What do you think?
Rate this book
Brooklyn Sinners #3
A Sinner Born
Book three in the Brooklyn Sinners series.
One man buried in secrets. Another still grieving the love he lost. Their worlds collide in a battle between memories, old and new, while trust hangs by a fragile thread.
Syren Rua is at war. He battles painful childhood demons and his intense need for the first person who makes him feel. As Faro, Syren makes deals with the worst while taking the steps necessary to bring his family’s killer to justice. He isn’t one to indulge in selfish needs, but he’ll make the time in this instance. Syren has been watching Kane Ashby, craving the grieving man for his own. He’s always stayed away from temptation, but that’s about to change.
Kane isn’t over the death of his long-time partner. He’s certainly not ready for a relationship, sexual or otherwise, but Syren isn’t a man who takes no for an answer. The unpredictable Syren offers nothing but secrets and brings with him memories so dark, they could wipe out any chance the two might ever have. Syren brings Kane’s heart back to life. But it is also Syren who could inflict the most damage.
Inside Scoop: One of our heroes has a panty fetish. And it’s hot. This book also contains brief references to rape and child abuse.
One man buried in secrets. Another still grieving the love he lost. Their worlds collide in a battle between memories, old and new, while trust hangs by a fragile thread.
Syren Rua is at war. He battles painful childhood demons and his intense need for the first person who makes him feel. As Faro, Syren makes deals with the worst while taking the steps necessary to bring his family’s killer to justice. He isn’t one to indulge in selfish needs, but he’ll make the time in this instance. Syren has been watching Kane Ashby, craving the grieving man for his own. He’s always stayed away from temptation, but that’s about to change.
Kane isn’t over the death of his long-time partner. He’s certainly not ready for a relationship, sexual or otherwise, but Syren isn’t a man who takes no for an answer. The unpredictable Syren offers nothing but secrets and brings with him memories so dark, they could wipe out any chance the two might ever have. Syren brings Kane’s heart back to life. But it is also Syren who could inflict the most damage.
Inside Scoop: One of our heroes has a panty fetish. And it’s hot. This book also contains brief references to rape and child abuse.
277 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 19, 2013
73 people are currently reading
1010 people want to read
About the author
Avril Ashton
78 books1,682 followersA Caribbean transplant, Avril now lives in Stone Mountain, GA., with a tolerant Spousal Equivalent. Together they raise an eccentric daughter who loves reading and school (not so much school anymore). Avril’s earliest memories of reading revolve around discussing plot points of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys with an equally book-minded mother
Always in love with the written word, Avril finally decided to do the writing in August of ’09 and never looked back. Spicy love scenes, delicious heroes, and wicked women burn up the pages of Avril’s stories, but there’ll always be a happy ending; Av remains a believer of love in all its forms.
Always in love with the written word, Avril finally decided to do the writing in August of ’09 and never looked back. Spicy love scenes, delicious heroes, and wicked women burn up the pages of Avril’s stories, but there’ll always be a happy ending; Av remains a believer of love in all its forms.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 204 reviews
March 22, 2020
2nd read: I'm still mad at Kane. Four stars again.
It is the saddest story in the Brooklyn Sinners series so far. It is filled with pain, grief, heartbreak, sacrifices, terror, blood, violence, and torture...
It’s a multidimensional story, actually three in one: the story of Syren, the story of Kane, and finally the love story of the two of them.
Syren’s façade falls off, and the real Syren is broken and strong, determined and sweet, vulnerable and kinky. He is like no one else. He is special. He is precious. And deserves to be loved more than anyone else.
Kane is withdrawn and morose. It’s been years, but he is still incapable of moving on after his partner, Bailey’s death. Syren makes Kane smile again, brings him back to life, and makes him want to move on.
I could feel for Kane, but he is not as likeable as I expected. His guilt, hesitation, and recovery from grief are well-built and his character is nicely executed until the end of the story.
I hated Kane at the end. How could he believe I hated this ending.
I loved Syren, and loved the story, despite all the pain and suffering. There was a pretty unexpected twist, and lots of heartbreaking moments. The only thing I’m not fully satisfied is Kane’s character.
My favorite quotes.
It is the saddest story in the Brooklyn Sinners series so far. It is filled with pain, grief, heartbreak, sacrifices, terror, blood, violence, and torture...
It’s a multidimensional story, actually three in one: the story of Syren, the story of Kane, and finally the love story of the two of them.
Syren’s façade falls off, and the real Syren is broken and strong, determined and sweet, vulnerable and kinky. He is like no one else. He is special. He is precious. And deserves to be loved more than anyone else.
Kane swallowed the bile in his throat. How could that happen to anyone, let alone the man who sat beside him now? Beautiful and strong and vibrant, and yet broken, in ways Syren himself probably never realized. How did things like that happen?
Kane is withdrawn and morose. It’s been years, but he is still incapable of moving on after his partner, Bailey’s death. Syren makes Kane smile again, brings him back to life, and makes him want to move on.
I could feel for Kane, but he is not as likeable as I expected. His guilt, hesitation, and recovery from grief are well-built and his character is nicely executed until the end of the story.
I hated Kane at the end. How could he believe I hated this ending.
I loved Syren, and loved the story, despite all the pain and suffering. There was a pretty unexpected twist, and lots of heartbreaking moments. The only thing I’m not fully satisfied is Kane’s character.
My favorite quotes.
July 9, 2021
1 star that would be 0 stars if I could
Trigger warnings, because the ones provided are lacking: on page self arm, on page rape and rape aftermath, victim blaming and cheating.
My feelings about this book can be summed up by this gif:
If this book ended at 46%, it would be a solid 5 stars read. But considering that the book does not end at 46%, which is a missed opportunity by the way, it’s a solid 1 star read.
I’m giving this book one star for one specific reason, because it exploits an event that is very traumatizing as a plot device instead of treating it with the care it deserves. I still enjoyed some things about this book, but I couldn’t let the use of that particular plot device slide.
I do not understand how things went so wrong. Everything was perfect and this book was making me cry like every two seconds and I was so fucking invested in it. And then one scene happened and I hated it and then it was followed by another scene I hated and then I just hated the entire book.
Thank you again for my dear Candy for reading this with me and for the emotional support, I would never have gone through the mess that was this book without you. I really needed a buddy with whom I could take about how horrible this was.
I separated my review in many parts, there will a brief and none spoilers section of my dislikes of the book and then a full of spoilers filled section, so just be careful!
Brief summary
Syren is the face of a drug division in cartel and Kane is a federal marshal. Kane is the brother of one of Syren’s friend and Syren has seen one of his picture and he’s been pining for him ever since. Syren finally makes his move on Shane and then they get together and fall in love, if you can call it love, it was mostly just a really abusive relationship.
The little things I enjoyed about this book
First, I love Syren. He had one of the worst backstory ever but he was such a strong man and he still had a good vibe about himself and I just loved him, so much. I just wanted to hug Syren the enture book, he did not deserve all the pain he went through. Syren deserves much better than what he got. Syren is now one of my favourite character of all time. He has so many layers and he’s so complex but everything about him is brillant and I love him for it.
Second, I spent a big part of this book crying. I felt so much for Syren and reading about what he was going through just made me so sad.
Third, Syren doesn’t want to touch anyone or for anyone to touch him, but Kane. Syren has trust issues and doesn’t like intimacy. He only trusts Kane. I loved most of the sex scenes in this book. But mostly the one where they have sex for the time. Syren was sold and raped when he was a child and it was his first time having sex since then and Kane helped him through him his trauma and helped make him feel better. That scene damn near wrecked me, it was lovely.
Fourth, Syren loves to wear panties, which is hot as fuck. I loved how supportive Kane was so Syren’s love for panties and how he loved them too.
Overview of what I disliked about the book, without spoilers
First, I starting hating Kane so much that nothing he did could redeem him for me. His every action were pissing me off. He didn’t seem to care for Syren and he was quite an asshole to Syren.
Second, Kane was married and his husband died and the entire book made it seem like Kane loves his dead husband way more than he loves Syren, which I could not stand.
Third, this book uses the work plot device of all time to justify the break up at 80% and I just could not do it. It exploits something that happens to many people as a way to advance the plot and it was so badly done that it was just exploitation. Also, there was so much victim blaming after that even happened, it was unberable to read.
Everything after this point will be spoilers so please proceed carefully
A detailed chronicle of every time Kane Ashby pissed me off
First, Kane started to feel way too pushy and like he didn’t care if Syren was traumatized and didn’t want sex, he kept pushing Syren to have sex until he gave in and I hated it so much. Syren was raped when he was just a child and Kanr knew that so why the fuck was he pushing Syren to have sex with him. I was so enraged at it.
Second, Kane was married but his husband died. Kane was still grieving his husband. I understand that Kane was grieving but I got real tired of Kane comparing Syren to his dead husband , he kept saying that his husband was better than Syren could ever hope to be was a low blow and I hated it. It hurt Syren and I hated it. I hated how Kane made Syren feel like second best because he was grieving.
Second, Kane never made it clear that Syren was his priority and the one he really wanted, it felt like he would have taken his dead husband back if he could. Syren was so sad and distraught because he felt like he didn’t matter to Kane as much as Kane’s ex husband did and I hated reading about it. I just wanted Kane to make Syren feel appreciated.
Third, Kane fixed it a little but it was never enough for me. He was saying how he cared for Syren but it never felt like Syren would have been his number one choice if he had to choose between Syren and his dead husband. Kane was doing a lot of very nice things for Syren and I could almost feel his love for Syren but then he kept bringing up his dead husband and it just annoyed me, so much. It made the nice scenes seem cheap and not as important.
Fourth, wanna know how these people break up at 80% in the book? Syren is drugged and raped and Kane sees it and assumes that Syren cheated it on him and leaves him and refuses to listen to anything Syren says. One, I fucking hate the use of rape as a plot device. Syren was raped when he was a child, so why would you think this is a good idea?? It only makes his trauma worst and nothing else. And it literally was just used as a plot device to make the couple break up, it had no use except for that, the effects the rape had on Syren were never shown, it just made the couple break up and thats it. Which frustrates me more than everything in this world. I have no problem with sexual assault in books, in fact I love when a story is about a main character who was sexually assaulted and the book is about their feelings after and how they deal with it. What enrages me with this book is that it just used rape as a plot device to make the characters break up. Which really feels like it’s showing sexual assault as a trivial thing instead of something that affects everything about a person’s life. I really hated how this book trivializing rape by making it seem like a not important thing. The only function for the rape scene in this book was to move the plot along, it never really affected the characters or anything.
Fifth, the book was set up so that Syren made a mistake, a couple days before he was raped, making it so that Kane doesn’t really trust Syren, so he doesn’t want to listen to Syren and his explanations. So the book was set it to give Kane an excuse and make it seem alright for him to not listen to Syren. And I absolutely hated how Kane didn’t listen to Syren and how he didn’t want to believe that Syren was raped. I hated that set up so much. Kane has no excuse to not want to listen to Syren and I hated how the book gave him one. Kane was victim blaming a lot, and never listened to Syren when he tried to tell him that he was raped. When Kane learns that Syren was raped, he says that it’s not possible and that he would have known if Syren was raped. The fact that he didn’t believe that Syren was raped enraged me, so much.
Sixth, there is this guy Vince, that has been pursuing Kane the entire book. Kane gets with him and tells Syren that he doesn’t love him, that he loves Vince. I never hated someone as much as I hated Kane at that moment.
Seventh, Kane had some fucking nerves to assume that Syren would trust anyone else enough to sleep with them. Syren made it clear to Kane that he NEVER trusted anyone to touch him and that Kane was the first man he trusted to have sex with after he was raped as a teen. How the fuck can Kane think that Syren would trust someone else enough to have sex with them when he never did? Kane not listening to Syren’s explanation really felt like he was throwing all of Syren’s trust back in his face and I hated it.
Eight, look, I wouldn’t have been happy about it but I could have thought about trying to forgive the use of rape as a plot device if Kane did an insane amount of groveling for all the hurt he caused Syren. Kane was such an assault to Syren. He refused to listen to Syren’s explanations about what happened, he called Syren all the names in the book (liar, cheater, etc.), he got with another guy that tried to get with him the entire book and told Syren that he loved the other guy and not Syren. But the moment that Kane finally learns the truth, he does about 3 lines of groveling and then Syren takes him back. That shit is not ok. I needed at least a 100 pages of groveling for all the shit Kane put Syren through. I hated seeing Syren being so broken because of Kane’s actions and I needed Kane to apoligize way more than he did.
Ninth, It never felt like Kane had feelings for Syren. He was pining for his dead husband most of the book and when he started getting into Syren finally, he left him without listening to what Syren had to say. Kane called Syren his lover, like Syren didn’t matter. Kane never called Syren any pet names.
Tenth, also I might have hated Vince and everything he stood for but I was still enraged for him that Kane just date him to make Syren mad and that Kane cheated on him the second Syren was back in the picture.
Eleventh, the rape scene was really triggering to me because the entire scene was just trying to justify the rapist’s actions and I was not here for it.
Twelth, there is trigger warnings in this book, but they read as: Somebody has a panty fetish. C’mon, that’s hot AF. Also contains references to rape and child abuse. But the thing is, this book also includes on page self arm and the rape is not referenced, it’s on page. And also it includes a shit load of victim blamimg after the rape. Also, we are shown the rape and there is an entire scene where we see Syren and how he feels right after he was raped. That is not a reference to rape.
Also, there is misogyny and then there is whatever happened in this book. I’m just going to leave this little quote here. “Despite the fact that we like cock, we’re men. We don’t share our feelings.” He swallowed as Kane waited patiently. “That’s usually reserved for females—whiny, clingy females—’cause I’m sure the real ones know enough to let a tight pussy do the talking.”
The good news is that every book after this one will probably sound like a masterpiece to me. Because if it gets worst, I have no idea how to deal with that.
Trigger warnings, because the ones provided are lacking: on page self arm, on page rape and rape aftermath, victim blaming and cheating.
My feelings about this book can be summed up by this gif:
If this book ended at 46%, it would be a solid 5 stars read. But considering that the book does not end at 46%, which is a missed opportunity by the way, it’s a solid 1 star read.
I’m giving this book one star for one specific reason, because it exploits an event that is very traumatizing as a plot device instead of treating it with the care it deserves. I still enjoyed some things about this book, but I couldn’t let the use of that particular plot device slide.
I do not understand how things went so wrong. Everything was perfect and this book was making me cry like every two seconds and I was so fucking invested in it. And then one scene happened and I hated it and then it was followed by another scene I hated and then I just hated the entire book.
Thank you again for my dear Candy for reading this with me and for the emotional support, I would never have gone through the mess that was this book without you. I really needed a buddy with whom I could take about how horrible this was.
I separated my review in many parts, there will a brief and none spoilers section of my dislikes of the book and then a full of spoilers filled section, so just be careful!
Brief summary
Syren is the face of a drug division in cartel and Kane is a federal marshal. Kane is the brother of one of Syren’s friend and Syren has seen one of his picture and he’s been pining for him ever since. Syren finally makes his move on Shane and then they get together and fall in love, if you can call it love, it was mostly just a really abusive relationship.
The little things I enjoyed about this book
First, I love Syren. He had one of the worst backstory ever but he was such a strong man and he still had a good vibe about himself and I just loved him, so much. I just wanted to hug Syren the enture book, he did not deserve all the pain he went through. Syren deserves much better than what he got. Syren is now one of my favourite character of all time. He has so many layers and he’s so complex but everything about him is brillant and I love him for it.
Second, I spent a big part of this book crying. I felt so much for Syren and reading about what he was going through just made me so sad.
Third, Syren doesn’t want to touch anyone or for anyone to touch him, but Kane. Syren has trust issues and doesn’t like intimacy. He only trusts Kane. I loved most of the sex scenes in this book. But mostly the one where they have sex for the time. Syren was sold and raped when he was a child and it was his first time having sex since then and Kane helped him through him his trauma and helped make him feel better. That scene damn near wrecked me, it was lovely.
Fourth, Syren loves to wear panties, which is hot as fuck. I loved how supportive Kane was so Syren’s love for panties and how he loved them too.
Overview of what I disliked about the book, without spoilers
First, I starting hating Kane so much that nothing he did could redeem him for me. His every action were pissing me off. He didn’t seem to care for Syren and he was quite an asshole to Syren.
Second, Kane was married and his husband died and the entire book made it seem like Kane loves his dead husband way more than he loves Syren, which I could not stand.
Third, this book uses the work plot device of all time to justify the break up at 80% and I just could not do it. It exploits something that happens to many people as a way to advance the plot and it was so badly done that it was just exploitation. Also, there was so much victim blaming after that even happened, it was unberable to read.
Everything after this point will be spoilers so please proceed carefully
A detailed chronicle of every time Kane Ashby pissed me off
First, Kane started to feel way too pushy and like he didn’t care if Syren was traumatized and didn’t want sex, he kept pushing Syren to have sex until he gave in and I hated it so much. Syren was raped when he was just a child and Kanr knew that so why the fuck was he pushing Syren to have sex with him. I was so enraged at it.
Second, Kane was married but his husband died. Kane was still grieving his husband. I understand that Kane was grieving but I got real tired of Kane comparing Syren to his dead husband , he kept saying that his husband was better than Syren could ever hope to be was a low blow and I hated it. It hurt Syren and I hated it. I hated how Kane made Syren feel like second best because he was grieving.
Second, Kane never made it clear that Syren was his priority and the one he really wanted, it felt like he would have taken his dead husband back if he could. Syren was so sad and distraught because he felt like he didn’t matter to Kane as much as Kane’s ex husband did and I hated reading about it. I just wanted Kane to make Syren feel appreciated.
Third, Kane fixed it a little but it was never enough for me. He was saying how he cared for Syren but it never felt like Syren would have been his number one choice if he had to choose between Syren and his dead husband. Kane was doing a lot of very nice things for Syren and I could almost feel his love for Syren but then he kept bringing up his dead husband and it just annoyed me, so much. It made the nice scenes seem cheap and not as important.
Fourth, wanna know how these people break up at 80% in the book? Syren is drugged and raped and Kane sees it and assumes that Syren cheated it on him and leaves him and refuses to listen to anything Syren says. One, I fucking hate the use of rape as a plot device. Syren was raped when he was a child, so why would you think this is a good idea?? It only makes his trauma worst and nothing else. And it literally was just used as a plot device to make the couple break up, it had no use except for that, the effects the rape had on Syren were never shown, it just made the couple break up and thats it. Which frustrates me more than everything in this world. I have no problem with sexual assault in books, in fact I love when a story is about a main character who was sexually assaulted and the book is about their feelings after and how they deal with it. What enrages me with this book is that it just used rape as a plot device to make the characters break up. Which really feels like it’s showing sexual assault as a trivial thing instead of something that affects everything about a person’s life. I really hated how this book trivializing rape by making it seem like a not important thing. The only function for the rape scene in this book was to move the plot along, it never really affected the characters or anything.
Fifth, the book was set up so that Syren made a mistake, a couple days before he was raped, making it so that Kane doesn’t really trust Syren, so he doesn’t want to listen to Syren and his explanations. So the book was set it to give Kane an excuse and make it seem alright for him to not listen to Syren. And I absolutely hated how Kane didn’t listen to Syren and how he didn’t want to believe that Syren was raped. I hated that set up so much. Kane has no excuse to not want to listen to Syren and I hated how the book gave him one. Kane was victim blaming a lot, and never listened to Syren when he tried to tell him that he was raped. When Kane learns that Syren was raped, he says that it’s not possible and that he would have known if Syren was raped. The fact that he didn’t believe that Syren was raped enraged me, so much.
Sixth, there is this guy Vince, that has been pursuing Kane the entire book. Kane gets with him and tells Syren that he doesn’t love him, that he loves Vince. I never hated someone as much as I hated Kane at that moment.
Seventh, Kane had some fucking nerves to assume that Syren would trust anyone else enough to sleep with them. Syren made it clear to Kane that he NEVER trusted anyone to touch him and that Kane was the first man he trusted to have sex with after he was raped as a teen. How the fuck can Kane think that Syren would trust someone else enough to have sex with them when he never did? Kane not listening to Syren’s explanation really felt like he was throwing all of Syren’s trust back in his face and I hated it.
Eight, look, I wouldn’t have been happy about it but I could have thought about trying to forgive the use of rape as a plot device if Kane did an insane amount of groveling for all the hurt he caused Syren. Kane was such an assault to Syren. He refused to listen to Syren’s explanations about what happened, he called Syren all the names in the book (liar, cheater, etc.), he got with another guy that tried to get with him the entire book and told Syren that he loved the other guy and not Syren. But the moment that Kane finally learns the truth, he does about 3 lines of groveling and then Syren takes him back. That shit is not ok. I needed at least a 100 pages of groveling for all the shit Kane put Syren through. I hated seeing Syren being so broken because of Kane’s actions and I needed Kane to apoligize way more than he did.
Ninth, It never felt like Kane had feelings for Syren. He was pining for his dead husband most of the book and when he started getting into Syren finally, he left him without listening to what Syren had to say. Kane called Syren his lover, like Syren didn’t matter. Kane never called Syren any pet names.
Tenth, also I might have hated Vince and everything he stood for but I was still enraged for him that Kane just date him to make Syren mad and that Kane cheated on him the second Syren was back in the picture.
Eleventh, the rape scene was really triggering to me because the entire scene was just trying to justify the rapist’s actions and I was not here for it.
Twelth, there is trigger warnings in this book, but they read as: Somebody has a panty fetish. C’mon, that’s hot AF. Also contains references to rape and child abuse. But the thing is, this book also includes on page self arm and the rape is not referenced, it’s on page. And also it includes a shit load of victim blamimg after the rape. Also, we are shown the rape and there is an entire scene where we see Syren and how he feels right after he was raped. That is not a reference to rape.
Also, there is misogyny and then there is whatever happened in this book. I’m just going to leave this little quote here. “Despite the fact that we like cock, we’re men. We don’t share our feelings.” He swallowed as Kane waited patiently. “That’s usually reserved for females—whiny, clingy females—’cause I’m sure the real ones know enough to let a tight pussy do the talking.”
The good news is that every book after this one will probably sound like a masterpiece to me. Because if it gets worst, I have no idea how to deal with that.
January 24, 2018
4.5 Stars
Syren’s childhood was a horrible one; his parents were killed in front of his eyes and then they sold him when he was just ten years old.
"And what do we do with pretty boys?"
Because of his childhood he can’t let others take control of him and that’s something that Kane wants. Kane wants complete control over him. Kane is a federal marshal. And he lost his partner/lover a few years ago. But still couldn’t forget him. It’s like he lives with a ghost. Kane was the first and only man that Syren wants to touch and touched by him. But how Syren can be in a relationship when a ghost is between them!?
I was waiting to read Syren’s story from the first time I read "Call the Coroner". And as I expected I enjoyed it so much! But I should say Syren’s character was far from what I expected! I have something else in my mind for his story, something darker… but it still surprised me! Who thought that secretive and scary Syren is an emotional, sensitive and funny person?! This story had some elements that I really don’t like in my m-m books but I couldn’t help myself! I enjoyed it so much, especially Syren!
Told in dual POV, 3rd person. It’s the third installment in the "Brooklyn Sinners" with character crossover. The writing was perfect, as always! Overall, I loved it and hope you enjoy it as well!
Syren’s childhood was a horrible one; his parents were killed in front of his eyes and then they sold him when he was just ten years old.
"And what do we do with pretty boys?"
Because of his childhood he can’t let others take control of him and that’s something that Kane wants. Kane wants complete control over him. Kane is a federal marshal. And he lost his partner/lover a few years ago. But still couldn’t forget him. It’s like he lives with a ghost. Kane was the first and only man that Syren wants to touch and touched by him. But how Syren can be in a relationship when a ghost is between them!?
I was waiting to read Syren’s story from the first time I read "Call the Coroner". And as I expected I enjoyed it so much! But I should say Syren’s character was far from what I expected! I have something else in my mind for his story, something darker… but it still surprised me! Who thought that secretive and scary Syren is an emotional, sensitive and funny person?! This story had some elements that I really don’t like in my m-m books but I couldn’t help myself! I enjoyed it so much, especially Syren!
Told in dual POV, 3rd person. It’s the third installment in the "Brooklyn Sinners" with character crossover. The writing was perfect, as always! Overall, I loved it and hope you enjoy it as well!
July 14, 2017
4 stars!
"Emotionally exhausted" that's what comes to mind after reading this book, but dammit if I didn't enjoy this journey.
"A Sinner Born" is book 3 in the (Brooklyn sinners) series and is the story of Syren aka Faro who we met in "To Love A Sinner". Finally I got to read Syren's story the elusive, dangerous and beautiful man who intrigued me since the beginning of this series. The man that seems to know everyone's secrets and has so many of his own. In book 1&2 we learned bits of Syren's past, what was done to his family, the violence and his plan for revenge.
I'm glad that the author chose Kane for Syren's love interest, who is the brother of one of the H from book one. Kane is also a marshal, who lost his partner a few years back and still very much mourns him. Syren is much intrigued by Kane and stars pursuing him and they both feel an attraction to each other that they can't denied.
Syren/Kane had a very emotional relationship both coming from being hurt in different ways. My heart broke for Syren to finally know exactly what he went through physically. I totally understood why he was the way he was. In this story we see his vulnerable side, his alter ego Faro come down all by the man he loves, Kane.
What I loved about these guys was that they were intense, passionate, their sexual encounters were off the charts hot! The fact that Faro had a very sexy fetish, man that made their sex ever more delicious.
But what frustrates me a some was the pull and push thing they had going on. Believe me they took turns acting dum and hurting each other. There were situations where they had my heart breaking and then I would be enraged by their decisions, it definitely had my poor heart all over the place. But regardless of the bumps on their journey love always wins over hurts, misunderstandings, and even those betrayals.
The reason why this one didn't quite hit the five star was for the push/pull. The dead partner, it's always hard for me to read about one of the H loving someone, but that's a ME thing because I'm so jealous of my characters. Last I was missing some of the of the dangerous side of Syren. But still a fantastic addition to this series and I'm very much looking forward to Mateo and Tommy's book.❤️
"Emotionally exhausted" that's what comes to mind after reading this book, but dammit if I didn't enjoy this journey.
"A Sinner Born" is book 3 in the (Brooklyn sinners) series and is the story of Syren aka Faro who we met in "To Love A Sinner". Finally I got to read Syren's story the elusive, dangerous and beautiful man who intrigued me since the beginning of this series. The man that seems to know everyone's secrets and has so many of his own. In book 1&2 we learned bits of Syren's past, what was done to his family, the violence and his plan for revenge.
I'm glad that the author chose Kane for Syren's love interest, who is the brother of one of the H from book one. Kane is also a marshal, who lost his partner a few years back and still very much mourns him. Syren is much intrigued by Kane and stars pursuing him and they both feel an attraction to each other that they can't denied.
Syren/Kane had a very emotional relationship both coming from being hurt in different ways. My heart broke for Syren to finally know exactly what he went through physically. I totally understood why he was the way he was. In this story we see his vulnerable side, his alter ego Faro come down all by the man he loves, Kane.
What I loved about these guys was that they were intense, passionate, their sexual encounters were off the charts hot! The fact that Faro had a very sexy fetish, man that made their sex ever more delicious.
But what frustrates me a some was the pull and push thing they had going on. Believe me they took turns acting dum and hurting each other. There were situations where they had my heart breaking and then I would be enraged by their decisions, it definitely had my poor heart all over the place. But regardless of the bumps on their journey love always wins over hurts, misunderstandings, and even those betrayals.
The reason why this one didn't quite hit the five star was for the push/pull. The dead partner, it's always hard for me to read about one of the H loving someone, but that's a ME thing because I'm so jealous of my characters. Last I was missing some of the of the dangerous side of Syren. But still a fantastic addition to this series and I'm very much looking forward to Mateo and Tommy's book.❤️
October 6, 2013
Real Talk: A year ago I came across a MM book from a new to me author that featured love between a gang leader and a cop. In NYC. In BROOKLYN! (And not Manhattan, thank goodness because NYC is made up of 5 boroughs but Manhattan seems to get the most play in fiction. Not hating, just stating.) And not this fancy schmancy Brooklyn flooded with hispters. I'm talking BK - Timberland wearing men, crime life, grit. *licks lips* It read authentic! Even better! I guess it takes a NYCer to recognize a fellow NYCer?
So I read Love the Sinner. Liked it, found issues, saw the potential, rated it 3.5 stars. But there were two standout secondary characters that intrigued me, Faro/Syren and Kane Ashby. I even hinted to their pairing in my review a year ago, I liked them that much.
I figured I see what book #2, Sinner, Savior, could bring. Read it, really liked it (even though I really wanted to read about Kane/Syren like yesterday) but I saw where the author was going with the series and enjoyed the direction. It wasn't quite there yet for me. We get better MC's IMO in Sinner, Savior. (Yes I do enjoy Castillo) Still rated somewhere between 4-4.25 range.
Now onto A Sinner Born. This is the one I have been waiting for!!! The pairing I've jonesed for since like the beginning.
Did it deliver?
What do you think?
.
.
.
.
.
.
j/k
This was the BEST addition to the series! This was the book not only I waited for but what I knew the author COULD DELIVER!
I enjoyed the book so much that even with the minor niggles (yes I had them but I'm not paying any mind to them at the moment) I still want to fondle this book. *cough*I mean dance and grind myself vigorously against this book.*cough*
It was EVERYTHING! It delivered yummy criminals, plot twists galore, DRAMA, blasts from the past (Rafe & Gabe, yay!), SCORCHING SEX, sexy kinks (panties, handcuffs, leather belts anyone?) hints to future books with interesting secondary characters (Patel...I think I can be hooked on you, sir), hot locations (Costa Rica, Paris, NY) and the best frigging parts: Kane Ashby and Syren Rua aka Faro aka Marcos aka my new fave little pocket sized hero.
Damaged men that is what Kane and Syren are. Kane, U.S. Federal Marshal, is still grieving his lover's loss. He's a shell still missing the love of his life. But he catches the eye of a certain elusive criminal(?) Syren Rua, the lackey of a the much hyped bad guy, Ricardo Delatorre. Thing is Syren has a master plan against his boss, to exact revenge for the death of his family and being sold into slavery/prostitution as a child.
A lot of baggage huh? Understatement of the year.
These two are their own amusement park of angst, hurt, betrayal, scars, and mental issues. But somehow they persevere through the trials that seemed to be their lives.
Syren was so deliciously devious and sarcastic even though he's one little ball of pain. I wanted him to get a fitting HEA and he definitely did with Kane.
The Niggles: Yes, Kane & Syren make mistakes while they are together, even when they are apart. But I question, Kane's reaction to . And the MANTEARS, while still not as much as book #1 and for some parts, it was just the right reaction to the situation, I still pause for the any excessive MANTEARS bout. Sorry. Can't help it. I know men cry but C'MON. And Syren is supposed to be 45 years old? He's the most spry 45 year old I've read. He came across as younger - late 20's/early to mid 30's.
With all of that I'm only taking away .5 of a star. I enjoyed the hell out of the story that much.
Oh and grammar sticklers, there are a few typos but it does not detract from the story.
This was the climax to the Brooklyn Sinner series opera. The buildup from book #1 finally brought to fruition (deservedly so) in A Sinner Born. I loved both MC, believed their intense love. I'm happy Syren got his revenge but that it did not consume the story or take away from Syren's character.
4.5 Stars
Read this series in order: it's one hell of a ride, no matter if you end up liking it or not.
March 11, 2015
Written November 5, 2014
3 1/2 - Intense with big heartfelt emotion and an thrilling grand drama. - Boiling hot again...
Book #3
My third installment as an audiobook (11:30 hrs) in this Brooklyn Sinners series (M/M suspense CR) written by Avril Ashton.
Slightly disappointed - could have been a better "read".
I was looking forward to a new thrilling steaming hot love story in this Brooklyn Sinners hard, ugly and dangerous crime world. And I got exactly that. Maybe was it me, maybe was it the narrator, maybe was it because I already got kindred stories two times before this third book-part. Who knows?
Sorry to say, I wasn't as stunned this time.
***********************************************************
Syren Rua (aka Faro) battles painful childhood demons and is taking the steps necessary to bring his family’s killer to justice. As Faro, Syren makes deals with the worst. ~ Kane Ashby (Gabe's brother from #1), isn’t over the death of his long-time partner.
Syren has been watching and craving the grieving man for his own. He’s always stayed away from temptation, but that’s about to change.
We are actually invited into an amazing next to unbelievable (sad) life history here and there are so much revelations and emotional moments that I could hardly count them. High-intensity is a good word.
I'll not even try to start to explaining all the tours, twists and turns. It is absolutely impossible. Exciting what it anyways and I were both nervous and very relieved when we got the grand end. An romantic sweet end. ...I liked.
***********************************************************
My reviews from earlier books in this "gangster-gang member-series Brooklyn Sinners:
***********************************************************
Renard Pasquale always does these narrations with husky, growling, sexy MC voices. So even this time.... but just partly. One of the MC's voices didn't work at all for me. I was both angry and slightly irritated because I felt that the somewhat flamboyant, feminine, delicate blonde beautiful Syren was so worth getting a completely different voice. A softer and more sensual voice.
I feel this story is worth 4 stars but...
In a way destroyed my annoyance with one guys narrated voice, my whole experience of this story. Therefore, I recommend you —this single time— to read the book by yourself instead.
A Sinner Born is a fiercely intense, super steamy and thrilling M/M romance with two really interesting multifaceted characters. A book with a great topic, good plot and some exciting suspense. A book which probably ought to be perceived in a better way than I had.
I LIKE - mostly and a lot of it
********
The Brooklyn Sinners series by Avril Ashton:
3 1/2 - Intense with big heartfelt emotion and an thrilling grand drama. - Boiling hot again...
Book #3
My third installment as an audiobook (11:30 hrs) in this Brooklyn Sinners series (M/M suspense CR) written by Avril Ashton.
Slightly disappointed - could have been a better "read".
I was looking forward to a new thrilling steaming hot love story in this Brooklyn Sinners hard, ugly and dangerous crime world. And I got exactly that. Maybe was it me, maybe was it the narrator, maybe was it because I already got kindred stories two times before this third book-part. Who knows?
Sorry to say, I wasn't as stunned this time.
***********************************************************
Syren Rua (aka Faro) battles painful childhood demons and is taking the steps necessary to bring his family’s killer to justice. As Faro, Syren makes deals with the worst. ~ Kane Ashby (Gabe's brother from #1), isn’t over the death of his long-time partner.
Syren has been watching and craving the grieving man for his own. He’s always stayed away from temptation, but that’s about to change.
We are actually invited into an amazing next to unbelievable (sad) life history here and there are so much revelations and emotional moments that I could hardly count them. High-intensity is a good word.
“I hurt myself,” Syren bit out. “I make myself bleed and it feels good. It eases the pressure inside me, but it never lasts for long.”
I'll not even try to start to explaining all the tours, twists and turns. It is absolutely impossible. Exciting what it anyways and I were both nervous and very relieved when we got the grand end. An romantic sweet end. ...I liked.
“You are everywhere. In my head, in my dreams. You are who I want. You make me feel and I—sometimes I like it, sometimes I don’t, but you make me feel and after twenty years, that alone is enough for me to want things. Unattainable things. With you. From you.”
***********************************************************
My reviews from earlier books in this "gangster-gang member-series Brooklyn Sinners:
***********************************************************
Renard Pasquale always does these narrations with husky, growling, sexy MC voices. So even this time.... but just partly. One of the MC's voices didn't work at all for me. I was both angry and slightly irritated because I felt that the somewhat flamboyant, feminine, delicate blonde beautiful Syren was so worth getting a completely different voice. A softer and more sensual voice.
I feel this story is worth 4 stars but...
In a way destroyed my annoyance with one guys narrated voice, my whole experience of this story. Therefore, I recommend you —this single time— to read the book by yourself instead.
...these men were yummy amazing together
A Sinner Born is a fiercely intense, super steamy and thrilling M/M romance with two really interesting multifaceted characters. A book with a great topic, good plot and some exciting suspense. A book which probably ought to be perceived in a better way than I had.
I LIKE - mostly and a lot of it
********
The Brooklyn Sinners series by Avril Ashton:
March 9, 2023
Reread 2023. Dropped 1 more star because…..Kane
4 stars only ... because Kane
4 stars only ... because Kane
December 9, 2017
Until 80%, it would have been 5, but THEN one of the characters . . . GRRR. . . .the gif below is pretty much how I feel every time I think about Kane now. I want him groveling so I can spit on him while he's doing it. Does that sound too harsh? I don't think so.
Read
July 10, 2021IM SO FUCKING MAD AT KANE!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2013
If you took the heat of the first book, mixed in the angst of the second one then poured a bucketful of emotions on top of it all this would be the result.
I was stunned.
I laughed and cried and screamed at my Kindle. This book wrecked me! I was an emotional mess for two days. TWO DAYS!
I really want to thank Ms. Ashton for handling that one scene so delicately. Much respect! She was able to incorporate all of the emotions without the details. Thank you!
I don't know how this one can be topped. It's a mighty tall order.
Five hundred thousand stars!!
I was stunned.
I laughed and cried and screamed at my Kindle. This book wrecked me! I was an emotional mess for two days. TWO DAYS!
I really want to thank Ms. Ashton for handling that one scene so delicately. Much respect! She was able to incorporate all of the emotions without the details. Thank you!
I don't know how this one can be topped. It's a mighty tall order.
Five hundred thousand stars!!
March 14, 2016
We interrupt this series to bring you...
a moment of extreme angst and just general flailing about this book
Often with a series like this where the stories centre around different couples you get glimpses of the people who will be central to future stories. Such is the case with this series. From my first glimpse of Syren, I was fascinated I wanted to know more, I knew there was more and I diligently waited for it. Kane interested me as well, maybe not quite as much as Syren but enough to make me wonder how much I didn't know about him. That changed when I realized that these two men were connected. This story is the connection, it's the background for them both and the path to their future.
My biggest fear had been that I would be disappointed as occasionally happens. I wondered if the author could meet the expectations that were building in me for the story that would bring these two together. Well my fears were resoundingly and firmly laid to rest.
'A Sinner Born' was all that I had hoped for and so much more.
This story for me was 5 beautiful, glowing, tear filled stars because as much as I loved it there were tears many, many tears. Truthfully if you don't like angst this probably won't be a 5 star read for you and while I admit angst isn't always my thing. If the story is good I have no problem with a high amount of angst. For me the story was beyond good.
So now I'm going to take a bit of a break (an hour or two anyways) before jumping into the next story which...Oh Happy Day!!! is more Kane and Syren.
a moment of extreme angst and just general flailing about this book
Often with a series like this where the stories centre around different couples you get glimpses of the people who will be central to future stories. Such is the case with this series. From my first glimpse of Syren, I was fascinated I wanted to know more, I knew there was more and I diligently waited for it. Kane interested me as well, maybe not quite as much as Syren but enough to make me wonder how much I didn't know about him. That changed when I realized that these two men were connected. This story is the connection, it's the background for them both and the path to their future.
My biggest fear had been that I would be disappointed as occasionally happens. I wondered if the author could meet the expectations that were building in me for the story that would bring these two together. Well my fears were resoundingly and firmly laid to rest.
'A Sinner Born' was all that I had hoped for and so much more.
This story for me was 5 beautiful, glowing, tear filled stars because as much as I loved it there were tears many, many tears. Truthfully if you don't like angst this probably won't be a 5 star read for you and while I admit angst isn't always my thing. If the story is good I have no problem with a high amount of angst. For me the story was beyond good.
So now I'm going to take a bit of a break (an hour or two anyways) before jumping into the next story which...Oh Happy Day!!! is more Kane and Syren.
September 9, 2013
4.0 Stars
Avril Ashton hits one out of the park with A Sinner Born! My gripes with inconceivable storylines in books one and two of this series notwithstanding, book three is awesome and by far the best of the bunch to date.
Syren is oh-so-scrumptious; damaged, determined, and strong, he has survived unspeakable evils. His past, however, has left him unable to trust or be intimate. So, he has resigned himself to living a life of solitude. That is until Kane comes along and blows all that to hell. Like Syren, Kane is no stranger to loss and devastation. Struggling, unsuccessfully, to move on from the death of his long-time partner, Kane is unprepared for the 'hurricane' that is Syren. The two must overcome a boatload of obstacles to be together. Theirs is an angsty journey, rife with mistakes, misunderstandings, and miscommunication. (How's that for alliteration?!?)
Bottom-line: One hot and tumultuous ride. I loved it.
P.S. - A big thanks to my GR buddy, Jenni Lea, for the recommendation. :)
Avril Ashton hits one out of the park with A Sinner Born! My gripes with inconceivable storylines in books one and two of this series notwithstanding, book three is awesome and by far the best of the bunch to date.
Syren is oh-so-scrumptious; damaged, determined, and strong, he has survived unspeakable evils. His past, however, has left him unable to trust or be intimate. So, he has resigned himself to living a life of solitude. That is until Kane comes along and blows all that to hell. Like Syren, Kane is no stranger to loss and devastation. Struggling, unsuccessfully, to move on from the death of his long-time partner, Kane is unprepared for the 'hurricane' that is Syren. The two must overcome a boatload of obstacles to be together. Theirs is an angsty journey, rife with mistakes, misunderstandings, and miscommunication. (How's that for alliteration?!?)
Bottom-line: One hot and tumultuous ride. I loved it.
P.S. - A big thanks to my GR buddy, Jenni Lea, for the recommendation. :)
November 7, 2013
Compared to the previous two installments, A Sinner Is Born was a much better book overall. It's still a bit heavy on the sappy (*insert Troy Barnes 'my emotions' gif here*), but I got used to it after a while.
Syren was a much more interesting character than Kane, but I suppose I'm not breaking new ground by saying this. Kane simply existed so Syren could fall in love with him.
As usual, most of the side characters were of the cardboard variety. And don't get me started on the medical stuff and the use of certain substances for certain purposes.
There's a certain 'incidence' toward the end that buggered up the whole book for me. It was simply ridiculous. The fact that it happened, how it happened, how it was treated, what ensued — just ridiculous.
The way Kane treated Vince in the end was plain awful. And that says something considering Vince's behaviour throughout the book. What a douche.
Oh, and the Catia storyline? That particular loose end is tied up in such a neat little bow in just the last 5% of the book. Too hastily and too neatly, if you ask me. It was redundant and it didn't add anything to Syren as a character.
The ending was awkward and abrupt and eye-roll-inducing.
And what do you know. I've already started the next book in the series.
Syren was a much more interesting character than Kane, but I suppose I'm not breaking new ground by saying this. Kane simply existed so Syren could fall in love with him.
As usual, most of the side characters were of the cardboard variety. And don't get me started on the medical stuff and the use of certain substances for certain purposes.
There's a certain 'incidence' toward the end that buggered up the whole book for me. It was simply ridiculous. The fact that it happened, how it happened, how it was treated, what ensued — just ridiculous.
The way Kane treated Vince in the end was plain awful. And that says something considering Vince's behaviour throughout the book. What a douche.
Oh, and the Catia storyline? That particular loose end is tied up in such a neat little bow in just the last 5% of the book. Too hastily and too neatly, if you ask me. It was redundant and it didn't add anything to Syren as a character.
The ending was awkward and abrupt and eye-roll-inducing.
And what do you know. I've already started the next book in the series.
October 22, 2015
First read:10/13
Tenth Read:10/15
I FREAKING ADORED THIS BOOK, EVER SINCE SYREN WAS INTRODUCED IN BOOK 1 I WAS INTRIGUED. IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT, I CRIED, LAUGH AND UTTERLY SPEECHLESS OF THE AMOUNT OF ANGUISH THIS BOOK HAS, CAN'T WAIT FOR ME.
March 28, 2016
Probably my least favorite of the series so far. But I still liked it.
June 21, 2013
Oh my God, this book.
So emotional, so fantastic. And you know you love a series when you are thinking of all the other people you want to see and hear about, and I'd be so very sad if we didn't get a chance to learn more about so many of these brilliant characters.
One thing I absolutely love about this series in particular is the connectedness, and this book really made that so much more concrete between the two previous. I love that we get to see some of the past couples and characters and that they continue to build with each book, even when they're not the main characters.
Really enjoyed this, and I certainly hope there's more in this series from Avril Ashton, because I will most certainly be ready to read it.
So emotional, so fantastic. And you know you love a series when you are thinking of all the other people you want to see and hear about, and I'd be so very sad if we didn't get a chance to learn more about so many of these brilliant characters.
One thing I absolutely love about this series in particular is the connectedness, and this book really made that so much more concrete between the two previous. I love that we get to see some of the past couples and characters and that they continue to build with each book, even when they're not the main characters.
Really enjoyed this, and I certainly hope there's more in this series from Avril Ashton, because I will most certainly be ready to read it.
September 21, 2013
My favorite of the series so far by a mile. Sooo freaking good. Had me weepy several times. Syren was so fucked up and completely damaged but he tried so hard. I do think Kane should have been a crying sobbing mess when he went to get him back but that's just me. And I never could think of Syren as a man in his 40's, I just couldn't. He came across more like a man in his late 20's or early 30's even though I realize the years wouldn't add up correctly. I adored these two with Syren, of course, being my absolute favorite. Someone save this poor man!
August 27, 2013
5 amazing stars full review tomorrow the best one yet!
August 9, 2014
I wonder if I'm the only one that thought Kane was a dick? I love Syren though. His kink makes me smile.... I like this series.
June 19, 2013
This review has some spoilers. I don't know how to hide my spoilers so this is your only warning. if you don't want to know stuff, look away now.
So. I just finished A Sinner Born. It's midnight, I'm exhausted and I need to be up for work again in about five hours. But first I need to purge my mind of this amazing book so I can hopefully sleep. I don't write reviews, so anyone who reads this will have to forgive the jumbled mess of thoughts this will likely end up being.
First of all I'll start by saying, the first gay romance I ever read was Love the Sinner. I purchased it from Amazon on October 5 2012 and I still have no idea what on earth possessed me to buy it. A gay romance? I had no idea such a thing existed and felt very naughty buying it, like I was reading something not meant for me. It was completely different from all the m/f romances I'd read and instantly, I was hooked. Since that first book it would be fair to say I've read hundreds of m/m romances but i'm fairly certain Angel and Gabe (if I was forced to choose) remain my all time favourite couple. BUT...I do believe Syren and Kane may just threaten that position.
The intensity of the relationship between Syren and Kane just grabs you, much like the other Brooklyn Sinner books. In fact if I were to describe the series in one word, intense would be the word I'd choose. I love the way all of these stories have that instant, mad attraction between the two main characters. But it's not an insta-love, let's hold hands and skip off into the sunset type of attraction. It's a - this uncontrollable lust is gonna fuck up our lives type of attraction. And I can't get enough of it.
Ok, now these were the highlights for me.
1- Sex. It was hot. It was an important part of the storyline. And, thankfully, there wasn't endless pages of it. Don't get me wrong, I love a good sex scene, but I like to watch my porn not read it. This book didn't over do the sex.
2- Syren. He must be one of the most complex characters I've read. He has so many different personalities and previous to this book we'd only really seen the one side of him. In fact when I heard Syren would be Kane's love interest I didn't see how that would be a great match. Obviously, I was wrong.
3- The Panties. Well, I never in a million years thought I would say the words- that panty fetish was hot! It's always seemed pretty (a lot) weird to me, the thought of a man in women's knickers but damn me if this book didn't convert me to a different way of thinking.
4- Original Gangster! Nuff said!
5- Kane and Vince. Ok, so, the two of them as a couple, definitely not a highlight. But the fact that they didn't sleep together. Yes. Thank you.I abso-fricken-lutely hate it if either of the MCs sleep with someone else after they've gotten together. I don't care how likely any scenario is that they'd sleep with someone else. It's a bloody romance. They need to keep it in their pants.
6- Cameos. One of the main reasons we all hang out for sequels is the need to find out what prior MCs are up to. Gabe and Angel, check. JP and Shane, check.
7- Bailey. I really hate it when one of the main characters has had a previous great love but then suddenly decide- oh but I love you more than I ever loved them. Although Kane finally moves on from Bailey it's in a completely realistic way that doesn't belittle what they shared.
8- And finally, I don't know what it was about this bit but I just really felt it -
"Syren," Kane called as he placed the food on the same table then turned, "I'm-"
Their gazes collided and Kane's widened.
Home. Say home. Please say you're home.
Syren managed a smile despite the ache in his chest. "Hi."
So I'm done. Rambling over. I can't recommend this book enough but only if you've read the other Sinner books first. It's going straight to my favourites list and I dare say I'm going to start reading from the beginning of this series again as soon as I get a chance at work tomorrow. Ms Ashton, love your work!!!
So. I just finished A Sinner Born. It's midnight, I'm exhausted and I need to be up for work again in about five hours. But first I need to purge my mind of this amazing book so I can hopefully sleep. I don't write reviews, so anyone who reads this will have to forgive the jumbled mess of thoughts this will likely end up being.
First of all I'll start by saying, the first gay romance I ever read was Love the Sinner. I purchased it from Amazon on October 5 2012 and I still have no idea what on earth possessed me to buy it. A gay romance? I had no idea such a thing existed and felt very naughty buying it, like I was reading something not meant for me. It was completely different from all the m/f romances I'd read and instantly, I was hooked. Since that first book it would be fair to say I've read hundreds of m/m romances but i'm fairly certain Angel and Gabe (if I was forced to choose) remain my all time favourite couple. BUT...I do believe Syren and Kane may just threaten that position.
The intensity of the relationship between Syren and Kane just grabs you, much like the other Brooklyn Sinner books. In fact if I were to describe the series in one word, intense would be the word I'd choose. I love the way all of these stories have that instant, mad attraction between the two main characters. But it's not an insta-love, let's hold hands and skip off into the sunset type of attraction. It's a - this uncontrollable lust is gonna fuck up our lives type of attraction. And I can't get enough of it.
Ok, now these were the highlights for me.
1- Sex. It was hot. It was an important part of the storyline. And, thankfully, there wasn't endless pages of it. Don't get me wrong, I love a good sex scene, but I like to watch my porn not read it. This book didn't over do the sex.
2- Syren. He must be one of the most complex characters I've read. He has so many different personalities and previous to this book we'd only really seen the one side of him. In fact when I heard Syren would be Kane's love interest I didn't see how that would be a great match. Obviously, I was wrong.
3- The Panties. Well, I never in a million years thought I would say the words- that panty fetish was hot! It's always seemed pretty (a lot) weird to me, the thought of a man in women's knickers but damn me if this book didn't convert me to a different way of thinking.
4- Original Gangster! Nuff said!
5- Kane and Vince. Ok, so, the two of them as a couple, definitely not a highlight. But the fact that they didn't sleep together. Yes. Thank you.I abso-fricken-lutely hate it if either of the MCs sleep with someone else after they've gotten together. I don't care how likely any scenario is that they'd sleep with someone else. It's a bloody romance. They need to keep it in their pants.
6- Cameos. One of the main reasons we all hang out for sequels is the need to find out what prior MCs are up to. Gabe and Angel, check. JP and Shane, check.
7- Bailey. I really hate it when one of the main characters has had a previous great love but then suddenly decide- oh but I love you more than I ever loved them. Although Kane finally moves on from Bailey it's in a completely realistic way that doesn't belittle what they shared.
8- And finally, I don't know what it was about this bit but I just really felt it -
"Syren," Kane called as he placed the food on the same table then turned, "I'm-"
Their gazes collided and Kane's widened.
Home. Say home. Please say you're home.
Syren managed a smile despite the ache in his chest. "Hi."
So I'm done. Rambling over. I can't recommend this book enough but only if you've read the other Sinner books first. It's going straight to my favourites list and I dare say I'm going to start reading from the beginning of this series again as soon as I get a chance at work tomorrow. Ms Ashton, love your work!!!
Read
March 7, 2016It's no secret that Avril Ashton is one of my favorite writers. I love her style, and how vivid her words are. This story was a solid 4 most of the time, and propably could have been a 4.5. I'm not going to rate this book because I enjoyed the story. It was raw, and the author delivered exaclty what her reader expected, but...
Since I read the "Run This Town" series first, I'm revisiting some of her characters, especially Syren. It's nice to have the information behind him and to know his involvement with eveyone else. I'm glad the author chose to have older characters with diverse nationalities.
Overall, if you are a fan of this author, you will enjoy this book. Plus, you'll want to know more about other secondary characters. That is if you have not read the books out of order, too.
Since I read the "Run This Town" series first, I'm revisiting some of her characters, especially Syren. It's nice to have the information behind him and to know his involvement with eveyone else. I'm glad the author chose to have older characters with diverse nationalities.
Overall, if you are a fan of this author, you will enjoy this book. Plus, you'll want to know more about other secondary characters. That is if you have not read the books out of order, too.
January 23, 2015
3.5 stars. The rounding up is for Syren.
So frigging hot! You almost - almost! - forget about all the slips. I really want to give this 5 stars...
However I can't get over the sappiness and the fact that Kane is the biggest asshole I've ever read about.
I understand that some people can't deal the "c" word no matter the circumstances, but don't you at least want to know "why"?
It has only happened once (I am not counting the kiss with Pablo), yet Kane is too quick to slap Syren with a label of a professional cheater and discard him like he is nothing.
And what is it with the same scenario over and over again, with the same elements, same little tricks, same hissy fits and same huffing, puffing and chest pounding?
Loved Syren, though.
Oh.... and I found Angelo :D
So frigging hot! You almost - almost! - forget about all the slips. I really want to give this 5 stars...
However I can't get over the sappiness and the fact that Kane is the biggest asshole I've ever read about.
I understand that some people can't deal the "c" word no matter the circumstances, but don't you at least want to know "why"?
It has only happened once (I am not counting the kiss with Pablo), yet Kane is too quick to slap Syren with a label of a professional cheater and discard him like he is nothing.
And what is it with the same scenario over and over again, with the same elements, same little tricks, same hissy fits and same huffing, puffing and chest pounding?
Loved Syren, though.
Oh.... and I found Angelo :D
August 20, 2017
Re-read August 2017
I love Syren!!!!
I love Syren!!!!
May 26, 2022
Syren my fave
This book is more in line with the recent books I've read from this author ( i.e.,on the dark side)
It was equally sad and fascinating to read the origin of the elusive Syren who features in many of the other series
Kane, Gabe's brother, is someone we met in Book 1 and got to know a bit of his back story.
I enjoyed this story and it's my current favourite from this series in that we got to know the machinations and plans within plans that Syren had set up. Also we got to see the relationship development between him and Kane. I really liked that as well.
However, that last thing that Kane did made me want to smack him. If I were Syren, forgiveness would NOT have come that easily.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this and will be looking forward to catching a glimpse of my fave (Syren) I'm subsequent books.
This book is more in line with the recent books I've read from this author ( i.e.,on the dark side)
It was equally sad and fascinating to read the origin of the elusive Syren who features in many of the other series
Kane, Gabe's brother, is someone we met in Book 1 and got to know a bit of his back story.
I enjoyed this story and it's my current favourite from this series in that we got to know the machinations and plans within plans that Syren had set up. Also we got to see the relationship development between him and Kane. I really liked that as well.
However, that last thing that Kane did made me want to smack him. If I were Syren, forgiveness would NOT have come that easily.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this and will be looking forward to catching a glimpse of my fave (Syren) I'm subsequent books.
March 22, 2018
4.5 stars
There is a method to her madness. Even though I personal feel that Syren is the appointed matchmaker in all the books. And his book for me starts the real shit that is going on in all the other books.
As he himself says "I deal in information and secrets." He knows everyone's business, and he gets shit done. Even though Syren had his own demons to exorcise he was low key hooking up people.
So I will fall on my sword and say that you need to read all of Avril's books to get the full picture of what is going on. Books 2 and 3 of Sinners are going on consequently. So don't skip! Read all her works to get the full impact of the beautiful, sexy, and violent world she has created.
Now back to book 2, to read Dev and Pablo's story.
There is a method to her madness. Even though I personal feel that Syren is the appointed matchmaker in all the books. And his book for me starts the real shit that is going on in all the other books.
As he himself says "I deal in information and secrets." He knows everyone's business, and he gets shit done. Even though Syren had his own demons to exorcise he was low key hooking up people.
So I will fall on my sword and say that you need to read all of Avril's books to get the full picture of what is going on. Books 2 and 3 of Sinners are going on consequently. So don't skip! Read all her works to get the full impact of the beautiful, sexy, and violent world she has created.
Now back to book 2, to read Dev and Pablo's story.
September 25, 2024
2 stars only for Syren. I hated Kane, not enough groveling after the way he hurt Syren multiple times.
December 10, 2018
This one would have been 5 Stars but Kane was such an ass that last little bit of the book!! 😭😭
July 31, 2019
I really just love this series so much. Syren is such a great character (though his age throws me, I always think of him as younger). I honestly didn't like Kane half as much. I also think he's forgiven WAY WAY too easily by Syren for how he treated him. That deserved more groveling and dragging out. I felt for Kane for a bit with regards to his widowerhood but he wore that out quickly. Honestly...just ugh. But I did love the build up of their relationship and how frank they were about it with each other.
September 14, 2013
Synopsis:
Book three in the Brooklyn Sinners series.
One man buried in secrets. Another still grieving the love he lost. Their worlds collide in a battle between memories, old and new, while trust hangs by a fragile thread.
Syren Rua is at war. He battles painful childhood demons and his intense need for the first person who makes him feel. As Faro, Syren makes deals with the worst while taking the steps necessary to bring his family’s killer to justice. He isn’t one to indulge in selfish needs, but he’ll make the time in this instance. Syren has been watching Kane Ashby, craving the grieving man for his own. He’s always stayed away from temptation, but that’s about to change.
Kane isn’t over the death of his long-time partner. He’s certainly not ready for a relationship, sexual or otherwise, but Syren isn’t a man who takes no for an answer. The unpredictable Syren offers nothing but secrets and brings with him memories so dark, they could wipe out any chance the two might ever have. Syren brings Kane’s heart back to life. But it is also Syren who could inflict the most damage.
Inside Scoop: One of our heroes has a panty fetish. And it’s hot. This book also contains brief references to rape and child abuse.
My Thoughts:
Continuing to love this series. It's second only to Cut & Run. I love each couple in this series as I read their books and I'm totally interested in what happens to them all. Gabe and Angelo still remain my favorite, though and Angelo and his "Amados" still make him my favorite hero, followed by Gabe, Pablo and Kane.
I was not expecting to like Kane Ashby as much as I did considering how much I love his brother. It turns out, there's plenty of room in my heart for both Ashbys. I love Kane's dominance in the bedroom. He's so dirty. I did not expect that. I loved the dirty things he said and did to Syren. Loved that he was so able to handle him during those moments where Syren's memories nearly took over and Kane made it better. I was not happy with how he handled what happened in L.A., though. He had to grovel and he would have deserved it if Syren had said "so long" and didn't take him back. I'm glad he made things right because he acted like a jerk. I get why he did, but that was painful to read.
I knew I was going to love Syren. Ever since he revealed his face to Angelo way back in Love the Sinner, I was interested in him. Especially since I knew what he was up to with the Delatorres and how dangerous it was. Never would have guessed for him to fall for Kane Ashby and for him to fall so hard just based off of a photo from when he was watching Gabe's back while Angelo was locked up. But there was so much chemistry there. And Syren was so broken. He picks himself up, though. And he does it for himself. I liked what he said at the end when Kane came to grovel. It was good for him to know that he could live for himself without someone else needing to pick up his pieces.
There was plenty of story this time. We knew that Syren was making moves behind the scenes and it sucked the way it played out for him. It was bittersweet. And then that thing with Thiago... Awful. It looks like these two will be building a sweet life together, though. I look forward to Avril writing their novella later.
I do hate the way things played out for Vince. He didn't deserve that hurt and I know his heart must be seriously broken. I know he's going to get his story told in the spin-off and I hope like hell he ends up with someone that deserves him. He didn't do anything wrong except to fall in love with Kane and make a move on him at the wrong time.
I'm wondering if the fifth and final BS book is going to be with that Donovan guy-whose identity surprised me-and I'm wondering if his husband is who I think it is. Considering that reaction he had when he was talking to Syren about Pablo going to NJ and it wasn't a woman he was seeing there makes me think it's that person. If so, I so want to read that. I was wondering if that person was going to get some happiness of his own after being the one to convince Pablo to beg for Shane to forgive him.
Looking forward to reading about Mateo and Tommy next.
Book three in the Brooklyn Sinners series.
One man buried in secrets. Another still grieving the love he lost. Their worlds collide in a battle between memories, old and new, while trust hangs by a fragile thread.
Syren Rua is at war. He battles painful childhood demons and his intense need for the first person who makes him feel. As Faro, Syren makes deals with the worst while taking the steps necessary to bring his family’s killer to justice. He isn’t one to indulge in selfish needs, but he’ll make the time in this instance. Syren has been watching Kane Ashby, craving the grieving man for his own. He’s always stayed away from temptation, but that’s about to change.
Kane isn’t over the death of his long-time partner. He’s certainly not ready for a relationship, sexual or otherwise, but Syren isn’t a man who takes no for an answer. The unpredictable Syren offers nothing but secrets and brings with him memories so dark, they could wipe out any chance the two might ever have. Syren brings Kane’s heart back to life. But it is also Syren who could inflict the most damage.
Inside Scoop: One of our heroes has a panty fetish. And it’s hot. This book also contains brief references to rape and child abuse.
My Thoughts:
Continuing to love this series. It's second only to Cut & Run. I love each couple in this series as I read their books and I'm totally interested in what happens to them all. Gabe and Angelo still remain my favorite, though and Angelo and his "Amados" still make him my favorite hero, followed by Gabe, Pablo and Kane.
I was not expecting to like Kane Ashby as much as I did considering how much I love his brother. It turns out, there's plenty of room in my heart for both Ashbys. I love Kane's dominance in the bedroom. He's so dirty. I did not expect that. I loved the dirty things he said and did to Syren. Loved that he was so able to handle him during those moments where Syren's memories nearly took over and Kane made it better. I was not happy with how he handled what happened in L.A., though. He had to grovel and he would have deserved it if Syren had said "so long" and didn't take him back. I'm glad he made things right because he acted like a jerk. I get why he did, but that was painful to read.
I knew I was going to love Syren. Ever since he revealed his face to Angelo way back in Love the Sinner, I was interested in him. Especially since I knew what he was up to with the Delatorres and how dangerous it was. Never would have guessed for him to fall for Kane Ashby and for him to fall so hard just based off of a photo from when he was watching Gabe's back while Angelo was locked up. But there was so much chemistry there. And Syren was so broken. He picks himself up, though. And he does it for himself. I liked what he said at the end when Kane came to grovel. It was good for him to know that he could live for himself without someone else needing to pick up his pieces.
There was plenty of story this time. We knew that Syren was making moves behind the scenes and it sucked the way it played out for him. It was bittersweet. And then that thing with Thiago... Awful. It looks like these two will be building a sweet life together, though. I look forward to Avril writing their novella later.
I do hate the way things played out for Vince. He didn't deserve that hurt and I know his heart must be seriously broken. I know he's going to get his story told in the spin-off and I hope like hell he ends up with someone that deserves him. He didn't do anything wrong except to fall in love with Kane and make a move on him at the wrong time.
I'm wondering if the fifth and final BS book is going to be with that Donovan guy-whose identity surprised me-and I'm wondering if his husband is who I think it is. Considering that reaction he had when he was talking to Syren about Pablo going to NJ and it wasn't a woman he was seeing there makes me think it's that person. If so, I so want to read that. I was wondering if that person was going to get some happiness of his own after being the one to convince Pablo to beg for Shane to forgive him.
Looking forward to reading about Mateo and Tommy next.
May 22, 2017
WOW!
I was so looking forward to this one... I knew... oooh how I knew my heart would break for Syren.. and it so did. More than once.... this whole story was so unexpected and so raw that I couldn't stop turning the pages. I needed him so badly to get his HEA, and the twists just kept on coming too, I wasn't prepared for any of them lol thats what makes books so awesome, I love stories like these... Not the abuse or the violence, but the way these people seem so real and honest and heartbreaking and when the hits just keep on coming but somehow... somehow through all the pain and suffering there's a little bit of light and it's beautiful and heartwarming and ...sigh... I just loved it. I loved Syren and everything he stood for, the sacrifices he's made to protect the ones he loved, the literal beatings he took for years as a sacrifice. From the age of 10 when he was sold and the years he was tortured and abused, how he could turn out to be the guy he was.... well... thats another beauty in itself. It broke my heart when he had to turn to self harming to release the pain he had hidden within himself... Thats something that so many people can relate to but not many understand, I've seen the effects of that, witnessed it myself and it is horrible... I really really felt for him... wanted to wrap em up and take it all away, and lets face it... that's never happened to me when reading about fictional people... but it was something I related to and that's just one more reason this story was so awesome for me.
And Kane...heartbroken after losing his life partner, losing a great love is hard and he was doing everything in his power to not get close to anyone again, he was content in his being alone. Until Syren that is and he broke that shell wide open! He wasn't living, he was existing... and barely so, just going through the motions. But Syren made him feel... gave him a purpose again.. Syren needed him to take care of him, needed him to love him and although things got screwed around a few times, it all came together in the end. I was SO happy for that and I can not wait to read the freebie that continues their story with Syren and his daughter.
I loved seeing Gabe and Angel, they're still my favorite... how passionate and in love with each other it's almost borderline unhealthy lol but... I love them anyway and it works for them and I can't wait to read more about them.
I liked that this was timed with Pablo and Shane's story so some of the questions I had when reading that one, made sense with this one.
I couldn't stand Vince, and much like Jack with the last one he just got on my nerves more than anything lol
I also like in these how the bad guys get their karma... I mean, I know the main charecters are somewhat bad guys, they kill and do illegal things....but they aren't bad.... that probably makes no sense, but comapred to the dude in this one, they're all choir boys!
I just love this whole series and this was another heartbreaking addition to the awesomeness of it! I've been really looking forward to reading about Tommy and I'm so excited I don't have to wait to read it.
I'll be sad when this series ends, but I know I'll re-read them all probably a lot!
5 stars for me!
I was so looking forward to this one... I knew... oooh how I knew my heart would break for Syren.. and it so did. More than once.... this whole story was so unexpected and so raw that I couldn't stop turning the pages. I needed him so badly to get his HEA, and the twists just kept on coming too, I wasn't prepared for any of them lol thats what makes books so awesome, I love stories like these... Not the abuse or the violence, but the way these people seem so real and honest and heartbreaking and when the hits just keep on coming but somehow... somehow through all the pain and suffering there's a little bit of light and it's beautiful and heartwarming and ...sigh... I just loved it. I loved Syren and everything he stood for, the sacrifices he's made to protect the ones he loved, the literal beatings he took for years as a sacrifice. From the age of 10 when he was sold and the years he was tortured and abused, how he could turn out to be the guy he was.... well... thats another beauty in itself. It broke my heart when he had to turn to self harming to release the pain he had hidden within himself... Thats something that so many people can relate to but not many understand, I've seen the effects of that, witnessed it myself and it is horrible... I really really felt for him... wanted to wrap em up and take it all away, and lets face it... that's never happened to me when reading about fictional people... but it was something I related to and that's just one more reason this story was so awesome for me.
And Kane...heartbroken after losing his life partner, losing a great love is hard and he was doing everything in his power to not get close to anyone again, he was content in his being alone. Until Syren that is and he broke that shell wide open! He wasn't living, he was existing... and barely so, just going through the motions. But Syren made him feel... gave him a purpose again.. Syren needed him to take care of him, needed him to love him and although things got screwed around a few times, it all came together in the end. I was SO happy for that and I can not wait to read the freebie that continues their story with Syren and his daughter.
I loved seeing Gabe and Angel, they're still my favorite... how passionate and in love with each other it's almost borderline unhealthy lol but... I love them anyway and it works for them and I can't wait to read more about them.
I liked that this was timed with Pablo and Shane's story so some of the questions I had when reading that one, made sense with this one.
I couldn't stand Vince, and much like Jack with the last one he just got on my nerves more than anything lol
I also like in these how the bad guys get their karma... I mean, I know the main charecters are somewhat bad guys, they kill and do illegal things....but they aren't bad.... that probably makes no sense, but comapred to the dude in this one, they're all choir boys!
I just love this whole series and this was another heartbreaking addition to the awesomeness of it! I've been really looking forward to reading about Tommy and I'm so excited I don't have to wait to read it.
I'll be sad when this series ends, but I know I'll re-read them all probably a lot!
5 stars for me!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 204 reviews