#NewRelease: Bane
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Book: Bane by LJ Shen
Genre: Romance/New Adult
Content Warning: language, sexual situations, adult content
Summary:
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 teeth for it.
My Thoughts:
We gather here today to mourn the end of an era— the Sinners of Saint era. Bane is the last book in LJ Shen’s beloved series, and boy was it a way to go out.
Okay, so where to begin? I suppose starting with our titled character is always a good start.
Bane
LJ Shen is known for writing alpha male, hotholes. They are vicious, defy the story people expect from them, always cause a ruckus, and it’s always scandalous. They make you want to punch them one minute and kiss them the next. You never know what to expect, but you know it’ll be good.
Bane. Is. Different.
Is he all of those things above? At times, sure. But he is so much more. Perhaps it’s due to his upbringing. It was different than our HotHoles. He came from nothing and crawled his way to the top. He knows what it’s like to be the outcast. He knows that people expect him to be a certain way, act a certain way, look a certain way. He isn’t necessarily the things people think, but he allows people to think that of him, because he has decided not to let that get to him. Life is short.
He’s the protector of protectors.
He’s the lover of lovers.
He’s the hero of heroes.
Bane. Was. Everything.
I didn’t know what to expect of him because let’s be honest. All we knew going in was that he was some surfer dude that Edie (see: Scandalous) sorta kinda dated at one point. We knew he wasn’t necessarily on the up and up, but like the rest of the world he lives in, you go in as a reader with less than stellar expectations of the guy.
LJ Shen proved us wrong.
He is so much more than a pothead surfer.
So. Much. More.
Jesse
I think that it’s safe to say this book should have been named Jesse. I mean, I understand why it’s not (it would’ve thrown off the whole HotHole/Sinner’s nicknames thing), but this story is HER story.
She is the rich girl who you would think has everything going for her. But from the very start, we realize she doesn’t. In fact, this poor girl has been handed such a crappy hand at life, you wish you could jump into the book and just hug her for a solid five minutes.
Her story is many women’s story. Her voice was broken— stolen— in a way many women have had their voices ripped from them. She’s the tattered soul that so many women will unfortunately relate well with.
She. Is. Everything.
She was the heroine that we needed. She’s who we have been waiting for. LJ Shen created a woman that needed to be created. Because for so many of us, we can read this book and say #MeToo.
She’s strong.
She’s resiliant.
She’s your best friend, sister, mother, co-worker, neighbor— even if you don’t realize it.
She’s a voice.
She’s a hero.
She’s the reason that reading books/creating stories is so important.
I don’t want to sit here and tell you all the details, because I’m not that kind of blogger. But just know that you need this story in your life.
The Story
Really this story is about finding yourself amidst the darkness. This story is about judging a book by the cover. This story is about the princess saving herself.
These two, Bane and Jesse, are the kind of book couple that you read and think, Why aren’t all stories written like this?
They kick butt and take names. Even if the butt they’re kicking is their own demons. They claw their way out of their cells that life has put them in. Sometimes they do this hand-in-hand. Sometimes they’re the heroes of their own stories. Regardless, they are a power couple if there ever was one.
The ups and downs of this story will have your head spinning— just like every LJ Shen book does. But I will warn you, it’s not a lighthearted story. There are REAL issues that are discussed. Some that should come with major trigger warnings. If you think you need a heads up, ask for it. Because I’m going to be honest when I say this is some real (and powerful) stuff here. So don’t go in 100% blind if you’re someone who needs trigger warnings.
With that said, this is the best book LJ Shen has written up to date. It truly is. Bane has replaced my Dean. Jesse has replaced my Rosie. And the book has replaced Vicious.
I did not expect that to happen going in. But like the book teaches us, sometimes things go beyond our expectations.
So hurry and grab this phenomenal read. Because it’s the best read of 2018.
Audiobook:
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