lui donne le coup de pouce dont elle a besoin au départ, mais il n’est pas un chevalier blanc pour autant, venant en aide à une princesse craintive et passive. Spoiler alert : à la fin du conte, la princesse se sauve toute seule !
L.J Shen signe ici une romance new-adult finalement assez classique, mais elle le fait avec finesse, et la romance qu’elle nous offre est belle et touchante, avec de jolis personnages croqués avec plus de nuances que ne l’étaient les héros des tomes précédents. Maintenant, je me demande sur qui portera la suite, si suite il y a effectivement …
Bane est donc une sorte de petite frappe de la ville californienne de Todos Santos. Il a la mainmise sur une partie de la ville, et vend ses services auprès des riches habitantes du coin. Passionné de surf, il passe beaucoup de temps sur sa planche, comme on a pu le voir dans le tome précédent. Au début du roman, il accepte, contre la rondelette somme de six millions de dollars, de s'occuper de Jesse, la belle-fille d'un riche homme d'affaires local. Charge à lui de faire sortir de sa coquille cette jeune fille de cinq ans sa cadette, repliée sur elle-même après l'horrible agression dont elle a été victime trois ans plus tôt. Seulement, dans tout contrat, il y a des clauses à respecter ... Et l'une des clauses les plus importantes est que Bane ne doit en aucun cas embrasser Jesse, encore moins avoir une relation sexuelle voire amoureuse avec elle.
À partir de là, la trame romantique du livre se laisse aisément deviner, mais j’ai trouvé que l’auteur réussissait bien à sortir du cliché et à installer une vraie belle relation entre les deux personnages, et à jouer assez finement avec les divers sentiments ressentis par Bane. Ce héros n’est pas aussi ‘méchant’ que pouvaient l’être Vicious, Ruckus & Trent, il m’a paru plus sensible, plus humain, plus attachant en fait. C’est un personnage qui a de la profondeur, je pense que de tous les personnages masculins de cette série, c’est celui que j’ai préféré.
En fait, ce que j’ai préféré dans ce livre, c’est le personnage de Jesse. Son évolution tout au long du livre est remarquable, Bane l’aide à relever la tête, à ré-apprivoiser le contact avec les autres, et le monde qui l’entoure. Il lui donne le coup de pouce dont elle a besoin au départ, mais il n’est pas un chevalier blanc pour autant, venant en aide à une princesse craintive et passive. Spoiler alert : à la fin du conte, la princesse se sauve toute seule !
L.J Shen signe ici une romance new-adult finalement assez classique, mais elle le fait avec finesse, et la romance qu’elle nous offre est belle et touchante, avec de jolis personnages croqués avec plus de nuances que ne l’étaient les héros des tomes précédents. Maintenant, je me demande sur qui portera la suite, si suite il y a effectivement …
meggie82461's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars!!
Click. Remember this picture, Jesse.
This book wasn't at all what I was expecting... in the best possible way. It was a love story between two broken people that fit together in ways nobody else could fill. It was equal parts angsty, funny, and rage-inducing. It was a roller-coaster ride in every sense of the word, but in vintage LJ fashion, I ended up falling in love just as hard as Bane and Jesse did.
“Already told you. I heard all the rumors about you, Jesse. Fuck ’em. Fuck ’em to death. Fuck this town, and its preppy, judgmental residents, and every idiot who looks at us funny. Don’t you get it? We’re the outliers. The rejects. We’re free. Free to do whatever the hell we want, because it won’t matter. We’ll never fit in here, so we don’t have to try.
We met Roman AKA "Bane" Protsenko for the first time in Scandalous. He was a memorable character in that he was Edie's ex, but not a stereotypical "evil" one. In fact, him and Edie are still good friends. Personally, I ended up LOVING Bane. After four stories centered around the HotHoles, Bane was a nice change of pace. He was nothing like the others; he lived on the fringes of society, sometimes on the right side of the law and sometimes not. He did whatever he had to do to not only survive, but rise to the top. He was a con, a liar, and a thief, yes... but he also respected women and loved his mother. He was exactly what Jesse needed: a man that had the power to protect her from the far-reaching villains, a man that was no prince charming, but who had been through enough to be able to understand her.
There was a special thrill in knowing he could be doing anything to me. And that he wouldn’t. Because he was decent and fair. Because no matter what he thought about himself, he was good.
Jesse was the kind of character that you wanted good things for SO. FUCKING. BADLY. She was such a broken, tragic character, and she had every reason to be. She was very, very REAL. Not only had horrible things happened to her, but also, everybody that was supposed to care about her had let her down. I loved it when she started to come out of her shell and discover the person she really was. Jesse really was a strong, vibrant person, she had just lost hope. Again, she had every reason to. The reader got to know Jesse right alongside Bane, and really Jesse herself, and that was amazing. She was certainly a survivor through and through.
Maybe that was the difference between Bane and all the others. I didn’t want him. I needed him to remind me how to breathe.
Bane and Jesse's chemistry scorched up the pages. LJ Shen can write the hell out of a sex scene, and this story was no different. The book flowed naturally, the pace of their relationship realistic. There were plenty of twists, some of which I saw coming and some I didn't. There were plot holes, though- not a lot, but I definitely side-eyed a few things, which was why this book didn't get a perfect rating. At times, I felt the author was stretching things to either make certain details fit, or to setup a future spin-off book.
Just because Roman was a nice guy didn’t mean he wasn’t a savage. He was both. And it was part of his charm.
Bane may have had less than honorable reasons to force his way into Jesse's life, but once it happened, they fit together so naturally that Jesse didn't have any choice but to live again. Make no mistake about it: Bane needed Jesse as much as Jesse needed Bane. At times, I really thought Bane was more broken than she was. This story had a lot of depth, which I loved. That being said, there were two aspects that I loved SO MUCH that it overshadowed anything that didn't work. The first was that it (mainly Bane) was hilarious! There was such serious subject matter, some of which was quite dark, so Bane's random analogies and perverted thoughts were welcome distractions. Jesse had a dry, sarcastic side that was just as funny as well. I laughed out loud more than I have in any other Shen book. The second awesome thing? How Bane treated Jesse. I would imagine that it was because of Sonya, his social worker mom, but Bane knew exactly how to handle her, which was quite a feat. He knew when to push her and when to back down. He didn't give himself enough credit for being the first person in Jesse's life to truly want what was best for her. He wanted to protect her, but he understood that she needed to do things on her own, too. Between his quick wit, his sweet side, and his savagery between the sheets, Bane "Roman" Protsenko was truly the gift that kept on giving!
I wanted to yank her into me and hug her. I wanted to kiss that damn scar better. I wanted to lick it and bite it and show her that she was still sexy, with or without it. Actually, especially with it. What’s sexier than a goddamn survivor?
"But you didn’t just walk into my life, Roman. You stormed into it. You left me no choice but to heal. Now I want everything."
Click. Remember this picture, Jesse.
This book wasn't at all what I was expecting... in the best possible way. It was a love story between two broken people that fit together in ways nobody else could fill. It was equal parts angsty, funny, and rage-inducing. It was a roller-coaster ride in every sense of the word, but in vintage LJ fashion, I ended up falling in love just as hard as Bane and Jesse did.
“Already told you. I heard all the rumors about you, Jesse. Fuck ’em. Fuck ’em to death. Fuck this town, and its preppy, judgmental residents, and every idiot who looks at us funny. Don’t you get it? We’re the outliers. The rejects. We’re free. Free to do whatever the hell we want, because it won’t matter. We’ll never fit in here, so we don’t have to try.
We met Roman AKA "Bane" Protsenko for the first time in Scandalous. He was a memorable character in that he was Edie's ex, but not a stereotypical "evil" one. In fact, him and Edie are still good friends. Personally, I ended up LOVING Bane. After four stories centered around the HotHoles, Bane was a nice change of pace. He was nothing like the others; he lived on the fringes of society, sometimes on the right side of the law and sometimes not. He did whatever he had to do to not only survive, but rise to the top. He was a con, a liar, and a thief, yes... but he also respected women and loved his mother. He was exactly what Jesse needed: a man that had the power to protect her from the far-reaching villains, a man that was no prince charming, but who had been through enough to be able to understand her.
There was a special thrill in knowing he could be doing anything to me. And that he wouldn’t. Because he was decent and fair. Because no matter what he thought about himself, he was good.
Jesse was the kind of character that you wanted good things for SO. FUCKING. BADLY. She was such a broken, tragic character, and she had every reason to be. She was very, very REAL. Not only had horrible things happened to her, but also, everybody that was supposed to care about her had let her down. I loved it when she started to come out of her shell and discover the person she really was. Jesse really was a strong, vibrant person, she had just lost hope. Again, she had every reason to. The reader got to know Jesse right alongside Bane, and really Jesse herself, and that was amazing. She was certainly a survivor through and through.
Maybe that was the difference between Bane and all the others. I didn’t want him. I needed him to remind me how to breathe.
Bane and Jesse's chemistry scorched up the pages. LJ Shen can write the hell out of a sex scene, and this story was no different. The book flowed naturally, the pace of their relationship realistic. There were plenty of twists, some of which I saw coming and some I didn't. There were plot holes, though- not a lot, but I definitely side-eyed a few things, which was why this book didn't get a perfect rating. At times, I felt the author was stretching things to either make certain details fit, or to setup a future spin-off book.
Just because Roman was a nice guy didn’t mean he wasn’t a savage. He was both. And it was part of his charm.
Bane may have had less than honorable reasons to force his way into Jesse's life, but once it happened, they fit together so naturally that Jesse didn't have any choice but to live again. Make no mistake about it: Bane needed Jesse as much as Jesse needed Bane. At times, I really thought Bane was more broken than she was. This story had a lot of depth, which I loved. That being said, there were two aspects that I loved SO MUCH that it overshadowed anything that didn't work. The first was that it (mainly Bane) was hilarious! There was such serious subject matter, some of which was quite dark, so Bane's random analogies and perverted thoughts were welcome distractions. Jesse had a dry, sarcastic side that was just as funny as well. I laughed out loud more than I have in any other Shen book. The second awesome thing? How Bane treated Jesse. I would imagine that it was because of Sonya, his social worker mom, but Bane knew exactly how to handle her, which was quite a feat. He knew when to push her and when to back down. He didn't give himself enough credit for being the first person in Jesse's life to truly want what was best for her. He wanted to protect her, but he understood that she needed to do things on her own, too. Between his quick wit, his sweet side, and his savagery between the sheets, Bane "Roman" Protsenko was truly the gift that kept on giving!
I wanted to yank her into me and hug her. I wanted to kiss that damn scar better. I wanted to lick it and bite it and show her that she was still sexy, with or without it. Actually, especially with it. What’s sexier than a goddamn survivor?
"But you didn’t just walk into my life, Roman. You stormed into it. You left me no choice but to heal. Now I want everything."
perryaras's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
cala_p's review against another edition
5.0
Bane was the book I looked forward to least of all, considering the characters are not one of the main group. Somehow I think LJ Shen knew that readers would have that thought because she doubled down with this one and made it the most impacting story of the series.
Bane is Edie’s ex and friend. His focus is on surfing and using his business smarts to get into the big leagues like the Hotholes. After they turn him away and send him to another business mogul in the area, Darren, Darren and Bane make a deal: for six million, Bane will revitalize Darren’s stepdaughter, Jesse by being a friend and getting her back out in the world. The stipulation is that Bane can’t touch her.
Jesse’s story is hugely impacting. Her high school boyfriend and his friends gangraped her one night, and her parents swept it under the rug and pretended it never happened. This happened after losing her virginity to said boyfriend, but to both their surprises, she wasn’t a virgin so he used his friends to get back at her. Combine the two together, and she was deemed the town’s wh**e and never wants to go out for anything anymore. Her story is worst since she has a black spot in her memory, of a man in a room, but can’t remember anything about it.
She’s stubborn to keep Bane away and Bane is stubborn to be around her. Soon, he wins and they become friendly, friends, then more.
I loved their relationship. It had such a push-pull to it filled with angst. Bane really worked to keep them apart, until it no longer mattered. The book makes him seem like he’ll be an uncaring a**, but he’s actually super sweet and protective of her.
I would deem this easily one of the best books, probably second to Vicious.
Bane is Edie’s ex and friend. His focus is on surfing and using his business smarts to get into the big leagues like the Hotholes. After they turn him away and send him to another business mogul in the area, Darren, Darren and Bane make a deal: for six million, Bane will revitalize Darren’s stepdaughter, Jesse by being a friend and getting her back out in the world. The stipulation is that Bane can’t touch her.
Jesse’s story is hugely impacting. Her high school boyfriend and his friends gangraped her one night, and her parents swept it under the rug and pretended it never happened. This happened after losing her virginity to said boyfriend, but to both their surprises, she wasn’t a virgin so he used his friends to get back at her. Combine the two together, and she was deemed the town’s wh**e and never wants to go out for anything anymore. Her story is worst since she has a black spot in her memory, of a man in a room, but can’t remember anything about it.
She’s stubborn to keep Bane away and Bane is stubborn to be around her. Soon, he wins and they become friendly, friends, then more.
I loved their relationship. It had such a push-pull to it filled with angst. Bane really worked to keep them apart, until it no longer mattered. The book makes him seem like he’ll be an uncaring a**, but he’s actually super sweet and protective of her.
I would deem this easily one of the best books, probably second to Vicious.
tangochick6969's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars for Roman and his Snowflake, the sword, and the princess!
“Maybe love wasn’t about feeling happy and whole. Maybe love was about breaking so the person you cared for would feel a little more whole.” - Roman "Bane" Protsenko
This was such an emotional, yet perfectly humorous story. The way LJ dealt with the subject content (tw ie. rape), was done in a way that made us as the reader feel everything Jesse felt, from her pain, anger, and anguish.
The things Jesse went through are horrible, but the way she held on to herself and didn't allow anyone to break her spirit no matter how many times she got knocked down was badass. She is probably one of my fav LJ Shen female characters (after Daria and Jude), and the way her personality and wit shone through made the whole book for me.
Bane you gorgeous soul, yes he's a man-whore to the point where it really didn't even matter because this boy gave away his body for free because he didn't believe himself to be worthy of anyone's love due to the way he was born. Bane was funny, arrogant without being a douche, self-assured yet still had bouts of insecurity in himself the way he hid from the world by burying himself into work and women. He and Jesse were kindred spirits, so watching them naturally sizzle and fall together was magical!
I loved how Bane saw her first and fell first, it really cemented their relationship as the more time they spent together, the deal Bane made with Darren might as well have been non-existent, so the way Jesse forgave Bane made her an even better character.
The quote for the entire book is explained perfectly through Jesse's tattoo, the one that steals Bane's attention - “My whole life has been pledged to this meeting with you”
Ps- I thank LJ Shen for providing us with all the Baron Vicious crumbs, he's still a sexy bastard. <3
“Maybe love wasn’t about feeling happy and whole. Maybe love was about breaking so the person you cared for would feel a little more whole.” - Roman "Bane" Protsenko
This was such an emotional, yet perfectly humorous story. The way LJ dealt with the subject content (tw ie. rape), was done in a way that made us as the reader feel everything Jesse felt, from her pain, anger, and anguish.
The things Jesse went through are horrible, but the way she held on to herself and didn't allow anyone to break her spirit no matter how many times she got knocked down was badass. She is probably one of my fav LJ Shen female characters (after Daria and Jude), and the way her personality and wit shone through made the whole book for me.
Bane you gorgeous soul, yes he's a man-whore to the point where it really didn't even matter because this boy gave away his body for free because he didn't believe himself to be worthy of anyone's love due to the way he was born. Bane was funny, arrogant without being a douche, self-assured yet still had bouts of insecurity in himself the way he hid from the world by burying himself into work and women. He and Jesse were kindred spirits, so watching them naturally sizzle and fall together was magical!
I loved how Bane saw her first and fell first, it really cemented their relationship as the more time they spent together, the deal Bane made with Darren might as well have been non-existent, so the way Jesse forgave Bane made her an even better character.
The quote for the entire book is explained perfectly through Jesse's tattoo, the one that steals Bane's attention - “My whole life has been pledged to this meeting with you”
Ps- I thank LJ Shen for providing us with all the Baron Vicious crumbs, he's still a sexy bastard. <3
pause_theframe's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my, this is absolute perfection! I am going to have such book hangover from this read! Bane and Snowflake blew my world apart. Their story is so deep, dark and yet still fully uplifting. I really grabbed hold of me and I could not let go!
I loved the characters, both the good an bad. I found the rubbish people really created the dark space that became Snowflakes life. I hated each one of them for it, but also was pulled toward her even more, as we saw just how strong and resilient she is and continues to become. Watching as her and Bane try to navigate the madness of their lives and friendship, was absolutely wonderful.
The pace was perfect. I found it really just kept rolling forward and the twists that Shen threw in were perfectly timed. It just kept finding myself wholly addicted to the story and really could not put it down. I was always wondering what was coming next and had to know.
Overall, this story was brilliant. I loved every page. Shen has really raised the bar with this read, and the All Saints series continues to be perfection. I LOVED this book!!
I loved the characters, both the good an bad. I found the rubbish people really created the dark space that became Snowflakes life. I hated each one of them for it, but also was pulled toward her even more, as we saw just how strong and resilient she is and continues to become. Watching as her and Bane try to navigate the madness of their lives and friendship, was absolutely wonderful.
The pace was perfect. I found it really just kept rolling forward and the twists that Shen threw in were perfectly timed. It just kept finding myself wholly addicted to the story and really could not put it down. I was always wondering what was coming next and had to know.
Overall, this story was brilliant. I loved every page. Shen has really raised the bar with this read, and the All Saints series continues to be perfection. I LOVED this book!!
chelsea_smuttyreads's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The twists at the end 🤯