 Bane Naked surfer. Habitual pothead. A con, a liar, a thief and a fraud. Last I heard, he was extorting the rich and screwing their wives for a living. Which is why I’m more than a little surprised to find him at my threshold, looking for my friendship, my services, and most puzzling of all—looking humbled. Thing is, I’m on a boycott. Literally—I cut boys from my life. Permanently. Problem is, Bane is not a boy, he is all man, and I’m falling, crashing, drowning in his sweet, perfect lies. Jesse Carter Hot as hell, cold as ice. I wasn’t aware of her existence until a fat, juicy deal landed in my lap. She’s a part of it, a little plaything to kill some time. She is collateral, a means to an end, and a side-bonus for striking a deal with her oil tycoon stepdad. More than anything, Jesse Carter is a tough nut to crack. Little does she know, I have the f****** teeth for it. Review by Brittany I did not finish this book. I am not leaving a star rating. But I am going to talk straight at L.J. Shen right now. Let me preface this by saying I am NEVER mean in a review. Ever. I will talk about how I felt in a book, but I'll never bring that feeling into the actual writing of the review. Ms. Shen, I thoroughly, one hundred fucking percent, feel like this book needed a content warning. I read some sick shit. I love dark stuff, it makes my soul happy. But had you had put a content warning at the end of the synopsis letting people know that there's a slightly detailed scene involving CHILD RAPE, I would not be having these words with you right now. You see, Ms. Shen, I was a victim of child molestation when I was ten. Two years younger than Jesse was when she was raped by someone she trusted. I have pretty much come to terms with it. I like to think I'm over it, but the fact that I had to read a scene involving a grown man forcing himself on a young girl, has set me back quite a bit. I am fuming. I am feeling things I don't want to feel. I AM UPSET. I am RELIVING what I went through when I was a little girl. And if there was a content warning on this book, I would not be in the position that I am right now. After that scene with the flashback of the actual rape, I decided to continue. But then you had this fucker write her a god damn letter saying that HE DOES NOT REGRET RAPING HER. And that just set me off. Here I am, writing this letter to you, with tears streaming down my face, because even though it's fiction, I can see it clear as day in my head and that makes it real. How can you not put a content warning on this shit? This is the first book of yours that I have ever read, and I was so excited to read it. And the shitty thing about this whole situation is that it was a GREAT book. But I cannot finish it because I cannot take the possibility of reading one more iota of what happened to this girl when she was a child. So, Ms. Shen, to save others from feeling what I am feeling, put a content warning on this book. 4 Star Review by Ashley My head is still spinning. I'm not sure which way is up or down. Bane was one twisted and intense story. Yes there are some heavy topics within the pages and L.J. Shen in no way held back. But I promise that if you keep going, even if you have to put it down and walk away for a bit before you come back, it will all be worth it in the end. My heart ached and broke for Jesse. This poor woman had suffered so much and literally bore the scars of her torment. She survived the only way she knew how, by hiding. Until one not so random twist of fate puts Bane in her orbit. These two couldn't be more different if they tried. For as quiet as Jesse was, Bane was in your face. He took no prisoners and didn't care who he pissed off in the process. Jesse just wanted to be left to her books, maze and dog. But Bane wouldn't let her. He forced her out of her comfort zone. With every secret revealed, every wall that fell, every piece of herself that Jesse recovered, Bane fell a little harder. He brought her back to life and she saved him. However, when Bane's secrets caught up with him, it was all Jesse could do not to revert into who she was before Bane brought her back to life. I loved watching her soar and slay her demons. And I also loved how Bane stood beside her as she did it. He let her be the one to break the cycle. While Bane was far from an easy read- some parts were downright painful and made me take a break. And as much as I read romance for the book boyfriends, it was Jesse that was the real star here. I wanted to hug her so hard for her brokenness, her strength, her resolve, her capacity to love after all she had endured. For as dark and twisted as this book was L.J. Shen still managed to lace in some humor and plenty of heat. And that ending....just perfect for those two not so shattered anymore souls. 4.5 Star Review by Lorena Can I just say that Ms. Shen has really delivered quite another spectacular book! I always look forward to her books because I can’t think clearly after I am done reading them. I get like in a comatose state and I honestly don’t know what feeling high is because I’ve never done drugs in my life, but I think after reading her books I feel like I’m in a high and can’t seem to come down from it. I was completely enchanted with this book. Bane was just …. so BANE! He was this magnifying creature to me. I just couldn’t find the time to put my device down to try and process the chapter I just finished reading before I started the next one. I just kept going and going like the energizer bunny. Jesse was pretty much a dead shell. She went through some rough times in her life and nothing I would like to live EVER! But it was hard for her to come out of the state she was in because when something that grave happens to you, you just don’t know how to come out of that. You feel hurt and betrayed. The person you trusted goes and shatters your trust in them. I loved how Bane came swooping into her life and pretty much forced her out that shell. To me, he was her hero from the beginning all the way to the end of this superb book. Once Jesse started opening up to Bane and their friendship evolved, I just couldn’t get enough. Bane was a true hero in this book. He was really her protector. I can’t tell you which one of L.J. Shen’s books is my favorite because they all are tied for 1st place! I just can’t pick and choose. All her heroes in her books can start off being complete jerks, but turn into softies once they fall super hard for their heroine. About the Author  L.J. Shen is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.
Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets peoples’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards. She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed. AUTHOR LINKS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorljshen/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lj_shen Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authorljshen/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorljshen/ Mailing list: http://bit.ly/2umcYPg Website:http://www.authorljshen.com/
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |