L.J. Shen

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.

Bane

Levi-Mae 

“I think we need matching ass tattoos,” I say.

“Why? Do you have another cool story?” She grins into our kiss. I pick her up by the ass and wrap her legs around my waist.

“Yeah.” I bite her lower lip and tug. Hard. “You.”

‘I don’t want you, Snowflake. I need you. I need you. I fucking need you.‘

‘I looked at them, and they looked at me, and all they could see was black, because that’s who I was to them. The darkness. The stain in their history. Not to be removed. Not to be forgotten. I would spread, and conquer, and be remembered, so that other women would not end up like me.‘

“Can you be there for me? Just in case I need someone to hold my sword for me?”

 I did a little bow with my head. “Why, my princess, I thought you’d never ask.”

“Hey, Roman, what’s the antonym of hate?” 

“I hate coffee,” she said. I shrugged and took a sip of my latte. “Ditto.”

‘My Whole Life Has Been Pledged to This Meeting with You‘

“No, Snowflake. Where have you been before? When I was lost. When I was a monster. When nothing made sense. Where have you been all my life?”

‘Roman ‘Bane’ Protsenko was beautiful like a Pushkin paragraph. You could read his face a thousand times, and each time, you’d find something new to admire.‘

“You need to leave me with something!” she called out. 

“I am,” I said, yanking the door open. “I’m leaving you with the consequences of your actions.”

“Who the fuck are you, Jesse Carter?” 

“I’m the girl I need to be to save myself.”

“I love you, Jesse. I fell in love with your soul before I even knew who you were. With that Pushkin tattoo, and that defiant stare, and the way you carried yourself like a disobedient goddess who didn’t belong here with all the snotty mortals of the beach. Even as I stand here now, I continue falling, because you’re a part of the only fucking person who resembled a father figure to me, and also a part of the reason I quit doing the toxic shit that reminded me who I was made of. You’re all my good parts wrapped together in a satin bow, Snowflake, and I can’t lose you. Because if I lose you, I stay with all the bad parts. I stay alone.”

‘He looked up, his green eyes menacing, wild, in every shade of green known in nature,‘

“My way is not the kind of way you read in your books.” He lowered his voice and chin, searching my eyes for signs of distress. There weren’t any.

“You haven’t read my books.” I arched an eyebrow. “Don’t make false assumptions.”

“I love you, Roman ‘Bane’ Protsenko. Not because you take away my loneliness, but because you give me strength.”

‘I wanted to suck her agony into my own body until she felt better, even if it killed me.‘

‘Shit, I loved Jesse Carter. Was in love with Jesse Carter.‘

“But you know what the worst part is?” 

“Jesse!” She gulped more water. “Je-ssse! Help me out!”

 “I can’t drown my demons. They know how to swim.”

‘I’d had time to tell him goodbye. I hadn’t gotten to hold him when he took his last breath. I hadn’t even been there to comfort him. Couldn’t make sure that he felt comfortable and loved. That he was lying down on one of my hoodies—he loved sleeping on my clothes—and looking up at me, and I would have said something soothing he would somehow understand.‘

‘Old Jesse was no longer knocking on my soul’s door. She’d kicked that thing down. And all the light streamed in.‘

“I want to be your girlfriend, Roman.” 

“Good. Because there’s a list of things I want to do to you, and none of them fall into the friend-zone category.” He walked over to me, dropping three kisses on my mouth, nose, and chin. My heart felt mossy. Soft-walled. So easy to break in his dirty big hands.

“What’s the antonym of hate?” I blurted, drunk on pleasure. He collapsed to his couch, cupping the joint with his thumb and forefinger and sucking hard. “Jesse.”

‘Roman laughed, smashing his lips to mine with a kiss that made it clear that he owned my body—every inch of it —and all the things inside it. Every thought and heartbeat. Every painful breath. His.‘

I have a fat ass crush on Bane and Jesse. 

Like hands down this couple is tied with Dean and Rosie. 

I mean this is a very fucking healthy couple. They have great communication and they never tried to fuck each other over. Even though their relationship started out as a part of a business deal. 

I loved how protective Bane was of Jesse’s boundaries and made sure no one including himself invaded it. 

I loved how he helped her instead of manhandling her problems. 

Jesse is a fucking queen and I love the two of them so fucking much. 

Keira 💫

I have a fat ass crush on Bane and Jesse. 

Like hands down this couple is tied with Dean and Rosie. 

I mean this is a very fucking healthy couple. They have great communication and they never tried to fuck each other over. Even though their relationship started out as a part of a business deal. 

I loved how protective Bane was of Jesse’s boundaries and made sure no one including himself invaded it. 

I loved how he helped her instead of manhandling her problems. 

I loved how he just listened to her. 

Jesse is a fucking queen and I love the two of them so fucking much. 

Ashley

☆ 5 / 5 ☆ 

IT WAS SO GOOD. IS. IT IS SO GOOD. 

  *POSSIBLE MINOR SPOILERS*  

This book. UGH. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. 

I don't know what's the difference between this book and the others, but this one is definitely my favorite from the series. 

Anyway, what exactly do I love about this book? Everything. How well it was written and easy to understand for me. The characters were amazing, I really connected with them on a new level.

Roman 'Bane' Protsenko. My man. Only mine and Jesse's man. He is absolutely everything and anything I want. Like ugh. He probably isn't "all that" but he's also words on paper, and that I love a lot. 

Jesse Carter. She is so, so strong. I love her and she deserves the best. When the heroine saves herself >. So incredibly good. 

Ngl, the plot was a little cliche. But who doesn't like cliche?? Also, his nickname for her was SO cute. My heart melted everytime he used it. 

Tropes: forbidden love, strong heroine

---

 "We weren't a boy and a girl. We were two lonely, fucked-up souls." 

 "You're poisoned. Sheltered. Yet, you're no Snow White. Wanna know why?" ... "Snow White waited for the prince. You'll be the one saving yourself in this story." 

 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.  
*Chef's kiss^^*

  

   Don't fall in love. Fall off a bridge. It hurts less. 
  

  

   "Hey, Roman, what's the antonym of hate?" ... "Jesse." 
  


Okay, I know this is a handful of quotes.. and there's more. Let's be honest. WHO DOESN'T LOVE BOOK QUOTES LIKE THIS. I swear on the Book Goddess that every book that has quotes, heartbreaking and beautiful quotes, are the best book in this lifetime. Especially if they're quotes one can relate to. 

Anyway, this book is definitely a have-to-read.

freya.nightwolf

Bane... well... I'm surprised Trent didn't kill him yet :))) 
I love that his friendship with Edie is still on, and Trent now trusts him ish :))) at least there's an understanding between them. Baby steps :)))
Now. Bane and Jesse. I think this is one of the toughest books I've read because when rape is involved... well I would go straight for the kill, and the way the book is written and you always find another secret or fear that slowly gets away, you always find more layers on the characters. One has something to gain, the other finds her freedom and courage and so both free themselves and also help each other in not committing something they'll regret. The way their brains work in making a plan and also being smart about it, it's really magnificent reading this book. 

I recommend this series to everyone. You can read it in order or in a different order, but however you choose, you will love every book.

marie

It took me a while to start reading this book because I took a break from the series because of Rosie-related concerns but once I did read it I was so happy that I did it's such a sweet story and I loved it. I so did not expect the ending I was so surprised I so didn't see that coming.

Nedu

Nia Kharebashvili 

”You don’t need a prince, princess. You need a sword.”


I didn’t know what to expect going into this because I didn’t really care about Bane in “Scandalous” but turns out that reading about someone other than a HotHole is pretty refreshing, to be honest. Bane ended up being one of my favorite male protagonists of this series. 
And same goes for Jesse as a female. 
Both characters were very well-written and matched perfectly and they’re love story was one of the strongest in the series. 

This book was another level of fucked-up. I thought it was a bit much but still I’m justifying this by Todos Santos being a small town and everyone has to be involved with everyone(but this reassurance is more for me than it is for you). 

Overall, I liked this book very much! I’m so sad that the series is over. I never thought I’d love it this much. It holds a special place in my heart from now on.
NA has never really been my jam. It always seemed only endless smut, delivering a meaningful message only when we’re lucky. But L.J Shen wrote damaged yet beautiful characters and made me love—along with Elle Kennedy, of course—New Adult romance.

Sarina Sherman

5 stars 🌟 wait.. this book was actually SO GOOD. I think it’s my favorite L.J. Shen book to date. I don’t know why I put it off for so long, I guess I just couldn’t get into Bane after glimpses of him in the previous books. But omg was I wrong. Roman and Jesse are absolutely everything. The way this book handled the topics was everything I could’ve wished for, and Jesse won herself back in a way that had me so excited in the end. So good!!!!

celeste

2.5 stars. at this point, i'm only reading lj shen's books to get some sense of closure about characters that i've known since book 1 because honestly there's nothing else in her books that really peak my interest anymore. i don't like her smutty scenes, i don't feel nor believe the love between the heros and heroines, and the harsh and serious topics that she usually adds to her books always feel like they're overexaggerated instead of realistic.

i'm kinda disappointed at the version of bane that we got in this book. i honestly feel like this was such a watered down and toned down version of the bane we met and were introduced to in the previous book, which was the whole reason why i was so excited to read his book. i couldn't wait to read the book about this i-give-no-fucks attitued, rebellious, cocky, up-front, straight to the point and hilarious dude and what i got was a totally sobered down and serious and kinda lacking on the humoristic side kind of dude. and a lot of that, i think, is due to the fact that this book takes place years after scandalous instead of just catching up where it left of... and i'm suspicious that the author made that choice because she needed to have an age gap between the heroine (who's 19/20) and the hero (25) that was big enough to signal how much of a 'grown man' he is, as opposed to the teenagers who ruined her life while they were in high school, and how he would never do anything to wrong her. i was expecting more from this because i went into it with a whole different idea in my head of what was gonna happen. so maybe my expectations were not met at all.

i also do not think it was necessary to have the heroine go through all that she went through. (view spoiler)[i feel like it was extremely unnecessary and borderlining torture-porn to have her be the victim of not only being gang-raped by her boyfriend and his friends, but also have her forget that she had also been raped when she was only a child by none other than her step-father and to top it all off, have every single member of her life lie to her and cover up for what had been done to her ie. her therapist, her mother and her pedophile rapist step-father. (hide spoiler)] it was just too much and did not add anything to the story. i think what had been done to her in high school was enough to set the whole story around her getting better, and getting the help she needed to start living her life again and start healing mentally and physically. so i don't understand the reason why that OTHER thing was added except for a shock factor, especially with how the event was recreated in a chapter in very graphic and specific details. i also ABHORRED the fact that (view spoiler)[her step-father got somewhat of a redemption arc??? i was disgusted at seeing that we got to see from his pov through a letter telling jesse to be strong and not to let any man do what had been done to her ever again or not let them get away with it. like dude YOU ARE A DISGUSTING PEDOPHILE AND RAPIST I DO NOT NEED YOUR FUCKING ADVICE ON HOW TO DEAL WITH SCUM LIKE YOU!!! i honestly did not think it was necessary or even tactful to have his somewhat redemption arc be thrown in those last chapters, just yikes. (hide spoiler)]

overall disappointed with this book based on how i was highly expecting it because of bane.

Cat Imb

I received an ARC of this book from the author and I voluntarily reviewed it. Thank you L.J. Shen!

I have no words. NO WORDS. God this book killed me and destroyed me in the most beautiful way possible. It gave me all the feels. ALL OF THEM, and I could not put this book down. L.J. Shen is a goddess with words and her readers' hearts. This book will make your heart ache and break, but you will enjoy it.

I cannot even begin to explain how this book affected me. It gave me chills. So much has happened to Jesse, and it blows my mind how strong she is, how she still found it in herself to love and care for people. It chilled me to my core how cunning people are in order to further themselves and to keep up appearances at the expense of someone else.

L.J. Shen wrote this book beautifully. The repetition of the quote really reinforced its meaning. It gave an additional layer to the story, and made it all the more beautiful. L.J. Shen's writing is effortless, flowing and beautiful, just like a wave, yet impacting when crashing at the shore.

There are just so many different aspects and facets to this book to address, but most simmer down to one thing: family. About its importance or lack thereof. About how family is sometimes just a word with no meaning, and that true family is chosen.

Second book I've read by L.J. Shen, and a second home run by this author. She is a master of her craft, and is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors.

Lacey

4.5 stars!! My favorite LJ Shen to date, and my favorite LJ hero so far too.

Ashlee

This one may have actually been my favorite of the series … how does that happen!? Each book just kept getting better and better.

What really captured me with this one was Jesse's story and her journey. The previous books were good and each had captivating stories, however Jesse and Bane really stole the show in this one. Everything that Jesse has been through and the way she has sheltered herself was heartbreaking. As she begins to emerge from her shell (with Bane's help but mostly on her own accord), the story became more compelling with each chapter. Especially as more emerges about her experiences and the roles played by those around her.

Bane was patient, not judgmental and not quite as alpha as Vicious, Dean and Trent are. Any day of the week, I would have taken an ultra-alpha male like Vicious with a smile - but it would not have been right for this story. LJ really hit the chill, gives-no-f*cks but compassionate character type on the head. I liked that Bane's character was already introduced in Scandalous, however he has much changed since the days of smoking weed in the park with Edie. On that note, we do get a glimpse at some of the characters from previous books, including updates on their current lives, especially Edie (her and Bane are BFFs).

Overall, this is a story that hits upon some triggering topics such as sexual assault, abandonment and mental abuse through manipulation. NONE of these things happen between Jesse or Bane - however the characters have experienced them in different forms.

I would say this series definitely ended on a high note. I wasn't sure about it going in (Vicious is hard to like), however it really feels as though its come full circle. Now I'm onto Pretty Reckless, the story of the children (eeek!) of the characters of the Sinners of Saint series!

Bane

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