Scan barcode
A review by lilibetbombshell
Unholy Temptation by Lynn Burke
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.