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Blood and Sand #2

Sea of Sinners

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I'm on the run from evil. Is it finally time to embrace my darkness, or will I succumb to it?

Four volatile, very attractive men will stop at nothing to take over the island to which I've fled. Together, they are a brutal, powerful force that will destroy anything in their path.

Aidan, Roman, Brick and Slade - also known as the Brixtons.

After a bloody chance encounter where I witness a murder, they have little choice but to take me as their hostage. They're not sure what to do with me, and death is certainly an option.

But when they learn a deranged killer is hellbent on tracking me down and ending me, their instincts are to protect me. If anyone is going to end my life, they're determined it will be them. All they want in return is every single part of me. And for me to help them in their unbending quest to take control of the island chain.

The thing they don't know yet is that my soul is just as dark as theirs.

They may be psychotic, but I'm a sinner too. And I'm not going down without a fight.

**Sea of Sinners is a Dark Reverse Harem (Why Choose) Romance. 18+. Warning: this book includes graphic violence and sex scenes, and references of abuse/assault that some readers may experience as triggering. Sea of Sinners is book 2 in the Blood and Sand collection. It is a duet with Book 3 which also follows the Brixton storyline and will release on 3/28.

239 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 28, 2023

167 people are currently reading
628 people want to read

About the author

Heidi Stark

23 books384 followers
Heidi Stark writes contemporary dark romance with a twist of danger, desire, and the occasional sports scandal.

Known for her badass heroines and irresistibly morally grey men, Heidi has captivated readers with 20+ titles, including the gripping Blood and Sand series, the fiery Volcano of Pain, and her highly anticipated new release, Beautiful Terror.

Originally hailing from the lush landscapes of New Zealand, Heidi now calls the U.S. home, where she shares her creative chaos with her feline sidekick, Fang.

When she’s not crafting heart-pounding stories, Heidi is a whirlwind of energy—hitting up barre classes, devouring true crime podcasts, dabbling in roller derby, people-watching, or indulging in her guilty pleasure: reality TV binges. Always on the hunt for inspiration, she’s probably plotting her next book—or her next travel adventure.

Dark, daring, and deliciously addictive—Heidi’s world is one you’ll never want to leave.

Subscribe to Heidi's newsletter here, and join her on social media:
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5 stars
84 (31%)
4 stars
75 (27%)
3 stars
68 (25%)
2 stars
28 (10%)
1 star
13 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
Profile Image for Anastasia シ.
766 reviews254 followers
December 16, 2024
╭ ✦ •

│ ⊹ 𝟹.𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜, 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚐! ⊹

╰ ✦ •

Hmmm, where to start? This is book two in this series, it can be read as a standalone, it's set in the same setting, the tropical island, and there is a VERY slight character crossover near the end. I have mixed feelings about this one. While there was much more to this story than the first, it felt very similar.

Another, dark reverse harem story with the captor/captive, enemies-to-lovers trope.

The story follows Angel a talented Hairdresser, presently in her own applied format of Witness Protection. Despite her endeavors, her past catches up and clashes with the present predicament of being Roman, Aiden, Brick, and Slade, aka The Brixton's, hostage.

Sea of Sinners starts with Roman visiting Angel's salon, they make flirty eye contact while she's working on someone's hair, and when that client was done, they start flirting and whatnot. Things take a slight turn when this crazy "asshole" comes in and threatens Roman, so he just murders him right in front of her... good thing no one else was in the shop! My initial thoughts on this was WTF? Roman just ... MURDERED someone in front of her, in her salon, and she's like "yeah I've seen worse" ..  and "Nah I'm not closing my shop, you better get rid of that body".. shes saying it in a way like its something so normal? The crazy part is they just continue casually flirting still like nothing happened. It. Was. Weird. Anyways, she gets knocked out TWICE and kidnapped.

The characters in this book were way more relatable, they have more depth and vulnerability. There was an actual actiony/suspenseful storyline going on that I actually enjoyed. The steamy sex scenes were just as great as the first book. I wish that it got to the point faster though. Angel has been running from this mysterious person, who was in jail and just recently got out/already found her somehow, we don't see much of this interaction until the very end of the book, which leaves on a cliffhanger. A cliffhanger that I'm actually sad about that, hopefully, in the next book, Sea of Rage (March 28th) we get more information and a more rounded plot/conclusion. I am hopeful, but also with how poorly executed the first book was... I'm skeptical. If you want a spicy reverse harem experience, this book may be a perfect fit.

_________________________________
Sea of Snakes | Review
Sea of Sinners | Review
Sea of Rage | Review
Sea of Pain | Review

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Profile Image for Catbytheseareads ♡.
802 reviews76 followers
September 20, 2023
I will update this review once i read book 4, book 3 is missing from book sirens? so this being book 2 leaves with a major cliffhanger

about Angel, she has a secret past, she changed her name, ran from life as she knew it, no one knows her. Now she runs a small hair salon and that changed when she meets Roman..
and the Brixtons. drug & gun import/export torture, murder and all hot, sexy men
Profile Image for Alyssa Monroe.
15 reviews4 followers
May 28, 2023
I liked this better than the first book! Looking forward to reading more!
Profile Image for Katherine.
6 reviews2 followers
May 23, 2023
I loved this!! I'm sooo looking forward to reading more of Angel's story!!
Profile Image for Allticketyboo.
20 reviews
March 10, 2024
Is no one going to point out that this is an identical rip off of Den of Vipers? But with even worse writing. How this stuff ever makes it past publishers I'll never know.
Profile Image for Deborah Mayne.
149 reviews4 followers
March 6, 2023
ARC from author - No Spoilers - Bk 2 in Blood & Sand series - small cliffhanger - Dark RH multi POV
***** CW: profanity, abuse, sex, death, violence, rape and kidnap*****

Following on from Book 1, Sea of Snakes, on the same Island, we are now introduced to FMC Angel a talented Hairdresser, presently in her own applied format of Witness Protection. Despite her endeavors, her past catches up and clashes with the present predicament of being Roman, Aiden, Brick, and Slade, aka The Brixton's, hostage.

The characters are far more relatable in this book, they have more depth and vulnerability so it is easier to connect.
Angel is instantly likable, does have spark and an air of uncrushability. Roman initially was quietly mucho macho intriguing but lost his place slightly in the Harem setting.
I enjoyed the extra facets to Bricks personality, the snippets of flower knowledge make a world of difference bringing a character to life.
More history is divulged and I suspect being a two parter, this will continue and will fully flesh out the main characters, I hope Angel will fully open up emotionally with her Men and vice versa for this to be a healthy relationship and satisfy the readers curiosity.

Plenty of hot spice with sizzling dynamics between some of the Brixton's, not telling who and some barriers still to break down.
We do have the previous Harem make a fleeting visit, bit surprised and narked at Devon, her character not likeable in this instance, sorry.

Again gorgeous Art work and I am looking forward to Book 3 Sea of Rage to see where this current narrative is going as the tension is building up quite nicely.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
Profile Image for Ashley.
236 reviews2 followers
March 19, 2023
3.5 stars. It was an interesting book. I found myself a bit more intrigued with the murderous stalker plot. The characters are all individually interesting and id like more on their backstories. You dont really know how to take them, but you like them anyways. The dynamic between the main characters is a bit chaotic. One minute, they're talking about how she's a liability, and they should off her. The next, they, aside from slade, want to protect her. But all the while, there are lustful connections at the least going on. She witnessed a murder and was kidnapped but was just so calm and collected aside from a few meager attempts to escape, so her actions and reactions to the guys and her situation were a bit weird. But I did like that she wasn't a weak whiny pushover and does atleast attempt to stick up for herself. There needs to be another combover with editing and proofreading. It wasn't bad, but some things were noticeable. I would have liked a bit more world building. They own bars and clubs, but aside from 1 pickup and talking about their activities, you don't really see them get into much or their daily activities. Also, I know they're on an island, and there are mainlanders, but there's no mention of where exactly they are, and everything is taking place. I'm assuming Hawaii, but I have no clue. The book did leave off on a cliffhanger, so I'm interested to see what happens next in the next book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily
Profile Image for D. L. Foley | My Last Romance.
997 reviews22 followers
May 7, 2023
My Rating: ❤️❤️❤️.5

Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thanks to BookSirens and the author.

General Thoughts: After reading the first book in this series (which is more of a mostly unrelated prequel, so far at least), I wanted to give this one a go because I thought the author had a lot of potential, but the last one didn't perfectly click for me. I thought this one came together better than the first. Though I thought this was a standalone so the pacing seemed off for a bit to me. It's a short more novella-length book than full book length. It appears it's the first of three books.

I always leave Heidi's books feeling a bit confused by certain things. Maybe I just lack imagination. The writing could be more polished in parts. BUT I still think there's something about Heidi's stories that draws me in and captures my interest. She is a writer who when she's on, she's on. It was a fun, hot, steamy read. If you like your romances dark, this may be for you. I'll be curious to see how this series develops.

I have a lot of questions and am very curious to see how this one progresses.

Steam Meter:. 🔥🔥🔥Pretty dang steamy and k1nky. I expect the steam will continue. Right now it's a lot of promise of steam to come.

Romantic Tropes
-why choose
-polyamorous
-MFMMM
-dark
-mafia-esque

You can read more of my reviews at mylastromance.com. You can also find me on Insta @mylastromancenovel.
1,090 reviews9 followers
March 5, 2023
Unrelentingly dark, twisted, and depraved!! Angel is a survivor who will fight till her last breath. Roman, Aiden, Brick, and Slade have met their match in sheer will to live. Together they have an incredible attraction but they also are damaged, dangerous, and traumatized. A psychiatrist’s wet dream: mental illness, repressed emotions, and deviant behavior.
Heidi has written a book full of damaged characters, dialogue that develops their issues, and situations fraught with emotional and physical tension. Normal behavior is an oddity and suspect while shocking behavior seems almost comforting in it’s familiarity. Angel’s stalker is close and bringing all of them closer. I can’t wait for the next book!!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Mel DG.
438 reviews1 follower
January 1, 2025
This book did not deliver. Really no spice. Repetitive explainations from different POVs. The guys realised they essentially saved Angel’s life by kidnapping her, but when she says the same thing the story notes the dawning realisation on their faces. Duh!
And Roman has relations with someone else in this story. That’s a big no-no in these types of books. There are pages all about them picking flowers for her. And a random altercation at the beach with another surfer. It’s all WTF am I reading stuff?
And then it just ends.
There’s no real action between any of the characters in this book. I’ve heard of slow burn, but this was virtually no burn. Sure, some spice, but it all felt contrite.
And I don’t understand why the guys feel so attached to Angel they want to protect her.
Felt like a waste of my time to read this.
Profile Image for Kimberly.
521 reviews13 followers
March 3, 2023
This is my first read from Heidi Stark and she didn’t disappoint! The FMC Angel is a bad ass trying to survive a horrific past. She meets cocky Roman as he strolls into her shop for a hair cut and the worst thing imaginable happens. A murder takes place and Angel is kidnapped. The four hot as sin men, Aiden, Brick Roman and Slade who are taking over the island keep Angel for their own. Little did Angel know her captors actually saved her life. Feels stir and emotions are high and what a cliffhanger!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Michelle  Brown.
730 reviews6 followers
June 20, 2023
HHmmm being the second book in the series of was kind of expecting a bit more than what we got.

For me, I enjoyed the first book more as I felt I got more out of those characters as a whole where as this book I felt I learnt a bit less even though 3 of the 4 guys were actively in the story.

The FMC seemed like she was just took having a murder happen in her salon like it was spilling her coffee on the floor. It just didn't read true for me.

Any who, the story was easy to read and was pretty close to the first book in storyline.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
578 reviews5 followers
Read
January 31, 2025
Cliffhanger

I liked this book so much more than book 1.
Maybe it was because I read this one first? But I don't think so.
I feel like these characters are more age vs activity appropriate.
I was bummed when I realized that I was 80% into the story and it wasn't finished. I really do appreciate I get injected standalones.
Apparently this is a trilogy, which basically makes me wasn't to skip the second book and jump to three and wrap it up with the fifth book of the series.
The characters are awesome, diverse skills and personalities. A few opportunities were missed - like the unfinished usher haircut. I am curious how it plays out. This would be easier if I had KU.
3,768 reviews12 followers
March 6, 2023
Sea of Sinners by Heidi Stark
Speechless. Not in a bad way but the goosebumps that has a grip on me as the characters are so indecisive about to keep her or kill her. They have chemistry. Kidnapping and murder and a psychopath on her trail will put them on edge. Cliffhanger so I can’t wait to see what’s next. I’m so glad I found this new author, she’s proved she’s a great writer and I’ll be looking for more from her.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for M Will.
963 reviews14 followers
March 26, 2023
Good story

Angel is a tough lady with a string of bad luck. I love how she keeps her own strength even when facing the chaos in this book. Forced to endure unspeakable travesty in the past, she strides to move forward and takes no crap from anyone - include the notorious Brixtons. This story has darker undertones, angst, kidnapping and definitely some dub con steamy scenes. And I loved it.
I am curious where the author is taking us on this journey. I cannot wait for book 3.
Profile Image for Andrea.
225 reviews6 followers
April 10, 2023
Hmmm where to start... 1st I was hoping it would have had more from book one.. I mean come on you left us hanging, so much unanswered. But if you take book two as a standalone and not series then 4.5 stars. It has a lot of the same feel as book one but with the girl and guys situation of the stalker making it different. The stalker side is great and you can feel how this is effecting her. However I want to throat punch Slade like a lot. I'm hoping book three will have more of book one and book two in it and not start with different people.
Profile Image for Emma :).
309 reviews19 followers
March 20, 2024
Omg book tow is finally here! Okay I fell in love with book one and am so excited book two is out. (Note- while this is the second in a series this can totally be read as a stand alone). I once again devoured this new Heidi book in one whole day. This is a dark romance and also a why choose romance. Honestly dark why choose is a hard genre to mail and Heidi NAILED IT! I loved it and thought the story was fun, exhilarating, and sexy!

If you love Heidi’s other books, especially if you loved the first book in this series, or just love why choose romances, you will love this book.
7 reviews
February 12, 2025
DNF'd

Got to 89 pages in and just couldn't gather why she wasn't even remotely worried about being kidnapped?? Like on second she's fuming and wants to get out the car and fighting to actually get out of it with one of them. The next she's happily sat in bare minimum clothing eating a meal with them and getting off in secret with someone's foot?? Like ?? Did no one else read this and remotely think like girl you've been kidnapped here why are you okay with this? Like I get in some books it works but for me it's verrryyyy off and just makes it feel forced and unrealistic.
Profile Image for Kyla Lockwood.
162 reviews4 followers
August 27, 2025
100% a page turner

Loved this book Stark captures a badass woman who has overcome much. During the vulnerable moments there is still strength.
The men are hoooottttt! It's a bit of a slow burn and an interesting play on the relationship.
The ending left a lot of why did Stark end it there! No, how dare you torment me this way. Yup, a cliff hanger.

Overall, I'm ready for book two and love where this world is going. There are so many secrets yet to uncover....and we'll that's it I'm ready.
778 reviews9 followers
September 28, 2023
This was a decent read. I was enjoying it more than the first in the series until I hit the cliffhanger. I am not a fan of cliffhangers so that tainted my opinion of the book some. The first in the series was completely wrapped up with barely any overlapping into the second book so it came as a surprise to me. But in all honesty, I’m not interested enough in knowing what happens to read the third in the series.

Side note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review
Profile Image for Rachel Stephens.
2,314 reviews40 followers
March 2, 2023
Great Read!
From the first chapter this grabs your attention.
There was action, suspense, humor, angst and steam!
I really liked Angel, she was sassy, her don't take no crap attitude and a survivor.
I also loved the banter between the Brixtons. Brick may have been my favorite just for his craziness.
Overall I enjoyed it!
725 reviews11 followers
March 16, 2023
Talk about an edge of your seat thriller. This isn’t your average reverse harem story. This is definitely not an insta love kind of story but a perfect slow burn kind that leaves you wanting more. I am dying for the next book. I need to know watt happens to these delicious characters. Absolutely perfect
Profile Image for Nicole Deanne Veracruz.
2,369 reviews15 followers
August 23, 2023
I find some aspects too far fetched even for a fictional book. Don't get me wrong it is quite steamy. And the description of the guys will have drooling. But Angels actions right after being kidnapped are very unbelievable.


I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Meesh Reads.
158 reviews1 follower
May 6, 2024
Friendly reminder to watch your trigger warnings :)

I was wondering after reading sea of snakes when we’d meet the Brixton’s, and wow Heidi you did NOT disappoint!

These boys are so unique in their own way, and their personalities all fill a void Angel didn’t realize she was missing.

I will never be able to look at hair cutting sheers the same.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Profile Image for Frankie Bell.
511 reviews17 followers
July 11, 2024
This series is totally worth it!!!

Now I’m not sure what do to! Can I please please trade places with Angel? I want three guys to fawn over me and have one who doesn’t like me but secretly wants me?! Heidi once again you’ve blown me away with yours books!! Bye bye adult responsibilities hello getting lost in a great series by an amazing author!!!!
Profile Image for Elaina.
169 reviews
December 21, 2025
a decent start

I didn’t get mafia vibes from this book, more gang like because we only see the 4 men. Angel’s backstory is barely established in this book as well. I am not a fan of the voyeurism in this book either, it felt kind of icky to me personally, but I understand it was to be the cataclysm of Angel’s wants in the storyline.
261 reviews1 follower
May 9, 2023
I loved this story! The characters are phenomenal and I loved every page. If you love romance then this is a book that you must read! Loved the ending! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Profile Image for Yara flores.
711 reviews2 followers
December 29, 2024
Sinceramente ni siquiera es tan bueno
Además el spicy es tan raro, es un RH pero tampoco tiene sentido porque solo ha estado con dos personas y ni siquiera son buenas escenas

Pero quiero leer la continuación porque no me esperaba que tuviera otra parte
Profile Image for Meghan M.
12 reviews
January 3, 2025
It’s Den of Vipers, but on an island. Theres the controlling one in charge, the handsome womanizer, the one who hates women, and the deranged one with a wonky nickname and a torture basement. Woman gets kidnapped, they decide to keep her, kink ensues.
Profile Image for Micki_1989.
1,137 reviews4 followers
January 9, 2025
Oooo

Soo good didn't want to put it down, intense storyline but not to inundated it flows naturally no fast paced smut and only a slight hint at what's happening. Can't wait to read more.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews

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