Eat the rich. Fuck the rich. Sometimes both. Sometimes literally. Philip Barclay-Roche needs Christmas to go well. After his latest fuck-up cost the family business millions of dollars, he's out of second chances. So, when he walks through the doors of his mother’s Connecticut manor house with Rafe Sullivan on his arm, he's betting everything on surviving the festive season without adding to his list of failures.
Rafe is charming, polished, and exactly what Philip needs to prove his life isn't the disaster everyone thinks.
He's also a lie.
But Philip isn't the only one keeping secrets. His older brother is unraveling, his mother's third marriage has gone cold, and his stepsister treats family obligation like a battlefield she's already lost. And then there's his stepfather, Garrett. He watches Rafe with an intensity that makes Philip's skin burn, dragging up desires Philip thought he'd killed long ago.
As the festive noose tightens and passion tangles with deception, sin becomes just another currency. By the time the truth surfaces, Philip will learn that in this house, everyone's keeping score. And someone's been playing a much longer game.
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Ornamental Sins is a first-person POV (split 3 ways) erotic suspense with dark themes, explicit MM to MMM content, gothic undertones, and characters who make questionable choices. Expect age gaps (24-50), taboo stepfather/stepson, power dynamics, psychological manipulation, drug use, and an ending that will make you question everything. Reader discretion strongly advised.
If you need heroes who are unambiguously good, look elsewhere. But if you want American-Saltburn cranked up to 11 and are hungry enough to eat The Menu, then take a seat and get comfortable. Dinner is served.
4.5 * I am so glad I decided not to DNF this. I felt the book was going to be a little drawn out but since I've read books from this author I said I'll give it/her a shot. I.m so glad it did. This book is told in multiples but fell into place by what I can say was to me a mind-blowing conclusion. To make a long story short, Rafe is a high end escort, he's hired by Philip to spend the holidays with him and his self-centered wealthy family. Lots of twists & turns. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I went into this thinking it was going to be a fun bringing his boyfriend home type of story. This was nothing like that. These characters have depth, the story line is full of plot twists and new revelations. I started this book and couldn’t put it down. There were so many emotions evoked as I read and the family dynamic is something else. I found myself crying a couple times. This really is a well written great read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
OMG, this book is hot and has all kinds of twists and turns. I found this author a few months ago and loved all her kinky books. This one is so much fun. Rafe is our main Character with Philip and Garrett following along. The crazy, dysfunctional family is another main character in this book. As long as you don’t mind a bit of cheating (the wife is a piece of work). The ending left me very surprised but I loved it. Will be reading anything else this authors decides to share. I highly recommend this book. Enjoy!
Phillip Barclay is the second born son to a family from the ‘old money’ (on his mother’s side). He is introverted, a pushover and constantly humiliated by his family. His late father was the only person he fully connected with and losing him, devastating as it was, shifted something inside of him. He closed off further.
His mother married her third husband Garrett Walker a few years later and although Garrett had tried to connect with him at the beginning, he had always felt that Garrett never tried hard enough. It was as if Garrett had put up an invisible wall around him. His mother (Victoria) had always favoured his brother Christopher, first born and the golden child.
I’m 11% in and I think Phillip is mistaken about the way Garrett glances at him. I think the furtive glances are of wanting something he shouldn’t … his step son? Better keep reading. ”Was I imagining tenderness there? Garrett and I had never been close. Cordially, sure. We could talk business, discuss investments, share the occasional drink when family gatherings required it. But personal conversations? Those didn’t happen.”
Raphael (Rafe) is an ‘event coordinator’ (lie) but unlike his ‘boyfriend’ he grew up in a loving home, despite being poor. His mother worked menial jobs to stay afloat, and his father left them when he was young. He’s a survivor though.
When Rafe stood up against Victoria after she questioned his late mother’s opinion on his sexuality. I smiled. He put her in her place without being disrespectful. My mother was a gracious woman. Very accepting. She passed away a few years ago, but never had an issue with who I loved.”
I have an inkling to where this is heading. Do the MCs fall for each other? A poly HEA perhaps? Here’s to hopeful wishing!
Upon entering the Phillips family home, he thought he was only another man in the long line of boyfriends Phillip had paraded in front of his family over the years, not knowing, until he stepped into the lion’s den, he was the sole one.
Cool, this is shaping up to be good already!! Okay, my initial thoughts were correct! Ooh, I am really hoping for a poly HEA ending! Jeez, Garrett's thoughts about Phillip (Wow!!) "I was fifty fucking years old. I was too old to be jerking off to fantasies about my stepson"… "But age hadn't made me stop wanting. If anything, it had made the hunger sharper and turned my need into a desperate, wild thing."
Each of the male MCs in this book are living a lie. Whether to themselves or to everyone else. I am really loving this story. I can't seem to grasp what direction the author will lead me to at the end! I think Rafe and Phillip see in each other a missing piece of themselves. It’s why their relationship sells. Phillip is insecure. He needs a stronger personality to lift him up and to support him emotionally and physically. Rafe doesn’t miss a thing. He sees everything. He has seen how Phillip watches Garrett and visa versa. He has seen the longing and feels it too. He trust Phillip (to a point). But no matter how he is dressed or how he performs, he will always be in a separate societal class to Phillip (and Garrett).
Oh Garrett...
Garrett is suffocating in the lie Victoria and he are portraying. One of a united front. A strong, stable marriage. But let’s be honest, Victoria is a piece of work. They live separate lives, only returning to the family home when an event is dictated for it. "We just needed to get through the holidays - through her peak social season -and then she'd release me from this miserable marriage."
In my opinion, Rafe is terrified of losing control or being caged. He won’t ever be owned. He’s a rabbit and needs to be free, especially when the lines become blurred. He never fully commits, well until he met Garrett Walker and Phillip Barclay.
Wow, I didn’t expect that ending! Surprisingly, I don’t feel overly wronged by it. Now, I'm more than happy to read a follow-up novella and get me another HEA (I'm a sucker for them after all). But it's been a few hours since I finished the final page and I still love that ending! This is a fantastic read that will leave you guessing at every turn. I loved it!
I've intentionally been vague to avoid giving any spoilers away.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Rafe, doing his best to talk Phillip off the ledge. He honestly thought Phillip was exaggerating about how bad his family was. Their armor in place, they tackled the family home, (Estate? Manor? Castle?). How bad could it be?
Garrett/Philip/Rafe. A triangle that wasn’t, yet it was there just out of sight in every interaction between them.
This book had to have the record number of secrets in one story that I’ve ever read. A lot of them unpleasant, some almost sweet (but not quite), and some very unexpected. Mommy dearest needed to be drowned in the sound, along with most of the other family. I was really rooting for Rafe and Phillip but when it all came down to it, Phillip seemed the only decent person in the book and even he was tainted.
This story was filthy, incestuous (but not really), twisty, and beyond convoluted, and oh so entertaining.
About a third of the way through this book I did something I haven’t done in ages. I read the last chapter. I couldn’t bear that the wrong people might triumph and the right people wouldn’t be together in the end. Ultimately I think it happened as it was supposed to but I still hold out hope that in the neverland of book endings, this one will be resolved off page. And that Victoria will disappear into the sunset, never to be seen again.
I can't believe I almost skipped this book because of the cover. I thought it's just another Christmas story, something I prefer to avoid. And oh, boy, what a collosal mistake that would have been! Look at the author's name and be warned, this book hits HARD, like a sledgehammer, runs you over like a truck over the speed limit and drags you under the water until your lungs start screaming for air. The story will grip you mercilessly and test your limits because here everyone has a secret, and the secrets have secrets and nobody cares who will be hurt in the process or what is the collateral damage. The Barclay family is a synonym for what disfunctional means! I rarely find so many characters I dislike, but find fascinating to watch them develop on page. Phillip is one of them. On the surface it looks like a cosy Christmas story - a high end escort /Rafe/, a rich man who needs a temporary companion/Phillip/, a dreaded Christmas celebration in the Barclay family. What could possibly go wrong? Simply, said everything! I love stories that will pull me out of my comfort zone and leave me untethered. And this one did that in all the best ways possible!
Holy crap. Grab the biggest bowl of popcorn you can find and buckle up. This one was a wild ride.
Looking for a sweet, hallmark-y holiday book to get cozy with? Stop 🛑 Turn around. This ain’t it.
This book is what happens when you drop a family full of messed up people into a mansion for Christmas and light the match. The author must have a grudge against this family because she dropped bomb after bomb, dislodging lies and secrets lie confetti. Skeltons are forcefully dragged out of closets. No one was left unscathed. The drama is HOT and so is the lusty passion. Two words >> PAGE TURNER. 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
Warning. This is not a warm and fuzzy book. But it is hot as heck. These characters are unhinged. All of them morally gray. Actions are, at best, questionable. I hated several of them with a passion. The themes were dark, taboo, and deception. But by god, it was a ride I would jump right back on.
For the record, I vote for option 3. 🤫🤫🤫🤫.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
For me typically it’s hard to find a MM+ book that I like . Lack of distinct personalities, even dialogue that’s similar in how they express themselves- I find I dislike them more than like them.
Not the case with this book.
And for it to be a dark read with dub con which I’m a fan of this checked so many boxes for me.
So:
Manipulative too smart for his own good brat afraid of intimacy.. check
The yearning men that punish him and crave any scrap of his affection? Check
Filing this away to reread? Check
This. Book. Has. Layers.
I loved the mind games as much as as the steamy scenes - loved when they mingled together.
The trigger warnings need to be minded but if that’s not an issue this book is too good not to try.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Soo much turns in this tale. At first I actually thought it was about a son bringing his boyfriend home for the holidays for the first time and then the story unfolded...
A setup, a very disfunctional family, an awful social environment, another setup... and the heartbreaking end, it really choked me up.
Okay, two out of three get together, but they both miss the third one so much.
Read this in one day, unputdownable.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The ending had an unexpected HEA but not the type that one would expect. There was a lot of unexpected secrets that were revealed throughout but then again, once you get to know the characters it wasn't all that unexpected. Don't let the cover fool you, the characters had depth, their feelings were complex, and things got complicated. Be aware that you may not like the ending at all but it was worth the read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
'Ornamental Sins is a first-person POV (split 3 ways) erotic suspense with dark themes, explicit MM to MMM content, gothic undertones, and characters who make questionable choices.'
The characters were very complex and complicated and perfectly steamy together. Plot was intriguing and intense. World building was solidly drawn. Highly recommend.
Grab a copy, kick back and enjoy!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around the ending. Holy heck this book was twisted! I want to say I loved Philip, Garrett and Rafe (mostly). The disfunction of the Barclay family gives a whole new meaning to disfunction. This story truly pulls one in and the drama, twists, sexy times and the ending (still not sure how I feel about it). Yes, there is a HEA and yes, there is some truths that come out and I think we need a follow up because I have so many questions!
Love this boook and this author! The story of a very disfunctional family and IT s a mmm story but only 2xand up toghetrher in the end! You have to read it to get the heartbreak and how much they Miss the third MC in the end. Highly recomande!!!!!!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Note to author: option 2 or 3 but, please, not option 1!
So dysfunctional yet so hot and entertaining. Drama, drama, and more drama. The MCs are a hot mess in the best way and the plot twists are clever AF. Unconventional HEA. Goodness gracious, this was the right type of chaotic I didn't know I needed!
I picked this up on a spur of the moment. Didn't expect much as my reading has Bern jaded. But damn, I really got into the story as the many overlapping pieces unfolded. I am totally blown away by the unfolded scenes. I highly recommend this as I read it in one sitting, not being able to put it down. You won't be disappointed
This was a completely unexpected pleasure! Yes we got the usual steamy smut we expect but we also got an engaging storyline that had so many twists and exceptional character development which really helped keep engaged until the brilliant ending.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This little reading gem will surprise you. If you were thinking of skipping it. don't. A story packed with more than enough twists and turns to keep your mind navigating the chapters with glorified mental gymnastics.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is a must read book!! Entertaining storyline that pulled me in in the first chapter and never let me go. Lots of fun banter. Some twists I wasn't expecting. Relatable characters. Enjoyed every minute of this five star story.
I would love to see a second book. More Rafe drama and an extra HEA for the 3. Because ya know 1 HEA isn't enough for these guys! Their final spicy scene was sooooo good! The age gap, family drama, taboo, rich people b.s. I loved all of it.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 If i could reread this book, i would. but PLEASE check the trigger warnings. i breezed right past them and got surprised. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Omg this book was a trip! it was nothing like I expected, but I loved it. I fell in love with Philip, Rafe, and Garrett while I absolutely detested Christopher and Victoria. What fantastic characters they are!
If you're looking for a Christmas story unlike any other, this is it. Full of dysfunctional relationships, twisted family dynamics, love, deception, and drama. this book has it all, in spades, and the twists .. they're joyous!
I was given an ARC copy to read and am willingly providing this review. Add this book to your TBR, you won't be sorry.