Tainted Sinners

by Bryce Keene

I know I should run , but I can't help the magnetic pull in my chest drawing me to him. My life was nearly perfect , until it crumbled . My boyfriend broke up with me at the airport upon returning from a trip across Europe . The moment I came home, a stranger was waiting for me, telling me he owns me because of my father's debt to him. I will never be able to repay him with money . I have to work for him, to kill for him. This man threatens to drag me into a world I can barely fathom , and I'm afraid I will not be able to survive . He is the physical manifestation of all the things that have gone wrong in my life… And he’s constantly rousing my animal instincts . Right now, I’m trapped in his thickly woven net of crimes , and I need to find a way out . I have to run away from him as far and as fast as I possibly can, or my life will be over very soon .
*If you're looking for a book with a classic fairytale romance, this might not be the one for you. However, if you're a fan of steamy, intense alpha males, then you're in the right place! My male leads are mysterious, alluring, and sometimes a little dangerous. Be prepared for plenty of both pleasure and pain. Keep in mind that this book is not for the faint of heart. Proceed with caution!

Genres: Book Club

332 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 10, 2023

Reviews

[Victoria Showalter]

I love a good mafia romance and Bryce Keene did a great job. I loved the chemistry between Jack and Heather and how they helped each. The suspense and spicy were right on. The story was a quick easy read just wish there had been more detail, felt it jumped and skipped.

[Cafe and Spice]

Tainted Sinners by Bryce Keene is a dark mafia romance with a not-your-typical FMC, Heather, with the classically morally grey/black MMC, Jack, whom we all love. The pace of this story was exciting as I didn’t feel like it went too quick or slow, and I didn’t feel the predictability that you can typically pick up on with these kinds of stories.

I wasn’t crazy about Jack in the beginning. I was almost not sure that his character and actions were redeemable. He just seemed mean, which I guess is necessary for the Irish mafia lifestyle.

Heather’s character development was incredible. I won’t say she started out as weak; she already had the foundation of a strong character, but to see her build upon that strength, whether it was to [gun emoji] or to [punch] Jack, was awesome. I didn’t initially see how their chemistry could work, but it seemed like they were in need of someone like each other to balance their lives.

Without adding any spoilers (I hate when reviews spoil the entire story), I mostly enjoyed Heather here. She was written so well and with a good of strength; it’s refreshing to see that in romance novels.

[Brooke's Books]

A fun mafia/gangster romance that's surprisingly lighthearted (well as much as a mafia romance with murder can be). I enjoyed seeing Jack's development throughout the book and their relationship was enjoyable to experience.

The smut was written very well and super steamy which is always a plus, I would have loved an extra scene or two!

It also read super quick, it took me less than 2 hours to read which is crazy for a 300+ page book so definitely a good one to pick up if you're slumping.

I did find it a little weird that the characters talked out loud to themselves a lot and I kept going back to check they weren't in a conversation with someone and I'd just missed it.

I also wish the end dramatic scene had been stretched out just a tiny bit more, I felt the tension would have built higher and if wed had to wait to find out the outcome, that would have been super tense!

A great easy read for anyone into mafia romances!

[Lacey]

Overall, I'd give this a 3.5 out of 5. I think the plot is good. It's got some great spice too!

I do, however, think that it could be a little more detailed in the characters, have them fleshed out a bit more. And I have no idea what happened in chapter 26. It jumps from one scene to another with nothing discernable as the scene changed. I had to go back about 10 pages thinking I had skipped ahead in error before realizing the cuts between scenes just went wild and it goes from--without spoiling too much-- a warehouse, then back to the main character, Heather's, home.

Perhaps it was because I read on Kindle that I missed it, but it is not the only time it does this during the story. It may just be nitpicking on my end, but the weird spacing ( literally the spacing between paragraphs) is off to me.

[Em Yardy]

I was given an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was amazing 🤩 I was constantly wanting to know more the plot and spice worked well together. Heather is a strong, feisty and definitely knows how to handle Jack leaving him speechless and perplexed at times. Jack is fascinated with Heather and sees more of her meets the eye. Jack believes in her when she had doubts. Jack is focused on revenge but can he learn how to love again?

This is a dark mafia romance that may have triggers. There is violence, death, murder, assassination, spice, forced proximity and loss of parents.

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Burn:🔥🔥🔥
Spice:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
POV: Dual
Ending: HEA

[Chris06]

tainted dinners

This was a page turner from the first chapter. Heather is surrounded by men that are losers and users.

Liam, the roommate…
Her Dad who has passed …
Frankie her brother that has disappeared…
Mike her now ex that fell in love with someone else…

Her BF is the only one she can rely on other than herself.

Jack roles into her life intent on using her to get revenge … yet again another user. This one is different though and she finds herself digging into her own dark sides.

Mafia … guns, assassinations, lies, FBI, hot 🥵 smexy times … everything runs together and creates a great book.

[jenniferlea]

4.75 stars

I love a good mafia romance!!!
Heather & Jack
Those two were a mess but in the best possible way....
Heather was recently heart broken when Jack, the hot mafia man looking to avenge his sisters death, pops into her life
Heather was pretty vanilla grade school teacher but was looking for some excitement in her life...Jack most definitely did that....
And Jack so focused on revenge hadn't had the chance to bring love to his life
But of course nothing ever goes smoothly & why should it

[Judy]

interesting

3.5 stars sadly, I wish I could give better.
This was an interesting read, but honestly, really confusing. It felt like a lot of important stuff was removed during editing or something. Important stuff that would have allowed it to make more sense. Things just jumped around a lot.
What was there was really good, but the emotional attachment just didn’t quite hit the mark.
I think it has the potential to be great with the balance of heat and violence, but just kinda misses the mark.

[lisa_lou_reads]

Heather comes home to a surprise guest in her house, Jack head of the Irish Mafia. Jack has come to collect on a debt Heather’s late father had with the mafia.
Jack has many plans for Heather, including turning her into an assassin. He also has a hidden agenda to use her to get to her 1/2 brother.
What Jack did not have planned is falling in love with her.

This was a good mafia romance with some twists.

I was given this arc for my honest review.

[Lyssa Dawn]

This was my first read by this author. I enjoyed the character of Jack and his development throughout the novel.
On the other hand, I wasn't too impressed by Heather. She was a little wish-washy.
It was a bit strange and off-putting that the characters often talked out loud to themselves.
Other than that, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good dark, but not so dark, mafia romance.

[Donna Williams]

OMG I thoroughly enjoyed this book, once I received this book I couldn’t put it down. I love how easy it was to picture the characters in my mind. And how easy it was to feel like I was a character in this book as well. I don’t do spoilers so please check the trigger warnings before giving this book a try. If the triggers are ok please read this book you won’t regret it.

[Michelle Mulvey]

Loved how strong Heather was In The book. She was definitely able to hold
Her own.
Will Jack finally find his match when. He meets Heather. ? Things aren’t always as they seem. Jack is out looking to settle a score and get even with the person who took his sisters life. Definitely loved reading this great 5+

[Erin Loveforallbooks Alford]

Jack and Heather's relationship was based on a debt. Jack wanted Heather to pay the debt of her father and to bring her brother out so Jack could take Frankie out. Heather's doesn't know this. Jack brings out a side of Heather that she keeps locked up, and Heather brings out love out of Jack. He starts to realize that he is in love with her and no longer wants her to pay debt.

[Peggy Henstra]

Review

Jack makes Heather an offer she can't refuse. What she dosen't know is he is looking for her brother, who went off grid 4 years ago. As Heather completes the tasks Jack sets for her, her personal goals come true. Jack never figured his feelings would become involved, however when Heather puts herself in harms way., he is close by.

[Carmela Dimattia]

This was a great mafia romance by Bryce Keene. Jack and Heather had sizzling chemistry. There was a lot going on but it was all relevant to the story. I enjoyed this very much and I loved the intrigue. A dark mafia read with a very interesting twist that is definitely worth reading.

I received an arc copy from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Seana]

ARC Review

This book was so good I absolutely loved the relationship between Jack and Heather. The author did a wonderful job with this mafia romance. The author kept you on your toes, wanting to turn the next page. as you start to turn the page, you’re almost scared to keep reading because it’s so crazy. I had a hard time putting this book down.

[L KQ]

Revenge and Debt

Having gone through various types of relationships that were lost of broken has left Heather emotionally scarred. Jack wants revenge and decides he will use Heather to do so. This story is intense, dangerous and suspenseful as well as filled with explosive chemistry. It was enjoyable to read.

I received an ARC of this book and voluntarily leave this review.

[Emily Thompson]

Heather meets Jack due to Jack wanting her to pay her father's debt from gambling. He uses her for jobs and eventually they start falling for each other. Drama strikes and their world shifts. Good read do recommend!

[Kirsty Woods]

Wont be posting any spoilers but this is a page turner, I loved the characters and the story there’s actually only one thing if I had to critique properly is I wish some of the scenes in the book were abit longer but other than that fantastic read.

[Amanda Liskey]

Two damaged individuals find each other

For me, the storyline was fine, but I had a hard time feeling strongly about the characters. Being able to feel strongly about the characters is important to me because it is what makes the story become "real".

[rebecca]

Good book. These two have alot to go through and I mean alot. She is a hard working teacher that gets under the radar of him the boss of the Irish mafia. Has her doing things that make her think twice. I would recommend

[Amanda Logue]

Another great Mafia book from Bryce!

I loved how Heather stood up for herself and really made Jack consider someone other than himself. Watching her grow into the strong woman she became and not just cave to him was refreshing. These two are prefect together!

[Lindy Bateman]

3.5stars

I enjoyed the book, I was drawn in from the beginning but for me it lost a bit of it's momentum. It did pick it back up again close to the end but id already started to lose interest.

[Jaimie Lynn]

ARC Review

Overall the book was good. I liked the story line but it felt like some parts were left out that could have helped a bit.

[Erica H]

Heather & Jack

Heather is such a strong FMC it was enjoyable to read about a woman who could handle herself. Jack is not your typical mafia man which is a nice change.

[V W]

This is the first "mafia" book I've read so was a bit unsure what to expect but have to say I loved it and you need to give it a go

[Alicia Marie]

great start to hopefully a great series!

Jack and Heathers chemistry is something else! Would love to see where they go from here!! I really enjoyed the story!

[Rosa]

What’s the equivalent to chef’s kiss for an author? Someone let me know. BRAVO!!!! I seriously cannot wait for the next book, the characters, the love, the gore. I was on the edge of my seat.

[Carine Oliveira]

WTF did I just read?

[Kathy B.]

mafia

I would rank it a 3.5 ⭐️ It was okay. It did keep me interested but I wasn’t convinced on the premise. The 🌶️ was good.